Dragon In Chains| Lucerys Velaryon

VII

     THE HEAVY WOODEN door to their chambers closed with a final thud, shutting out the chaos of the Red Keep. Lucerys Velaryon stood tense by the hearth, his eyes scanning the room as if expecting danger at any moment. His heart had barely settled from the turmoil of the last few days—surviving Aemond's wrath and being forced into this fragile union with his aunt, Saelor Targaryen. He had once thought the Red Keep's halls were filled with splendor, but now they were nothing more than a gilded prison.

Saelor, his new wife, moved quietly across the room, her aburn hair catching the low candlelight. She seemed as restless as he was, though she masked it well behind a calm and regal demeanor. The fire crackled in the hearth, casting flickering shadows on the stone walls, but there was no warmth in the air between them. Only tension and uncertainty.

Lucerys couldn't help but think of what Saelor had said. I have a plan. He hoped she meant what he thought she did.

"We don't have much time," Saelor finally said, her voice low and urgent. She didn't meet his gaze at first, her eyes fixed on the flames as though trying to gather strength from them. "Aegon will come for us soon, and when he does, I fear he will force... expectations on us."

Lucerys swallowed, his throat tight. He knew what she meant. The union, forced as it was, came with certain... duties. Duties neither of them had asked for but that Aegon, in his madness and lust for control, would demand they fulfill.

"You mean children," Lucerys said, his voice steady but grim. Clearly nervous and flustered at the topic.

Saelor nodded slowly, her eyes finally rising to meet his. There was fear in them, but also a fierce determination. "I fear that from here on out the conflict will grow—we will be put in the middle of our family's battle. My mother plans on writing to Rhaenyra—claiming that you are alive and part of the greens now."

Lucerys felt a surge of conflicting emotions. He had dreamed of escaping his fate ever since that storm over Shipbreaker Bay, but reality had been cruel. Held hostage, trapped in a marriage neither of them had wanted... yet here was Saelor, offering him a way out. Not just for him, but for both of them. He hadn't expected the girl to uproot her life, her family. All for him.

"How?" he asked, stepping closer to her. "How can we get away from here without being caught?"

"Heartfire," Saelor said with quiet certainty. "My dragon. She's stabled in the Dragonpit, and she'll obey only me. We can slip out of the Red Keep under cover of darkness, fly to Dragonstone. It's my family's old seat. We'll be safe there. Far from Aegon, far from his madness."

Lucerys hesitated, glancing toward the window where the moonlight spilled in through the lattice. He could feel the weight of his new life pressing down on him, a life that had nearly broken him before it had even begun. But now... freedom was within reach, if they were brave enough to take it.

"I'll do it," Lucerys said, his voice stronger than he felt. "We'll leave tonight."

Saelor's gaze softened for a moment, her hand reaching out to touch his shoulder. "Thank you, Lucerys. I was worried I'd be asking too much of you. But this is the only way. We must take it."

Before Lucerys could respond, the door burst open without warning. The sound shattered the fragile sense of calm, and Lucerys spun around, his body instinctively tensing. Aegon Targaryen, the usurper king, stood in the doorway, his drunken, predatory grin twisting his features. His golden crown was askew, and the wine on his breath was pungent even from across the room.

"So, this is where my sister hides with her new husband," Aegon sneered, his eyes flicking over Lucerys with disgust before settling on Saelor. "A shame, really. I had hoped to join you both in celebration."