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The Crimson Dragon- chapter 9: Unexpected Events and News
🕑 Added 2023-10-02 12:00:04 +0000 UTCChapter 9: Unexpected Events and News
Two Years Later
Bold- High Valyrian
Italicized- Emphasis/Dreams
“Slow down, Helaena! Geez, what's going on with you? You’ve never been this adamant about going to the Dragonpit before.” Lilyanna exclaimed as she watched her twin jump out of the carriage and speed walk to the entrance of the pit.
This morning as the family broke their fast, Helaena asked Rhaenyra to take her to the Dragonpit after they were done eating.
A strange request in it of itself because neither her nor Lilyanna actively sought out the pit the same way their brothers and nephews did but would go whenever one of them asked.
The stranger part was how excited Helaena was to go, eating her food as quickly as she could while still maintaining her table manners and impatiently playing with her fingers, waiting for the rest of her family to finish.
During the carriage ride to Rhaenys’ Hill, Lilyanna stared at her twin, trying to figure out why her sister needed to go to the Dragonpit so badly.
No one else shared this sentiment as the boys had been just as excited to see their dragons again, along with Aemond who was hoping to ask the dragonkeepers more questions about the creatures for when he eventually claimed one. Rhaenyra and Laenor had just chalked up Helaena’s behavior to any normal Targaryen’s interest in dragons.
Helaena’s quest was soon forgotten by the others as the boys focused on their dragons. Lilyanna noted that Arrax had gotten bigger since she last saw him as she watched the dragon nuzzle its snout against Lucerys’ arms.
Despite her desperation to get there, Helaena had calmed down and was standing still next to Lilyanna, her eyes hazy was they watched their family and their dragons.
“Okay, seriously, what’s going on with you? Was watching everyone else why you wanted to come here so badly.” Lilyanna asked, still confused by from the whiplash of her sister’s actions.
Helaena looked at her sister for a few seconds before staring at the ground. Lilyanna had to take a few breaths, calming herself down as she grew increasingly frustrated with Helaena ignoring her.
Close to an hour had passed when Helaena suddenly stood straight as a rod, her eyes widened, and a large grin appeared on her face. It was then that she ran off, moving past the dragonkeepers and entering the lower levels of the pit.
“Helaena!” Lilyanna yelled, immediately taking off after her.
Lilyanna ignored the shouts of Rhaenyra and Laenor as she followed Helaena. The redhead was surprised at how fast Helaena was running, knowing about her aversion to physical activity.
It was a good thing that they had come to the pit plenty of times before otherwise they would have easily gotten lost in the many cavernous tunnels.
It was then that Helaena ran into the cave of the she-dragon Dreamfyre. Lilyanna stopped at the entrance, realizing why her sister had been acting so strange.
It's today, she’s claiming Dreamfyre today. Did she see this in her dreams, is that why she was so excited to come? Lilyanna thought as she watched her twin approach the dragon.
It would make sense as Helaena was not as interested in dragons as the rest of their family, she like them, but she was not as crazy about them as someone like Aemond.
Helaena was still smiling as she walked, even when the she-dragon's head snapped upwards and to the side, her large blue eyes peering down at the girl.
Unlike other dragons, Dreamfyre did not growl or hiss as Helaena approached her, nor did she release flames from her terrifying jaws. The dragon continued to stare at the girl, unnervingly still.
“Kiz, Dreamfyre.” Helaena hummed once she finally reached the dragon.
Dreamfyre’s eyes flicked downwards to watch her hand, and tracked its progress as the girl held it aloft her muzzle, “I am here now, Lykirī”
Instead of opening its maw widely and swallowing the princess up in one bite, Dreamfyre began to croon softly and contently.
Helaena’s smile grew wider, she had been dreaming of her companion all her life, today finally being the day, she could solidify their bond in the land of the living.
“Good job, Helaena.” Lilyanna mumbled under her breath as she watched her sister bond with the ancient mount.
“Helaena claimed Dreamfyre?” Lilyanna turned her head slightly and saw that the rest of her family had caught up to them.
Rhaenyra was the one to ask the question as they all looked on in shock.
Lilyanna was about to respond when she saw Aemond try to run into the cave. The redhead grabbed her brother, pulling him into her chest and stopping him from moving forward.
“No! Let me go! Let me go!” Aemond screamed, tears falling down his face as he desperately tried to escape his sister’s hold.
