The Brightest Sun

Chapter 48

Rhaenys

She was floating, disconnected from everything around her as she stared blankly at the knight knelt before Aegon.

Prince Rhaegar's daughter, she thought, the words reverberating in her mind.

Rhaenys spun on her heel, ignoring Teddy as he made to reach for her.

She couldn't stay in that room any longer – not when all the things she had thought she'd left behind came bubbling back to the fore. She felt unmoored, and Rhae followed the one thread tethering her to reality.

"Tweak!" she called, blood rushing in her ears as she glanced blankly around her room.

"Mistress Rhae called Tweak?" he asked, popping in discreetly.

"Take me to Auriga."

She was never more thankful for the elves' comfort around the dragons than now, landing steadily in the small clearing as Auriga tore forward.

Rhae took a deep breath, leaning her head against Auriga's snout, feeling the heat encompass her as she felt the ebb of emotions flowing through their bond.

Iacomus shifted next to them, his movements indicating his want to fly to Egg, and Rhae moved closer to him, resting a hand on his snout to help keep him calm as she hoped Aegon was doing on the other end of the bond.

There was a sharp crack, and Rhae didn't have to hear the dragon's hissing to know who had come after her.

"Auriga wants to know which human she needs to roast for making you upset," Teddy said, stepping closer to her.

There was a concerned look on his face, eyes shifting to the black of their mother as he said, "You're crying."

"I'm not crying," she denied, swallowing past the lump in her throat as she felt the wetness on her cheeks.

She had thought herself over crying for Rhaegar Targaryen – had done so for the last time before she started at Hogwarts – but she had underestimated how much Westeros would bring back unwanted memories.

Teddy wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her head. "I can string him up if you want."

"What would that accomplish?" she muttered.

"You're right," he agreed. "I know a spell to string him by his intestines."

She rolled her eyes, feeling her lips twitch half-heartedly at the morbid humour Teddy had inherited from his more questionable relations.

"Egg?" she asked, voice quiet.

"I don't know," Teddy said. "I came after you. I'm sure Mum and Dad are with him."

"You shouldn't have left him."

"Egg's not the one with the nightmares," Teddy replied lowly, arms tightening around her.

Rhae closed her eyes, leaning her forehead against his shoulder. Teddy had been her rock for so long, letting a little princess crawl into his bed in fear despite there being no indication that they would one day be family.

"He promised me, you know? Before he left Dragonstone. He told me he would be back soon to finish telling me tales of dragons. Instead he was off to make another daughter."

"He's a fool," Teddy murmured. "Only fools can't see what they have."

She took a deep, shuddering breath, mind flashing with memories of that night. It had been a stroke of luck that had Rhaenys avoiding the knife that would have killed her – a favour of the Seven that saw her make it safely to the nursery.