Chapter 50-Betrayals Unseen!

Chapter 50

RHAENYRA TARGARYEN

It was a fine morning in the Red Keep, not much different than the one's that had come before it. Not unlike the days of woe and suffering that had come over these Halls three years ago. It was as if the castle and those living inside it had been cursed as death and affliction began to hunt them one by one.

It came for her mother first, then for the child she had just birthed. Both of them gone, leaving her all alone in the world. She had then found some solace and companionship in her childhood friend, Alicent, who was also taken from her, and she still remembered the day she had found her lying dead in her own room.

The sight of her lifeless body often haunted her in her sleep to this day, though her feelings about her friend had become far too convoluted, and the love she bore for her had long become twisted with envy and jealousy.

Then had come the loss of Prince Daemon, and the Royal family found itself reduced to but three people. a number so few and dire that even the war with Maegor had not left them so defenceless and helpless.

Those were dire times, times that required hard action as the Targaryens found their hegemony threatened by House Velaryon and the Sea Snake who made allies with Lys to conquer the Stepstones.

And hard action was taken, as a deal was struck and her father chose to solidify the Targaryen regime by uniting his line with his brother's line. The Royal marriage was announced between her and Aegon Targaryen, her cousin who was once betrothed to her friend Alicent.

There was peace for some time as the Red Keep prepared itself for a massive celebration after a few years of pain, suffering, and death. But the Gods were cruel, and their curse struck again as her father slipped on the very stairs he may have walked on for a thousand times in his life.

And yet his feet failed him on that day, as did his hands, as did his Kingsguard as he fell down, and broke both his legs and his back. The Maesters feared for his life, and yet he feared for hers, and even in those desperate and testing times, he made her promise that the vows would be said, that she would marry her intended on that day, lest the gods spare him or not.

And so, the vows were said, and the cloaks were exchanged, and Rhaenyra Targaryen wed Aegon Targaryen, even as her father lay in bed fighting for his life.

Perhaps it was the marriage that broke the curse, or was it her prayers, but King Viserys Targaryen would survive the ordeal, with disability and ever lingering pain, yet the Gods would spare him, and in his times of suffering and pain, he would the burden of ruling would fall to the newly married and young heir to the throne, her lord husband—Prince Aegon Targaryen.

A burden that he carried to this day. Though she carried her own burdens.

"Kepa!" a soft voice made her look up, as she saw her eldest child rush towards the doors to her chambers, as tall and familiar figure walked through them.

"Aenar!" the years had been much kinder to him as Aegon Targaryen had come into his own. His face was a mixture of youthfulness and maturity, and his darker hair gave him an exotic look that swayed the hearts of many a maiden to this day.

Their son favoured her own looks, having the typical Targaryen hair, and was a rather quieter child, though not once did he set his eyes on his father, who returned that smile and enthusiasm as he bent down and picked the boy up in his arms.

As she saw him playing with their eldest son, she wondered just how it had all gone wrong.

Having been thrust into the trials and tribulations of power so suddenly, many had expected Aegon Targaryen to fail, some had even tried to undermine him, and his authority, as he ruled in her father's stead.

They would all be proven wrong, and the realm would grow and prosper under his reign much to the consternation of their enemies. The pride and relief of her father who would soon delegate more and more of his tasks and duties to his newfound heir, for the fall had not just robbed him of his ability to walk but of what little remained of his will as well.

So, while Viserys Targaryen was King, the realm was ruled by Aegon Targaryen, the young Bronze Prince, or as his naysayers preferred to call him, the Bloody Prince.

And he had ruled well. The city and the economy, which had been in stagnation after the death of the Conciliator, had begun to grow as the Crown expanded its naval and mercantile fleet under his guidance.

Architects were hired as well to make plans for the revitalization and rebuilding of the capital city as Kingslanding's population began to grow and grow. Though no plans had been put into practice, she knew that these were not idle thoughts but concrete ideas developed after much pondering and thinking.

A thousand other things had been done as well, some popular, others not so much, but one thing was certain: Kingslanding was changing, and so was the Red Keep.

The curse that had taken so much from the Royal family had lifted as well, and a few months into their marriage Rhaenyra had found herself with child, and though fearful of the implication of this news she was also happy to have a family of her own.

Those had been good times. Better times for them, as Aegon would accompany her in those distressing months and would see after her care as meticulously as he ruled the realm. Nine months later, the Gods blessed them with not just one child but two.

Aenar and Aemma Targaryen would be born within minutes of each other after a relatively short labor, and the Royal family would celebrate the birth of a Prince in a very long time.

And as Aegon played and toyed with their son, her own daughter lay abed beside her, sleeping soundly as the maids around her smiled and watched with snickers the infamous Bloody Prince become a child infront of their eyes.

She smiled herself, and for all his faults, she could not fault Aegon for being a bad father. He loved their children.