“No, Aemond. What do you think you're trying to do?” Lilyanna growled, tightening her arms.
“It’s not fair! How can-we're supposed to-" Aemond was unable to speak any longer, his voice cutting out as his anger and sadness burned throughout his being.
Lilyanna pressed her head against the back of Aemond's, speaking into his hair. “I know, I know it hurts to see someone else with a dragon. The three of us have been without one for years but you can't just run into the cave like that. Helaena and Dreamfyre’s bond is new, it’s weak, Dreamfyre could have perceived you as a threat to Helaena and tried to eat you or burn us all alive.”
Aemond hiccupped, “It’s hurts so much, Lily.”
Watching the scene in front of them hit so much harder because two moons earlier, Aemond’s dragon egg had turned to stone.
Aemond had locked himself in his room for days after going into his sisters' room and finding his hardened dragon egg sitting in the fireplace.
Even after Alicent had forced him outside, Aemond had not spoken for an additional a week, moving around the Keep in hollow daze.
Eventually Aemond seemed to have returned to normal, but his deep love of dragons had become obsessive.
He would read all the books he could on dragons and started constantly asking his family members with dragons, questions about them.
Nobody knew what to do with this change in behavior. Aemond refused to be consoled, eager not to remember what had become the worst day of his life.
Lilyanna put her arms down, now sure that Aemond would not try to angrily charge into Dreamfyre’s cave again. Despite this Aemond still clung to Lilyanna, wrapping his arms around her, and burying his face in the space between her neck and shoulder, seeking her comfort.
Rhaenyra moved to her siblings, crouching down, and placing a hand on Aemond’s shoulder. “Our sister is right, valonqar. I know it is painfully right now, but this is Helaena’s moment. Yours will come; I promise.”
Aemond started rubbing his eyes, trying to get rid of the tears. He became embarrassed by his behavior especially as it happened in front of his brothers, nephews, and Laenor.
“So does this mean Helaena has the biggest dragon now?” Jacaerys asked, defusing the tension of the moment.
“I guess it does.” Laenor said with a disbelieving chuckle.
Due to Dreamfyre’s age the dragon was not only bigger than any of the children’s dragons by a longshot but was also bigger than Syrax and Seasmoke.
The only other dragons larger than Dreamfyre were Vhagar, the Cannibal, and Vermithor. Sliverwing and Sheepstealer were around the same size, and every other known dragon was smaller.
“That means Helaena can take us on dragon rides!” Daeron cheered, at the moment only Aegon could fly on his dragon, but the Sunfyre was still too small and Aegon too inexperienced to fly with passengers.
Rhaenyra laughed, “Not yet, Dae. Helaena still needs to learn to fly on her own before she could take any of you on Dreamfyre.”
Daeron pouted but was still happy for their sister, thinking that by the time Helaena became more experienced, he would be learning to fly on Tessarion.
Aegon shrugged his shoulders, “Good for Helaena, Dreamfyre is calm and gentle just like her. Sunfyre is still the best dragon out of all of them, though.”
“I actually think Dreamfyre is prettier than Sunfyre.” Lilyanna said.
Aegon gasped, holding his chest in mocking indignation. “You shut your mouth. Such sacrilege, honestly, I should tell Sunfyre you said that, make him hate you.”
Lilyanna smirked, “Please Aegon, I let you have Sunfyre. He likes me do much better than you that I could ask to be his rider right now and he would jump for joy at the improvement.”
Aegon rolled his eyes, calling Lilyanna a bitch under his breath. While Sunfyre no longer ignored him in favor of his sister, just like with other dragons, Sunfyre liked the girl, often perking up in her presence.
They spent the rest of their time watching Helaena and Dreamfyre. It mainly consisted of Helaena telling the Dragons everything she could about herself and her family.
The dragon wrapped its neck around the princess, resting its head against Helaena, giving the girl all its attention.
~X~
The next day, the Red Keep was in the middle of a great feast.
Viserys and Alicent had different reactions to Helaena bonding with Dreamfyre.
Alicent was angry with Rhaenyra and Laenor for letting Helaena run into the cave of the largest and oldest dragon currently in King’s Landing.
She was even less impressed when hearing that Lilyanna had taken off after her sister before the two adults could even notice.
Nor was she happy when told that Aemond had tried to run into Dreamfyre’s den only to be stopped by Lilyanna, which could have potentially led to the deaths of everyone there.
