| CHAPTER ONE; The Terrible Return | ——————————————————
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RHAELYS FELT filthy. She had been riding Cannibal for what felt like days. But it hadn't been too long, for he was a fast flyer. Rhaelys was outgrowing her dress greatly, and she despised the color. She had already ripped part of it to create pants for better riding experiences.
Cannibal neared a city, and that was when he let out the loudest roar the city of Kings Landing had ever heard. People looked up in terror as they caught sight of the unfamiliar dragon flying above. And just then did Rhaelys realize where Cannibal had taken her. He was taking her to the Red Keep. But she wondered...how did he know of its location?
Meanwhile—
"Hold fire!" The Lord Commander screamed to his on-watch men. High in the sky, he swore that he saw— Rhaelys? His hand remained lifted, telling his man to stand down. As he watched closely, a hand was waving down at them. A signal of peace? Perhaps.
And all of a sudden, a call was heard. "Lykiri!" The flyer had yelled to her dragon. The dragon listened hesitantly and slowly flew down closer to the men. He reached the ground behind him, some letting out screams of terror and running off. They would be dealt with by the soon-to-be king.
The Lord Commander whipped around, and so did his men. They watched as the unknown rider dismounted the horrifying dragon. And once she placed her feet on the floor, catching the eye of a dark-haired knight in her peripheral vision, everyone analyzed her and her dragon.
It was Rhaelys! Even though they had not seen her for six years, they recognized her striking looks. Especially those ever so light purple eyes of hers. She was older, of course. Time had aged her quickly. For she was only fifteen but looked to be the same age as Aegon II. She was considerably tall, her abnormally large dragon making her look minuscule.
Her Highgarden-styled clothing was too small on her. Tattered and ripped. Her white hair was covered with dust and dirt. Her perfectly sculpted face by the Gods was covered in muck. And even...dried blood. What had she been eating? 'Twas a secret between her and her Cannibal dragon.
Their gazes shifted to Cannibal. He was almost as large as Vhagar. Scars littered his body, there was even a scar sliced across his eye, just like Aemond. The dragon older than Balerion was a lean, old man. But his wings seemed to be deteriorating, unsurprisingly. Holes littered his actively decaying skin. He was known to never have been ridden. They wondered how a girl so 'harmless' as Rhaelys could have mounted him...
And as if they finally came to their senses, crowds of men were lunging forward to detain the girl. For if she was the child of Rhaenrya, she must have been a spy. In their eyes at least.
Cannibal was ready to spit fire, feeling she was in danger. But he sensed no stress or fear in his rider. In fact, he only sensed happiness and giddiness. So? He let them drag her away.
"Touch my dragon and you'll be sitting in his stomach before you can blink." She was heard shouting from the distance. Therefore, no one laid a finger on him. Terrified that he would take their life without a second thought.
As Rhaelys was being roughly dragged down the halls of the Red Keep, a slight smirk was displayed on her plump, blood-covered lips. And as if it was planned, she was drug right past Prince Aemond, the very boy she used to learn High Velarion with.
They locked eyes, Rhaelys looking over her shoulder happily at the intrigued boy. He stared with an interest gleaming in his eyes. She looked so different. But he had a good feeling about her presence.
Rhaelys was then brought straight to the Queen. Upon entry to the small council's ongoing meeting, everyone jumped from their seats in a stupor. "My Queen." Everyone bowed. "Tis Rhaelys Velaryon."
Alicent stared with wide eyes, noticing how a guard had ripped the fabric that covered Rhaelys' breast. It was close to slipping off, which would then show everyone Rhaelys' bare breast. Which is something Alicent wouldn't ever have wished for the girl.
The elder lady gasped and shoved her chair away. She hurried to Rhaelys. "Let her go!" She sneered, shoving the men away. She hurriedly took Rhaelys into her arms, ignoring the large amount of dirt caked onto the girl. "We thought you had died." Alicent felt as if she could cry.
She had always felt so close to the Velaryon girl, even if she was the daughter of her enemy. She had been the only one to send Rhaelys letters throughout her stay with the Tyrells. But she hadn't a clue what had taken place in the confines of Highgarden.
Rhaelys slightly pushed the woman away, she had a small, pleased smile on her face. "I've claimed a dragon." She whispered, grinning widely as Alicent gripped her arms. Alicent laughed slightly, tears filled in her large eyes.
"Have you spoken to..." Alicent began, unable to utter Rhaenrya's name at the moment. She watched as Rhaelys' eyes hardened, jaw clenching as she slowly shook her head.
"And I don't plan on it." She spoke firmly.
Alicent nodded in understanding, not knowing what to say. She couldn't help but wonder what all had happened to Rhaelys in all those years she had been gone. She was shocked at how fast she grew. But she knew for a fact that those who grew so quickly, were only forced.
-
Alicent dismissed the handmaidens from her chambers, having her doors guarded by four men as she took it upon herself to bathe fifteen-year-old Rhaelys.
Silence was the only sound in the room. Both women sitting comfortably, enjoying the peace they were finally able to share. Rhaelys loved Alicent dearly. She wished that she had been born of Alicent, but she knew she couldn't be so lucky.
After a while, Rhaelys had to say it. "They defiled me." She mumbled, staring at the fire in the fireplace.
Alicent dropped the sponge, staring in disbelief. She shot forward, softly but firmly holding Rhaelys' plump face between her mature hands. "Who? Rhaelys, who?"
"Three of them." She spoke, ashamed of herself. "My own betrothed!" She cried out, finally looking into the eyes of the Hightower woman. Noticing how she was also crying now. "He raped me, and held me down as his friends took their turns."
The two were now hugging, Alicent dismissing the fact that she was now getting soaked by the water that dripped from the girl's hair and thin arms. "No." Alicent cried into the girl's shoulder.
"They did it for two years, every day." She sobbed quietly, holding Alicent as tight as she could. "But they got theirs!" She whispered angrily as she pulled away, staring with fury. "I poisoned them all, the night before my fourteenth name day. But there is one left to get rid of."
Alicent only stared in fear, disgusted by what time had turned the poor girl into. A murderer.
"Rhaenrya." The name fell from her lips as if it were a rotten fruit.