Alas! He could never love her, nor could she love him.

"Good morn, Aegon," she greeted him as she pushed herself up slowly, being careful not to wake the child asleep beside her. And now a year and a half after the birth of their two children, she was with child once more.

"Good morn to you as well," he replied softly as he threw her son in the air, much to her disapproval.

"Will you not do that infront of me!" she balked, as Aenar laughed rambunctiously with his father, who just shrugged.

"So, I can do this behind your back?" Aegon questioned, and she rolled her eyes, a smile blossoming on her lips.

"As I could ever stop you from that," and they had fought about it much, and yet she had been unable to change him in his ways as he shrugged and handed the babe to a maid nearby.

"How are you feeling today?" he asked, and she shrugged.

"Better than before," she answered, and her belly had swollen up with the progressing of months, and if the maesters were to be believed, the child would be here within a moon, a single child—according to them at least, not that they could be sure.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked, and this was one reason that their marriage had survived to this day, for despite what had transpired between them.

Despite what she had done? Aegon still cared for her and their children.

And it made her feel guilty. Made her feel shame for what she had done.

"A bit better, though I still had to wake up a few times in the middle of the night," and he nodded.

"Where did you go last night?" and while a husband's absence from the bed would perhaps be a cause of shame or concern for a woman, for her, it was not.

For while Rhaenyra Targaryen could find many a fault within Aegon Targaryen, infidelity would never be one of them.

"A missive came late into the night about the war in the Stepstones. I had to leave to deal with it," and she nodded, for it was not the first time such a thing had happened.

The Seasnake had begun the war in the Stepstones to bring House Targaryen to its knees, and yet the move had backfired, and now it was House Velaryon who had found itself on its knees as the mighty Crab Feeder threatened to devour the Sea Snake and his pride whole.

Many blamed the losses and defeats on the Sea Snake's pride, others believed this to be a representation of the might of the Triarchy, and only Rhaenyra knew the truth that it was neither.

No. The Sea Snake's suffering was only a representation of the mind and cunning of one man—the very man who now sat infront of her rubbing the head of his daughter with a gentle smile before a maid came at his beckoning and picked up their daughter to take her away as the servants emptied the room.

Leaving her alone with her lord husband.

"I have called a Council Meeting to deal with it. I talked to the King earlier, and he has delegated it to me again," and there was nothing surprising about that.

"You could have brought me along," she added sharply, and he raised a brow.

"I came to call on you, but you were asleep, and I thought not to wake you," and she scoffed, the absence of the servants removing the need for pretences.

"You could have woken me up," she challenged, and he sighed.

"I decided against it," he answered sharply as she shook her head.

"So?" she asked.

"I was hoping that if you were willing, you could join me for the Meeting," and that was what she hated about him. No. Not hated, but what made her fear him for even now as she stared into his eyes, she wondered what ran through his mind.

What schemes and plots was he arranging in that mind of his?

"I doubt you have any need of me. You and Father must have already discussed what you intend to do," she asked, and he did not nod. Not that he needed to.

"We did reach a compromise on the matter, though if you want, you can voice out your..." and she shook her head.

"Then there is no need for me to attend the meeting is there!" she voiced out as he frowned.

"There are other matters to discuss as well. The matter in the Stepstones is not the only thing that is going to come up," he asked, and she shook her head.

"I believe you can handle them all just fine," she answered as she turned her gaze away from him and saw him shaking his head.

"Why do you do this?" he asked, and she oft wondered herself.

Why had it come to this? Their marriage to the outside world was a perfect marriage, and yet she was never satisfied.

For some reason, it was never enough for her, and just when it had been, it was taken from her.

"You and I both know why?" she said as she looked into his eyes, and his eyes narrowed.

"You blame me for Jeyne's departure! Blame me for your own transgressions! Do you have any idea how absurd that is!" he shouted at her, and her heart lept to her throat at the mention of her name.

Of the one who made her heart race. Two years into their marriage, it had become obvious to Rhaenyra that for all else that their marriage possessed, it did not have love in it.

They were friends and companions, yet the thirst for love remained unquenched. She had tried to bury it with duties, with children, and with many other things, yet none would work.

Neither for her. Nor for Jeyne.

It was strange how they both fell for each other. Their shared companionship of years had evolved into something else without their knowledge, and yet neither of them dared to act on their impulses at first, for they both understood well the ramifications of their action.

Yet, with months passing by, it became too much. And as Aegon got more and more busy with ruling the realm, she found her heart seeking the brown-haired girl's affection, and after years of waiting, she decided to act on it.

And it was heaven. And Rhaenyra had finally found her match in the most unlikely of places, and yet they had kept it hidden.

Not that it was much difficult, and for months it had continued until, it had all come to an end, as Aegon would walk in on them one day, as he entered her room after a frustrating day at court.

