(POV/Rheanyra 3rd)
Rhaenyra walked through the torch-filled corridors of the castle, making her way to the one person she knew could help with her plans.
She felt like time was running out. After the council meeting she had just attended, many things had become apparent to her, one of them being that the war she was waging was beginning to catch flame—and it was not going to be pretty.
In the beginning, when all of this started, she had been emotional over her father's passing and the betrayal she felt from the one she used to call her friend, Alicent.
But now that actions and plans had started to take shape, she was feeling frightened by what it meant—for instance, her son.
The one she believed had died many years ago had come back a great warlord, and now he sought to fight in her cause. For this, she was both proud and thankful, yet she could not help but feel that his going out to fight in her name would only end one way.
In his demise.
And she could not have that.
No.
She would not have that.
That was why, straight after the council meeting, she made her way to the one person she knew could help her with the crazy plan she had in mind. As she approached the chamber doors, which were guarded by two members of the Sons of Dragons, she dismissed them with a command, which they obeyed without question.
Rhaenyra stood in front of the door for a moment, gathering her bearings before pushing the chamber doors open. Inside, she found the person she was looking for standing with their back toward her, gazing at the moonlit ocean through the window.
"Myssaria," she whispered, gaining the attention of the lady in question. Myssaria turned around at the sound of her name, only to find the Black Queen standing at her chamber doors.
"Your Grace?" she asked, surprised that the queen was there. Her employer—or master—had made it clear that she and the queen were to have nothing to do with one another. So if Rhaenyra was here, it was either with his knowledge (which, for some reason, she doubted at the moment) or of her own accord.
"I need your help," the queen said shortly, approaching Myssaria, but not before making sure the chamber doors were closed.
"I am not sure I understand—help with what, Your Grace?" Myssaria wondered, watching the approaching figure of Rhaenyra, who stopped in front of her.
The queen stood there, looking at the woman, weighing whether to ask what she was thinking or not. But as she realized that she had already come so far not to ask, she went on to say what was on her mind.
"What do you know of the movements of Alicent Hightower?" she asked the lady, who raised an eyebrow in response, standing silently as she weighed whether to tell the queen or not. Myssaria knew that if she disobeyed the prince again, she could very well find herself in the deepest part of the Seven Hells.
"Would you take her hostage?" Myssaria asked the queen, trying to understand why she had come to her seeking aid. "Or would you kill her?" she added, gauging the queen's reaction, though Rhaenyra's expression revealed nothing beyond an unreadable mask.
"I would speak with her myself," Rhaenyra replied, surprising Myssaria, who looked at her with both astonishment and admiration for her bravery in thinking such a thing.
"Killing her would be easier," Myssaria whispered, acknowledging the practicality, though now intrigued by the direction of the conversation.
"If war can be averted, it is my duty as the queen to avert it," Rhaenyra said to Myssaria, who remained passive, opting to listen to what the queen had in mind. She was deciding whether she should try to stop her and tell her employer—or listen and, perhaps, even help.
"I have reason to believe Alicent may be of the same opinion," Rhaenyra added. She paused for a moment, and Myssaria stayed silent, knowing the queen was not finished with her explanation. "She sent a raven. Expressing her remorse," Rhaenyra finished, making Myssaria guess where the queen was going with the conversation.
She wanted to meet Alicent in person.
As the realization dawned on her, Myssaria knew this was no longer a choice. She would have to inform her employer, but not before trying to dissuade the queen from this... brave idea.
"I can have a message brought to her—in secret, of course," Myssaria offered, trying to reassure the queen. But Rhaenyra shook her head forcefully.
"She would not agree to it," Rhaenyra interrupted before continuing, "She would think it subterfuge, as would I, if I received such a missive." Her explanation, unfortunately, made sense, thought Myssaria, who pursed her lips in frustration.
"I must see her. Face to face."
And there it was. She had finally revealed her thoughts. This was where things would become dangerous, so Myssaria tried to reason with the queen once more, to at least prove she had made the effort to stop her.
"She is the Queen Dowager. She goes nowhere without many eyes watching her," Myssaria said. She watched as the fire in the queen's eyes dimmed slightly. Then an idea arose in her mind, and, before she could stop herself, Myssaria spoke.
"Unless..." she whispered.
The queen, who stood in front of her, heard the words clearly and turned her full attention to the White Worm.
"It is fraught," Myssaria began, realizing the mistake she had made by voicing her thoughts. Before she could explain herself, the queen interrupted.
"Speak it!" Rhaenyra commanded.
Shifting uncomfortably, Myssaria began to pace before explaining the idea she had once given to Daemon himself. "There are fishing boats aplenty in the bay. The city depends on them," she started, seeing the queen begin to nod, her realization dawning.
"Daemon made the journey unbothered," she added, wincing at the memory of her injured shoulder, courtesy of Vealor.
"But if I am recognized and caught..." the queen began, her tone laced with both hope and fear.
"You may be surprised to learn that not many pay attention to a woman who isn't dressed like a queen or adorned to catch the gaze of men," Myssaria explained, watching as the gears turned in the queen's mind.
"And then what? I make my way to the Red Keep and ring the bell—or better yet, I climb the walls to her chambers?" Rhaenyra asked, earning an amused look from Myssaria.
"There is one place where Alicent goes, outside the castle walls," Myssaria said. The dam of realization broke within Rhaenyra as she remembered Alicent's habit of visiting the sept every morning without fail.
"You may yet find her alone there," Myssaria finished as the queen nodded, lost in thought. She turned on her heel to leave but was stopped by Myssaria's next words.
