Chapter 23
Harwin Strong was not a man easily surprised. He learned when he was quite young that life can be unpredictable and so, he made a habit out of expecting the unexpected. It seemed that the Targaryens were an exception to that. After Queen Aemma died it had been one unsuspected event over another. When his father told him about the discussion between the Princess and himself after the council meeting, he was a little bit wary she knew too much. His father told him that the Princess was the one to disqualify his youngest sister, that in itself was something to be grateful for. His father also theorized that the Princess was the one to convince the King not to marry, in doing so sparring his other sister. He doubted that the little princess had that much power over her brother, but his father was adamant.
After all of this here he was. In the chambers of the King offering his fealty to his little sister. Prince Daemons burning holes in his head the whole time. He didn't understand what the Prince's problem was exactly. After all he thought that they were kind of... friends? Did his Prince doubted his ability to protect the Princess?
"Well , brothers. It seems that I will be leaving you now." The Princess said.
"Where are you going?" Asked Prince Daemon.
"Ser Harwin will accompany me to see Shrykos." She answered and she made her way to her brothers. She kissed both of them on the cheek and had a silent conversation at which the King nodded.
"Come, ser Harwin. We have things to do." She said and he quickly bowed to the King and Prince and started to follow after her.
She was silent in the corridors, her steps unhurried. She took a turn left and stopped in front of a wall. Faster than he could properly observe she pressed something on the wall and the wall opened showing a corridor behind. He didn't dare to question anything, just followed along, but some questions were suddenly answered. His father always complained the Targaryens ability to appear out of thin air, it seemed that the Princess choose to reveal that secret to him. They walked for some time through the dark corridors and again the Princess stopped in front of a wall. As expected the wall opened and he saw that they were outside the Red Keep, coming from somewhere below the ground they now stayed at the bottom of Rhaenys Hill. She started going up the hill, him following closely behind.
"So, Ser Harwin, are you excited to see a dragon up close?" She asked.
"Yes, my Princess. I saw them on the sky of Kingslanding but never had the opportunity of a closer look." He responded and suddenly the clouds parted and a beautiful white dragon started landing on the hill.
The Princess made her way to the dragon and began petting her snout. It was such a domestic picture, of course if you could ignore the fact that the dragon was not a dog, but an enormous beast with big teeth and claws that could breathe fire. Both the girl and the dragon were a beautiful contrast to their surroundings. A mass of white in a sea of green and blue. He was so absorbed in the sight that he did not noticed the other two dragons that approached them. The hairs on his neck stood up and he straightened his back. He slowly turned his head and he saw that he was surrounded by dragons. The Blood Wyrm, Carraxes, Prince Daemon's mount at his right and Vhagar, the largest and oldest dragon alive, King's Viserys mount at his left. They were extremely quiet, no sounds were heard except of the wind. All the dragons, and that affirmation included the Princess Maenera, were watching him. Slowly the Princess began walking towards him. She looked him dead in the eyes like she was trying to weight his soul and he had the sudden urge to fall to his knees and begin worshiping.
"Tell me ser Harwin, do you know what happens with the men that betray the Targaryens?" She asked and he had a vague idea that her question was a rhetorical one, so he stood silent even though his heart began to beat loudly in his chest.
"Let me answer that question. They burn. That is the simple answer. We burn them all. We burn them in their homes. We burn them in their beds." A shiver ran down his spine as the Princess began circling him. The dragons were closer now. He could feel their breaths on his person.
"Did you know my Lord that my brother Daemon didn't want you to be my sworn shield? Of course he later on agreed, but his first instinct was to say no. Why that is my Lord?"
"I-I-I do not know, my Princess." He responded and his breaths were coming quicker now.
"I do not know either, and my dear brother refused to tell me why. But let's make one thing clear." She said and now she was standing directly in front of him looking him in the eyes. He could hear the dragons shifting around him and he froze, he didn't dare to even take a breath.
"If somehow down the line, it is brought to my attention that you or any of your family had betrayed us, I will destroy you. I will finish what Aegon started at Harrenhall and when I am finished nothing but a blackened piece of land will be left. No stone, no rubble, no people, no animals, nothing will be left in my wake." She said and It was one of the single times in his life that he was truly scared.
"You may think that my brother the King has power or that my brother Daemon is the most dangerous, but you would be wrong. Because out of all of us, I am the mad one. If you betray us I will be the one burning you and your family and when I am finished with you, all of you will be a footnote in a forgotten history book that mentions another extinct House that challenged the Targaryens. Do you understand?"
He couldn't find the words to respond, his gaze was fixed on her eyes that seemed to reflect flames. The dragons around him roared in his direction and he did his best to keep on his feet. It seemed that the Princess was getting impatient for his answer.
