Mental Hauntings & Melancholy Tides
Brinaera had been left in the confinement of her bedchamber, mulling over not just the words shared between her and Alicent
moments ago, but also the memories of her whole life up to now. How had she been so fortunate as to be taken in by the most influential and important family in all of the Seven Kingdoms.
As Alicent walked into the Throne Room, where Viserys sat, she slightly bounced the babe in her arms, trying to shush the girl to stop crying. Viserys raised a curious brow, surprised and shocked that Alicent was caring for a child that wasn’t hers.
“Alicent, what is the meaning of this?”
“I was paid a visit…. By Delora Caron.”
Viserys’ brows shot up even higher, as this whole situation got more and more strange by the minute.
“Delora Caron? She was not wed, last we heard from her…. What has happened?”
Alicent let out an exasperated sigh, already growing tired from the efforts of trying to hush the child cradled in her arms.
“While Lady Elenda was ill, Lord Borros took it upon himself to… satiate his carnal desires.”
Viserys immediately knew what Alicent was getting at and became quiet for a moment, grimacing at the mere thought of it. After a moment of tense silence, he looked over at the babe in her arms.
There was…something off about this child, almost as if something was pulling him towards this little one. The way her features were put together, she looked like a little fawn, so innocent. Alicent would catch a quick glimpse of this, as if her husband was entranced by this poor child, finding herself confused. Why was he, the King of all the Seven Kingdoms, acting in such a manner, absolutely ensnared? After more silence filled the room, Alicent spoke up, a spark of determination in her voice.
“Viserys, we must keep her, it was Lady Delora’s dying request and I promised I would fulfill it, I gave her my word.”
Viserys looked over at Alicent, his gaze filled with curiosity, yet understanding at the same time. He knew that this was of utmost importance if Alicent was making a great deal of it.
“So, what would you have me do with the girl, make her a ward?”
“That is precisely what I’d have you do, husband. Would you, the King, be so heartless to do such a thing as turn her away, after I made such a promise?”
Viserys just let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose before responding.
“Of course not, wife. Just know this will have repercussions throughout all Seven Kingdoms.”
“I am well aware, but this takes precedence over any loquacious rumors spread by others, lowborn or highborn.”
Brinaera had known the sheer stroke of luck she had. She considered herself most fortunate, as more and more memories came flooding through her head as she lay on her bed, staring up at the top of her canopy, letting out an exhale.
‘Twas another cloudy, overcast day in Driftmark as Aegon and Aemond went on with their usual brotherly bickering, Helaena gathering bugs and enjoying their company, the King and Queen tending to their duties, and young ten-year old Brinaera wandering around the training grounds as she read a book of old High Valyrian poetry. Since the day she came to live with the royal family, she had started to learn High Valyrian and for a non-Targaryen, she spoke it quite well.
As she kept muttering the foreign language under her breath, she bumped into the eldest Targaryen son, Aegon, who was twelve, the eldest of the bunch. Brinaera could only roll her eyes and let out a groan as she caught how Aegon sleazily eyed her up and down. “Well then, if it isn’t the precious little doe, hm?”
“If it isn’t the little lizard playing pretend to be a mighty dragon.”, Brinaera countered.
Aegon could feel his pride bruise slightly but merely laughed it off, trying to slyly wrap an arm around Brinaera’s shoulders. “Oh come on now, Naera, won’t you show your future king a little affection, hm? Why be so cold, doe?” Brinaera could feel her face heat up a bit before scoffing and slightly shoving Aegon off of her.
“By the Seven, as if I would show you warmth, Aegon. Be glad I even entertain you by uttering words in your direction.”, Brinaera replied.
Aegon just let out a laugh and raised a brow. “Oooooh, a feisty little thing you are, I’m certainly glad father decided to pluck you off the streets of Flea Bottom and keep you with us.” Brinaera only could sigh and continue walking away from Aegon as she resumed her reading of High Valyrian poetry.
As she wandered the yard, she noticed Aemond practicing his sword skills on a straw dummy, smiling a bit as she paid attention to the second born Targaryen son. She sauntered her way over to Aemond and of course, since she was so quiet, when he went to go pull back with his sword in hand, the sword pommel scraped Brinaera and accidentally hit her on the cheek. The young girl let out a little yelp and a slight hiss of pain, one of her hands going up to her temple.
