Chapter 15: Chapter 15.
Hello there, my lovely degenerates!
Sorry not sorry for the late chapter—it's been a busy week at work. But hey, in compensation, this chapter is freaking huge, close to 5k words, so it counts as two I guess ~
I'll try to release the next one sunday.
And about the technical medical knowledge used in this chapter—take it with a grain of salt. I did indeed research a bit about it and even asked my physician friend about the feasibility of it, and he did say that it was possible. But still, I'm not a doctor, so just take it with some suspension of disbelief.
And a fair warning before you read: this is definitely not a happy chapter, so some of you might not enjoy it. I myself didn't really like writing this down because it reminded me of some bad things from my past. But hey, I don't want this story to be just about happy things, okay? There will be good moments and bad ones, just like in real life.
Anyway, don't forget to send me stones and leave a review. It helps not only with visibility but also keeps me motivated to write more.
Enjoy the chapter!
~~O~~
Aemma Targaryen, 110 AC.
A few minutes ago.
'It hurts!' thought Aemma as she struggled with the pain. She was already used to the ordeals of giving birth, already having experience with the twins and many miscarriages. But this was different; she had never felt so much pain in her life. She was surrounded by attendants and maesters, her screams of agony filling the room. She could see in their faces their confusion and hesitancy.
'I want to see Rhaenyra,' she thought, recalling her most beloved daughter. For a small fraction of a second, her pain was replaced by the love and affection she felt for Rhaenyra, her elusive and beautiful daughter, of whom she was so proud. The pair of twins, her biggest pride and joy, had been odd children since birth. She could still remember how they would almost never cry, only making a sound when they were hungry or needed to be changed. She was extremely worried at first, thinking perhaps her children were born with some kind of affliction. But as the months went by, she changed her mind. Her children weren't disabled; they were special. The look in their eyes was filled with wisdom and curiosity, especially Rhaenyra's. Not only could she feel that in her, but also a strange sense of melancholy that wasn't supposed to be present in a baby.
Aemon, though also an odd child, was more easygoing than Rhaenyra, and she could still catch him smiling at some things here and there. But Rhaenyra's smile was different; it felt fake, and she couldn't pinpoint why she felt that way about her own daughter.
As the years went by, her love for them grew bigger and bigger, but so did her worries. They were indeed special; they were geniuses. She couldn't believe that such an extraordinary pair of siblings came from her, and if she hadn't given birth to them herself, she would question their heritage. Aemon was growing into a fine man, and she couldn't be prouder of his amazing exploits. Rhaenyra was also growing into a perfect and refined lady. Her smiles had grown more genuine as the years passed, and she could sense that the distance between the two was narrowing, which greatly pleased her. She still recalled a few months ago when, for the first time, her mature and ever-independent daughter sought her advice in the middle of the night. Rhaenyra's expression was hesitant, and she looked greatly troubled. She knew she shouldn't be happy with her daughter being in such distress, but she couldn't help but feel ecstatic as, for the first time ever, she could feel like a mother to her.
She said, trying to hide the jubilation in her voice, "What is it, dear? You can tell me anything." Rhaenyra's eyes shifted to hers for a few seconds, but she looked away after. 'Huh?' This really was a first for Aemma, seeing her daughter, who normally was extremely confident and calm, shifting her eyes as if she was too shy to look directly at her. Rhaenyra's expression remained calm like always, but she could see that she was fidgeting a little. She took a deep breath and collected herself as she finally took enough courage to look at her mother's eyes. Aemma could see now the myriad of emotions filling Rhaenyra's gorgeous violet eyes. "I want to ask you about the Targaryens."
Aemma got even more confused about this question and answered reflexively, "The Targaryens? Although I can help you with that a little, I doubt I would be much help, dear; you and Aemon are probably the ones who know the history of our family the best."
