ALL NOVEL Chapter 125: 125
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118 AC
Kingslanding
Daeron Nymeros Martell
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Watching the likely soon-to-be-dead King mumble to my Wife as she clutches his hand has me feeling all kinds of emotions.
Unease.
Anger.
Doubt.
Regret.
I am unsure how to process this sudden tragedy.
I know I currently feel like causing 'accidents' for all of the King's guards so I can replace them as soon as possible.
I mean... how in the hell does someone across the room manage to nail the King in the head with a Knife!?
They have armor for fuck sakes!
Just jump in the way and tank it, it was a flimsy and easily concealed blade and likely would have glanced right off of their armor anyway.
* Sigh *
Slumping back against the wall, I look down at my hands.
Am I just projecting?
If I was even slightly paying attention to the King, I could have stopped the Knife.
But instead, I rushed with his Wife to make sure my own Wife was safe... I feel like that was the right move.
But I also feel like I could have done more if I just... I don't know.
I don't regret going to Rhaenyra first, she is without a doubt my top priority behind our children in my mind, and I knew they were safe and sound so my mind was only concerned with my Wife.
Lifting my head I glance from my peripheral vision at Alicent who is standing next to the end of the bed with an unreadable expression.
Maybe that is what I am worried about.
I was nailing the dude's Wife and now he got Knifed in the head and is hanging on by a thread... and his Wife has not shed a single tear.
That's gotta suck.
Not that he has noticed most likely, his good eye is hazy and unfocused but is locked onto his Daughter as he tries and unload all of his regrets and baggage onto her as she cries her eyes out.
"-Visenya, tell her I am sorry... I should have done more for her." I cringe as I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like to be estranged from my own Daughter due to marriage troubles, let alone dying without seeing her in a long time.
I mean... maybe he will pull through?
Focusing my gaze on his ghastly appearance I purse my lips.
Probably not, I gave him some of my Shimmer and healed the wound as best I could.
But brain damage is a bit beyond my means, even if he does pull through... its unlikely he will truly recover.
* Knock * * Knock *
I turn toward the door while pushing off the wall with my back, taking my time to reach the door as I know who is likely behind it.
The children, his own but mostly mine... the whole bunch.
The King wanted to see them, with the chances of him dying soon he wanted to speak to them.
Reaching out I flip the lock on the door and pull it toward me revealing a servant carrying a tired Aemond who only has his eyes slightly opened with a thumb in his mouth. Looking down I see Aenar and Aegon who waste no time entering the room while not knowing what they are walking into.
"Muna!" Aenar calls out and moves quickly to his Mother, likely seeking comfort after noticing the strange mood in the room.
Aegon however hangs back and is joined by Nymeria and Rhaenys, both of whom have brought along a specially-made stuffed bear that they usually sleep with.
Turning my attention back to the servant I take Aemond from her and mouth a quick 'thank you' before she slips off after trying to toss a curious look into the room. With her out of the way another servant steps forward with Aerys who is snoring on her shoulder with his mouth opened forming a patch of drool on her dress.
"Poor guy..." I mutter while taking him with my other arm, he does not even flinch as I wrangle him into a comfy position, instead, he snorts and continues sleeping away.
One more servant approaches, this one holding two little girls, Helaena and Viserra, with my youngest Daughter outright throwing a fit with a red little face.
"Give her here." Rhaenyra brushes past me and I startle in place a bit as she seemed to nearly teleport from the bedside after hearing Viserra do her best to ruin everyone's eardrums.
Wasting no time she turns back around after grabbing our Daughter and heads back to her Father leaving the servant with a confused Helaena who I gesture for her to set down on the ground.
"She can walk,-" I would set down Aerys and make his little butt walk on his own but he is a pain in the backside to wake up once he is knocked out. "-isn't that right?" I smile at Helaena, hopefully encouraging her to walk on her own as my arms are full.
"Yes." Helaena eagerly nods her little head and even starts squirming to try and escape the servant's grasp.
As soon as she is set down and takes brave steps forward into the poorly lit room I nod at the final servant and she quickly spins on her heels and beats a hasty retreat. I lean forward to look out the door at the Kingsguards standing watch and also my own guards who personally went along with the servants to fetch the children. I smile at my own men before nodding at them, but my face turns stony as I pass my gaze over the four Kingsguards.
Two of them were not even there so it couldn't possibly be blamed on them.
But I feel better shifting the blame, even if it's not fair.
Carefully using a few fingers and making sure not to drop Aemond who has now joined his 'nephew' in sleeping on one of my shoulders, I pull the door closed and lock it once more.
