Hand of the Queen

11

"Ser Barristan is dead?" I ask in shock, Varys holds the same look upon his own face. Our only other link to King's Landing, killed by the Sons of the Harpy.

"Yes, Lady Stark." Daenerys says, grief heavy in her eyes. I clench my jaw as the Queen looks to me. "This will be answered with justice, and with strength." I nod as she turns from me to scan her eyes across the others within her council. "Gather the great families, they will be brought before me."

"Take them to the dragon pit, your grace." I say, Daenerys looks to me in surprise. "Receiving them in your throne room is not enough, take them to the pits." A small pulls on her lips. "Show them intimidation, show them that you are a dragon, your grace."

"I had planned to do just that, Alysanne." Daenerys says, without another word she disappears down the hall. I turn and Aegon follows after me, anger seethes within my veins.

"I have had enough of this problem with the Sons." I say through a clenched jaw.

"What are you going to do, Lady Alysanne? Kill them all yourself?" Aegon says, I whip my head around to see a smug grin on his face. My own eyes harden, the smile disappears from his mouth.

"If you are going to mock me, Prince Aegon, then leave me." I turn to walk again as he reaches for me, only to be met by the harsh eyes of Melania.

"Alysanne," He rushes after me as I take a sharp turn into the gardens. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to upset you." I shake my head and continue to walk when his hand wraps around my wrist. "Look at me, Lady Stark." I force myself to meet his eyes, the fury in my veins slowly faltering at his gentle eyes. "I know how you felt about Ser Barristan, he was one of your only connections to home. I am sorry that I poked fun while you are grieving." He slowly slips his hand from my wrist and into my palm. "Allow me to take your stitches out, they will only cause you more discomfort now."

Aegon does not let go of my hand as he leads me to a small table, secluded within tall bushes and rows of flowers. Melania finds a small patch of grass and settles in, unwilling to take her eyes off of Aegon. The prince kneels in front of me as I sit, carefully working to pull the dark stitches out of my skin. I squeeze my eyes shot at the lingering pain that ensues, until the last of the stitch is pulled. My eyes flutter open as Aegon runs his thumb over the scar, though his eyes lock within my own.

"Still beautiful, Lady Alysanne." He tells me, I feel the heat rise to my cheeks. His violet eyes bore into mine, holding them as the silence settles between us. I feel his fingertips run against my cheekbone before he suddenly stands. "I have something for you." Without another word, he rushes out into the garden and towards the Queen's pyramid.

Before I can react, a small arrow burrows itself to Melania's side, my eyes widen in shock and I quickly move to run towards her. A hand slips around my mouth and another holds my wrists against each other, dragging me down a small passageway. I watch the man in a golden mask drop a piece of parchment with the Sons of Harpy symbol drawn atop it before following behind my captor.

...

"Should we kill her?" I hear as my eyes flutter open. My skull pounds against itself, I feel the blood from a small scratch drip down my forehead. My hands remains in shackles behind my back, a chain prevents me from standing off the floor. My once beautiful dress is torn and tattered, mud and dirt stains the hem.

"No, not yet." Another man says, my eyes begin to adjust to the darkness as two men come into view. The lanterns in their hands light up the stone room just enough that I can make out a small window near the top. Nighttime must still be upon us, no light pours in the room. "Her capture will cause enough panic within the pyramid to leave them weak enough to attack at the fighting pits."

The two men disappear from the room once more, leaving me shrouded in darkness. My mind rushes to Melania, will she live? Will she ever fully recover? Surely an arrow that small could not hinder a massive direwolf forever. What did Aegon wish to show me? Will he be able to find me in this sprawling city? I force my racing mind to settle, closing my eyes as deep breaths cycle in and out.

...

The following days are long, the heat within this room feels as though it will suffocate me. Sweat cuts through the small bits of dirt that have accumulated on my face, the small bits of food and water I receive leave me severely weakened.

All of these hardships I can endure, I can wield the anger that keeps me alive within this call. But it is the nights that lonely sons enter the room, craving the feeling of a woman within the palms of their bloodied hands. It is these memories that I force myself to forget, but still rest heavy on my body.

I lean my head against the wall as tears slips down my face, looking up towards the window. A small face appears, meeting my eyes in their own. A child, one who seems to be on the lookout for something. Realization dawns on me, a small smile pulls on my lips.

A little bird.