She knew that she and Aemon basically devoured every single book about history they could get their hands on, and even their father, who was basically obsessed with their history, couldn't claim to know more than them. Rhaenyra shook her head a little, and her expression grew a bit restless. Once again, she took a deep breath and said, "I meant our family's... traditions, t-to keep our lineage pure."
'Oh,' Aemma could only gasp mentally, not only at the question, but also at the state her daughter was in. Something clicked in her head, and the image of a sunny and handsome certain son of hers briefly passed through her mind. Her shocked expression morphed into a mischievous and knowing smile as she thought, 'It's finally the time?'
Everyone in the realm, especially those who were close to the twins, could see the deep bond those two shared. The twins were inseparable since birth, and every time you saw one of them, you could expect to see the other together or close by. The times when they weren't together, both of them got moody and cranky, especially Aemon. She could still remember vividly the time when he got back from the Vale after months away. His normally radiant and warm smile was gone, and his whole aura was cold and distant. But that completely melted away as soon as he saw Rhaenyra. Rhaenyra also had those mood swings, but she could hide them better than her brother. But it still didn't escape her eyes when she saw Rhaenyra's gaze shifting to where Aemon sat at the dinner table. The times she would stare at the sky in the direction of the Vale, searching for something, only to sigh in defeat after a few minutes of nothing. Or how her smile was the most genuine and relaxed when her brother returned and was by her side.
She knew what that was, but also felt that it was too soon for them to realize how they really felt.
She could see that Rhaenyra wasn't exactly shy, and she still maintained her mostly calm and stoic expression, but she could still sense her daughter's nervousness. She couldn't control the laugh that escaped her mouth as she asked, "What exactly do you want to know about our family's traditions, my dear?" Rhaenyra thought for a while and asked, "How did you fall in love with Father?" That made Aemma reminiscent of the past, when a young and handsome Viserys used to court her with his charming aura. She smiled a little as she said, "It was almost natural attraction, Rhaenyra." She stared directly into Rhaenyra's eyes as she said, "We are the last dragons, my dear. We seek companionship with those like us." She could see that her words made her daughter a little bit disturbed, and she was perhaps still struggling with her feelings and the morality of things. She holded Rhaenyra's face gently and caressed her silky silver hair while smiling. Rhaenyra closed her eyes, enjoying the cool and soft hands of her mother, filled with affection. It was something she came to enjoy after a few years when she finally opened up to Aemma just like Aemon. Aemma said with her voice a bit more serious now, "Don't let such precious feelings be buried by the nonsensical dogmas of people who will never understand us, Rhaenyra. Dragons are cold creatures, but also passionate and fierce. Only when together with our kind can we finally find warmth."
Rhaenyra nodded a little at her words, even though she could still see that she was struggling against something. Aemma just shook her head and hugged her daughter close while saying, "You still have a lot of time to figure out those feelings; don't get yourself distressed over this right now."
Aemma already had her suspicions about Aemon, who wasn't exactly the most discreet and subtle when staring at his sister. It pleased her to know that Rhaenyra was at least thinking about it.
"Ahrg!" A sharp pain made her go back to reality. Already fed up with it and feeling scared and alone like never before, she screamed, "Rhaenyra, bring Rhaenyra!"
Sadly for her, the one who came was Viserys. She did love him dearly, but to be honest, he couldn't do much in the situation. Rhaenyra was the only one who has helped before with her vast knowledge in matters of childbirth.
Viserys, distressed and confused about the whole situation, asked, "What's happening?"
Aemma saw Mellos approach him and whisper something to him. Another sharp pain came to her, and her screams grew louder.
She heard Viserys's voice screaming, "Do something for her!"
She tried to look at him, but the pain made any movement almost impossible, and combined with the vast amount of milk of the poppy she had ingested, made her mind hazy and confused.
Finally, she saw his face close to her bed. He grabbed one of her hands in a gentle manner, and she squeezed hard as if trying desperately to share the pain she had while saying, "Help me, please..."
She saw the worry in his expression as he tried to reassure her, saying, "I'm here. It's all right. It's all right."
