บท 9: rooks rest
———-
Beyond the walls of Rook's Rest, chaos reigned.
The once fertile fields were engulfed in flames. Smoke billowed into the sky. The cries of pain, mingled with the shouts of men as they burned and looted what they could.
The once orderly fields now a wasteland. Livestock that had not been slaughtered ran wild, their panicked bleats and bellows adding to the chaos.
The fires spread, consuming everything in their path. Thatched roofs ignited in an instant, sending showers of sparks into the sky. Wooden fences and carts became kindling, feeding the flame.
Flames danced and flickered, their tongues licking at the sky as they leapt from building to building. Trees that had stood for generations were reduced to charred skeletons, their leaves turning to ash that floated down like a snow.
The air was thick with the acrid stench of burning wood, flesh, and crops. It was a smell that clung to the skin and filled the lungs.
Armored knights on horseback cut down anyone, resisted or not, they were put to sword.
Foot soldiers looted and pillaged, their laughter a stark contrast to the screams of the victims.
The smallfolk who lived outside the castle walls were caught in the maelstrom. Families huddled together, their faces streaked with tears, as they watched their homes burn. Children clung to their mothers, their cries piercing the air. Smoke stung their eyes and choked their lungs, making the air almost unbreathable.
They had taken to hiding, praying for the Seven.
Sadly, only one answered.
Men and women were dragged from their hiding places.
The former were beaten and the latter were raped.
Some were forced to their knees and executed on the spot.
Their lifeless bodies littered the ground or were piled together. Blood ran in rivulets through the streets, mixing with the mud and ash to form a sickening mire.
All headless.
The Stranger did answer to all.
Those who tried to flee were chased like prey in a hunting game. Cries of anguish and despair filled the air like a symphony of suffering.
In the midst of this nightmare, Gyles surveyed the scene with a bunch of strangers. Luckily, this time not everyone was unfamiliar. One of them was his neighbor, Tom.
Then Gyles saw a boy clinging to a naked woman, sobbing. He wasn't sure if she was the boy's mother.
Gyles took a closer look. Her clothes were torn aside, her messy hair was matted with mud, ash, and blood, and her pale skin was covered in dark purple bruises, and a raw bite marks, as if the beast had ravaged her.
Blood stained her thighs.
The boy looked filthy, with tear stains streaking his face. Gyles approached to check on the woman.
She looked at him, terrified as he came.
She wrapped her bruised arms around the boy, trembling, looking at him with her blue eyes.
Amidst the quiet, the thumping sound of Tom walking to them cut through the air, making Gyles's black eyes turn to him, knowing what was about to come.
Tom raised his sword.
Gyles saw everyone face had darkened.
He knew none wanted to do this. But it was an order from the Lord Hand.
And they did as ordered.
*Sching
Tom's blade cut through the woman's neck. Her head fell to the ground, spinning to Gyles's feet. Her blue eyes still wide open.
Tom then grabbed her head by the hair, blood still dripping from the jagged cut at her neck.
Her headless body collapsed onto the boy lying on the ground.
"Momma! Momma!" the boy screamed.
Now, Gyles knew she was the boy's mother.
Her headless body collapsed onto the boy. Her weight forced him down, her torso pinning him to the ground. Her bruised breast pressed against his face, like of how a mother would breastfeed her child. Her limp arms, still wrapped around him.
Blood continued to flow from her neck, soaking the boy and the ground beneath them.
Tom patted his shoulder and walked away. Gyles knew what he had to do.
Kill the boy.
The boy looked at him with his blue eyes like his mother. His eyes filled with hatred.
Gyles raised his blood stained sword like he did many times before.
He didn't want to do it, but even if he didn't kill the boy, the boy would be dead anyway.
He reasoned with himself.
After all, without its mother the child could not live any longer.
Then he brought the sword down. The blade sliced through the boy's neck cleanly, blood spurting like his mother's.
Gyles grabbed the boy's head and walked away to join the others.
Then he heard Tom start to sing.
"The Dornishman's wife was as fair as the sun, and her kisses were warmer than spring.
But the Dornishman's blade was made of black steel, and its kiss was a terrible thing."
One by one, the other men joined in, their voices rising together amidst this hell on earth.
.
.
.
Around the walls were the heads of the unfortunate, men, women, and children.
Many soldiers were there, mounting heads on spikes. Among them was Gyles, mounting the boy's head near his mother's.
Their blue eyes still opened.
As night fell, the fires continued to rage, casting a hellish glow over the land.
Night was almost as bright as day.