The young Aemond whipped his head around and put together what had happened, dropping his sword to the ground as he immediately went to Brinaera’s side. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you behind me.” The young girl removed her hand from her cheek to show it was already bruising up and a bit swollen, she gave a small smile to her dear friend and let out a sheepish little laugh. “No, it’s alright Aemond, don’t worry about it. You’re getting better with your sword skills. You’ll claim your dragon before you know it, dōna dārilaros.”
Aemond just smiled bashfully and looked away for a moment before looking back at the young girl, shrugging his shoulders a bit. “I am the only one that doesn’t have a dragon.”
“I do not have one.”
“The only Targaryen that doesn’t have one.”
Everything felt less complicated back then....until the night Aemond had lost his eye, everything had gone downhill. By the Seven, it was an utter mess, the whole ordeal was chaos. He was only ten years old….so young.
Alicent was in absolute disarray and in a pure frenzy as the Maester had removed his eye, stitching the wound and the entire empty socket closed. It was a grisly sight as Brinaera was knelt down on one knee on the other side of the chair Aemond was sitting in. Her hand subconsciously reached up to grab a hold of his, gently grasping and holding it throughout the whole ordeal. She was beyond pissed with Aemond and Aegon’s nephews. They were the whole reason this happened, they caused Aemond to lose his eye. Everyone had gathered into the room: Aemond, Brinaera, Alicent, the maester, Aegon, Helaena, Viserys, Ser Criston Cole….even Jacaerys and Lucerys, Rhaenyra and Daemon of all people. Viserys was confused, irritated and most of all, oblivious to all that had happened, prompting him to ask “What in the Seven Hells has happened here!?”
Alicent, the obviously upset and concerned mother she was, spoke up first. “Your son has been mauled, scarred by Rhaenyra’s sons. He has lost an eye, Viserys.” Of course, also being a concerned and upset mother, Rhaenyra snapped her head up as she comforted her sons as she spoke. “My sons have been beaten by your son as well. Look at their faces, Alicent.” “Your bastard boys have caused my son’s eye to be discarded, Rhaenyra, he only has one eye now.” There it is, the words no parent ever wants to hear their children be called, regardless if it were true or not. The tension was so thick and heavily uncomfortable, Brinaera could only slightly tighten her grip on Aemond’s hand, still holding it in her own.
Viserys could feel the veins in his head become predominantly noticeable on his forehead upon hearing his wife refer to his first born child’s sons be called that vile term. “What did you just say? Repeat yourself wife, did you just refer to my grandsons as bastards?” Another uncomfortable round of silence enveloped the room again as Viserys took more steps towards Alicent, the look in his eyes as sharp and pointed as a sewing needle. “Not another word will be spoken of the legitimacy of Rhaenyra’s sons, and anyone who utters a word of slander will lose their tongue.” Rhaenyra finally spoke up once more, her words like a mere slap to the face to Alicent “Thank you father.”
Alicent felt betrayed, by her own husband no less, and to have the honor of bastard children be defended, it almost made her blood boil. She could feel her filter and professionalism start to crack, and as she saw Brinaera holding Aemond’s hand for comfort during this entire ordeal, she had finally cracked and faltered. “How dare you defend the honor of your first born daughter’s bastard sons, it is bad enough we have a bastard in our own home, Viserys! Delora was foolish enough to come to me in the first place, then she asks me to have her daughter grow alongside our children.”
The silence was long and deafening, you could hear a pin drop and echo, no one had ever expected for Alicent’s mask to slip so severely. Brinaera just looked up at Alicent and Viserys in pure confusion, her doe-like eyes looking almost hurt by Alicent’s little verbal blow up, her hand slowly slipping from Aemond’s. “I…what are you talking about? M-my father is Lord Borros, I am a Baratheon!”