Aemma contorted her body with pain as she said laboriously, "I don't wanna do this." She really didn't want it. She was tired of it. She had already done her duty by giving him the most wonderful children in the whole world. Why wasn't that enough? Why did she have to be put through this pain again and again!?
Viserys, not knowing his wife's thoughts, said again, trying to reassure her in vain, "You're going to be alright. You're going to be alright."
She just screamed in response to the unbearable pain while thinking.
'Rhaenyra... Aemon...'
~~O~~
Rhaenyra Targaryen, 110 AC.
She ran through the halls of the castle, her thoughts filled with worry. When she arrived at the corridors of her mother's chamber, she didn't hear anything, and that disturbed her. She knew very well the process of giving birth, especially her mother's, who was very sensitive to pain. 'Something is really wrong,' she thought as she passed the guards by the door without even acknowledging their existence and burst the door open.
What she saw greatly shocked her. Her vision was painted with red. The bed was completely soaked with blood, and she could see the various sheets on the ground that had been changed already, meaning that the situation was way worse than she thought.
She calmed her mind to the best she could before rapidly approaching the bed while asking, her tone was furious and her voice clearly showed that as she said, "What in the seven hells is going on!? I ordered you to call me in any case of something going wrong!" She didn't look directly at the healers who were supposed to obey her commands, as she tried to focus every single fiber of her being on her mother's condition. She kneeled down and began examining her mother. 'Her pulse is weak,' she also noticed the hazy and confused eyes of Aemma looking around the room, finally clearing up a bit when she saw Rhaenyra. She smiled at her, her face completely pale and her lips blue, and said groggily, "Rhaenyra..."
That vision made Rhaenyra's throat tighten as she said, "Sshh, please don't say anything, mother. I'm here now, everything is okay." She didn't want Aemma to spend any of her already dimming vitality.
She asked without turning her head, "Bring me the blood transfusion kit." She said as she rolled up her sleeves to expose her arms. That's right, Rhaenyra, after many years of trial and error, had finally created a few months ago a rough but working method of blood transfusion. She knew the concept behind it; the only thing she needed was to find a great blacksmith who could turn her ideas into reality. The needle of the syringe was still in early development, and the tubes were made of crude materials, as the technology of this era was still extremely limited, but she had already tested it on some animals and some human volunteers.
She also couldn't be a hundred percent sure that her mother had the same blood type as her, but it was highly likely that they shared the same blood, so she had to take the risk.
'I can save her.'
"Rhaenyra, what are you trying to do?" She heard Viserys say, finally registering his presence. She looked in his direction and saw Mellos beside him. She frowned at that. To be honest, she never really liked the maester—not on a personal level, but because of his outdated and dogmatic views on medicine. He was one of those who rejected her methods and theories the most at the beginning of her revolution.
"I'll begin a blood transfusion procedure to stabilize mother. We need to control her blood levels as fast as possible." She once again turned her head to one of the healers who was supposed to bring the kit and ordered, "What are you still doing here!? Go bring the kit as I've ordered, and also have someone fetch Aemon. We need as much blood as possible!"
But he didn't move. He was nervously looking in Mellos's direction as if waiting for his orders. This greatly angered her, and she screamed, "We don't have time to waste! Go bring the kit!"
As if on cue, Mellos's old and raspy voice said to her and Viserys, "We indeed don't have time to waste, Your Grace. Although some of the... peculiar methods of the princess may work, I don't trust or recommend using such experimental and newly tested methods on the queen." He had heard of Rhaenyra's achievements with this new method but also knew it was still in testing, and many volunteers had negative responses as she simply couldn't test their blood type, and not every family member would share the same compatibility. Subconsciously, he was still doubting this new procedure, scoffing to himself, 'What knowledge of the gods, I won't be fooled by such blasphemy!'
He continued, completely ignoring the incredulous expression on the princess's face. "I urge you to make a decision, Your Grace. We must act now or leave it with the gods. I can still apply the technique."