Viserys had waved off his wife’s concerns, praising his second daughter for her bravery when facing Queen Rhaena's former mount.
Helaena beamed at her father, basking in the rare moment of praise and acknowledgment from the King.
It was then that Viserys had decided to throw a feast in honor of Helaena and her accomplishment.
Helaena was so happy that Lilyanna did not have the heart to tell her that Viserys had already been planning the feast for the past few weeks.
At the moment Helaena was standing in the center of the Great Hall as nobles come to congratulate her.
Helaena would have felt uncomfortable with the attention she was getting if not for Lilyanna standing a few steps behind her, glaring at anyone who tried to touch her or continue the conversation for too long.
“C'mon, Hely. Let’s go eat.” Lilyanna said, seeing that her sister was at limit of daily social interactions.
Helaena allowed her sister to hold her hand and gently pull her towards the long table that the rest of their family was sitting at.
“You did well, Helaena.” Alicent said, smiling as she watched the twins take their seats between Aegon and Aemond.
“Thank you, mother.” Helaena muttered as she pulled her plate closer to her.
Lilyanna played with her own food as her boredom grew. The princess did not understand why Viserys loved feasts so much, in her mind it was just nobles gossiping and dancing with each other as they ate and danced. It was not much different from any other day at court.
At least if this were a tourney, we could see a bunch of idiots bludgeon each other to death. At least something would be happening!
It was mainly because she lived her first life during an age of rapid technological advancement. Rosalind had lived most of her life with the internet, smartphones, computers, and TV.
During the first few years of her new life, Lilyanna found herself petulantly bored, often forcing herself to find something do so that time would pass.
It was one of the reasons why she took her studies, training, and even her lessons with Mellos seriously. Without them, Lilyanna is sure she would have died a second time due to lack of entertainment.
If I were back on Earth, I would probably be on my phone right now at least then I would be distracted from how long it’s taking for this bullshit to end.
Lilyanna found her wish for the end of her boredom answered when her father stood up and addressed the hall.
“I must thank you all for coming to this feast thrown in the honor of my daughter, Helaena. She has proven herself a great Targaryen by claiming the she-dragon, Dreamfyre, mount of the Rhaena Targaryen, older sister of the Old King Jaehaerys and Queen of the East and the West.” Viserys proclaimed, smiling wider at the cheers, and clapping her received.
Lilyanna had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at this. You say you’re proud, but I doubt you could tell when our namesday is if asked.
Lilyanna did not do a good job at hiding her true feelings as Helaena elbowed her sister in the stomach.
“Stop it.” Helaena whispered only loud enough for them to hear.
While Helaena knew Viserys was not a great father to them, or even to Rhaenyra with how he let her get away with and refused to teach her or acknowledge her growth, Helaena did not agree with Lilyanna’s dislike of him.
It was not as if she could blame Lilyanna, Helaena knew from her dreams that Lilyanna never had a father-daughter relationship as her first father had abandoned.
But in Helaena’s mind, unlike Ethan McDaniels, Viserys was a good man who was at the very least trying.
“Why are you so violent with me, Hely? You know I’m fragile.” Lilyanna mumbled while rubbing the place that Helaena viciously hit her.
Helaena rolled her eyes; she knew that her strike did not actually hurt Lilyanna.
It was something both had noticed years ago that Lilyanna was physically stronger, faster, and more durable than the average child.
The girl could take hits from Criston Cole whenever they trained and could keep fighting. And was always fine whenever they went to the Dragonpit and the younger dragons would latch onto her, often forcing her to the ground.
Lilyanna theorized that her resurrection had something to do with her stronger than normal body and Helaena agreed.
Lilyanna had also wanted to try and injure herself to see if she healed faster as well but Helaena had forbidden it. She did not want her twin to hurt herself no matter how small the wound.
Viserys continued his speech, “It is not just thus event that we are celebrating but my wife Alicent as well.”
The King then held his hand out to his wife. Alicent smiled as she took it and stood next to him.
“The Queen is once again pregnant. In about eight moons time she shall be giving me another child!”
Lilyanna felt her jaw drop at the announcement.
WHAT. THE. ACTUAL. FUCK???!!!
Lilyanna continued to stare at her parents even as the court cheered and walked to the table to congratulate them.
Her ears began to ring as Viserys’ words continued to repeat in her mind.
