HOTD: The Healer Prince SI Chapter 59 (Patreon)
Content
Chapter 59
RHAENYS TARGARYEN
Rhaenys Targaryen had thought that losing the crown to her cousin had been nothing much as long as she was able to keep her family together. Ever since the day she had first held her daughter in her hands, the crown had become meaningless to her. Her children and her family had become the things she cherished the most.
That is why the decision of the Council had hurt her, yet she had been able to move on, ignoring the subtle glances and the ridicule, for she didn’t care.
Yet now the thing she had cherished the most was in jeopardy, put into danger by her own lord husband. And she would not let this go, and now she would fight. She would protect them, even if it was from her own husband.
“What is the meaning of this, cousin Rhaenys,” came the cockish and grating voice of Daemon, who walked to the front of the crowd. The very sight of enraged her, and she pulled on Meleys reins as she opened her mouth.
“Do not call me that,” she snarled as she saw Corlys tense beside him. The man’s actions had truly broken her heart. And even now, despite everything, despite a whole dragon staring down at him, he refused to see reason as he stood there beside the cunt that was her cousin smugly.
“Is that any way to address your King and good son?” he shouted as his eyes narrowed, and she chuckled as she shouted.
“You are no King, and you would have to walk over my dead body before I let you anywhere near my daughter, you vermin!” she shouted.
“Rhaenys!” Corlys shouted, and she pulled the reins as Meleys turned to face him.
“And you! For the children that I bore, don’t tempt me anymore, Corlys. I grow tired of your stupidity,” she shouted as his nostrils flared up.
“I am my brother’s one true heir to the Iron Throne, the conqueror of Stepstones. Be mindful of how you speak to me on my own lands,” Daemon shouted, and she scoffed.
“The heir, you are no heir,” she said as she decided to end his delusion.
“Look around you and see for yourself. Open your damned eyes and truly see around you,” she spoke, trying to make him see reason as she told him the truth that the lickspittles around him were too afraid to say.
“You have no support. All those who gather around you are those who seek to further their own greedy ambitions or those or those who wish to use you for their own gain,” she said and saw many of the lords all around appear appalled at her words.
“I am the eldest male heir, the true heir to my brother. All those who deny my claim are...”
“You have no claim!” she shouted as Meleys roared, emulating her rage.
“Your brother has declared Rhaenyra as the heir. The realm has not yet forgotten the times of Maegor, and we shall not let another Maegor sit atop the throne! You have no right, no claim. The whole realm denies it, the lords in their castles deny it, children in their mothers' crib deny it,” she uttered.
“Your own brother denies it. Your own cousins deny it. Everyone denies it,” she said. Daemon was flushed in rage.
She turned away from him and at her two children.
“Come here,” she said to them as both of them began to climb up the saddle, as Meleys lowered herself, to allow them to mount her. Riding with two persons would not be comfortable or easy for the saddle was designed for only two persons. Yet they would manage.
She ahd tried to get Seasmoke to follow her, yet her son’s dragon was disturbed by his rider's absence and refused to budge. So she was forced to come here alone, yet she was enough by herself for this lot.
“You cannot do this. They are my children as well. I command you to end this farce and beg forgiveness from your true King,” Crolys shouted, her head snapped towards him, regret and loathing erupting in her heart as she saw him froth at her in his rage.
‘Was this what the lords saw when they denied her all those years ago? Had she been truly blind to him’
“You may have lost your mind, Corlys,” she said, seeing his eyes widen at her words.
“But I still carry my senses with me,” she defied him. His eyes narrowed as he waved violently.
“You are making a mistake! I will disown you, strip away my name from you and both of them! They shall have nothing of mine! NOTHING!” he shouted, and she felt Laena stiffen behind her. It broke her heart as she heard him utter those words.
The many gathered lords seemed appalled by those words as well, as whispers began to bubble. She felt eyes glance between herself and Corlys, and a smirk appeared on Daemon’s face.
“I am your lord husband! You are beholden to me! Stop this madness, or I shall take away my name from you and both of them!” Corlys continued, perhaps taking her silence as a sign of weakness.
