Capítulo 2: maybe its not today
I found myself wrapped in Aegon Targaryen's tight embrace, overwhelmed by the strong scent of wine, much like the first time I found myself in this world.
Let go of me already…
Despite his smell, Jaehaera and Maelor didn't seem affected by the smell. Perhaps smelling it every day had given them some resistance.
"Kepa, hug me too!" Jaehaera protested. Maelor quickly joined in, adding "Kepa!" Aegon laughed and hugged them both as well.
Just like the smell of wine, his smile never left his face when he saw us.
Aegon released the hug and said with relief.
"Thank the gods you're safe." He ruffled my hair gently.
"Sunfyre was so worried when you fainted." He added. Dragon are bound to their rider, after all.
Speaking of dragon.
"Father." I spoke, still unfamiliar with my new child's voice. "Can I go to the Dragonpit?" I asked.
"Why? You fainted at the Dragonpit, remember?"Aegon asked, his voice a mix of confusion and concern.
"I want to fly with Shrykos." I told him, giving a half-truth. Aegon raised his eyebrows.
"No, you cannot. The sun's already down. But you can fly Shrykos tomorrow." Aegon stood up.
"Let's go to dinner, I'm starving." He grabbed my hand, leading me to the dinner hall.
"Father, can we have more guards outside our chamber? I'm scared." At least I want more guards to prevent Blood and Cheese.
What I remember is that they burst into our chamber.
"Of what?" Aegon questioned. Obviously, my death. I had to come up with something else.
"Mmm….Monsters…I see them in my dreams."
That was the laziest excuse ever.
"I see…if you want it then." Then we arrived at the dinner hall, and as the doors opened, the rich aroma of food immediately filled the air.
The dining hall glowed with candlelight, highlighting platters of roasted beef, smoked ham, and a suckling pig, among many more dishes.
Alongside the meats and bread, there are also various fruits like apples and grapes, as well as a bowl of sweet berries.
For dessert, they served treats like lemon cakes and berry tarts.
Also, a frumenty for little Maelor.
Aegon sat on my left, I could still smell wine on his breath, while Jaehaera sat on my right, patiently waiting to eat.
Alicent stood and invited us all to join hands to thank the Seven for blessing of foods for another day. We hold our hands around the table and bowed our heads in reverence.
After that, we began eating quietly.
Lily fed Maelor his frumenty, and he seemed to enjoy it, happily taking each spoonful.
Jaehaera placed a piece of meat pie on her plate but mostly favored sweet dishes. Moreover, she enjoyed a lemon cake the most, smiling as she ate.
I wasn't in the mood, so I only ate a salad.
While Aegon sipped his wine, he noticed that I was eating very little, so he cut a piece of roasted beef and placed it on my plate.
"You have to eat more than that. You need to be strong and healthy, fit for the heir." Aegon said, his mouth still full.
Then Jaehaera placed some chunks of vegetables from her pie on my plate.
"It's healthy for you." She said, pretending to be concern for my well-being while smiling sweetly.
Seeing this, Alicent sighed.
"You need to eat your vegetables, Jaehaera."
"But you said they are healthy, so I gave it to him." Jaehaera said, making Aegon chuckle.
I returned the favor by placing my salad on her plate and she protested with "Hey!"
She tried to put them back, but Alicent's glare stopped her.
After the meal, Helaena brought us to bathe and changed our clothes to sleepwear.
Then we walked down the hallway to our chambers, where more guards were stationed, as I had requested. I was surprised that Aegon had taken my request seriously. Bless him for that.
My heart raced when we reached our room.
"Can you check our room?" I requested the guard. Helaena raised her eyebrows in confusion but nodded to the guard, approving my request.
As the guard looked inside, I held my breath, preparing to run if something went wrong.
"There was nothing, Your Grace." The guard walked out, unharmed.
Reluctantly, I walked inside, expecting the worst….
But nothing happened.
Maybe it's not today.
We stayed inside the room, and I played with little Maelor, who was a cute little ray of sunshine. Spending time with him made me feel calm and relaxed in this cursed world, though it still clenched my heart knowing I would have to leave them.
When dusk arrived, Helaena led us to visit Alicent. I remembered it as a "dusk visit." during which Alicent would read us good stories before we went to bed.
A guard followed us as well.
Helaena led us to the room that was supposed to be Alicent's, its wooden door adorned with elegant carvings.
The guard knocked on the door.
"Your Grace." He called out, but there was no answer.
He tried the doorknob and found it unlocked.
As the guard opened the door, a brute man with a dagger in hand lunged at him, stabbing him in his throat. The brute then grabbed my arm, snatching me from Heleana's grasp. Meanwhile, another man with a dagger took Maelor from her and quickly closed the door.
