Beneath the shadows of fire and steel,
Old secrets stir wounds yet to heal.
A crown once lost, a path unclear,
Blood will flow, and fate draws near.
Echoes whisper of swords unsheathed,
Of fallen kings and vengeance breathed.
The dragon's roar, a ha...
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The years following Rhaegar's fall were marked by a slow unraveling of the Targaryen family's hopes and dreams. The Red Keep, once filled with the vibrant spirit of its Dragon Prince, became a place haunted by grief and unfulfilled promises. As time passed, Rhaegar's once-legendary presence faded from the hearts of the people, until it was little more than a whisper in dark corridors. Yet, for those closest to him, the shadow of his absence lingered, a wound that refused to heal.
After ten years of waiting for Rhaegar to wake, Rhaenys Velaryon had reluctantly accepted the reality that her betrothed might never return to her. Her hopes had long been bound to the still form of the prince, yet life did not wait. She finally agreed to marry Lord Corlys Velaryon, the Sea Snake, uniting two powerful houses. Their wedding was a grand affair, meant to restore some measure of joy to the realm, yet those who knew her well could see the lingering sadness in her eyes. The crown had also passed her by; if Rhaegar had lived and taken the throne, she would have become queen. But with no woman ever allowed to sit on the Iron Throne, her dreams had died alongside her love.
Rhaenys wore a façade of strength, but her heart had grown cold in the years since Rhaegar's fall. She buried herself in the affairs of House Velaryon, commanding the loyalty of their sailors and warriors. Still, she never forgot the prince who had taught her to wield a blade, the man she had thought she would grow old with. In secret, she practiced the fighting techniques he had shared, feeling the weight of the sword in her hand and the thrill of the fight. It was a bond forged in blood and fire, one she could not relinquish.
The crown had passed to Rhaegar's younger brother, Viserys, who had married their cousin, Aemma Arryn. Together, they brought a sense of stability back to the realm, with Aemma serving as a beloved queen. Viserys, though, could not escape the shadow of his fallen brother. The people compared him constantly to Rhaegar, and he always seemed to fall short in their eyes. While Rhaegar had been fierce and commanding, Viserys was gentle, preferring diplomacy to warfare.
Daemon, their younger brother, had grown dangerous and unpredictable over the years. Unable to cope with the stagnation of the court, he became a disruptive force, seizing power and wealth where he could. Though Viserys tried to rein him in, Daemon stole openly from the royal treasury, took liberties in the city, and incited the King's Landing garrison into following his lead rather than the king's.
"You're weak, Viserys," Daemon sneered one evening, his voice laced with bitterness. "You sit upon the throne, but you are no king. Not like Rhaegar would have been." His words stung, for they echoed the doubts that had plagued Viserys since the day he took the crown.
"Rhaegar is gone," Viserys replied, his voice firm but weary. "We all must live with that."