"Let's go..." I mutter down to the four children still standing near the entrance with obvious confusion on their tired faces. "Be brave, or you might very well regret not doing so at a later time." Aegon only heard half my words before marching forward with newfound determination, quick to his mother's side making me smile despite the fact he clenches at her skirts.
The three little girls however seem to each look up at me with varying levels of 'nah' written across their faces.
"Come along." Alicent pulls a Rhaenyra and spooks me a bit as she appears from beside me and motions to guide the little ones forward.
Alright, I am definitely too wound up, the 'fight' is over and has been for hours, yet my adrenaline has not stopped pumping.
Could be the extremely volatile drug coursing through my veins... nah.
Walking behind the little ones and the Queen I adjust the two sleepy boys and shake them a bit to hopefully wake them up enough that they can at least greet the dying man upon the bed.
But as my gaze shifts back to him I almost grimace as he looks worse, and I had only looked away for a little bit.
His chances are not looking good and don't seem to be improving.
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Entering the King's room after carrying the last of my children back to their own room to get some proper sleep, I find the King rasping for breath and only Rhaenyra with him. Alicent is gone and in fact, it seems Rhaenyra has fallen asleep, she was understandably as worked up as all of us are and likely crashed after having her emotions running rampant for so long.
"Daeron." The king's weak voice speaks up after likely hearing me close the door and approach his bed.
"I am here, Good Father." His lips tug up slightly and he shifts his head to face toward me, his eye remains closed however and the bandage over the other looks to have seeped out a bit more blood and has stained the bandage.
"Let me get some water, I can try to heal i-" He lifts his tremoring hand and waves me off.
"No." His voice is full of more conviction than I have heard in quite a while. "No more digging around in my head." I hum in acknowledgment as I kneel beside his bed, across from Rhaenyra who is still sleeping soundly.
"Is there something I can do..." I trail off while knowing full well he is not long for the world, which gives me the urge to wake my Wife so she can be with her Father consciously while he passes.
"I want to know something..." His voice comes out a whisper and his good eye opens a bit, a tear slides down his cheek.
"What do you want to know?" I feel my gut drop even as I resolve myself to answer with the truth if it's about Alicent and his children.
Wow... I can feel regret.
Not from the action itself, but for a dying man who has done me no wrong, and yet I have wronged him.
"Was this you?" I freeze as his words are not exactly what I was expecting and it takes me a bit to understand what he is referring to.
My jaw drops.
"Did I set this up, your death?" I ask for clarification and he nods once with a pained look.
Though oddly enough I don't think it's pain from his wound.
"It was not." I feel a bit bitter having this asked of me, but I also understand why he would ask.
His death makes Rhaenyra Queen, and Rhaenyra practically does anything I ask just as I would do anything she asked.
Effectively making me King and not just a 'Consort' like what Alicent is.
"Good... I know it was you... Otto... but I doubted this was you." He sighs heavily and seems to almost slip into the grave in doing so, his body going slack after laying back down and facing the ceiling with his eyes shutting. "Look after them... for me." His chest falls as likely his last words leave his lips in a pained slur.
"I will." I respond knowing who he is talking about as my gaze shifts to my Wife.
I should have woken her up.
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118 AC
Kingslanding
Rhaenyra Targaryen
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Opening my eyes I shiver as I feel the hand I am holding is cold, sitting up abruptly my heart clenches as I see what I feared.
My Father... is dead.
My eyes sting as a new wave of tears begins to flow as my hopes have been scattered.
Looking around I see we are the only ones in the room, I don't even remember falling asleep.
I remember Daeron and Alicent taking the children back to their rooms to sleep after my Father talked with them for a while.
I must have fallen asleep shortly after.
Focusing back on my Father, I feel not only a pit in my stomach but also a heavy weight upon my shoulders.
Some of the last words he spoke to me were about his desire to see me succeed as the first woman to sit upon the Iron Throne. He also spoke of his regret that I seemed to be inheriting a war with the East and he even almost seemed to want to ask me to not seek vengeance. But even with his peaceful heart... he knew war was coming regardless, and that what had been done has to be avenged.
Lowering my head I place my forehead down on the back of his cold hand.
"I will be a Good Queen." Lifting my head slightly I kiss the back of his hand before letting go of it and standing up while looking down at his peaceful form. "I promise." Lifting my arm I wipe my eyes before looking one last time at my Father who almost seems to just be sleeping.
Our relationship had some recent rough spots and even some permanent damage with what happened with my Mother.
But I never stopped loving my Father, not once.
He was a good Father to me, likely better than I deserved at times.
I love him, and always will.
Turning I head for the door to being no doubt the longest and most busiest day of my life.