"I'm going to have to tell him, you know," Myssaria said, making Rhaenyra halt mid-stride, her hand on the chamber door. After a moment of hesitation, Rhaenyra turned to face her again, her eyes pleading.
"Give me until the sun rises. Then you can tell him whatever you want," the queen requested. Both women stood there, locking eyes, oblivious to the shadow that watched the interaction in silence, ready to report to its master.
Myssaria closed her eyes in resignation before nodding slowly. The queen smiled lightly in appreciation before departing from the room—unaware that the one she feared would find out, already would, within the hour.
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(POV/Vealor)
I was currently in the library, pacing back and forth in thought as my mind went back to the earlier council meeting.
"This is turning out to be more difficult than I anticipated," I said, and that was only because of one person.
My mother.
She seemed heavily opposed to the idea of us—her sons—going to war.
I had thought it was only Jacaerys she wanted to keep out of it because of what happened to Lucerys, but it seems that wasn't the case. It somehow extended to me as well.
Yet, I—as well as everyone else—knew that was not going to be possible. I could not stay put and watch as everyone risked their lives. No, I would not stay put because the whole reason I had been gaining my strength in the East was to prevent all the atrocities my dreams had revealed to me.
So, it wasn't a question. I had to have free rein to do what I had been planning, and that would only be possible if I woke my mother up to reality.
As I stopped my pacing and stood in front of the desk, I remembered the look on my mother's face before she had left the room of the Painted Table.
It was the look of someone who was planning something, and I did not like that. So, I had tasked Ezio with keeping an eye on her to make sure she wouldn't do anything reckless.
I hadn't expected word from Ezio anytime soon, yet for some reason, here he was, standing behind me, having stepped out of the shadows—most likely to inform me of what my mother was planning.
"Did you find anything out?" I asked, feeling Ezio's presence behind me, standing fully at attention.
"I'm afraid I have, my lord. I'm not sure you're going to like it, though," he revealed as I turned around to face the man.
I did not speak right away, opting to observe the man before me. Ezio was a loyal servant—one I came across on my travels.
He and Inej were the last remnants of a secret organization called the Blades of Asshai, a feared group of assassins who lived in the Shadow Lands—said to be the only organization on par with the Faceless Men.
Yet, they had faded through the years, and no one knew what had happened to them before I came across the last remnants of this group in Old Valyria, where I met the man who stood before me and his student, Inej.
They had apparently been led to Old Valyria in an attempt to rebuild their organization, which had faded with time, guided by an oracle who had told them their salvation would be found there. Whether it was a lie or not, they had decided to try their luck.
That was how we met.
Or, more accurately, how they found me—half-dead after one of my many bouts trying to re-tame Abraxas.
Which is a story for another time.
"Tell me, what is it, Ezio?" I commanded after a long silence.
The man before me inclined his head before speaking.
"My lord, the queen—she means to go to King's Landing in search of one Alicent Hightower," he said, his tone grave.
I stood there unmoving, trying to digest what I had just heard.
Ezio, taking my silence as a cue to continue, did so.
"She means to treat with the Queen Dowager so that bloodshed and war may be avoided," Ezio explained.
I finally broke out of my shocked state, pressing my brows together in frustration.
"Did you find out when and how she means to make this journey?" I asked, still reeling from the sheer recklessness of my mother's actions.
She knew better, yet here she was, risking everything for something that had already been set in motion.
Yet, her actions spoke of an undertone—something deeper.
Anyone else in her position would fight tooth and nail to reclaim what had been stolen from her, yet she still sought to keep the peace in the realm when transgressions had already been made. Even though some of the atrocities that should have happened had been alleviated.
There could only be one thing weighing on her mind enough to make her do such a foolish thing.
The Song of Ice and Fire.
Sighing audibly as I massaged my temples, I waited for Ezio to answer my previous question. He seemed to have realized just how annoyed I was.
"Before sunrise, my lord. She has enlisted the White Worm to help her get there. She and Ser Steffon Darklyn are preparing to depart as we speak," Ezio told me.
Yet, something else in that information stood out to me.
"The White Worm? Myssaria?" I asked, and I felt Ezio nod.
"Yes. She helped the queen with the minor details," he told me.
I shook my head in disappointment. It seemed the woman thought my words were air. Well, I'm going to have to prove her wrong.
Before Ezio could say anything else, I raised my hand, signaling for him to stop so that I could gather my thoughts.
I slowly walked around the table, full of tomes and scrolls, before plopping myself down into the chair, sitting in contemplation as I thought of everything that could go wrong with my mother's plan.
Yet, this was an opportunity as well.
I had been trying to find ways to free Dreamfyre from the Dragonpit in King's Landing. I had considered many different ideas, and all of them led to me going there personally.
And here was an opportunity presenting itself.
Not just that—this would also give me leverage over my mother, who feared I would do something reckless by leading my men by example in war. Yet here she was, doing the very thing she had opposed.
It seemed all monarchs had hypocritical tendencies.
But not to worry—because I would be following her in the shadows, making sure nothing unexpected happened to her.
Turning my gaze to Ezio, who stood at attention, I said,
"Call Yue and Inej. It seems we will be making a trip back home—
To King's Landing."
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Alright, I think I've spent enough time wallowing in my sorrows.
Sorry for the lack of updates—real life hit hard these past two months, and I won't lie, it took a toll on me more than I expected.
But I've had my time to mope, and now it's time to shake it off, fire up the creative engine, and dive back into writing. So stay tuned, because ya boy's about to go crazy with the upcoming chapters.
As always, I hope you enjoy—and any and all comments are appreciated.