No this can’t be possible. Viserys and Alicent only had four children together in the books. So how can they- Lilyanna thought to herself.
It was then that Lilyanna realized that she herself existed.
Just being born had changed things, not to mention the changes that she had made over the years.
Unlike everyone else who was happy over the news, Lilyanna was drowning in what the birth of this new child could mean for everything she was trying to accomplish.
~X~
Later into the night, Lilyanna made her way to the courtyard after changing her clothes and grabbing two practice swords.
Last year the girl had asked Criston to teach her how to dual wield.
She remembered from the books that Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning, was capable of using two swords at once with expert mastery.
She had always thought that dual wielding was one of the coolest skills that a fantasy character could have. And she figured that since she was ambidextrous both in her previous and current lives that it would be the opportune time to learn.
Criston only raised an eyebrow but followed through with the request. Despite being an expert swordsman, he did not have experience using two weapons at once, usually using either his sword or his morningstar in conjunction with a shield to fight.
Still, the Kingsguard had taught her the basics, claiming that she would have to find someone who knew how to dual wielding to teach her anything more advanced.
Right now, Lilyanna was not looking to improve her skills, right now she was looking to hit something.
She pulled out several training dummies and began striking them. Every few minutes she would change dummies, using longer and shorter strikes.
Just as she got into her rhythm, Lilyanna heard the sound of a rock hitting the ground.
Lilyanna quickly turned around and saw her younger brother Aemond standing near the castle entrance. The young prince was wearing dark clothing and had a cloak on with the hood pulled over his head.
“Where are you going?” Lilyanna asked after the sound of the rock he kicked caused Aemond to freeze in place.
The nearby light from the touches placed around the Keep allowed Lilyanna to see the blush on her brother’s cheeks.
Aemond straightened his back and began to stutter. “I-I-I wa-wasn't I wasn’t going anywhere!”
“Right.” Lilyanna drawled.
Aemond groaned and walked up to Lilyanna. “I was going to the pit.”
Lilyanna raised an eyebrow, “And how were you planning to do that? You would have to tell our parents to get a carriage to take you and you wouldn’t make it back before anyone noticed you were gone if you had walked. And not to mention the dragonkeepers wouldn’t let you in without our parents' permission anyway.”
Aemond glared at the ground, “They would have! I’m a prince, they can’t say no to me!”
“And our parents are the King and Queen.” Lilyanna replied.
“Is this about Helaena claiming Dreamfyre?” Lilyanna asked, sighing when Aemond did not respond.
“Aemond,” Lilyanna said as she put down her swords and place a hand on his shoulder. “Your time will come; I promise it will. But you can’t put yourself in danger because you are impatient.”
Aemond lifted his head, his fiery gaze aimed at his sister’s face. “Doesn’t it bother you? Our sister, your twin, has claimed a dragon, she’s left us behind. Now you and I are the dragonless duo.”
“Dragonless duo?” Lilyanna asked having never heard that title.
“I heard some of the nobles calling us that. They said we aren’t real Targaryens, that our lack of dragons proves it. They said that it’s even more obvious with you because of your hair and, and your body.” Aemond explained, his anger turning into sadness and jealousy.
Lilyanna decided to ignore the jab that the nobles were throwing at her paternity and focus on the dragon part.
It was not the first time someone had quietly questioned if she was Viserys’ daughter, it was rare, but it happened. They would ignore her purple eyes and that she and Helaena were twins, so if she were a bastard, Helaena had to be too.
It was not the bastardy that bothered her so much as the claim that Alicent was unfaithful.
Alicent was a teenage girl forced to marry that we idiot we call a King, a man who is basically a slowly deteriorating corpse. She had to give up everything and yet they have the gall to slander her… Lilyanna thought.
“Aemond, we are Targaryens. The worthless rumors of those beneath us is never going to change that.” Lilyanna swore.
“You sure?” Aemond asked, his insecurities spiking as he remembered how those nobles laughed as they made fun of them.
“You and I, we have a harder path to travel than our brothers and nephews. Just like Helaena showed, we have to take and fight for everything that is given freely to them. But that doesn’t make us worth any less than them. I’m just asking you to let me, to let us help you get there.” Lilyanna declared.
Aemond smiled a little and hugged his sister. “Okay. Thank you, Lily.”
Lilyanna returned the hug, “No problem. Now off to bed before someone notices your clothes.”