"Yes , my Princess."
"Good" she responded and started to back away same with the dragons." Please warn your family as well of the fate that awaits them if they betray us." With those last words she climbed onto her dragon and took of the other two following. When in the sky Vhagar let out an enormous cloud of fire that enveloped all of them. When the fire clears the dragons were nowhere to be seen on the sky.
After they disappeard it was like his strings had been cut. He fell to his hands and knees and began vomiting everything in his stomach. His thoughts were running wildly in his head when he managed to get to his feet. He walked in a daze back to the Red Keep to his father's apartments where he was sure his father and siblings were dining. He walked though the doors and he was sure that he was looking awfully. More than assuredly there was no colour in his face, he was shaking and his eyes were kind of unfocused. He didn't say anything even as his family stopped eating and they were now watching with various degrees of worry on their faces. He grabbed a jug of wine and downed half of it, before lowering it and looking at his father.
"You were right." He said and he could see the confusion in his father's eyes." You were right about the girl." He continued and started recounting what had happened in the last few hours.
***
Viserys heard the passage opening and lifted his eyes from the book he was reading. He saw Maenera entering, she was a bit ruffled and she smelled of dragon.
"Ah, sister, good of you to join me. Ser Harwin was looking for you, or so Ser Harold told me. "
"Yes I will probably meet him tomorrow, it is quite late now isn't it?"
"Indeed. Do I dare to ask what did you do to the poor man?" He said narrowing his eyes.
"Oh, nothing of notice. Just gave him a warning." His sister replied her innocent face in place. He didn't believe a word.
"A warning you say?"
"Yes, quite. And where is our dear brother? I expected him to be with you."
Well this is going to be awkward. Daemon left as soon as her steps could not be heard anymore. He didn't tell Viserys where he exactly is going but is not hard to imagine. Viserys was more than sure that Daemon was in a brothel or between the tights of some maid. When his brother left he was half in mind to go with him.
"Well... He is not here." Viserys said and tried to go back to his book.
"I know that, Viserys. Where is he?"
"I do not know exactly..."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that Daemon didn't tell me where he was going."
"But you could guess."
"Yes."
"So where is he?"
"In the city I think." Responded Viserys and once again he tried to go back to his book.
"What is he doing in the city?"
"Didn't you saw him in one of your visions?" He said trying to side step the answer.
"I am not omniscient, brother. I do not see every minute of every day for everyone. Just big decisions, kind of. "
"Well like I told you he most likely is in the city."
"And like I asked you, what is he doing in the city?" He could see that his sister was becoming frustrated.
"Sometimes Daemon needs a little time to himself."
"That's fine. Will he be back tonight?" Well fuck.
"No I do not think so."
"Why?"
"For fucks sake Maenera, he is probably lost between the tights of some whore. He won't be back tonight!"
"But I thought that we agreed that we will sleep together during the night. Couldn't he have at least come back to sleep?" Oh fuck. He forgot again how young she was. It was always comments like this that reminded him.
"Maenera, is not like that. Daemon will be back when he will be back. Now please sit down and I will call the maids to bring you something to eat. You missed dinner."
She didn't say anything anymore for that he was grateful. He quickly sent for the maids and got back to his book. Her meal was a quiet affair. He read and she ate in silence. After finishing Maenera started tk get the vacant look in her eyes. He didn't exactly knew if she was looking for Daemon or if she was sorting out the visions she said that needed to be sorted. He at some point abandoned his book and began watching her. He was alternating between conscious state and the vacant look. He observed how she began to be increasingly frustrated. The last time she'd gone under blood started to pour from her nose. He jumped from his chair and pull out a handkerchief from his pocket. He approached her and put the handkerchief under his nose and began calling her name softly.
He haters seeing her like this. He truly did. Awful business that. She came back to her sensed and took the pice of material out of his hand.
"Are you sorting out visions or are you looking for something?" He asked. She didn't responded and averted her eyes. That was answer enough.
"Stop looking for Daemon. He is fine. Do you really want to see him in that position?" He said.
"It's nothing I haven't seen before." She said.
"Still..."
"I just want to know he is safe. He doesn't take any guards with him when he is going to fuck." That was true. Daemon was very confident in his ability to protect himself.
"He is going to be fine."
"You know it wasn't always like this. Even though I saw him die, I knew for sure when that was going to happen so I didn't worry so much."
"But now you started changing things."
"But now I met him and started changing things and the future is not fixed anymore. Not his future anyway. It keeps changing and every time he leaves my presence I have this fear that something will happen to him and I will not be there. That I changed too much, too fast and sentenced him to death."
