Envy

A Night in the City

"Come on, Aegon," Rhaenyra called, her voice a low whisper in the gathering dusk. "There's a whole world waiting for us beyond these walls."

They with silently and with purpose throughout the castle. Rhaenyra led the now 14 year old Aegon down the route she had been using to sneak out of the red keep for years. This was the first time Aegon would accompany her tho he had been asking for months.

As they slipped through the gates of the Red Keep and into the teeming streets of King's Landing, Aegon's eyes widened with wonder at the sights and sounds that surrounded them. Lanterns flickered in the darkness, casting eerie shadows against the cobblestones, while the distant strains of music and laughter echoed through the night air.

They traveled deeper into the city and as they moved through the crowded thoroughfares, Rhaenyra guided Aegon, her senses attuned to the joys around her but also to the dangers that lurked in the shadows. She led him down winding alleyways and bustling marketplaces, pointing out the sights and sounds of the city as they went.

They dressed as a commoner would and tucked away their silver hair beneath hoods pulled low over their heads.

"Look, Aegon," Rhaenyra said, gesturing towards a group of street performers entertaining a crowd with their acrobatic feats. "Isn't it amazing? There's so much life out here, so much energy."

Aegon's eyes widened with wonder as he took in the sights and sounds of the city, For the first time in his young life, he felt truly alive, free from the confines of the Red Keep and the weight of his family's expectations.

"They're certainly more entertaining than the maids," Aegon replied as they continued.

Together, Rhaenyra and Aegon wandered through the streets of the city, their footsteps muffled by the soft embrace of the night. Along the way, they passed groups of revelers making their way home from the taverns, their voices raised in song and merriment.

But as they turned a corner, their path was blocked by two dirty-looking men engaged in a heated argument. They along with many others watched the scene unfold as the tension in the air grew palpable.

After one particularly offensive insult was said one of the men drew a dagger from his belt and with a swift motion, slit the other man's throat, his eyes cold and unyielding as he watched the man cling to his throat as he fell to the ground. His attacker spat on him before walking away. Aegon recoiled at the suddenness of the brutality but Rhaenyra and the other onlookers didn't seem affected. It wasn't the first man they'd seen killed in the streets of King's Landing and most likely wouldn't even be the last of the night.

"This world is brutal, valonqar," Rhaenyra whispered her voice a solemn reminder of the harsh realities that lurked beyond the safety of the Red Keep's walls. "Our father and your mother wish to shield you away, but you must face it. You must see it as it is."

Aegon nodded and they continued, walking right past the now lifeless man.

They stepped into the dimly lit interior of a brothel, with the hood pulled low over his head to conceal his identity, Aegon followed his sister through the crowded space. His eyes wide with wonder as he took in the scene unfolding around him. Aegon felt a rush of adrenaline course through his veins. His senses were immediately bombarded by a barrage of sights and sounds, overwhelming him with a heady mixture of excitement, curiosity, and arousal.

Everywhere he looked, people were locked in passionate embraces, their bodies entwined in a dance of desire and pleasure. Moans, grunts, laughter, and the clanking of glasses filled his ears.

It was like nothing he had ever seen before. The raw, primal energy of the scene left him mesmerized.

Many of the women were beautiful, with curves that seemed to defy gravity and eyes that sparkled with mischief and desire.

Beside him, Rhaenyra watched with amusement as her brother's eyes darted around the room with a smile on his face.

"What do you think, little brother?" she asked, her voice teasing as she nudged him playfully. "Is the city everything you imagined?"

Aegon tore his gaze away from the scene before him and towards his sister.

"It's even more."

Rhaenyra chuckled, her amusement evident in her voice as she looked at him fondly.

Aegon hesitated for a moment, his mind racing with questions he had never dared to ask his mother.

"Do they enjoy it?" he blurted out, his voice barely audible over the moans of various women.

"Some of them with certain suitors I'm sure. Sex is different for everyone, Aegon,"

He looked back at the whores as he processed what she said.

"Have you.."

"Yes."

"Do you enjoy it?"

"I do."

What he saw and what he was told by his sister drew stark contrast from anything he'd been told before. He was taught that only men enjoyed sex and for women, it was simply their duty. He now knew that to be false.

They left the brothel and made their way back to the red keep, with their laughter echoing in the air. When they were about halfway back home two men stepped in front of them blocking their path.

"What is a pretty thing like you doing around these parts." One of the men said with a smirk while playing with the cheap-looking, rusted dagger in his hand.

Rhaenyra doesn't respond. She instead placed a hand on her brother's chest and pushed him behind her.

"Mīsagon aōla lēkia." She told Aegon as the men inched closer and she unveiled her dagger making them stop in their tracks.

"That's a fine blade you have there." The other man spoke. "Give it to me and maybe my cock won't end up in ya." He said making the other man chuckle.

With that Aegon stepped up beside his sister as he unsheathed his once-hidden sword. The glint of steel in the moonlight sent a shiver down the men's spines, and they hesitated, unsure of how to proceed. The tables turned as the siblings wielded weapons clearly of much higher quality than the ones they had.

Suddenly, before anyone could make a move a figure emerged from the shadows behind them. A sword was driven through one of the men's eyes with brutal efficiency. The man's body collapsed to the ground revealing Ser Criston Cole who was also dressed as if he was a commoner.

He quickly cut down the other man before addressing Aegon and Rhaenyra.

"Princess. Prince." He bowed.

"What are you doing here Ser Criston?" Rhaenyra questioned as she and her brother put away their weapons.

"I've been following you since you left the keep. I had to make sure the king's idiotic children didn't get themselves killed."

"As if we'd be killed by the lights of them," Aegon said gesturing towards one of the bodies. Ser Criston had cut the second man's throat so deep that his head was nearly clean off.

"I contemplated letting things play out. To see if my lessons have been effective."

"I would have won."

"We would have won." Rhaenyra corrected.

"I don't doubt it. Nevertheless It's time we returned to the castle." Ser Criston announced.

With that Ser Criston escorted them back home and Aegon's first taste of freedom and rebellion had ended. He would grow addicted to the things he felt that night.