Burn The Ships / Viserys Targaryen / Larys Strong

7. Regret

"Your daughter... how do you do it?" Viserys questioned seeing Lucia's smiling face.

"Do what your grace?"

"Get her to smile?"

Lyonel looked to Lucia and Larys. THey were always attached at the hip. Larys protected her, looked out for her. LYonel couldnt take credit for that smile on her face right now. 

"Lucia is close with her brothers." Lyone offered. "THey have always been sweet on her." 

"SHe is ten and six, correct?" Viserys questioned. 

"Yes, your grace." Viserys gaze stuck on her. He never saw Alicent smile, hadnt seen Aemma smile in ages either. He didnt realize how glum the castle had been without smiles. 

"lovely girl." Viserys whispered. 

"She is." Lyonel agreed. 

"Are you finding her matches?" 

"No." Lyonel corrected. "Much has changed for her in the past few years, as it has for you. I dont want to push anything upon her." 

"Neither do I with Rhaenyra." Viserys agreed. "But she is being a little tyrant." Viserys hissed. 

'Do you wish to hear my opinion on the matter?' Lyonel pondered and Viserys let out a long sigh

'Should I guess? You believe that your son, Ser Harwin "Break bones," the strongest knight in the Seven Kingdoms, is the best match for Rhaenyra.' Viserys hissed.

'You flatter me, Your Grace, but no.' Lyonel told him 'It would seem to me the best match for Rhaenyra is the son of The Sea Snake, Ser Laenor.' He offered 'Some years ago, I counseled you to take his sister to wife. My reasoning remains the same. Laenor is of pure Valyrian descent. He shares blood with your cousin, the Princess Rhaenys. And he is the heir to the wealthiest house in the realm. The breach between your houses has not narrowed since I last spoke of it. It would do much to assuage Lord Corlys of any slights real... or imagined.' Viserys pondered the idea.

"Did I just hear Viserys think of Harwin for Rhaenyra?" Lucia whispered. "Heavens, I dont want her to be my sister. To share a bloodline with that witch." 

"Lu," Larys kissed her temple. "You are going to lose your head. You have to be more discreet." 

"No one is looking at me, or if they are, they are thinking look at the one legged cripple girl, they dont care what I have to say. I'm just the freak show for their entertainment." Lucia corrected. 

"You are not. Dont think that way about yourself." Larys begged. "I love you, I value you, Lu." 

 ''We must pray, of course, that Laenor survives the fighting in the Stepstones.' LYonel finished. Viserys got up drunkenly and left the celebration, he just wanted to have a good time and celebrate his son. Not all this.

 Lucia was outside warming up by the fire when Viserys made his way to her. 

"Hello your grace." Lucia offered nodding her head to him. 

"Hello Lady Lucia..." Viserys offered her a small smile, her body outlined by the fire behind her. 'Is everything all right, Your Grace?' Lucia pondered, the crackling fire fizzed beside them.

'You know, I... I named her... to protect the realm from Daemon. She was my only child. "The Realm's Delight." I named her out of love because I no longer believed...'' Viserys whispered and Lucia reached out, she didnt know why but she felt like he needed a friend. She held to his hand and he stared down at their hands drawing in a shaky breath. 

''Believed what, my king?' Lucia questioned and Viserys sighed.

'Many in my line have been dragon riders. Very few among us have been dreamers. What is the power of a dragon... next to the power of prophecy.' Viserys told her

'You got to be both. A rider and a dreamer." Lucia agreed. Viserys chuckled giving her hand a squeeze. He didnt realize how much he liked the simplicity of this connection. 

''When Rhaenyra was a child... I saw it in a dream... as vivid as these flames, I saw it. A male babe born to me... wearing the Conqueror's crown.' Viserys told her confidently. 'And I so wanted it to be true, to be a dreamer myself. I sought that vision again, night after night... but it never came again. I poured all my thought and will into it. And my obsession killed Rhaenyra's mother.''

"You didnt kill her." Lucia corrected. 

'I didnt save her either." Viserys corrected. "You must think me a monster." 

"We all do monstrous things in our lives, we can't all be monsters." Lucia offered and he took a step closer to her. 

"Tell me if you think I'm foolish Lucia." Viserys requested. "I thought Rhaenyra was the way out of my abyss of grief and regret. And naming her heir would begin to set things right.'' She remained silent, she didnt think Rhaenyra would be a good heir.  ''I never imagined I would remarry... that I would have a son.' Viserys told her his confidence wavering. ''What if I was wrong?' he heard a horn blowing in the distance the beast had been found. 

"You are the king." Lucia reminded him. "If you were wrong you can set things right again." Lucia leaned forward kissing his cheek. "Now go catch a hart so I can go home and go to bed." Viserys chuckled giving her hand another squeeze. 

"Thank you for talking to me Lucia. I'm glad I stumbled upon you." 

"Me too." Lucia admitted. 

+

'He may not be white, Your Grace. But he's a big lad.' Harwin remarked as they got closer to the Hart.

'Your Grace... for the kill'. Jason offered his spear and Viserys took it. The hart bellowed and thrashed in their restraints.

'Right here, Your Grace.' A huntsman remarked showing him where to strike. The hart wailed but didn't fall 'One more time, Your Grace. A little bit to your left.' The huntsman told him so again Viserys struck. The hart shrieked before collapsing to the ground. The hunter applauded their king.

When Rhaenyra got back to the camp she had blood dried onto her clothes but she walked with confidence and elegance. She was a queen. Harwin smirked at her, she certainly had a story to tell, she was smeared in blood but she walked through head held high. 

"Gross." Lucia decided. "Can we go now?" Lucia looked at Harwin, saw that look on his face and she shook her head. "Harwin-" She whacked him over the back of the head. "Don't even think about it."

Too late.