Rhaella Targaryen always knew that there was more behind her mother's death than what she was told. Alysanne was a healthy, strong woman, and yet she was gone in a couple of days because of a mysterious illness. Rhaella was only a child when the tra...
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KING'S LANDING
134 AC
THE SUNSHINE WAS GENTLY TOUCHING Helaena's skin, which seemed to be made of porcelain. Rhaella curiously stared at her, trying to impress in her memories those traits that were so familiar and yet so different at the same time. She wanted to remember everything, in the most perfect way possible, because she didn't know how much time she had to be able to actually be in the company of Helaena.
“You brought the sunshine here, Ella” Helaena declared, one of her hands reaching the head of her daughter, gently tugging a silver lock behind her ear.
They children were indeed in the garden, playing on a tablecloth their wet nurse had prepared for them. Rhaella and Helaena found them pretty quickly, and joined them in their activities ― which mainly consisted in picking up pretty flowers, or tugging at each other's hair.
Helaena's children were marvelous. Jaehaerys, Jaehaera and Maelor hadn't only inherited their mother's beauty, but they seemed to have inherited also her kindness ― which wasn't obvious, since their father was Aegon. They were still very young, of course there was plenty of time for that to change, but Rhaella believed Helaena was going to raise her children properly so they wouldn't even hold a tiny resemblance of their father.
“Don't be silly, Hel” Rhaella replied, picking up a daisy and offering it to little Maelor, who was wiggling in the wet nurse's lap. “None has the power to change wheatear”
Well, she actually did. But Helaena didn't know any of that and, even if it broke Rhaella's heart, she would never find out. Rhaella knew Helaena would never reveal anything on purpose, but she also knew how cruel Alicent and Otto could be ― she wouldn't be surprised if they threatened Helaena's children just to gather information. They wouldn't hurt them, not truly, but they could be able to make Helaena believe they would. And Rhaella couldn't risk their safety, even if that meant keeping such a huge secret.
“It's not the wheatear I'm taking about” Helaena replied, her voice lower.
Rhaella felt her heart ache. “How you have been doing, Hel? Truly”
“I'm doing good, Ella. I swear” she replied. “The bells will sing with joy one last time”
Rhaella blinked. “What?”
“What what?”
Rhaella knew better than asking Helaena to repeat herself. She never did, if she didn't want to. She sighed, wondering if she should start carrying around a parchment, a quill and a little bottle of black ink to write down everything that Helaena said. It might be helpful. “Nevermind. What were you saying?”
