Dragon Princess || Aegon II Targaryen

𝖢𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋 32

Rhaenys's heart felt torn, cruelly shredded so that each beat was a painful reminder of its injury. It was no mere figurative wound; she felt the pain as if a sharp blade had cleaved it. Had she committed such a grievous act to warrant such punishment? Why did the gods seem so distant, so indifferent to her silent struggle?

Longing consumed her. It was like a venom coursing through her veins, slow and relentless, bearing memories that refused to fade. Her chest burned with the absence of that cursed boy—the one who, ironically, had never truly deserved it. He was hollow, soulless, heartless, yet he had left a mark so deep that no one could ever surpass it. Neither in Westeros nor in Essos could anyone erase what Aegon meant to her. He, the boy who was meant to be the center of her world, her solace, her joy, had instead become the source of her anguish. He was the love she could not forget, the weight she did not know how to release.

And then there was the guilt. Ah, the guilt. It plagued her like a traitor's brand, marking her as a deserter of love and duty. She was about to leave, leaving behind a trail of broken hearts, her own among them. But what tormented her most was the promise she was bound to fulfill. Rhaenys knew that Cregan Stark, the man she was destined to marry, was noble, worthy, an admired leader. But she could not give him love. She could not offer him true smiles, much less the happiness he deserved. All he would receive from her was the shadow of a shattered woman. It was unfair—to him, to her, to all.

For a fleeting moment, Rhaenys considered another path. What if she did not go? What if she defied the promises made years ago, empty words extracted when she was but a girl with no grasp of the future? What if she simply fled? Karnax was there, always waiting, and Hurazys was growing strong and loyal. All she had to do was mount Karnax, take Hurazys, and head for the ruins of Valyria. There, amidst lands devoured by time and fire, perhaps she would find the peace that the realm of the living seemed to deny her. Perhaps only a destroyed land could understand the ashes she carried in her heart.

But fleeing would not erase the worries that haunted her. Who would tend to the orphanage in King's Landing, which she had spent years nurturing? Otto Hightower would certainly not lift a finger, and her mother, Alicent, was far too cold to care. Rhaenys could not even recall the last time she had seen her father's face. How could she trust that without her, something as fragile as the orphanage would survive? The children would be left adrift, forgotten.

Just as she felt.

And what of the realm? If she refused, instability could engulf the Seven Kingdoms, spreading like wildfire. What if Cregan took offense? What if Otto and Alicent used her defiance as a weapon? All this, because of her—a selfish choice.

Even so, deep within, she could not quell the question burning in her mind: would he come after her? If she fled, if she chose not to fulfill her duty, would Aegon cross skies and seas to find her? Or would he forget her name entirely? If she left, would she become just another echo among the countless mistakes he had made?

The doubt tormented her, stealing her sleep night after night.

As these thoughts swirled in her mind like an avalanche, Rhaenys felt crushed, suffocated by their weight. It was unbearable, and she knew she could not continue this way. Something had to change. She needed freedom, even if only for a moment. She needed air, space, a reprieve from the invisible chains that bound her.

Thus, in silence, she rose from her bed, donning a dark cloak that barely shielded her from the chill of the early hours. Her steps were steady but quiet as she traversed the castle's corridors. The air hung heavy with unspoken expectations and whispered secrets, but Rhaenys did not look back. She knew where she needed to go.

When she reached the Dragonpit, the scent of sulfur and the heat radiating from the dragons enveloped her like a familiar embrace. Karnax was lying down but lifted his head at her approach. Her eyes glowed like embers, and she let out a low rumble of recognition. Hurazys nestled against Karnax's flank, but soon rose, stretching his dark wings with a sharp cry.