PYROPHILIA ▸ Aegon the Conqueror

chapter xii.

CHAPTER XII

THE MORNING CYRAN left King's Landing was one of the hardest ones Lyarra had ever had in the capital. She had said goodbye to him the night before, begging for his forgiveness for the last time and even though he claimed he had forgiven her, the sadness that veiled his eyes made it easy to believe that he hadn't.

That morning, Lyarra watched as his ship sailed, hoping that she had not just made the biggest mistake of her life. Mistake or not, there was no doubt in her mind that this was what she truly wanted and she could not hide how a burden had been removed from her after telling Cyran the truth.

"And there he goes." Rhaenys' voice echoed in the air as she tilted her head in his direction.

"And there he goes." Lyarra repeated.

"Don't pout." Rhaenys said, placing strands of hair behind her ear. "This is for the better."

Lyarra shook her head as a response, gaining a frown from Rhaenys, who had started walking back inside, positioning herself at the end of her bed, her head resting against the cold wood.

There was something odd with her that day. Lyarra could tell from the moment she came to see her. Unlike her usual cheerful self, she had been awfully quiet, always keeping her gaze away. It was a side of her Lyarra had never encountered before, but all people had a right to a bad day and Rhaenys was no exception.

"Are you okay?" She finally asked, letting out a sigh, staring at her.

"Visenya is seeing the Maester today." She turned her gaze to Lyarra. "She thinks she might be with child."

Lyarra's jaw dropped a little, as her eyes went to the weak smile that formed on the Queen's lips. Despite the fact that Rhaenys really seemed upset, there was no spite in her smile, only regret... Regret for what she hadn't achieved, for what Visenya had before her.

They always knew that one of them would soon gift the King with a child, but no one had ever expected it to be Visenya. It was known throughout Westeros how Aegon favoured Rhaenys, sharing one night with Visenya for every 5 she spent with her.

"Are you sad?" Lyarra uttered, doing her best to keep her voice straight. It was hard to pretend that she was not affected too by the news and no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't stop thinking about what Aegon would think of that. He was never in love with Visenya, but this child was his and if Lyarra knew him at all, she was certain that he would be the best father he could be, that nothing would be the same.

"No." Rhaenys shook her head. "But I feel like something was stolen from me. Like this was supposed to be mine. My moment, mine and Aegon's."

She had shut her eyes as she pushed her head against the wood, her mind drifting to that moment and Lyarra couldn't help but feel sorry for her for so many reasons. She thought about her and Aegon kissing in his chambers, pulling each other closer and even though it was a memory that still made her smile, as she stared at Rhaenys whipping for her sister's luck, Lyarra couldn't believe the person she had turned into. A few months ago she would have thought of herself as a whore, but now... Now the mere thought of Aegon had the power to wipe out all second thoughts. She was his and no matter how others could call it, that was enough for her. It was after all what Aegon did to her and people who had never experienced that kind of burning had no right to judge her for what she wanted.

"Anyway" Rhaenys' voice dragged her out of her own thoughts, as she noticed the Targaryen Queen raising her head, straightening her back and wiping the tears that had stained her cheeks away. She wouldn't want to break out more than she already had, for Rhaenys, despite her cheerful personality, rarely allowed her feelings to be seen by others, even Lyarra. "I should get back to work. Will you be okay?"