Labour | Helaena Targaryen

05

The sun was beginning to  set, casting a warm, golden light over the Red Keep as Tiyana made her  way through the winding corridors. Her steps were quiet, almost  reverent, as she approached the chamber where Helaena often retreated to  spend time with her beloved insects. It was a sanctuary for her, a  place where she could lose herself in the simple, calming world of her  bugs, away from the noise and chaos of the court.

Tiyana paused at  the threshold of the chamber, her heart swelling with affection as she  watched Helaena from afar. The princess was seated on the floor, her  delicate fingers gently guiding a beetle along her palm, her lips moving  in a soft, almost inaudible murmur as she spoke to the creature. There  was a peacefulness about Helaena in these moments, a quiet contentment  that Tiyana cherished. It was in these moments that she saw the true  beauty of Helaena—not just in her physical appearance, but in the  gentle, compassionate soul that lay beneath.

Tiyana leaned against  the doorframe, her eyes fixed on Helaena as she admired the woman she  loved. It was a love that had grown over time, rooted in the shared  moments of silence, in the unspoken understanding that had developed  between them. To others, they were simply close friends, but to Tiyana,  Helaena was everything—her world, her light, her reason for being. And  she would do anything to protect her.

As Tiyana watched, lost in  her thoughts, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the corridor  behind her. She turned just in time to see Aegon stumbling into the  chamber, his movements erratic, his face flushed with drink. The smell  of alcohol wafted through the air, sharp and sour, and Tiyana's heart  sank with dread.

Aegon was drunk again. It wasn't an uncommon  sight—he spent more nights drunk than sober—but there was something  about the way he moved, the wild, unfocused look in his eyes, that sent a  chill down Tiyana's spine. She had seen Aegon drunk before, had  witnessed his cruelty and neglect, but tonight, something felt  different. There was a darkness in him, a barely restrained violence  that made her blood run cold.

Helaena looked up as Aegon entered,  her peaceful expression faltering as she recognized the danger in his  demeanor. The beetle slipped from her hand, scurrying away unnoticed as  Helaena's eyes widened with a mixture of fear and resignation. She had  endured Aegon's drunken rages before, had learned to withdraw into  herself, to retreat into the safety of her mind when he became too much.  But tonight, there was nowhere to retreat, nowhere to hide.

"Aegon," Helaena whispered, her voice trembling slightly, "Please, not tonight."

But  Aegon was beyond reason. He staggered forward, his eyes narrowing as he  took in the sight of Helaena on the floor, surrounded by her insects. A  sneer twisted his lips, and he let out a harsh, mocking laugh.

"Playing  with your bugs again, sister?" He slurred, his words thick with  disdain, "You're supposed to be a princess, not some... some child playing in  the dirt."

Helaena flinched at his words, her shoulders hunching  as if to make herself smaller, less noticeable. Tiyana's heart ached at  the sight, her hands curling into fists at her sides. She wanted to step  forward, to shield Helaena from Aegon's cruelty, but she knew that it  would only make things worse. Aegon was unpredictable when he was like  this, and any confrontation could set him off.

But then Aegon's  sneer turned into a snarl, and he reached down, grabbing Helaena by the  arm and yanking her to her feet with a roughness that made Tiyana's  blood boil. Helaena cried out, her eyes filling with tears as Aegon's  grip tightened, his fingers digging into her skin.

"Let go of me!" Helaena pleaded, her voice breaking as she tried to pull away.

But  Aegon only laughed, his breath hot and foul as he leaned in closer.