Forsaken Bloodlines {HP x GOT}

Chapter 6.2: Control

The temptation to possess all of the Heart's power had already begun to twist inside her like a slow-burning fire.

Lyanna had told herself that she would wait for a moment of clarity before she acted, but the more she thought about it, the more she wondered if she was already past the point of no return.

As the hour grew late, the door to her chambers creaked open. Tom entered quietly, his face shadowed in the dim light of the flickering candles. His eyes, always full of quiet intensity, seemed heavier than usual as he met her gaze. She looked up from her seat at the vanity, where she had been brushing her hair, the motion automatic, almost absentminded.

The flickering candlelight cast long shadows across the room as Lyanna sat, her back straight but her mind far from calm. The day had been filled with distractions—meetings, duties, and the endless flow of decision-making. But now, in the quiet of her chambers, Tom had come as promised.

As the door closed behind him, he stepped inside, his movements deliberate, almost hesitant. He was the one who had cautioned her, the one who had warned her about the Heart's power, and she couldn't shake the weight of his words.

"Lyanna," Tom began, his voice soft but firm. His gaze met hers, and for a moment, there was something raw and unspoken between them, a tension that neither had fully acknowledged until now. "You've been quiet since our earlier conversation. I know you're struggling with the temptation."

She raised an eyebrow, looking up at him from her seat by the fire. "I'm not struggling," she replied dryly, though her words lacked the usual bite. "I'm simply considering my options. It's not an easy decision."

Tom stepped forward, watching her closely. "I understand that. But you know the consequences of taking the final piece. You felt the temptation today, didn't you? The pull of it, the fire inside you."

Lyanna's fingers curled into her palms. She hadn't spoken about it yet, but the truth was undeniable. Ever since the Heart's power had become a part of her, she had felt that whispering fire within, urging her to claim more. It burned hot and bright, a constant presence in the back of her mind.

"It's not just the power," she murmured, almost to herself. "It's the possibility of controlling it all. The idea of having no limits... to be unstoppable."

Tom's expression grew more serious. "That's exactly why you shouldn't take it. You've already proven you are more than capable of ruling, of leading. Don't let the Heart consume you. It offers more, yes, but with it comes madness, a thirst for power that you will never be able to quench. The moment you take that final piece, you will no longer be yourself. You'll become a slave to it."

Lyanna's gaze narrowed, a conflicted look crossing her face. She wanted to argue. She wanted to insist that she could control it, that she had already mastered so much power. But she couldn't. Deep inside, she knew what he meant. She had seen what had happened to her mother—the insatiable hunger for more that led to madness, to destruction. That was the path she feared.

She stood up, walking over to the window, her back to Tom. The cool night air brushed against her skin, but she barely felt it. "I know what you're saying," she said quietly. "But what if you're wrong? What if I can control it, master it?"

There was a brief silence before Tom spoke again, his voice almost a whisper. "No one has ever controlled it. No one. You know the stories—the Vaalyrians who tried, only to fall. The Heart is a curse, not a gift."

She turned to face him, her eyes flashing with something fierce and wild. "And yet, I would have everything. The world at my feet. It sounds so... easy, doesn't it?"

"I can feel it inside me," Lyanna whispered, her voice barely audible. "It calls to me. The power... the fire. It's overwhelming, Tom. But you're right. I feel it, too. The pull to take it. The fear that without it, I'll be weaker."