But that wasn't why Gyles couldn't close his eyes.
He still saw their blue eyes.
———-
Patchy woke up to the soft sound of a mouse skittering around. With a lazy stretch and a wide yawn, it turned its attention toward the source of the noise beneath the wardrobe.
There, a rat emerged, its eyes meeting the cat's. The rat made no attempt to flee. Instead its approach the cat. Patchy, intrigued by the rat's unflinching stare, took a few careful steps forward.
In a swift movement, Patchy seized the rat.
Still, the rat's eyes remained open.
And the cat began to eat.
———-
Aegon woke up suddenly to a noise breaking the quiet of the early morning. Blinking against the dim light, he rubbed his eyes, trying to fully wake up. The room was barely lit by the first light of dawn seeping through the window, casting soft, shifting shadows on the walls. The stars outside were fading as the sky brightened.
As Aegon stirred, he noticed Ser Andy scratching at the bed's leg.
Stupid cat. Annoyed, he pushed the cat away.
As he adjusted the bedding, he realized Jaehaera had taken the sheet, leaving him and Jaehaerys exposed to the chill. Her silver hair was spread across the pillow, and a small trail of drool had made its way into Jaehaerys's hair, with one arm hugging him.
With a soft sigh, Aegon carefully draped the sheet over both Jaehaerys and Jaehaera, trying to warm them both.
As he was about to return to sleep, he noticed the calico cat, Patchy, convulsing, blood pooling from its mouth. Beside the cat was a half-eaten rat. The cat's face had turned a horrifying purple.
A shiver ran down his spine as he stared at it.
Seven Hells. Aegon realized its one of his children's pets and got up from the bed.
He looked left and right before quietly walking out of the room, careful not to wake his children. As he opened the door, Ser Rickard Thorne and Ser Willis Fell were already there, opening it for him.
"Your Grace." They greeted, surprised that the king was awake so early.
"Has anyone entered the room?" Aegon asked him, pointing to the cat in the pool of blood.
Ser Rickard's eyes widened in shock.
"None, Your Grace." He said. "I will alert the others immediately."
"Don't." Aegon said firmly. "It will wake my children." He looked at his children, knowing it would break their hearts.
"I want this cleaned up before they wake."
Aegon watched as serving girls came, picked the dead cat away, and cleaned the pool of blood. He noticed one of them in particular. If Aegon remembered correctly, her name was Lily. He saw her almost daily. She looked familiar somehow, and it gnawed at his mind every day.
Aegon thought for a while, staring at her.
Light green eyes…Blonde hair.
She kind of looks like someone…
As he pondered, Lily reached under a nearby wardrobe, her hand coming out with a dark amethyst.
Half of it had been bitten away.
She hid it quickly as she stood up to continue cleaning, making sure no one saw her.
As she was about to resume her work, Lily noticed she was being stared at by the king. She tensed and pretended she didn't know she was being watched, but Aegon could tell.
"You know I am looking at you, right?"
Lily froze, her eyes darting up to meet his before quickly looking away.
"Yes, Your Grace." She replied, her hands trembling slightly as she continued to scrub the floor.
Aegon studied her for a moment longer.
"You remind me of someone." He said, more to himself than to her.
At his words, Lily's eyes flashed with a mix of emotions.
"My sister used to work here, Your Grace." She said steadily.
"Her name was Essie."
Aegon's eyes widened slightly as the name triggered a memory.
"Essie…yes, I remember now." He paused, looking at Lily with renewed interest.
"You look very much like her."
———-
Jaehaera sat on the edge of her bed, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her small frame trembled with each sob as she clutched a pillow to her chest. Ser Andy was on her lap, nudging her trembling hand.
"Where did they go?" She wept, her voice cracking with grief.
"Why did they leave me? What did I do wrong?"
Aegon knelt beside her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder, but words failed him.
He couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth, that one had died in the room and one was missing.
"I miss them so much. What if they're hurt? What if they're scared?" She asked, wiping her tears.
Jaehaerys sat beside his sister, wrapping an arms around her and pulling her close.
"It's going to be fine." Jaehaerys said softly.
"We will find out what happened to them."
Aegon hoped they wouldn't.
Jaehaera buried her face in her brother's chest, her sobs slowly easing.
"I won't let anything happen to them." He said, patting her back.
"You promise?" She whispered, looking up at Jaehaerys with tear-filled eyes.
"I promise." Jaehaerys brushed a strand of hair from her face.
Aegon watched his children, glad that his son cared for his sister so deeply.
Then he remembered that their name day was soon. Perhaps he should get them a new cats as a gift.