I heard a voice echoing in my head.
Without warning, Blood and Cheese burst in, daggers in hand.
Blood and Cheese were here.
Weren't they supposed to sneak into our chamber? This wasn't right. It wasn't like how I remembered!
I had many questions racing through my mind, but they stopped as Cheese put knife on Maelor's neck, making him cry.
Blood, seeing that Helaena was about to scream, swiftly warned her.
"Scream and you all die."
Heard Blood's naked threat, Helaena tried to remain calm, though her clenched hands were shaking.
"Who are you?" She asked the two.
"Debt collectors." Cheese answered, shuddering Helaena with his raspy voice.
Alicent, who was gagged and bound, widened her eyes. She understood what they meant and perhaps what they wanted as well.
"An eye for an eye, a son for a son. We only want the one, t' square things. Won't hurt the rest o' you fine folks, not one lil' hair. Which one you want t' lose Your Grace?"
Cheese told her, shattering her calmness. He watched as fear filled her eyes, her hand trembling as she moved them to clutch at her chest as if to hold her shattered heart together.
Blood and Cheese demanded she choose which son would be ripped from her forever.
"Please, don't do this." Helaena pleaded, her voice cracking with emotion as she choked in tears, begging them for mercy.
The two neither answered nor had mercy.
And she knew it.
With all her strength, Helaena bravely met their eyes and offered her own life.
"K-Kill…Kill me…Kill me instead."
Queen Helaena pleaded with the men to kill her instead.
Blood and Cheese fell silent for a moment, their eyes locked at each other's, unsure of what to do next.
Then Blood turned to Helaena, stone-faced.
"Wife is not son." He refused coldly.
But they refused.
"It has to be a boy." Blood insisted, pressing his dagger against my neck, leaving a wound.
Helaena teared up as blood seeped from my wound.
"Pick." Cheese demanded, pressing knife closer to Maelor.
"Or we kill them all." He threatened.
"Or Blood grow bored and rape your little girl." He grinned, making Jaehaera hid behind a terrified Helaena.
Helaena knelt down, weeping in despair.
She covered her mouth as tears streamed down her pale cheeks.
Her purple eyes, filling with tears, looked at us before tightly shut them and turned away.
Her slender hand trembled as she reached toward us, then pointed her finger directly at Maelor.
Weeping, Helaena named her younger son, Maelor.
My heart skipped.
No
I am not dying here! But how?
.
.
.
There's one thing I could try…
"You hear that little boy?" Cheese whispered to the younger son.
"Your momma wants you dead."
"Wait!" This is my only chance.
"Hmm?" Cheese stared at me, his brown eyes piercing into my soul.
"D-Don't k..kill him…Kill me." My voice cracked as tears welled up.
Cheese was surprised by my request, yet he grinned.
"You want to die for your little brother, boy?"
Cheese questioned, clearly amused.
I opened my mouth, but my voice won't come out.
So I nodded.
"You have a good heart." He praised.
I held my breath, hoping it worked.
I don't know how long I held my breath, but it felt like the longest time of my life, so long I almost suffocated.
And it worked.
Cheese cut Maelor's throat open from ear to ear.
"Don't scream." Blood warned Helaena as Cheese roughly cut Maelor's head. Blood's blade lightly sliced my pale skin, creating a thin, sharp slit across the front my throat, like a bloody necklace.
I tried to look away from the gruesome scene, but my body failed me, paralyzed,
leaving me standing there, horrified.
The knife sliced through flesh with a sickening sound. Maelor's blood oozed out, flowing like a river. The sound of blade cutting through bone and flesh drowned out his muffled gasps of pain.
Helaena bit down her lip so hard it drew blood, holding back her screaming.
She madly clawed at her face, tearing it to bloody ribbons from eyes to jaw, as if pain could ease her grief.
My vision blurred with tears.
But Maelor's smile and his lilac eyes remained clear.
His faint giggles still echoing in my ears.
The way he called me still echoing.
*thud
Cheese dropped Maelor's headless body on the ground, holding the severed head in the other hand. Blood pooled around the corpse.
Before I knew, they had left, taking Maelor's head with them.
Helaena rushed to her dead son's headless body, her arms wrapping around him, blood and skin under her nails as she tightly hugged him.
She still bit her lip as if Blood and Cheese were still there.
Then her lower lip was torn, blood mixing with tears as it trickled down her chin. Her pale face was smeared with blood, as if she wore a red mask.
Her violet eyes, once filled with warmth, were now filled with tears and terror.
And she screamed.
———-
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