Dragon Princess || Aegon II Targaryen

𝖢𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋 25

It didn't take long for night to fall. And with it, all the worst ideas the prince could possibly have.

After all, who in their right mind would suggest taking a royal princess to the filthy, dark streets of King's Landing, and more specifically, to the most crowded tavern in the city? Well, only Aegon would think of something so dangerous and wrong.

Moreover, he hadn't even informed their personal guards.

Thus, through the tunnels of Maegor, the two made their way through the cold, bare stone corridors. Despite Aegon being accustomed to frequenting the streets of King's Landing, his greatest fear was that something might happen to the princess beside him, who was walking as fast as she could while holding his hand. To avoid drawing attention or causing any commotion among the smallfolk, Aegon had suggested they disguise themselves, blending in with the crowd.

He couldn't help but find some amusement in the sight of his sister. The same sister who was always elegant, stunning, and dressed in the most beautiful, ornate gowns—each one with increasingly daring cuts as she grew older—now cloaked in drab gray. His princess, who brightened his life with color and joy, had never worn something so dull and cheap as the mantle that now covered her. Even her platinum hair, which usually made her look ethereal, was hidden beneath an equally lifeless headpiece.

And yet... Rhaenys still managed to enchant him, still the most beautiful woman Aegon had ever seen in his life.

However, the princess was nervous. Not because she was venturing unprotected into the night among the common folk, but because of the lingering fear of encountering the man who had haunted her dreams for months, perhaps even years. The strange and repulsive man who had crossed her path once and left an impression so deep it marked her. But even that fear wouldn't hold her back from experiencing the night Aegon had promised to show her—a night he claimed was typical for him, though conveniently omitting the women he often paid to make it unforgettable.

By now, Aegon was well acquainted with the tunnels, knowing the way to Flea Bottom like the back of his hand. It wasn't long before the princess, draped in those unfamiliar clothes that did her no favors, began to hear the hum of the city's life filling the night, coming from the poorest and most wretched part of King's Landing, as her Septa often referred to it. Eleonor spared no effort in trying to scare Rhaenys into avoiding the promiscuity of the lower class and accepting her place as a princess and future lady of Winterfell.

Little did Eleonor know that all those tales only fueled Rhaenys's curiosity, to the point where she demanded her brother take her on one of his adventures through the city.

Carefully, Aegon helped his sister step out of the tunnel without letting her feet touch the stagnant water that pooled at its end. There, under the moonlight and stars, what could have been one of the most peaceful and beautiful nights the two had ever seen was shattered by a deafening noise.

Not far from them, the lively chaos of Flea Bottom was in full swing. Music, the sound of breaking glass, shouting, talking, laughing, and fighting—all the sounds that made the smallfolk nights in King's Landing so lively. On one hand, the sheer volume of it startled the princess, as this was her first time outside the Red Keep's gates after the hour of the wolf, with the moon already high in the sky. But on the other hand, Rhaenys had never felt such palpable anticipation. A hunger to see what it was all really like. Not the exaggerated or terrifying stories meant to dissuade her. No, tonight, Rhaenys would see it all for herself.

And she didn't care if it was good or bad.

Aegon felt his sister squeeze his hand a little tighter, a silent signal that she was ready for the adventure to continue. For the first time, though, Aegon had doubts. He wished he had never agreed to this reckless idea. "You're a fool!" he thought. What was he doing? He had taken the most precious thing in his life into a den of people who, for the most part, despised the royal family and might very well seize the chance to harm Rhaenys if they found a moment of weakness. And death would be the kindest fate they could give her.