———-
In the Dragonpit, Jaehaerys walked amidst the smell of smoke from dragons. His indigo eyes scanned the place until they found his father, Aegon, standing near Sunfyre, whose gleaming golden scales cast a warm glow in the dim light.
Jaehaerys ran to his father and threw his arms around him, hugging him tightly.
Aegon chuckled softly, wrapping his arms around his son.
"You finished feeding your dragon?" He asked.
It had begun after Jaehaerys had met Shrykos for the first time since Maelor's death. He had insisted on feeding the dragon every day. Though Aegon didn't fully understand his son's insistence, he had allowed it.
Jaehaerys didn't answer, only hugging his father.
"It's not like I am going to die, Jaehaerys." Aegon said, trying to inject some lightness into his voice.
"I will be back before you know it."
Jaehaerys still didn't answer. He hugged his father tighter, burying his face in Aegon's chest, as if he could keep his father safe by holding him close.
Aegon's smile faded, and he gently stroked Jaehaerys's silver hair.
"I promise I will be back, my boy." He whispered.
"I will always come back to you."
Aegon understood his son's concern but knew he wasn't going alone. Vhagar would be with him, the biggest dragon living right now, and Aemond too.
"Let Vhagar do most of it." Jaehaerys said, his voice trembling.
Aegon nodded, his eyes softening.
"I remembered. You already said that." He smiled gently. "Vhagar will be leading the charge, and I will stay behind her."
As they hugged each other, Sunfyre nuzzled Jaehaerys's cheek gently with his snout.
"I will come back, Jaehaerys." Aegon repeated softly, his resolve strengthening.
"I promise."
———-
In the forest, Aegon and Aemond stood beside their dragons, Sunfyre and Vhagar. Sunfyre, with his gleaming golden scales and striking green eyes, rested calmly, while Vhagar, with her bronze and greenish-blue highlights and bright green eyes, lay nearby.
This was day three of their plan to lure Rhaenyra out.
Aegon, wearing the Crown of the Conqueror with its red rubies catching the first light of the day, sat lazily on his Sunfyre.
"So, Aemond." Aegon began casually.
"I've been thinking about what to do with the lands of those treasonous lords."
Aemond, seated on Vhagar, turned to his brother. "Oh? And what's on your mind, brother?"
"I'm thinking of giving you and Daeron those lands, and perhaps making you the Lord Paramount of the Riverlands." Aegon said, surprising Aemond.
Aemond hadn't expected something like this.
"Also, I'd like to offer you a seat on the Small Council. Perhaps you could be the Master of Ships."
Aemond didn't say anything in return, only nodded. He wasn't sure if he deserved this. If he had been more in control of Vhagar, Luke wouldn't have been killed…and Maelor might still be alive.
All this family bloodshed had happened because of him.
Still, Aemond kept his doubts to himself.
"I didn't think you loved me that much."
Aegon shrugged, a smile on his lips.
"We're family, Aemond." He laughed bitterly.
Aemond knew those words used to come from Viserys, their father, who had preferred bastards over his trueborn sons. Instead of seeking justice for his son's eye, their father had been furious that Aemond had spoken the truth. He had pretended to care for both, but his actions spoke otherwise.
Still, Luke didn't have to die for that.
…
Suddenly, powerful roar echoed from afar, shaking the ground and startling both dragons. Sunfyre and Vhagar tensed, their senses alert.
Both men shared a knowing glance. The roar confirmed that their plan was working.
Aegon turned to Aemond with a serious expression. "Who do you think that is? The bitch queen herself, or could it be the Strong boy?"
Aemond's eyes narrowed as he considered.
"Hard to say. But either way, it seems like our gamble is paying off."
Aegon nodded, his gaze fixed on the direction of the roar. "Let's find out."
Aegon tightened the straps on Sunfyre's saddle, checking the strength and security of the harness. Aemond did the same with Vhagar's saddle.
Aegon and Aemond took a final glance at each other, a shared sense of determination in their eyes. They spurred their dragons forward.
"Soves!(Fly)" both shouted.
With a powerful push, Sunfyre and Vhagar launched into the sky, their wings beating furiously against the air. The dragons soared upward, their scales glinting in the sunlight as they flew toward the source of the roar.
As Sunfyre and Vhagar climbed higher into the sky, Aegon and Aemond searched for the source of the roar.
What they saw wasn't the yellow scales of Syrax nor the olive green scales of Vermax. Instead, they were confronted by the sight of a red dragon.
They saw the Blood Wyrm.
———
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