C U R I O S I T Y | Aemond Targaryen

F I F T Y - F I V E

Cordelia's P.O.V.

Take what you can, give nothing back.

Suddenly, I'm sixteen years old again, marking the streets with my name and chasing an empty road for a second of feeling like I belong. All my stupid mistakes and careless messes come flashing back to me, screaming to be accepted for what they are, a cry for wanting to matter in this world. To my naked eyes, I'm racing Hakor through the street of silk in the city of King's Landing, but in my mind, I'm back in Essos with something to prove.

Trying to prove I'm more than a screw up, an unwanted orphan... And that there was a reason I survived the fire that stole my parents from me.

Adrenaline courses through my veins, my engine roars the same as my pounding heart, and I grip the steering wheel tighter, fully focused on the road ahead. The city lights in the night sky blur together and the sound of the engine drowns out any doubts or uncertainties, leaving only the exhilaration of the race. The muscles in my arms tense, my knuckles turning white as I clutch the steering wheel with an iron grip.

"You have as much right to be here as anyone else." My brother's voice echoes, urging me to put more fire on the pedal. "Take what you can, give nothing back, right?"

"Right."

Hearing my brother like he's right next to me, talking me through this race, I refuse to back down and let the car fly. As the adrenaline surges, my heart pounds against my chest, almost threatening to burst out. The rush of blood through my veins intensifies with every twist and turn, every acceleration and deceleration, giving me that sensation of belonging.

I don't look back or even glance beside me to see where Hakor is in this race; my eyes stay ahead of me, chasing the road for that high of belonging somewhere in this world. Somehow, in the seconds of flying down the street, this race became something other than a race to win back Aegon's money. In a blink of blurred city lights and car smoke, this race became the same as all the other ones I've been in before.

 It became a need to prove myself, to get that high that I belong here... And to relive the first time I felt like I mattered.

The car's vibrations reverberate through my body, adding to the electrifying sensation coursing through my veins. The combination of speed and acceleration pushes me back into the seat, melding my body with the racing machine. This world outside fades away, leaving only the pulsating beat of this race, the rush of adrenaline, and the undeniable thrill of marking my name in the pavement to show I'm worth something.

As we zoom past towering skyscrapers, their lights twinkling like stars, my heart pounds in sync with the engine's roar. I catch sight of the Dragon Pit colosseum ahead of me and the thrill of racing again after all this time consumes me, bringing me back to a time where the only ones who cared for me were myself and my brother. Peeking at my speed, catching how I'm closing in on the colosseum, I hear my brother from the passenger seat.

"Don't you dare slow down. You can do this. Do it just like I taught you."

Keeping my foot heavy on the pedal, staring at the colosseum like a timer is on it just for me, I clench the steering wheel and wait for that one moment of belonging. When the imaginary timer goes off and the colosseum is screaming at me, I hit the brakes, turn the wheel, and glide like it's a secondhand motion. The car moves like a hot knife through butter, while I leave smoke and tire marks behind, as I've done so many times before.

"That's what I'm talking about!" My brother shouts at the top of his lungs from the passenger seat with admiration, pride, and something else that makes my heart melt. "Keep going, Cordelia! Keep going, don't stop! Never stop!"