Aemond said good night and quickly ran back inside the castle. He was still itching to prove himself, but he felt better after talking with Lilyanna.
Lilyanna shook her head as she watched Aemond run off. She could understand where he was coming from, she too knew what it was like to jealously pine over the things that others had, things they took for granted.
She hoped that she was right as she too entered the Keep. She hoped that her changes had not ruined Aemond’s chances of ever claiming a dragon, of somehow making him repugnant to the fire breathing creatures.
~X~
“You’re not upset with me, are you?” Was the first thing Lilyanna heard as she returned to her bedroom.
Helaena had immediately blurted out what she had been wanting to ask since yesterday once she and her sister were finally alone.
The nervousness in Helaena’s tone confused Lilyanna, “Why would I be upset with you?”
“That I claimed Dreamfyre. I know that Aemond was upset especially because of his own dragon egg turning to stone.” Helaena explained.
Lilyanna walked over to her sister and sat at the edge of her sister's bed. “Was I mad when you saw me giving my dragon egg to Luke and it hatched Arrax?”
“No, you weren’t.” Helaena muttered as she drew her knees to her chest.
“And I'm not mad now. How can I be when I know you’ve been waiting years for this?” Lilyanna replied.
Helaena was not convinced, “But now I have a dragon and you don’t, I've left you behind.”
Lilyanna moved once again, this time seating next to Helaena and leaning against the bed’s headboard. “You didn’t leave me behind; it doesn’t bother me that you have a dragon, and I don’t. I’ve accepted that being a dragonrider may not be for me, if I claim a dragon then great, but I'm not going to kill myself over it if it never happens.”
“I guess you’re right.”
“Of course, I'm right! Besides once you become an expert dragonrider, I’m counting on you taking me on flights with you and Dreamfyre.”
Helaena giggled and leaned her head against Lilyanna’s shoulder, “You’ll be the first person I take into the skies with me.”
Lilyanna playfully scoffed, “I better be the first because if I hear about Luke or Daeron or even Aegon ridding with you before me, we’re going to have some problems.”
The girls’ laughter eventually died down and the two sat together in a peaceful silence.
Lilyanna was not lying to either of her siblings when she said that not having a dragon did not bother her. She was content with not following the path of a dragonrider, not wanting to get her hopes up for something that may never happen.
I mean it is strange that dragons are so drawn to me, but I've never felt that magical connection that everyone else has felt to their companions. I get the feeling that I understand them better than most, but I haven’t met a dragon that was the missing part of my soul or whatever.
“Lilyanna,” Helaena whispered. “Can you stay with me tonight?”
“Of course.” Lilyanna stood up and blew out the lit candles around the room. She then walked over to Helaena’s bed and climbed under the covers, wrapping her arms around Helaena’s form.
“Night, Hely.” Lilyanna whispered.
Helaena turned, resting her body on tip of her sister's. “Good night, Lily.”
~X~
A few hours after her and Lilyanna’s conversation, Helaena had woken up suddenly.
It was not the first time this had happened, both herself and Lilyanna were used to waking up at random points in the night due to their wild dreams. There were even times when neither girl fell asleep, often suffering from insomnia.
Unlike other times, she woke up in the middle of the night instead of in total darkness, Helaena saw the light of a lit candle from the corner of her eye.
Helaena sat up and saw Alicent sitting at the edge of her bed, candle holder in hand.
“Mother?” Helaena asked, her voice raspy from lack of use.
“Oh! Helaena.” Alicent quickly said, not expecting either of her daughters to wake up and catch her.
“Are you doing that weird thing mother’s do, watching their children sleep?” Helaena asked, already know the answer to her question.
“It’s not weird.” Alicent said defensively, as it was not the first time, she had entered her children’s rooms to watch them sleep before returning to her chambers.
Helaena hummed not giving a response, realizing that this action had to be some form of comfort to the Queen.
“Why is Lilyanna sleeping in your bed?” Alicent asked, looking between Helaena and the still sleeping Lilyanna.
“I asked her to.” Helaena answered, not bringing up her and Lilyanna’s earlier conversation.
Alicent accepted this but started thinking that perhaps it was time for her daughters to have their own rooms.
Two years prior, Aegon had been given his own room after he turned ten, so now Aemond and Daeron shared a room and Alicent figured that now would be a suitable time to do the same for Helaena and Lilyanna.
The twins were getting older and Alicent thought it would be a good idea for them to have their own spaces, to not be so codependent on each other.