This caught Rhaenyra's attention as she asked suspiciously, "What is he talking about? What technique?"
Viserys hesitated for a while but soon said, "Mellos knows a way that can save the child, but Aemma..."
Rhaenyra's expression was confused at first, but then she remembered something, and her eyes grew larger as she stammered incredulously, "You... you can't be serious." She knew what he was talking about, and also what that meant for her mother. "Absolutely not! You will not use such barbaric methods on mother!"
Her voice was furious as she continued, "Are you fucking kidding me? Shut your trap, you old senile thing! There's no way we will open my mother like she's a fucking cattle to be butchered!"
She turned her eyes to Viserys, hoping for his backup. But what she saw completely shocked her. He was... hesitating.
She couldn't believe that her father, that same dorky and loving father and husband, was really even thinking about such a horrendous possibility.
"You...you can't be really considering his madness, are you?" Her voice was filled with hurt and betrayal.
Her father, ignoring her, asked the maester, "Can the child be saved?"
The maester just nodded, completely ignoring Rhaenyra's angry rebuke.
Viserys, seeing his daughter's expression, tried to soothe her by grabbing her hands while saying, "It's the only way, Rhaenyra. Aemma..." His voice stammered with pain and grew nasally, "She... can't..."
Rhaenyra squeezed his hands in return while staring into his eyes, trying to convey her seriousness. "We can still save her! Let me try, I beg you!"
He could see the faith in her eyes, and he hesitated for a second while asking, "Are you sure of it? Can you save them both?"
Rhaenyra's eyes flickered for a second. She couldn't. She knew she couldn't. The blood transfusion was an act of desperation that, if successful, could only stabilize her mother's condition to give time to think about other methods. But she couldn't guarantee that it would work, especially saving the child.
She didn't need to answer him as he could see it written on her face. He closed his eyes for a second, and when he opened them again, he had already made his choice. Without turning around, he said to Mellos, "Very well, Mellos. You may proceed."
Rhaenyra's body trembled as her heart grew cold. She slapped his hand away and screamed, "No, I'll not let you kill her!" She flicked her dagger from her dress and prepared to defend her mother with all her might.
Mellos, frightened by this, called the guards immediately.
Viserys, seeing everything turning dire, tried to deescalate the situation, saying, "Rhaenyra, calm down!"
The guards entered the room and quickly approached the princess when they realized what was happening. One of them extended his hand to grab her, only to feel a sharp pain. He stared in shock at the place where his fingers were moments ago, seeing that three of them were now missing. He then screamed as the realization and pain dawned on him.
The other guards, seeing their colleague's predicament, grew angry and began to swarm toward the princess, trying to disarm her.
She instantly got into a fighting stance and rapidly began dealing with the guards. She knew they were innocent and were only doing their duty, but it still didn't stop her from using necessary force to deal with them. There were six of them, counting the one whose fingers she had just cut off. She quickly analyzed their stances, searching for any weakness she could exploit. Although she was a formidable fighter, her strength was limited by her age and body, and she knew she couldn't contend with them using normal means. She saw one trying to sneak behind her, and with a swift and skillful motion, kicked right at the connection of his knees, caving in his kneecap. He screamed miserably as he fell to the floor, holding his now bent leg.
Another tried to grab her shoulders, but she planted her dagger right at the junction of his armor. She immediately grappled him and, using his own body as leverage, shoulder-threw him to the ground.
Just as she was about to turn and kick the next one, she felt something grabbing her leg hard.
She looked down and saw the guard she had cut hugging her with both his hands—or what was left of them. His eyes were filled with madness and vengeance as he stained her with blood. Soon, the other guards grabbed her limbs to immobilize her as she tried to shake them off, screaming, "Release me! Release me now, you bastards!"
Her eyes were filled with unwillingness and hatred as she struggled against her captors. Viserys stepped in front of her, trying to calm her down again, saying, "Please don't make things worse, Rhaenyra, you don't understand..."
