✦ New Faith ✦ Aegon Targaryen

○ thirty three ○

♡

The suffocating air of the Red Keep pressed around me, thick with tension and whispers of the king's lingering illness. Every dinner, every duty as princess felt like a weight pulling me under. The sight of King Viserys, even more diminished now, was haunting. He no longer graced the table; instead, he lay in bed, slipping further from life each day, his speech a slurred jumble of memories and milk of the poppy.

When I last visited him, I’d offered a small gift—a handkerchief embroidered with delicate dragons. He’d smiled with a hollow, pained look, his blackened teeth peeking through as he whispered, "Thank you, my beautiful girl... Rhaenyra." My heart clenched, but I simply bowed my head, murmuring a prayer to the Seven as I left.

Lately, my body had started betraying signs of change. I could barely make my way down the long, winding corridors without losing breath, and my dresses felt tighter each day, squeezing at my midsection. The mornings began with waves of nausea, and my appetite wavered oddly—craving crisp, sharp apples above all else. I suspected, deep down, what this all meant, but fear kept me silent.

Determined to confirm, I finally made my way to the maester's quarters, Ser Davian shadowing me in silence. The cold stone walls seemed to echo my heartbeat, quick and uncertain. I pushed open the door to Maester Orwyle's chamber.

"Ah, Princess Tanda! How may I serve you?" he greeted, his eyes warm behind silver-rimmed spectacles.

I swallowed, unsure of how to put it into words. "I think... I may be with child."

A glimmer of surprise lit his face, quickly shifting to joy. "That is wonderful news, Princess! Let’s find out for sure." He gestured toward a chair near his desk, and I sat, hands clenching the fabric of my skirt.

He began asking me questions. "Have you missed your monthly bleeding?"

I nodded, swallowing the nervous knot in my throat.

"Any food cravings? Nausea?"

"Apples," I said, almost shyly. "I can’t stop thinking about them... and most other food makes me queasy."

He chuckled softly. "Well, it does sound like you may be expecting. But let's double-check to be certain. Please stand, and I’ll check."

As he moved forward to examine me, Ser Davian, my sworn knight, took a step closer, his protective stance almost comforting.

"It won’t hurt, I assure you," Maester Orwyle said gently, pressing lightly against my lower stomach. After a moment, he nodded with a knowing smile. "It seems you’re about three moons along, Princess. Quite possibly conceived on your wedding night."

A wave of realization washed over me, heavier than I’d expected. Although I’d suspected this might be the case, hearing it confirmed left me reeling. I offered him my thanks, barely aware of my own voice, and drifted out of the room in a daze.

Once outside, I found myself gravitating toward the godswood. The ancient heart tree loomed before me, its twisted branches stretching against the evening sky. I sank down beside its massive roots, leaning back and staring up into the canopy.

I pressed a hand to my abdomen, feeling a surge of emotions tumble inside me—joy, fear, wonder, and doubt. I was carrying Aegon’s child. This was the life I was tasked to nurture and protect, yet all I could think of were the conflicts and alliances fracturing the family around me. If Aegon took the throne, what kind of world would our child inherit? Could I bear to raise them amidst war, to see them caught in the web of ambition and betrayal that clung to this place?

The shadow of my mother’s fate loomed in my thoughts. She’d suffered through miscarriages, each one eroding her spirit a little more. What if I suffered the same fate? Or worse, what if I couldn’t keep this child safe once they were born?

I closed my eyes and whispered a prayer, my hands folded in my lap. "Mother, Maiden, guide me. Protect this child, if it is Your will. Spare me from the pain that befell my mother. Help me find the strength... even in a world like this."