Experiment of Madness

17- In the Arms of Paradox-Aerra

"You can't expect me to marry my bloody sister! She's nine!" he exclaims, his voice growing louder with each word.

The servants, sensing the heightened tension in the room, quickly make their exit, leaving my brother standing there in stunned bewilderment.

The chaos and noise in the room escalate even further as more voices join the fray. The sound of shouting and arguing fills the air, creating a cacophony that pounds against my head. The constant din does little to ease my growing headache, making it increasingly difficult to concentrate.

In the midst of the ongoing commotion, mother speaks up, her voice cutting through the chaos. "This will make us stronger," she states firmly, attempting to instill a sense of resolve and determination.

The heated argument continues relentlessly, the different viewpoints and tensions creating a continuous barrage of speech that seems to go on endlessly. Frustration and weariness settle over me as I long for the noise to simply cease.
What are they even talking about?

I wonder to myself, feeling overwhelmed by the ongoing discussion.

Just make it stop.

I silently plead, silently wishing for a moment of peace and quiet.

"Don't call our sister crazy,"Daerax counters, his voice filled with protectiveness and loyalty.

He scoops me up and begins walking towards the door, his movements determined and purposeful.

"Why don't you marry him to her?" Ronerys says, his words laced with a hint of sarcasm and irritation.

As I'm carried towards the door, I catch a final remark from my sister through the chaotic noise. "Shut the hell up. My head is hurting."
Finally, we reach the door, and we walk out, leaving the argument and chaos behind.

I jolt awake, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. A wave of relief washes over me as I realized it was just a dream.

A shiver runs down my spine as I realize it wasn't just a dream; it was a fragmented recollection of a memory from my past.

I stir at the sudden voice, looking up to see Fag standing there with a smirk on his face. He comments nonchalantly, "You had a nightmare."

I nod in acknowledgement, silently agreeing with his assertion. The nightmare still lingered at the edge of my consciousness, its lingering images and emotions refusing to fully dissipate.

"What was it about?"

A flicker of unease crosses my face as I recall the details of the nightmare. "It was about my family," I reply, my voice tinged with a hint of discomfort. "We were having a heated argument, and things escalated quickly."

Dag takes a moment to process my response before he asks a follow-up question. "What were they arguing about?" he queries, his tone laced with curiosity.

The memory of the nightmare comes flooding back, and I recount the details to Fag. "My mother was trying to arrange me to be married to my brother when I was just nine years old," I say, the words leaving a bitter taste in my mouth as I relive the memory.

"Another thing you don't know about the Targaryens is that they practice incest to maintain the purity of their bloodline," I say, the words leaving a hint of disgust on my tongue.

I observe as a look of disturbance and perhaps even disgust crosses his face. It's understandable; being an outsider to the Targaryen family, he had no prior knowledge of this incestuous tradition. The revelation undoubtedly comes as a shock to him.

I remain silent, allowing him a moment to process the information. After a brief pause, he speaks up again, his voice reflecting a mixture of surprise and skepticism. "Is that true?" he asks, his eyes locking onto mine, seeking confirmation or perhaps just clarification.