"Life is scary Maenera. Anything can happen at any given time. You can't keep him tied to you. Daemon had always been enjoying his freedom. If you try to contain him, he will resent you."
"But he will be alive."
"He would be surviving, not living. Daemon is a force that cannot and should not be contained."He knew she was scared, that was written plainly on her face.
"Are you upset that there are other women?" He asked her.
"Why would I be?" She asked and he could see she was confused.
"Haven't you ever entertained the thought that maybe you and Daemon will be together?" He really was curious. He knew his brother's feeling and he knew her obsession with Daemon but she never gave any indication that she wants him as her husband.
"No." She responded honestly.
"Never?"
"No, I know he will have to remarry after the Bronze Bitch is dead, but I never imagined myself in that position."
"And who did you think that he will marry?"
"I don't know yet."
"Wasn't he married in the visions from before?"
"Yes he was. He had to wives after Lady Rhea died."
"Who were they?" Now he really was curious. Daemon always wanted a Valyrian bride.
"Laena, she died in childbirth and then Rhaenyra." His daughter? He married his fucking daughter? His little girl?
"Rhaenyra?"
"She was a widow as well. They always had a thing for each other. Grown up Rhaenyra always said that they were twin flames."
"You do not believe that." He said and if he was honest with himself he didn't believed it either. Maybe because she was his daughter, but he knew what he saw. He saw his brother gravitate around his sister, he saw the looks, the possessiveness, the love.
"I do not believe that twin flames can truly hurt each other, I do not believe that twin flames can kill each other." And wasn't that a punch to the stomach. Without saying any names she reminded him that his daughter gave the order that sent his brother to his death, even worse now, she gave the order that sent her husband to his death and at the same time reminded him that he was the one that gave the order to kill Aemma.
"Yes, that is true. Do you think that you would be capable to hurt Daemon."
"Never!" She quickly replied." But even so, maybe he is mine but I doubt that I am his. That is why I did not entertained the idea of Daemon in any capacity but my brother."
"Daemon will need a Valyrian bride and you, I believe already excluded my daughter."
"There are other options."
"Who?"
"Laena, or some Celtigar girl, maybe one from Essos." She said weakly.
"Even you don't believe that."
"I don't know yet Viserys! I never thought about myself as Daemons wife. Do I think that he is attractive? Yes. Do I want him? I would be stupid not to. But Daemon had always been this untouchable being in my mind. I spent almost all my life making plans to save him, to make him happy. I never thought that I would be the one to be next to him when this things happen."
"Then what did you believe would happen to you? Your primary objective is Daemon, I already knew that, the second is saving our dynasty but what did you think that would happen to you after you have done this things?"
"I didn't have a plan for myself... I assumed that you or Daemon later on will marry me of to someone or leave me be to become an old maid, always in the shadows helping. Probably die sooner or later, the pile of sins finally catching up."
"You haven't given any thought about your life didn't you?"
"Not really, like I told you. I always believed that the sins would catch up. Maybe I would someday do some magic too powerful and the payment will claim me. Or I will die in childbirth, trying to bring forth heirs for some husband I didn't even choose. Or become a kinslayer and my head will be up on a spike for treason. Or I would fall with Shrykos in some battle so that you or Daemon won't have to. A good death, a dragon riders death..."
Viserys wanted to cry for his sister. It was a very bleak future she was describing for herself. It became so apparent that her plans for the future was to die. Did she really believed that they were going to let that happen? That they will use her and discard her like she was some object that they will throw away when her services were no longer needed? There were so many things that he didn't understand. Things that didn't make sense. He didn't think they made sense even for Maenera. But even so one thing was certain, he will not allow this to continue. Maenera isn't some sacrificial offering. He knew she was destined for Daemon. Daemon probably knew she was destined for Daemon. This thoughts needed to stop. She was alive , and she was Daemon's twin flame. She had to survive. The rest does not matter.
"It's late sweetheart. Let's go to bed." He said and he took her in his arms and carried her to bed. He helped her cange and then changed himself, then together they got under the covers.
"I know you think that you are destined to die. You are not. If you can change the future of an entire dynasty you can change your own future."
"Do you really think so?" She asked and he could see that she wanted to have that hope. Oh Gods, she was so young...
"I think that you are powerful, and beautiful, and you can do anything you set your mind to do. I also think that you should not just accept your death as fact. You need to fight to survive, because you are loved. By me, by Daemon. And I think that we would be devastated if something happened to you."
He could feel some tears landing on his chest from where her head laid. He didn't know how much, if at all, it helped her what he said. But still he enveloped her in his arms and held her untill she fell asleep.