𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐄 ~ aemond targaryen (discontinued)

23 ~ Reflection ~ 23

Whilst my initial intentions were to go to the yard and train, maybe even overtake some of Cristons lessons of the blade and teach the men of the Keep the real way to fight, I found myself walking in the opposite direction. Training could wait. All I ever did was train and battle. I wished to finally meet my neice and nephew, Helaena's children, the twins. And so I headed to the nursery where I assumed they would already be.

Upon arrival, I found myself disappointed with the lack of guards considering these chambers housed two vulnerable toddlers. Through recognition, the two, single knights allowed me passage into the rooms and I passed them with an exchanged nod. I ignored the way they scrutinised my leather armours and blades.

Two tiny voices echoed my name before I had even stepped through the door and somehow, I couldn't muster a shred of shock. It seemed the twins reflected their mother's strange talent of impeccable intuition and without even having met them before, they already recognised my aura and knew I was coming.

My eyes found Helaena first who offered a mute, passive smile as she glanced up from her embroidering of a spider. Old appetites died hard apparently. The Princess still owned a fondness for bugs and creepy crawlies. One we didn't share.

I dipped my chin with a grin, "Your Grace."

She rolled her eyes at the sound of her formal title but betrayed her pose of irritation with a jolt in her shoulders, a silent giggle.

It didn't take long to search the room for my niece and nephew, their little heads of silver and curious, round eyes of violet, difficult to miss as they practically peered into my soul from the floor, their toy blocks abandoned as they assessed the strange, red-haired woman who had invaded their nursery. Jaehaera was the replication of her mother, Jaehaerys, much the same only his face was a little more angular, a little more... Aegon. The poor child did infact look eerily like his father unfortunately. I threw up a silent prayer to the Gods in hopes that the boy wouldn't inherit the personality of my brother as well.

I waved at them both timidly as I stood by the door, "Hi." I chirped and bit my lip.

I was plenty fluent in the language of blood and blades, knew by instinct how to staunch a fatal wound, understood the delicate balance of life and death, but children? Specifically children who could hardly speak a full sentence or walk five steps without eating dirt? Nope. Four years at war and I think I had forgotten how to interact with the true innocents of the world, I think I had forgotten innocence even existed.

I bared a gentle step closer, as if I were trying to tame a wild beast. Two three year olds? Some would say they were more ferocious than a wild beast, especially because they came in a pair.

Their tiny faces were scrunched in confusion, searching my face as if they had seen it before. And they likely had, if they truly knew how to shift across the plane between the conscious and the unconscious, the rift between present and future, just as their mother did.

"Renny...?" The boy squeaked.

Or maybe they didn't.

"No. No." I stepped closer, "Im Lyra. Im your Aunt Khaelyra." I tried to smile at them both but the expression splintered into something awkward and stiff. Who knew such tiny people could be so intimidating, with their beady eyes and little, grubby hands.

"Lyra?" Jaehaera echoed, her voice small and angelic.

I softened, moving to my knees before them both. "Mhm." I took her hand in mine and then her brothers. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you both." I dippeed my head, "Your Graces."

Jaehaerys' brows remained twisted as he assessed me, my hair, my eyes, my nose. He saw something else beyond my own face, perhaps some one else. His violet eyes flicked up to meet his mother's, hoping she could offer explanation. "Not Renny...?"