The Dragon and the Rose | Aemond Targaryen

Chapter 5: The Moon and the Sun

A week after the abrupt departure of Ser Harwin Strong, Rhaenyra, Laenor, and their children left to Dragonstone. Rhaenyra had told the King that it was long overdue for her to take her place in her ancestral seat, but everyone knew the real reason. The court had made a mockery of her and her children and her last line of defense had been broken when Alicent had rejected her offer of betrothal. She and Laenor had no other option than to flee the prying eyes and the gossip that had once again arisen. 

Rhaenyra thought of Alysanne as her own, and was not about to leave her behind, so she asked the King for permission to take her with them, but the King had informed her that the decision would fall in the hands of her father, Lord Willas Tyrell. 

The Lord of Highgarden had promptly refused her request, writing that his daughter was to remain residing in Kings Landing, and that his decision on the matter would not be swayed. 

Rhaenyra, having been left with no other options, left to Dragonstone, leaving Alysanne in Kings Landing. 

Nearly five days had passed since they had boarded a ship and taken their departure. Alysanne had not gotten out of bed since. 

She was heartbroken, her family was gone, leaving her behind. She was angry at her father, a man who she barely even knew, who somehow had the authority to decide what she could and could not do. 

She felt betrayed by Rhaenyra. She knew her aunt loved her and had tried to take her with her but she had still left without her, leaving her in despair. 

But mostly, she felt numb. 

Alysanne held a melancholic demeanor at the best of times, but, when something really impacted her, she would shut down, not feeling much, only the numbness in her brain and body. 

This is what the girl was now feeling, as she lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, a vacant expression on her face. 

She would not eat, she would not bathe, she would seldom sleep. And she could not get up, her mind would render her physically unable to do so. 

Not when Alicent had come on the first day, with Aemond, trying to coax her to go out to get some fresh air. Not when Aegon had come the second day, probably at the behest of his mother, threatening to drag her out of bed and attempted to force-feed her. 

He had failed in this endeavor, the girl had not even acknowledged his presence, and Aemond had intervened before he could actually lay hands on the girl. 

Her grandsire had stopped by later that day, apologizing for the harsh words exchanged between them during their last conversation and trying to coax her into speaking or moving. She remained hidden under the covers during the whole encounter.

Not even yesterday when sweet Helaena had come to read to her and had offered a bath along with a trip to their spot by the weirwood tree.. She had stayed for hours before being forced to go to bed by Alicent. 

She knew they were concerned, but she could not find it within her to pull herself out of such a state. She was losing patience with herself, knowing that she would starve unless fed properly and that her body was probably starting to stink. 

Lydia, her handmaiden sat in the corner of the room, walking over to the bed ever so often to rearrange the sheets or to cover her body in the furs and blankets if they slipped off. 

The morning had been relatively quiet, aside from Lydia bringing her a tray of food to break her fast and being promptly disappointed when she received no response. She had also tried to get her attention by telling her that more letters had arrived from Dragonstone, and one from Highgarden, adding them to the ever-growing pile of unopened correspondence. The woman had sighed in exasperation and taken her place in the corner of the room soon after.