There was also the creeping thought that entered her mind of the closeness Targaryens usually shared with their siblings.
It would be for the best, Helaena and Lilyanna will soon be reaching adolescence. I would rather they be in separate rooms when certain... urges and feelings start to develop. Alicent thought.
“Is the baby feeling good?” Helaena asked, causing Alicent to file her thoughts away for another time.
“I think it’s a little too early for the baby to be feeling much of anything.” Alicent chuckled.
“I hope they’re a girl, since Daeron was born, me and Lilyanna have been outnumbered.” Helaena said, staring at her mother’s flat stomach.
Alicent snorted at this, her smile growing at Helaena’s innocence. “I hope for a baby girl too. But it could also be another boy, I hope you know that and won’t be upset.”
Helaena shrugged, “As long as they’re healthy, it won’t matter to me if they’re a boy or a girl.”
Before Alicent could respond, Lilyanna while in the throes of sleep kicked her in the leg. The Hightower let out a sharp hiss as her leg began to throb.
“Are you okay, mother?” Helaena asked, climbing out from her side of the bed, and sitting next to Alicent.
“I’m fine, I just was not expecting that.” Alicent replied, rubbing the area of her thigh that Lilyanna had struck.
The two looked at Lilyanna, watching as she began to thrash around in her sleep. Her arms and legs flailing wildly, her head snapping back and forth across her pillow.
This went on for several more minutes, Alicent tried to wake the girl up but to no avail. Eventually, as quickly as it started Lilyanna’s restless shaking stopped, her breath slowing, and her body became still once more.
“What in the seven hells was that?” Alicent asked herself, frightened by what she had just witnessed.
“That hasn’t happened in a while.” Helaena said aloud, continuing to watch her sister’s unconscious form.
Alicent turned to Helaena, “What do you mean, ‘this hasn’t happened in a while’?”
“When Lilyanna gets really... intense dreams, her body would flail around uncontrollably. I’m surprised because this hasn’t happened in years and when it did Lilyanna would always wake up immediately after.
Alicent turned her attention back to Lilyanna, she was troubled by the fact that this had been happening to one of her daughters and she has been unaware of it for years.
“It's fine, Lilyanna always gets over her dreams after she wakes up. And it really hasn’t happened in years, I think we were five the last time it did.” Helaena tried to reassure Alicent, not wanting her mother to blame herself.
“And it won’t happen again?” Alicent asked, still staring at Lilyanna and ready to spend the rest of the night in their room if the answer was no.
“It won’t, it only happens once, I promise.” Helaena said instantly.
Alicent did believe her daughter but accepted the answer regardless. The Queen rose to her feet and pressed a kiss on Lilyanna’s forehead, pushing back some of Lilyanna hair.
“You promise you will tell ne if this happens again?” Alicent asked, now standing in front of Helaena.
Helaena grabbed one of Alicent’s hands, rubbing the back of it with her fingers. “I promise.”
Alicen shook herself out of stupor and smiled, “Good night, my sweet girl.”
Helaena waited a few moments after Alicent left her bedroom before climbing back into bed. She continued to watch Lilyanna, knowing just what her twin was experiencing in her dreams.
“I’m sorry, Lilyanna. It will be over soon I promise then we can figure out what it means together.” Helaena whispered before lying down and forcing herself to go back to sleep.
~X~
Lilyanna gasped, quickly sitting up and finding herself in the dreamscape that she had not be in since the birth of her nephew, Jacaerys Velaryon.
The reincarnated Targaryen found herself sitting on the same water covered floor, completely surrounded by pitch blackness, and sitting in front of the Iron Throne.
“I thought I was done with this shit.” Lilyanna whined, pushing herself off the ground, waiting for whatever dead Targaryen was going to show up.
What Lilyanna was not expecting was that this meeting would not take place in front of the throne as a piece of rope appeared out of nowhere and wrapped around her legs.
Lilyanna did not have time to process what was going on as an invisible force yanked on the rope, throwing Lilyanna off her feet. The second she hit the floor; the rope immediately started dragging her away.
“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!” Lilyanna screamed, trying in vain to find something she could grab unto to prevent herself from being dragged away.
Soon a bright light appeared on the horizon, eclipsing the edge of the black void. The princess could see that the rope was trying to pull her into the light.
