Dynasty Of The Dragons

Elia II

Fucking Lyanna Stark! Fucking Rhaegar too! Fuck the pair of them! That's all that runs through Elia's mind as she watches as Rhaegar consoles Lyanna for whatever reason. Nothing had even happened. Robert Baratheon had made himself look like the biggest fool in the realm. Elia had to stifle a laugh at the oaf. What a fool to do that in front of nearly the entire realm. Although perhaps she was the bigger fool. Sitting beside a husband that did not love her. Next to his new wife. Gods how old even is Lyanna Stark? Fifteen? Sixteen? Seventeen at most. Still a child and nearly a decade younger than Elia herself. She has never felt so humiliated.

Seeing Rhaegar consoling a crying Lyanna was too much too see. Elia quickly leaves the throne room with her uncle Lewyn accompanying her. She just manages to make it into her chamber and shut the door before her tears begin. She had spent years being tormented by Aerys Targaryen. Scared not just that he would beat and potentially kill her but that her children would suffer the same from their own grandfather. Thankfully Rhaenys' Dornish colouring meant that Aerys had little interest in her. And by the time Elia had birthed Aegon, anything that remained of Aerys sanity had completely gone.

Years of putting herself between Aerys and her children at the cost of her own body. Years of torment and abuse that caused her to be a virtual prisoner in her own home. Her only friends being Ashara and Queen Rhaella. And what had Rhaegar done as Elia retreated more and more into solitude? He stopped seeing her, left her alone. He left the Red Keep far more frequently to go to the ruins of Summerhall. It hurt her so much to see Rhaegar being the kind and caring husband that Elia had known when Rhaenys was younger.

She walks to her bed and lies down. She sobs, sniffles and cries for what feels like hours but really she has only been there for a few minutes. As she wipes away another tear she spots a pendant resting on her bedside drawer. She picks it up and smiles at it. Rhaegar had given it to her the morning after their wedding. He said that he had intended to gift it to her the previous night but well... they had other things on their mind then. He gave it to her and told her to never forget who she was. Eli had been very confused at this but accepted the gift anyway. The pendant was a beautifully crafted three-headed dragon with the words 'fire and blood' engraved along its edge. It was a touch bulky for Elia's taste but she still frequently wore it as it's incredibly beautiful. For weeks she was confused at why Rhaegar had told her to never forget who she was whilst handing her a pendant of the Targaryen sigil. Was he implying that she was a Targaryen now? Or maybe no longer a Martell? How wrong she had been. After weeks of confusion she accidentally found a little catch on the pendant and when pulled it opened the pendant up to reveal a sun being pierced by a spear with the words 'unbowed, unbent, unbroken'. Seeing that made her fall in love with the pendant and caused her affection for Rhaegar to swell.

Boa though, it serves as a sad and painful reminder of what she and Rhaegar once had and what Rhaegar and Lyanna have now. She launches the pendant across the room and it lands with a thud as a fresh wave of tears burst from her eyes. That pendant had once been a symbol of her growing love for Rhaegar. Now... Now it's only a reminder of their once happy past and uncomfortable present.

A knock from her door startles Elia and she sits bolt upright.

"Princess Rhaenys to see you, your grace."

Shit! Shit! Shit! Shitting! Shit! Rhaenys can't see her like this. She needs to be strong for her daughter, not a crying wreck.

"One moment uncle!" Elia says.

She scrambles to find a mirror and sighs at the sight. Her eyes are red and puffy, tear streaks mark her face and her hair is a tangled mess. She quickly gets a brush and starts to run it through her hair, Elia does it so fast that the brush pulls several hairs out in painful tugs. Next, she picks up a clean cloth and gently dabs at the tear streaks and around her eyes to stop them puffing up more. She looks in the mirror once more and sighs again. Her hair is far from it's neatly braided usual, her face no longer has streaks of tears across it but her eyes are still rather puffy and red. She can only hope that Rhaenys will not notice. She shakily puts the mirror down and walks to her door. Elia takes a deep breath and opens the door.