Hearing that tore her heart apart, and she closed her eyes as her fists around the reins tightened, and she felt blood drip down as she steeled her heart.
“Then take them away,” her voice rang out across the clearing, ending the whispers as Corlys’s eyes widened at her words.
The lords also gaped at her.
“I am Rhaenys Targaryen, daughter of Aegon Targaryen, son of Jaegaerys, son of Aenys. I am the daughter of the line of Kings. My name and blood are enough for me and my children. We need nothing from you. You have made your declaration,” she replied resolutely, even as she felt her vision blur slightly. For this all meant one thing. Annulment and the way he stiffened was not lost on him.
Her voice didn’t quiver as she finished.
“The missive will reach your halls soon,” she said, pulling on the reins. Meleys turned at her command with a growl, and it began to swing its massive wings.
“You, Daemon, are a cur! One who destroys and ruins everything he touches! You are a disgrace to your own name and blood! You aren’t half the man you think you are. You will never wear the crown. Never, and it is better you realize that soon enough,” with those final words, she looked ahead as she smashed her whip into the ground once more.
“Meleys. Soves!”
And then, with a few steps, she was in the air once more, with her children behind her as Laena’s grip tightened around her torso.
“I am sorry,” her daughter apologized, her voice quivering in the wind as she shook her head and assured her.
“Why? You bear no blame for your father’s actions,” she said to her as Laenor’s voice cut in.
“He is no father of mine,” he said, sounding enraged, and she would have chastised him for those words once. Yet she didn’t have the heart to do so now, for he was right.
“Then so be it. You carry my blood as well. The blood of Kings. You shall want for nothing as Targaryen’s,” she said as her dragon tore through the skies as they rushed towards the capital.
And it had only been a few minutes since they had taken to the skies when the sound of a massive roar interrupted her.
“ROAR!” this one was much more feral than one of her own Meleys, and it came from behind her.
Dread pooled in her heart as she turned back and found the hulking figure of Ceraxes rushing towards her, with Daemon atop it.
Even in the air, her eyes met her cousin’s, and the rage and madness in them was palpable as the Blood Wyrm opened its maw once again, gleaming an ominous red.
“Mother!” Laena and Laenor called worriedly as she saw Daemon’s lips move.
‘Dracarys’ and her heart thumped as a torrent of fire erupted from its maw, heading straight at them.
“Hold on!” she shouted as she pulled in the reins, making Meleys roar as it lowered itself, yet even then, the fire touched its tail, making it shriek in agony as it lowered itself.
Riding with three people, she had to be careful lest one of them may fall. Taking advantage of this, Daemon was right above them again, and she saw him smiling as his dragon roared once more and slashed its tail at Meleys. Thankfully, she was able to avoid it.
“Have you lost your mind!” she shouted.
“NO! Maybe I have just begun to see things clearly,” she heard him shout back as he rode behind her, chasing after her, his dragon inching closer with every passing second.
“You were night! No one shall give me my right! So I shall take it from them! By force! DRACARS!” he shouted once more as Ceraxes opened its maw once more, and she held onto her dragon’s reins.
“Hold tight!” she shouted as Laena’s arms around her tightened.
Though before the torrent of fire could envelop them, another roar erupted from the skies, and she looked up at the source and found a torrent of fire right above her as a third dragon joined them in the skies.
This one had scales that matched the sky in its colouring, its eyes blue, and its fire a torrent of illuminating blue.
Aenys was here.
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AENYS TARGARYEN
“Dracarys!” he shouted as Grey Ghost let out a torrent of flame, catching Daemon off guard.
Aenys had feared that such a thing could happen. Daemon lashing out was not beyond the realm of possibilities and had warned Rhaenys as such when he had helped free her from her prison at High Tide.
He had offered to follow her, yet she had denied him, citing that this was her battle and she could do without.
Yet the fear had lingered on and so after some contemplation he had decided to ignore her request and had mounted the saddle once more and had taken to the skies. And bless the Gods for he had.
“Ceraxes!” he heard Daemon shout as the fire enveloped him, yet suddenly, the Blood Wyrm roared in agony as it pushed itself up straight into Grey Ghost.
