Long Live // Rhaegar Targaryen // Elia Martell

11. Justified

"I'm scared. Really, really scared. " Jolene remarked.

"It is... common for women to be anxious about the birthing process." Rhaegar offered. "Elia was for..." his now two dead children. Jolene nodded running her hand over her stomach, yeah, mentioning dead children wasnt helping her nerves that she wouldnt be able to protect her babies. 

"For nine months, my whole goal was to keep this baby in my belly, safe and sound and protected. And now it feels like I'm supposed to just shove my own heart into the world and... and let it walk around all exposed and vulnerable and so, so tiny. " she went on. "And I'm not gonna be able to protect him anymore. "

"It will be okay..." Rhaegar assured kissing her gently before pulling back. "Him?"

"I feel like its a boy." Jolene agreed. "I think its a boy..." Jolene agreed and Rhaegar splayed his hand gently over her stomach. "I am very excited to meet our son. "

"I'm really excited, too. " Rhaegar agreed kissing her again. "Everything will be fine." he repeated. "We have had to have faith." Jolene nodded swallowing the lump in her throat. "I'm going to make sure it is safe and I'm going to end this war, once and for all." Jolene straightened up. 

"What?" Jolene countered. 

"I'm going to end this war." Rhaegar repeated as he fixed his laces. Jolene looked to Elia. 

"No." They both agreed to disagree with Rhaegar. 

"Rhaegar you can't leave, Jolene is going to give birth within the moon." Elia declared. 

"That is why I need to leave, to fix this world for our baby, Jolene our baby needs to be safe and that can't happen if we hide away for the rest of our lives. This isnt me abandoning you." Rhaegar assured. "I'm trying to-"

"Get yourself killed." Jolene pondered. 

"That's not the plan." Rhaegar corrected gently. 

"Dont go." Jolene begged. "It's too late, there has been too much blood shed, they are mad men! All of them!" 

"Listen to her!" Elia agreed. "You go out there they are going to have your head as well." 

"I have to try, a king doesnt hide." Rhaegar corrected. "I promise I will return. Everything will be okay my girls." Rhaegar assured kissing their cheeks, he pressed another kiss to Jolene's stomach. "I promise" 

"Don't let the last thing you say to me be a lie." Jolene begged. 

"I love you. That will never be a lie. I love you Jolene targaryen, first of her name one of two-" Rhaegar looked to Elia. "-of the future queens of the seven kingdoms." Rhaegar declared proudly. "I love you."

+

Rhaegar knew the tide was turning against the Targaryens, Rhaegar eventually marched to war with his loyal followers, marched to war to stop a war, to finish the war, to get back home to his girls, leaving Elia and Jolene at the Tower under the guard of Gerold Hightower and Ser Arthur Dayne.

"Where is Jolene Stark?" Robert demanded. 

"She is Jolene Targaryen now." Rhaegar corrected. 

"Lies!" 

"She is my wife, she loves me-"

"She will never love you, you will never love her like I do!" Robert corrected.  "Her heart was mine to win, she was mine to claim."

"You know little of women Baratheon." Rhaegar remarked spinning his blade. "You cannot claim a woman, especially not a woman like JOlene. She is wild and free." 

"She was mine and you stole her."  Robert corrected. 

"We ran away, foolish yes, but people go crazy when they are in love, you need not die Baratheon, lay down your blade, let us end this like men..." 

"It's too late for formality ferret face." Robert corrected. "You took her from me, now I'm going to take everything you love from you." Rhaegar went to strike when he was hit from behind. Robert smirked as a spear stabbed through his leg, piercing into the ground.   Rhaegar screamed out. 

It was the Battle of the Trident. Rhaegar was a man of honor, Robert had none. Rhaegar tried to move but the spear was lodged into the earth and his legs went weak  slicing tendons and muscles, surely chipping bone as he fell to his knees spear still intact. Robert pummeled Rhaegar further into the ground. He kept punching him until his once handsome face was unrecognizable. Rhaegar was killed personally by Robert Baratheon, as the latter wanted revenge. It wasnt justified though. All Jolene wanted was love and now the world was burning around her.  With the loss of Rhaegar, the end result was nearly certain.

Afterwards, House Lannister proceeded to sack King's Landing, resulting in the kings death, Jaime Lannister stabbed him in the back.

"He's not coming back." Jolene sobbed out. "I feel it, do you feel it?" Elia held to her. "He's not coming back!" She shouted out. Then she was shouting for another reason. 

"My lady, your contractions." 

"What?" Jolene whimpered, tears clouding her vision. 

"You are having a baby Jolene." Elia whispered kissing her temple. 

"No, NO, I can't do this. I can't do this!" Jolene begged. 

"You have to, I'm right here. You and me... I'm not going anywhere." Elia assured. 

"I'm going to hold you to that." Jolene warned. 

"Right here. Always."