It did not take long for Lilyanna to reach the light, being yanked through. When she fully passed through the light, the rope instantly disappeared, and Lilyanna landed on her face.
“Ow. What the fuck?” Lilyanna moaned before she rolled unto her back. Looking up, Lilyanna saw that she was now staring at a stone ceiling. She then sat up, looking around, noticing that she was now in a large bedroom.
After a few seconds, she realized that she was in the King’s chambers in the Red Keep, only with different furniture and a lack of the large-scale model of Old Valyria that Viserys had built.
Well, this is different... Lilyanna thought to herself and just when she stood up, noticed that she was not alone.
In the bed laid a woman, she was an elderly woman with greying hair, wrinkled skin, a high forehead and cheekbones, and big blue eyes.
The woman had wrapped herself completely with the blanket and stared at the adjacent wall with a blank look. The dull shine in her eyes, along with staying very still, almost made the woman look like she had been dead for hours.
Just then the chamber doors opened, revealing a man who swept into the room. The man was tall, with long grey hair, purple eyes, and a long white beard that reached his waist. The man appeared so much older than the woman, looking incredibly haggard, as if a strong wind could knock him over.
Just like all the other times she had experienced these weird dreams, Lilyanna could not hear what the people in front of her were saying, watching as the man began to speak with the woman.
At first the woman did not respond, continuing to stare blankly at the wall. It was not until the man grew visibly agitated, stood next to the bed, and sneered at the woman before speaking again, did the woman react.
She quickly threw off the covers and stood to her feet, glaring at the man with the fury of a hundred suns. Where she was once despondent and quiet, she was now animated and passionate, screaming at the man and pushing him backwards.
The man’s eyes widen at this action, surprised by what the woman had done. He then moved and grabbed the woman’s arms, stopping her from striking him again.
After a few moments, the woman stopped struggling and began to cry, tears fell from her eyes as she pressed her own body against the man’s. The man released her arms and wrapped his own around her body.
The man continued to hold the woman, his own eyes shining with tears that he refused to let fall, afraid of losing himself in his own grief.
All Lilyanna could do was watch the intimate scene in silence, even though she could hear anything she felt like a creep for uncontrollably invading this personal moment between the two.
Before she knew it, everything disappeared in a shimmering mirage. Once everything was gone Lilyanna saw that she was once again within the black void and standing in front of the Iron Throne.
“What even was that?” Lilyanna asked herself, once again wondering why she was seeing any of this, why she was not getting any answers.
“Liyanna...” A voice rang out across the void, its whisper sending shivers down Lilyanna’s spine.
Lilyanna looked everywhere but could not find who was saying her name, still seeing nothing but pitch black and the world’s most uncomfortable chair. “What was that? Who are you?”
“Lilyanna...” Despite having never heard the voice before, Lilyanna could not help but feel drawn to it, as if she should know this voice. To her, this voice saying her name was like meeting an old friend after years apart.
“Lilyanna...” This time the princess could hear the voice coming from the direction of the Iron Throne.
Lilyanna looked at the throne wearily, feeling its imposing stature even from where she was standing. She had never climbed the steps of the throne, she only stood at its base when it was required of her, she knew just how many people died for the power, were killed by it and after watching Viserys cut himself on it so many times wanted nothing to do with it.
“Lilyanna...” The princess could only sigh, knowing that this would not end until she climbed the steps of the Irone Throne and see what this mysterious voice wanted from her.
So, Lilyanna reluctantly trudged towards the Iron Throne, she carefully climbed each step, not wanting to slip and die.
Wait, can I even die here? Lilyanna thought, but decided to think about this question later, focusing on the task at hand. Once she had reached the top, Lilyanna waited for the voice to speak again but heard nothing.
She turned around and was prepared to walk back down the steps when the voice rang out again. “Lilyanna...” The voice said louder, a desperation could be heard from it when Lilyanna tried to leave.
“What, what do you want frome me? Do you want me to sit in the chair or something.” Lilyanna asked the voice but once again did not receive an answer.
Lilyanna groaned as he realized that yes, the disembodied voice did in fact want her to seat the Iron Throne. She could not help but muse at the act of treason she was technically committing, only the King or those chosen by the King to rule in his stead could sit on the Iron Throne, anyone else could be executed for such a blasphemous act.
The second Lilyanna sat down a blinding light flashed across the void and all she could see was white, gold, red, and blue. The colors were seared into her mind as she watched them swirl and dance in a beautiful rainbow in front of her.
