A Dragon's Song

The Weight of War

Naerys stood in her chambers, her gaze lost in the darkening sky beyond the window. The warmth of the last family dinner had already faded, replaced by the cold grip of anxiety that now held her heart. The echoes of Aegon's laughter and Aemond's reassurances had been replaced by an oppressive silence and the weight of what was to come pressed down on her like a stormy sky ready to unleash its fury.

In the dim light, Naerys looked down at her hands, which were trembling ever so slightly. She clenched them into fists, trying to regain her composure, but the tears welling in her eyes betrayed her resolve. How could she be strong when everything she loved seemed to be slipping away from her?

The city below was eerily quiet, as if it too was holding its breath in anticipation of the bloodshed that was sure to come. The war that had begun as a political struggle was now a storm that had engulfed all of Westeros. And in its wake, it left nothing but death and despair. Naerys could feel it—this war would only end when all of them were dead.

Her thoughts drifted to the faces of those she had already lost. Aerion, her innocent son, was taken too soon. His death had been the first wound, a gaping chasm of grief that had never fully healed. And now, as she thought of Aemond and Aegon flying off to face Meleys and Rhaenys, she feared that more would be added to that list.

The thought of losing them, her brothers, made her chest tighten with an almost unbearable pain. She could still see Aemond's determined expression, the way he had kissed her goodbye, promising to return. But in her heart, Naerys knew that promises held little weight in times of war. The gods were fickle, and no one's fate was certain.

She moved to the window, pressing her forehead against the cool glass as the first tears spilled down her cheeks. The night was dark, the sky a canvas of endless black. And there, against the void, she saw him—Gaelithox. His silhouette was barely discernible, a shadow upon shadow, but she could make out his form as he flew, his massive wings slicing through the air with a grace that belied his size. He looked like a dark star, a creature born of night and mystery, his presence a comfort and a reminder of the bond they shared.

Gaelithox didn't go to the Dragonpit, too vast and powerful to be contained within its walls. Instead, he roamed the skies, his cries echoing through the city like a mournful lament. His distress mirrored Naerys's own, a deep, bone-aching sadness that refused to be quelled.

Gaelithox had always been attuned to her emotions, and now the dragon's unease was a reflection of the turmoil that raged within Naerys. It was as if the dragon knew, just as Naerys did, that this war would consume them all. That there was no escape from the bloodshed, no end to the cycle of violence until every last Targaryen had been wiped from the earth.

Naerys closed her eyes, letting the tears fall freely now. She felt so helpless, so small in the face of the great forces that were tearing her family apart. Children were dead. Kin was fighting kin. The blood of the dragon was being spilled on its own, and there was no end in sight.

She wanted to scream, to lash out at the cruel fate that had brought them to this point. But instead, she sank to the floor, her body wracked with silent sobs. She had always been strong, always the one to hold the family together. But now, she felt as though she was shattering into a million pieces, each one sharp and painful as it cut into her heart.

The door to her chambers creaked open, and she looked up through her tears to see Alicent standing in the doorway. The older woman's face was etched with lines of worry and sorrow, a mirror to Naerys's own. Without a word, Alicent crossed the room and knelt beside her, wrapping her arms around her daughter-in-law.

For a long time, they sat there in silence, the only sound the quiet sobs that shook Naerys's frame. Alicent held her, offering no words of comfort—there were none to give. Instead, she simply stayed, a steady presence in the storm of emotions that raged within Naerys.