✦ New Faith ✦ Aegon Targaryen

○ fourty four ○

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I woke groggy, the haze of sleep still clinging to me like morning mist. Turning, I found Aegon beside me, sprawled in an ungraceful slumber, his face softened in rest. Smiling to myself, I nestled against his shoulder, pressing a gentle kiss to coax him awake.

"My husband," I whispered, my voice low. "You promised me something."

He stirred, mumbling as he wiped the sleep from his eyes, squinting at me through half-closed lids. "Huh?" he muttered, confused.

"Sunfyre," I said, my smile widening. His promise lingered in my mind, a rare offering of his trust, and I found myself longing to feel the golden beast's warmth and power beneath us.

Moments later, we walked hand-in-hand to the dragonpit, its massive, arched doors looming like the jaws of a waiting beast. The morning air was thick with the pungent scent of dragons, a mixture of sulfur and earth, both comforting and unsettling. I glanced at Aegon, his face alight with a rare excitement, the first flicker of joy I’d seen in days.

Sunfyre was magnificent, his scales catching the early sunlight, gleaming like molten gold. I couldn’t help but marvel at him, at the beauty and ferocity bound in his body. Aegon offered me his hand, helping me mount with surprising care. His usual awkwardness softened as he steadied me, perhaps more mindful now that I carried our child.

With a shout, Aegon urged Sunfyre upward, and the ground fell away beneath us. Wind whipped around us, filling my ears with the fierce rush of flight. It was thrilling, exhilarating, like soaring beyond the weight of all my burdens. For the first time in months, I felt free, if only for a fleeting moment.

But just as quickly, the sight of Vhagar appeared, resting like a great shadow below. Seeing Aemond’s beast reminded me of the destruction at Rook’s Rest, of Rhaenys’s fierce resistance and the tragic end. A cold shudder ran through me, and my hands tightened on Aegon’s arms, my breath catching in my throat as memories of her fiery death surfaced, vivid and raw.

A sob rose, unbidden, and I clutched Aegon, unable to stop the tears that came, sharp and hot. He noticed and turned, confused, his expression faltering as he watched me unravel. “Tanda…” he began awkwardly, uncertain.

“It’s— it’s Rhaenys,” I choked out, my voice trembling. “What Aemond… what he did to her, to her dragon… I can’t bear it. She was fierce, loyal… She fought to protect her family.” The words tumbled out, tangled in my grief and fear.

Aegon, for once, looked lost for words. He shifted uncomfortably, one hand resting awkwardly on my shoulder. “She… well, she chose to fight, didn’t she?” he offered clumsily, struggling to comfort me. “This… it’s war, Tanda. We… we can’t go back now.”

I looked at him, his face flushed with drink from the night before, his gaze somewhere between guilt and confusion. His hand reached out, cupping my cheek gently, trying, in his own flawed way, to soothe me. I could see the struggle in his eyes, the flicker of his own regret, yet buried too deep to reach.

We stayed that way, suspended in the sky, with Sunfyre's warmth beneath us, Aegon holding me close. And though his words didn’t heal the wound, his presence softened the edges of my grief. In that moment, I let myself lean into him, finding a strange comfort in our shared brokenness.