“You are not yet ready, Lilyanna Targaryen, how disappointing. It is clear that you cannot seek me out just yet.” The voice spoke.
This time Lilyanna noticed that the voice was female, and that despite their words the voice was not malicious, sounding amused by the human.
“What do you mean, I'm not ready? Just who are you? What are you?” Lilyanna exclaimed, growing increasingly confused.
“That is not important for you to know right now, it was I who made the mistake of calling you too early and I apologize for that. Just continue as you have been, our meeting is not a question of if but when.” The voice said, still amused as they knew this would not be enough to satisfy the Targaryen.
And it was not as Lilyanna tried to speak, “But-”
“Shh.” The voice whispered and Lilyanna could feel a loving warmth spread through her body. “All will be revealed soon, I'm sure those insects can feel the time approaching as well.”
Lilyanna felt her eyes growing heavier and she knew that she would soon be ejected from this realm. “Do not fight, little rose. Let the sensation take you.”
~X~
Lilyanna sat up gasping for breath, taking in deep breaths. She relaxed as she saw that she was in her and Helaena’s bedroom, although she was surprised that it was morning as the other times she had these strange dreams she would wake up in the middle of the night, unable to fall back asleep.
“Was it bad?” Lilyanna turned and saw Helaena lying down next to her, Lilyanna remembering that she had fallen asleep in her sister’s bed.
Lilyanna told Helaena everything that had happened in her dream, from the man and the woman to having to sit on the throne and the voice that she both did and did not know.
“Do you think that the pair you saw were King Jaehaerys and Queen Alysanne?” Helaena asked.
Lilyanna shrugged, “I mean I think so, they’re the only Targaryen couple since the Red Keep was built that lived long enough to be that old. And I don’t think Aegon and Visenya were that vulnerable with each other.”
Helaena agreed, “That’s true. But what about the voice? You said it felt familiar, so does this mean you know who it belongs to?”
“I felt familiar, but I know I've never heard it before.” Lilyanna replied.
An idea came to Helaena, and she sat up, “What if they sound familiar because you will meet them?”
“What do you mean?” Lilyanna asked, not seeing where Helaena was going with this.
“I mean that you’re going to meet this person sometime in the future, that’s why they sound familiar, but you know that you haven’t heard their voice before.” Helaena explained.
“Huh.” Was all Lilyanna said, she had never thought of knowing the future. She of course knew some things about the future because of her knowledge of ASOIAF, but that was because she was a fan of property and even now some of her knowledge was now worthless because of the changes she made.
And when it came to dreams, Helaena was the one who could see the future, her dreams showed the effects of her changes or things that happened in the past, as seen with the appearances of Aegon, Visenya, Rhaenys, Aenys, Maegor, and now Jaehaerys and Alysanne.
“That could be it, but it doesn’t matter since apparently I'm not ready yet or whatever that means.” Lilyanna grumbled, still annoyed by how the voice gave her the run around.
Helaena giggled at this, “But you will be ready one day, the voice told you so.”
“I know but it's still annoying.” Lilyanna sighed.
Helaena giggled again and stood up, “You can worry about it later, right now you have to prepare for your meeting with Lady Mysaria.”
After her partnership with Mysaria was made, Lilyanna immediately told Helaena about it. Helaena was her twin and the keeper of all her secrets, so Lilyanna knew she could trust her.
Besides if something does happen to me, I’ll need someone to continue my mission when I’m gone. Helaena already promised me that she would, so I have nothing to worry about. Lilyanna thought to herself.
“Yeah, you’re right. Cover for me?” Lilyanna asked, knowing that without her sister she would have gotten caught with how often she ventured into the city.
“Of course.” Helaena replied, “But I believe that everyone will be too focused on mother and our unborn sibling to notice you’re missing for a few hours.”
“Still necessary.” Lilyanna, not wanting to take the risk.
As two began to ready themselves for the day, Lilyanna continued to think about her dream and the news of their new sibling.
She could not help but worry about the future, and both of these things exasperated this feeling. Lilyanna knew that the peace she found herself in could not last, that something had to give, and it would bring chaos upon them.
Why else would this voice think that now was the time to seek her out? Why would they say that their meeting is a fated one? Just who were they and why did she feel they were important to her?
Lilyanna just hoped that whatever was coming, she was ready for it, that she would not be caught off guard by something that she could not handle.
