Whispers Through the Walls|Aegon Targaryen

Prologue

THE WIND WHISPERED through the halls of the Red Keep, carrying with it the weight of a secret that would forever alter the course of House Targaryen. Rhaenyra Targaryen, the Princess of Dragonstone, and her husband, Leynor Velaryon, believed they had successfully concealed the truth about their firstborn daughter. Afair between the princess and Hardin Strong. Though fate has a way of unraveling even the most carefully woven deceptions.

Rhaenyra had always yearned for a daughter, a reflection of herself to carry on the legacy of House Targaryen. A stong little girl she would name Visenya. Deep now Rhaenyra knew she wanted a daughter to heal her inner child. To accept the girl and show her love that she had never gotten. To raise a daughter that wasn't just a stop on the way to having a son. She wanted to give the girl the life she had always wanted, and maybe prove to herself that she could break the cycle.

When Rhaenyra found solace in the arms of Harwin Strong, a knight of the Kingsguard, she never imagined the consequences that would follow. The child she carried was not the result of her union with Leynor, but rather a testament to her forbidden love or lust.

As the day of the birth approached, Rhaenyra and Leynor hoped that their daughter would bear some resemblance to her legitimate father, Leynor Velaryon. They prayed to the god that her features would not betray the truth that lay hidden beneath the surface and that the strong Targaryen genes would come through. But when the babe emerged into the world, it was clear that not even a fool could mistake the baby as a Velaryon.

With bright blue eyes, pale skin, and fiery red hair. The child would be a mirror image of her mother if it weren't for her hair. The unmistakable traits of House Targaryen could not be denied though the red hair could. Panic gripped Rhaenyra's heart as she realized the implications of this revelation. The delicate balance of power within the realm would be shattered if the truth were to be exposed.

She didn't want her daughter to be born in a life were she would be degraded and questioned for her legitimacy to the throne. A bastard is what they would call her.

Rhaenyra was desperate to maintain her respect and safeguard her position but also her daughters. Rhaenyra's father, Viserys Targaryen, proposed a plan. He and his wife would claim the child as their own, presenting her as the long-awaited twin of their unborn son, Aemond. The lie would be woven so intricately that it would be nearly impossible to untangle. Who could argue with the king?

Rhaenyra was torn between her desire to protect her daughter and the need to preserve her own reputation, reluctantly agreed.

The child would be known as Aemond's twin. Rhaella Targaryen named after Viserys mother. It was a secret whispered only among the most trusted confidants, the babe was to never find out.

The tragic tale of a stillborn baby would be told, concealing the true identity of the girl with the blue Targaryen eyes and fiery red hair.

As the years passed, the secret remained locked away within the walls of the Red Keep. Viserys and his wife, would forever bear the weight of Rhaellas true history.