Queen of the North and the Targaryen Bloodline

Chapter XXXVII: An Eye for an Eye

"How will they fare, Maester Kelvyn?" The princess knelt in front of her daughter and brother, gently touching their legs.

"The prince's flesh will heal, but his eye is lost, my princess. As for the young princess, her skin will mend, though small scars will remain." - the maester's calm tone delivered the grim news. The elder princess nodded in acknowledgment, standing to place a soft kiss on her daughter and brother's foreheads.

Alicent, filled with panic, rushed toward Aegon, who was noticeably drunk, and slapped him across the face, shocking both the Stark and Targaryen families. Daeron and Baelon silently thanked the gods that they were raised by their sister.

"Where were you? You were supposed to protect your brother!" - the queen's voice trembled with fury as she berated Aegon.

The tension in the room rose as Corlys and Rhaenys entered, demanding to know the cause of the uproar. Rhaenyra, filled with concern, hurried over to her children, checking their minor injuries, desperately trying to grasp what had transpired.

The room erupted into chaos as all the children began speaking at once. Aemond and Maegelle claimed they had been attacked first, while the others insisted they were merely defending themselves from Aemond's aggressions.

Rhaenyra's eyes darted around, searching for any clue to what had truly occurred. The escalating tension was only made worse by Alicent's furious interrogation of Aegon, questioning his absence during the fight. The heavy atmosphere hung over the room, everyone waiting for someone to explain the chaos they had just witnessed.

"SILENCE!" - Viserys roared, and the room fell into an uneasy hush. His eyes moved between his son and granddaughter, but as they landed on Maegelle, he was startled. Her greenish-blue eyes, flecked with violet, shone with a fierce brightness. It was the same fiery dragon's gaze that his daughter often wore. His voice softened. "Maegelle, what happened? I want the truth."

"What more do you need to hear? Your son and granddaughter have been maimed." - Alicent's voice trembled with outrage as she pointed toward her wounded son and granddaughter, now surrounded by their siblings.

"It was an unfortunate accident." - Rhaenyra said softly, turning to face her niece, but her words were met with a bitter laugh.

"An accident?" - Daenys' voice dripped with venom. "Prince Jacaerys attacked my daughter with a dagger, and Prince Lucerys took my brother's eye. Is it an accident simply because none of your children were harmed, my dear sister?"

"My sons were the ones attacked and forced to defend themselves!" - Rhaenyra responded, her voice laced with self-righteous indignation as she held Luke's trembling hand. "They were met with vile insults."

"What insults?" - Viserys pressed, his patience thinning, clearly wanting to stop his youngest daughter from speaking further.

"Their legitimacy was questioned." - Rhaenyra's gaze held steady, unwavering.

"He called us bastards." - Jace spoke up, his voice shaking with anger. Cregan placed a firm hand on his wife's arm.

"Enough. I want the truth of what happened." - Viserys demanded, his eyes settling back on Maegelle. "Maegelle, my dear, tell me what transpired."

"I had snuck out in the middle of the night to try my luck with Vhagar. On the way, I bumped into Aemond, who had the same idea, so we both started running, but he reached Vhagar first and claimed her. I waited for him to return, and then we headed back together. But as we were passing through the tunnel from the beach to the castle, the Velaryons were already there, waiting for us."

The girl paused briefly, gathering her thoughts. "A heated argument broke out between Aemond and Rhaena over Vhagar. Rhaena tried to strike Aemond first. He pushed her aside. Furious, Baela attacked him without warning, and Aemond struck back. A full brawl broke out. I didn't know what was happening when suddenly, Jacaerys punched me in the nose. It caught me by surprise, but my anger took over, and I hit him back."