He had neither shouted nor had he screamed. And yet he had looked, at her first and then at Jeyne, whose face had become pale as she evaded his gaze in guilt and embarrassment.

The only words that had come out of his mouth had pained them both more than anything else.

'I trusted you,' and with a small scoff, he had left the room just as silently as he had come, and for some reason, the brown-haired girl had broken out into tears as she ran out of her room.

That was the last she saw of Jeyne Arryn as the girl departed the Red Keep a week later, returning to her faraway lands in the Vale, as Rhaenyra found herself alone once more.

"You sent her away," she said, and he was quiet.

"I did not," he denied, and though she had no proof of it, she had no need of it.

"Jeyne left of her own accord," and there were hints of anger and frustration in that tone.

"I do not believe you," and he scoffed.

"When have I ever lied to you, Rhaenyra?" he asked, and he had not. And yet she could not believe him.

"Then why does she not answer my letters? Why does she push me away!" she questioned as she looked into his eyes and realized her mistake only seconds after she had said those words.

"I do not understand you. You destroyed everything that we had built, that I had built, and yet I am still somehow the villain," he scoffed as he rose up from the bed.

"You have what you wanted," she replied as she looked up at him.

"The Crown. You have it, and you were too busy ruling through it," and it was perhaps wrong of her to blame him for it, and yet the words left her mouth without much thought because of her pain and the child in her womb.

"And don't think you are so innocent, it is not as if you ever loved me," she challenged, and his lips thinned at her accusation.

"You never really forgot her, didn't you," and once, she had thought so fondly of her friend and her love. And now, just thinking of her, she turned her mouth to ash.

"Alicent! Alicent! Alicent! You never stopped loving her, and yet you blame me for this! ME!" she asked, and Aegon was quiet at her accusations.

"I never promised to love you, but I gave this marriage everything I had. I gave you power. I gave you regency, respect, independence, and all that I could, perhaps even my love in some way," he raged, and yet it was not enough. It was not enough.

"You broke my trust, both of you. Took advantage of me!" his voice had grown colder and colder, for Aegon did not scream.

No. His rage was not like his father's, that much she had known even before their marriage.

"And yet you blame me for it!" he asked, and she saw his fists ball up before he took a deep breath.

"What should I have done? Tell me what should I have done on that damned day?" he asked, and Rhaenyra was taken aback as she saw his eyes glint as water gathered in them.

"Should I have screamed and cursed at you both? Or should I have called the guards and have you both thrown into the Black Cells?" he suggested, and she wondered about it as well.

The question had come into her mind many times as well.

"Or should I have gone and indulged myself in whores, and a paramour as well? Perhaps that could have made it even?" he asked, and her eyes fell to the floor.

"Tell me, Rhaenyra! Tell me what I should have done?" he asked, and for some reason, her eyes grew heavy with tears as well.

"Even after everything, I forgave you both, moved past it. And yet you make a habbit of bringing it up again and again," he asked, and Rhaenyra sighed.

"I never wanted this," she replied weakly, for she knew how much he had sacrificed for their marriage, of just what he had given to this marriage.

She was not blind to his efforts.

"All of this. I never wanted this," she said as she looked into his eyes.

"I just wanted someone to love me," she pleaded and saw him scoff.

"We don't always get what we want," he replied coldly as he shook his head and sighed.

"I have to go to the Council Meeting. Shall I have them wait for you?" he asked, with a shake of his head and she shook her head.

"No. You can handle it yourself," and he nodded at her answer as he began walking.

"As you wish," he said and made to leave the room, and as he was about to leave the room she spoke up.

"You may have forgiven me, but she has not...," she eeked out as she looked up at him.

"You and Jeyne were like brother and sister. She blames me for destroying it," she added, it must be so, for to this day Jeyne had not replied to any of her letters.

"It was never my intention to hurt any of you, Aegon. Believe me, it was not," for as problematic this was, she could not hate Aegon.

Why would she hate him? How could she hate him?

"It just happened," she added, and he looked towards her.

"Will it happen again?" he asked as he looked into her eyes.

"Do I still love her? Yes," she did not lie to him. There was no need to. And his eyes grew cold at her words.

"Anything beyond that—No, never again," and she saw his lips thin before his fist balled up.

"I will see what I can do," he added after minutes of silence, as her lips turned up in gratitude.

"Thank you," she said. He shook his head and sighed as he lifted the door handles.

"And believe it or not, Rhaenyra, I did love you, or at least I tried to..." he spoke softly, his words but a whisper as her breath hitched and her eyes widened.

"...But it seems like it was never enough...."

As the door closed, a distraught Rhaenyra sat staring at the ceiling as she considered what had become of her life.

"....neither was I."

0000

Read ahead and support me on Patre 0n. Help me write this and other such stories by becoming a Patr 0n. It would be pretty awesome of you and would mean a lot to me.

www.Patre 0n.com/Drkest

Have a nice day!