His dragon was able to avoid the red dragon's maw as they became entangled with one another, trying to bite off one another as they barrelled down towards land below.
There was no time to give commands as the two beasts remained entangled with one another, trying to bite off the other's head, and Aenys held onto the saddle for dear life as Ceraxes maw bit down literally inches from his face, yet he had to trust in his dragon.
Trust in him as it found its mark, tore through Ceraxxes shoulder, and pushed it away, yet it was too late as they hit the ground with much force, and he was thrown off the saddle.
“ARGH!” he grunted in the air as Ceraxes rolled away. Though Grey Ghost cushioned his fall with his wing as they rolled off the ground once before he slid himself to a halt, the fall had taken a toll on him as he found his vision blurry as pain erupted him from all parts of his body.
“AGHH!” he groaned painfully as he struggled back to his feet.
“ROAR!” it was ferocious and shook the whole island as his vision began to steady up. The pain was too much, yet he fought through it as he pushed himself off of the rugged ground, and stood up to find a face much like his own struggling to stand straight, a few yards infront.
“YOU!” he heard him shout as he stumbled once more; he was covered in blood on one side, much like the face of his own dragon, which stood at his back as Daemon struggled to stand up.
Grey Ghost’s face was reddened with blood, as it opened its maw and spew the piece of flesh it had torn off the Blood Wyrm as it shook the whole clearing with a deafening roar.
“IT IS ALWAYS YOU!” Daemon shouted as he pointed at him. As if mimicking his actions, his dragon, Ceraxes, rose up behind him, bloodied and angry as the Blood Wyrm twisted its neck and snarled in rage, letting out a torrent of fire as he crept up behind Daemon.
“YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME! EVERYTHING!” Daemon shouted, stumbling forward as he glared at him.
“I did nothing but what was right. It was you who has gotten too drunk on this fever of self-importance,” Aenys replied as Grey Ghost inched forward, arching his head over him, snarling threateningly at the bleeding form of Ceraxes.
“YOU CURR! YOU CONTINUE ON WITH THIS HOLIER-THAN-THOU ACT OF YOURS! I SHOULD HAVE KILLED YOU THE DAY YOU TOOK AWAY, OUR MOTHER FROM US, YOU MONSTER!” he said as he took out his blade. Dark sister gleamed as if it was filled with its wielder's rage.
“But no more! This all ends today! You and me! As it should have a year ago! Let me finish what even Vhagar itself couldn’t do,” he shouted. Glancing at his brother's maddened state, he realized that this was it.
“The world may try and deny me my birthright! But I shall not forget! Not me!” Daemon continued, not hiding his intentions, intentions which he had known of for some time.
“I will have it all! All of it, even if I have to claw it all back piece by piece!” he shouted, and Aenys realized that this was it. That there was no other way except one.
Murder!
He had been prepared for this, of course. He had been prepared for some time now. A small breeze blew through the air as if to cool down the erupting flames in his heart.
His heart thumped heavily as he felt his hand reach for his blade. The breeze calmed him down somewhat, for this was not a spar in the yard. No, this was a battle.
A battle to the death!
Daemon was his brother. They had not always gotten along, yet he still shared his blood. And though he may value it little, to Aenys, it meant something. It always had.
Over the years, the pride and familial bond had been eroded slowly and slowly until today, when he knew in his heart that if he were to bring out the blade today, it would be for the final time.
Only one would walk away from this.
As an image of his pregnant wife and his son flashed through his mind, he steeled his heart as he took out his own blade and steadied his heart for the cruelty he was about to dole out for the murder he was about to commit.
For since it had come to this. He would see it through.
“Then let it be. Come, let us end this once and for all,” he snarled as Daemon’s nostrils flared up before the man broke out into a stride, mimicked by himself as he put one foot in front of another, his eyes focused on Daemon as two massive roars erupted from behind him.
“ROARR!” “ROARRR!”
The two dragons followed their riders as they crept over the ground, snarling in rage as they rushed to kill the other one.
Much like their riders.
~And so, the dragons danced~
~For one last time~
~Or so we thought! ~
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