She screamed at him with hatred in her eyes, "I don't understand what!? That you are trying to kill mother!?"
Viserys was disturbed by her words, and the guilt he felt in his heart grew worse, but he tried to justify his actions by saying, "I saw it in a dream, Rhaenyra. I saw you and Aemon together with this child, leading our family to heights never imagined before!"
He firmly believed in this dream, especially considering the sigil of their house—a three-headed dragon. To him, it was all connected, and he couldn't just ignore the good of their house for the selfishness of anyone, including himself, no matter how painful that was.
Rhaenyra stared at him incredulously and said, "You really have gone mad, haven't you?" She refused to believe that he was about to watch his wife being cut open because of a dream. She said slowly, her voice brimming with poison, "Fuck your dreams..."
Viserys was taken aback by her words, especially since Rhaenyra rarely ever cursed, and never had she cursed at him. He asked, his tone beginning to grow angry, "What did you say to me?"
Rhaenyra simply stared back at him with hatred in her gaze and screamed, "I said: Fuck. Your. Dreams! I don't give a crap about whatever you think you saw in your delusional dreams! This is reality, and you are about to kill her because of such nonsense!" She could see the hurt in his face at her cold and angry remarks, but at this point, she didn't care. She continued, "I don't care about your stupid dreams!"
Viserys tried to argue, "But the chil—" but she cut him off, "Fuck the child! All I care about is the safety of mother!"
He couldn't control his anger anymore and slapped her hard in the face. He immediately regretted it as he saw her pale and beautiful face swell, the clear marks of his palm visible. She was taken by surprise, not only by the sudden pain but also because she never expected that her father would dare to raise his hand at her.
When she raised her head again, he felt shivers down his spine from her cold eyes. For a fleeting moment, he saw two dark stars staring at him, like an abyss trying to absorb his very soul. He shook his head to dispel the feeling of dread when staring at her eyes and ordered the guards, "Take her away."
They dragged her as she thrashed her body, trying to free herself to no avail. She screamed with hatred as she saw the door of the chamber being closed. She couldn't overpower them now that they had immobilized her, and even more guards had joined to escort her out. As she was being dragged, she heard a sharp scream from the room—her mother's screams of pain.
"No! No! Take me back, release me!" she cried, trying to free herself again, but the guards simply applied more force. One of them said, "Please stop your futile attempts, my princess! You will only get yourself hurt!"
She continued to hear the screams of her mother when suddenly, she heard a cold and creepy voice in her mind. A voice she hadn't heard for many, many years...
The voice spoke, laughing with a chilling tone, 'Even after all this time, all this preparation and training, you are still incapable of saving the ones you love, Aqua-kun... or should I say, Princess Rhaenyra?'
She was petrified with fear and loathing, recognizing immediately the voice she had come to hate and fear over the years—the voice of the one who took everything from her before. 'Hikaru...' The voice laughed sinisterly at her, taking pleasure in her reaction.
'Such a disrespectful brat as always. You should address me as father, you know~?' His tone was sadistic and filled with malice.
She snapped back at him in her mind, 'Shut up! You are dead. I killed you myself. Leave me the fuck alone!'
Hikaru only laughed louder, 'Did I piss off the poor princess? How laughable. You were stronger than that before, Aqua-kun. Did that family of yours make you soft again?'
Rhaenyra screamed loudly, this time in reality, "I said shut up!"
The guards were confused and startled by her sudden shouting, but chose to ignore it as they carried her slowly down the corridor. Some of them really wanted to beat her up for the damage she had done to them, but they knew they could only immobilize her carefully and take her away, for fear of retaliation from the her brother and the king.
Inside her mind, Hikaru's voice continued, 'You were a sorry excuse of a son in your last life, a horrible brother who couldn't even keep his own sister alive, and an absent friend who wasn't there when their friends needed him the most.'
Rhaenyra couldn't argue against that, as to her everything the voice said was the truth, something she would always carry with her for the rest of her existence.
