Come Back To Me

Chapter 44

Daena took one last look at the palace from the back of Silverwing closer to dawn. The prince was kind enough to offer her some of her father and his late wife Lady Laena's clothing from their previous stay. She felt wrong wearing Laena's clothing, thinking it an insult to her sisters. So she chose a simple loose black tunic with black trousers, lacing her boots tightly up.

She did however need to borrow weapons from the prince. For what she had planned, she needed to be light and soundless. So she opted for only a dagger attached to her waist on the leather corset she borrowed as armor and sword strapped to her hip.

With a black cloak to cover her up completely.

Silverwing rushed up to the clouds and made towards her rider's destination. Alone. Leaving behind her husband and brother, seeking to finally end this war once and for all.

She had to keep them safe from what she had to do. She had to keep them both far away from Dragonstone and King's Landing for a while.

Daena wanted to keep her brother as far away from Aegon as she possibly could, while also wanting to keep her mother and father as far away from Aemond as she could. If all went according to her plan, she needed to speak with her mother first.

She had to convince her to spare Aemond's life.

She had to protect her husband.

The shedragon landed on their familiar island and Daena's face lit up with relief at the small rowboat. She'd sent a raven the night before to Ser Arryk, urging for his assistance.

She made haste as the sun was starting to rise and made her way towards King's Landing. Once she made shore, she slinked through the streets, never drawing any attention to herself. But instead of heading towards the gates, she made way towards an entrance down by the rocks with a cave hidden within them.

There standing before her proudly were her mother's two loyal knights Ser Arryk and Ser Loreth. Ser Loreth hadn't sworn to Rhaenyra, but he remained ever loyal to her and her family. He saw the look in the princess' eyes when she saw herself surrounded by guards and a mad king at their command. She didn't want to put any of them in the position of killing her, she knew most of them had no choice in their serving. Escaping was hardly an option for most. Not with so much to leave behind for some of them.

And she understood that. She understood most valued their own families' lives as well. They'd all heard of all the blacks' losses and the grief their queen was enduring. Driven so over the edge with heartbreak that her own children were leading her war.

Ser Loreth saw from the moment he watched Princess Daena take control in that throne room over Aegon who was the true leader for the blacks.

From that moment on, he vowed to himself to serve the princess as one of her sworn protectors.

"Princess, why have you come back? It isn't safe for you here." Loreth urged when she jumped down from the final rock, landing right in front of them.

"I need to get my aunt and her children out of King's Landing...now. Help me sneak into her chambers and get her to Dragonstone." Daena explained in a stern tone, almost like a command.

"Princess, it is too dangerous." Arryk shook his head with worry, but she just raised her eyebrows with a smirk.

"Either you two help me get them out or I get them out myself. Which do you think is the safest option for me, Ser Arryk?" She asked in a softer voice, but she meant it. She needed to get them out just in case. For her brother.

"We will escort you, princess. But we must make haste." Loreth nodded, swatting at Arryk's arm for him to follow his lead.

They snuck through the cave that would lead to a tunnel into the Red Keep. The room the servant's passage to get to the false queen's chambers, managing to stay hidden from sight.