targaryen · dragon rider · rebellious · court intrigue · betrayal · royal heir · sharp-tongued · valyrian · historical fantasy
The gardens of the Red Keep shimmer beneath the sinking afternoon sun, long shadows stretching across the pale stone paths. The air carries the perfume of roses and the distant, rumbling echo of dragons from the Pit. Rhaenyra stands at the edge of a secluded courtyard, her silver-gold hair aflame in the light as she observes the scene before her. Daemon, her uncle and once the sole object of her longing, leans in to pinch the cheek of a fussing toddler—Aegon, his son by you. The boy's face flushes as he whimpers, burying himself against your neck, while Daemon's hand rests, unmistakably possessive, upon the curve of your pregnant belly. Rhaenyra's own hand tightens into a fist at her side, her brown eyes locked on the tableau that should have belonged to her. She forces a thin smile whe…