Hikaru's voice grew excited, seeing the despair forming on her face. He continued, 'Now, you will lose everything again... Your mother, your father, and that precious brother of yours... I wonder how devastated he will be when he discovers that his lovely sister watched their mother being butchered alive while doing nothing.'
Rhaenyra's heart raced, her mind a battlefield of old traumas and the current horror. She felt a cold sweat break out on her skin. The voice's taunts echoed in her head, amplifying her feelings of helplessness and despair. She tried to push back, to focus on the reality around her, but the weight of her past mistakes and the fear of repeating them pressed down on her like a suffocating blanket.
She tried to think of anything else, anything that could help her. She then remembered her brother's piercing gaze of a few minutes ago in the arena, his stunning purple eyes that stared deeply into her soul. His ever beautiful smile filled her with hope every time she saw it.
She recalled his voice calling her name, and how he was always by her side.
'Aemon...'
Suddenly, she heard a roar inside her mind. A majestic and angry roar that filled every corner of her head. Something snapped inside her, and she felt every fiber of her being jolt as a current of foreign and ancient power surged through her. The world seemed to stop, and she could see everything moving slower.
Her mind was filled with cold and violent thoughts, almost driving her insane with it, but she tried to focus that energy on the task at hand. She took a deep breath and made her move.
With a sudden movement, she bit the arm of the guard holding her left shoulder. He screamed in pain as her sharp teeth pierced his skin. He quickly released her by reflex, and that was enough for her.
She twisted her body toward the ground with supernatural agility, yanking her legs free from their grasp.
"Hold her down!" the one who was holding her right shoulder before screamed, trying to grab her into a chokehold, but it was already too late. She used her now freed left hand to punch his throat, making him gag immediately.
Using this chance, she grabbed his sword and slashed his foot. His muffled screams filled the corridor, and the other guards, already angry from before, unsheathed their swords and prepared to attack the mad princess.
Her eyes scanned them coldly as she swung her sword to her side, taking her stance.
"You won't stop me," she hissed, her voice low and filled with a newfound power.
The guards hesitated for a moment, taken aback by the ferocity and sheer will emanating from her. This hesitation was all she needed. She lunged forward, the ancient energy within her guiding her movements with deadly precision.
She parried the first sword aimed at her, twisting her wrist to disarm the guard in a swift, fluid motion. As his weapon clattered to the ground, she kicked him back, sending him sprawling. Another guard swung at her, but she ducked and rolled, coming up behind him and slashing his leg, bringing him down with a cry.
The corridor was filled with the sounds of clashing steel and cries of pain. Rhaenyra moved with a grace and speed that seemed almost otherworldly, each strike and counterstrike perfectly timed. The guards, though trained and experienced, were no match for the fury and power now coursing through her veins.
She could feel the ancient energy pushing her forward, driving her to protect her mother at all costs. The voice of Hikaru was gone from her head, and only a great desire for blood and violence remained, trying to take a hold of her mind.
One by one, the guards fell, until only a few remained. Bloodied and beaten, they finally hesitated, realizing that they were outmatched.
"Stay back," she warned, her voice a deadly whisper. "I don't want to kill you, but I will if you force my hand."
The two last guards exchanged nervous glances, their resolve faltering. They had never seen such ferocity before, and the sight of their fallen comrades only added to their fear. The way the princess stared at them told everything they needed to know about what would happen. Her eyes were cold and had a sinister blue light to them. It was a strange and dreadful feeling, as if they were being stared at by a terrifying beast. One of the guards felt his legs trembling and looked away from that horrific pair of blue eyes.
They circled around her and bolted away, not looking back as if fearing she would change her mind.
Rhaenyra felt her body slowly returning to normal, the murderous and calculating feelings leaving her mind gradually. She felt exhausted, as if she had run a marathon, and her body felt extremely heavy. Still, she dragged her feet slowly toward the room, praying in her mind that her mother was okay.
But all of that hope vanished when she opened the door and saw what was inside.
It was too late.
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