Viserys seemed almost…sad at her words and reaction, meanwhile Alicent seemed a bit ashamed. Everyone else just looked utterly confused, having not a single clue as to what type of bombshell had been dropped. Viserys took a step towards the young girl and sighed, placing a hand upon her shoulder. “Brinaera, sweet girl, you are a Baratheon by blood, yes, but…you are a bastard daughter born of Lord Borros Baratheon and his lady wife’s sister, Lady Delora Caron. But not on mutual terms, moreso of… force. As the Lord of the Stormlands, he couldn’t have a bastard child ruin his name and house’s reputation, so as soon as you were born, he had you and your mother banished from the Stormlands. The day your mother came to the Queen, she was a dying woman, weak and frail. Her last request was for us to look after you, and we chose to honor and respect that. You have a gift, little fawn. And do not let the term bastard ruin your spirit. You may be a Baratheon by birth and a Caron by name, but you will always have the Targaryen spirit.”
Brinaera could feel the creeping feeling of slumber start to take over as memories flooded her mind, but before her mind became a scramble, one prominent memory popped into her mind. The beginning of womanhood.
It was a beautiful spring morning, the birds chirping, the sun shining without a cloud in the sky, a warm breeze blowing through the air, the waves of Blackwater Bay crashing against the rocks and shores of King’s Landing. There was a knock upon the door of Brinaera’s bedchambers, it was her handmaiden Ursa. “Young lady Brinaera, it’s time to rise and shine, it is an important day today! It’s your eleventh name day today!” The young girl let out a groan as she pulled the covers over her head in an ill attempt to hide from the day. “Ursa, please, can I not do a thing today? My body aches.” The handmaiden immediately frowned and made her way over to the young girl and pulled the covers back, having a feeling she may know what it is.
Ursa could feel her heart slightly sink at the sight of a giant sanguine red puddle staining the area of Brinaera’s white sleep gown that covered her maidenhood, seeing an even larger puddle of blood on the mattress. As Brinaera sat up, she looked down, confused and horrified at the sight of blood on her and the bed. She immediately got up and started to panic, looking around the room before speaking in a shaky voice to her handmaiden. “Ursa, what in the Seven Hells is happening to me? Why is there so much blood?”
Before Ursa could even respond, Queen Alicent herself walked into Brinaera’s bedchambers, a bit irritated and stressed at the planning of Brinaera’s eleventh name day at the request of King Viserys himself. Alicent could feel her frustrations boil over at the fact her husband would even consider celebrating the birth of some impure blooded bastard girl. “Ursa, I sent you to get Brinaera ready, not to stall on the day of her namesake, you absolute-” Alicent didn’t even finish her sentence as she saw the scene of Brinaera panicking and Ursa trying to turn over the bed’s mattress so no one saw the blood. Alicent could feel something stir inside her upon witnessing the scene in front of her. Pity? Sympathy? Did she actually feel for the poor girl?
Alicent sighed and made her way over to Brinaera and Ursa, turning to the handmaiden. “Run her a bath and get some rags, along with clean clothes. Now.” Brinaera could only look up at Alicent, feeling confused and embarrassed and a bit scared, sniffling a bit as she fiddled with her own fingers. “My Queen, what’s happening to me? Why am I bleeding?”
Alicent sighed and her eyes flickered, wandering to every part of the room to avoid the gaze of the young girl, halfheartedly running a hand over the hair of Brinaera, smoothing out the messy dark brunette locks. “You’re becoming a young lady, darling. You’re having your first blood, your red flower is blooming for the very first time. Quite an early blooming though. I’ll help you through this. Now that you’re becoming a woman, the world is going to become even more cruel and unfair for you, sweetling. You will be hated for your mere existence and treated unfairly, you will have to fight for even a slightly fair chance. Do not be a fool and let this world swallow you whole, little fawn.”
Brinaera could feel her mind wander and flood with a jumble of more memories, her eyes growing heavy with the feeling of slumber and exhaustion. As the sun had set and night enveloped the sky of King’s Landing, a slight and cool breeze blew through the room from the balcony, causing a few lit candles to be blown out. The sounds of the waves of Blackwater Bay crashed against the rocks and shore, causing the Baratheon bastard girl to fall into a deep sleep, her mind still flooding with memories until she was fast asleep.