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Rhaegar gets the call early on the morning of Christmas Eve from Rhaella. That was odd because they were heading out there anyway and Rhaella wasn’t that fussy where she’s asking for a play by play of their morning.
Rhaegar looked increasingly serious…well, more serious than she is used to. She frowned, which was a strange mirror of his own expression.
When he puts the phone down, she asks, “What happened?”
He hadn’t answered, but, his stare was far away.
She asks, “Rhaegar? Is everything alright? Is Rhaella ok? The kids?”
He blinks, “Elia, my father died.”
Now she was the one blinking. Evil like that didn’t die, she thinks, before shaking that thought away. That was an unkind thought even if it was an honest one.
She asks, “How?”
From what she knew, Aerys hadn’t been unwell.
A thousand emotions battled across his face. “It was an accident.”
She frowns, trying to make sense of it. “Accident? He injured himself?”
Rhaegar breathes heavily through his nose. He doesn’t say anything for a long while. When he does, she can’t believe it.
Rhaegar shakes his head. “He’d commissioned a pair of Nutcracker dolls to bracket the doorway, the large kind, hand painted and made with heavy metal. He apparently did not like the way one was positioned and tried to move it.”
Rhaegar paused to take a breath. Though she suspected she knows where this was going, he looks at her and grimaces: “It fell on him. Crushed him completely.”
She winces. She despised the man, but, that was a painful death, self-caused as it was. Then, Rhaegar runs a hand across his face. “Viserys saw the whole thing.”
She swallows. Oh, that poor sweetheart. That, she feels worse about. She exhales sharply. “I’m sorry,” she says. “How is he?”
Rhaegar takes a deep breath. “Shaken, but, Mother says he is dealing with it.”
She whispers, “That is something at least. He’s a strong little boy.”
She was honest about her feeling on her young brother-in-law, but, she doesn’t try to say more. Because she loves Rhaegar, she wants to be more broken up about his father’s death, but, remembering his vitriol towards her and Rhaegar while demanding they pay court to him and the bruises he’s left on Rhaella that her mother-in-law tried to hide, she can’t.
Thankfully, Rhaegar recognizes her attempt for what it was. He nods, accepting it, because well, what else was there to do? Neither one of them had been Aerys’ favorite person…then again, she didn’t think Aerys ever had one. She supposes Steff Baratheon, his cousin, had been close, but, their relationship soured years before she married Rhaegar. And well, even with Rhaella trying to clumsily shield everyone from the murkier side of her marriage, everyone knew it hadn’t been a healthy one for a very long time, if it ever was.
But, this was Rhaegar’s father, warts and all and she does feel so badly Viserys saw that. The relationship that Rhaegar and Aerys grew to have has been different from the one that Aerys had with Viserys. Then, again, from what Rhaegar said, it wasn’t until his teen years that Aerys grew to dislike him. But, Viserys was a little boy who loved his parents fiercely.
No child should see death like that and on the day before Christmas no less.
Rhaegar blinks again but, his face is so very blank. Distracted, he asks, “Can you prep the kids…”
She agrees easily, pressing a kiss to the top of his head as he wraps an arm against her waist and squeezes lightly. She pretends she didn’t hear him heave a heavy sigh.
They weren’t supposed to leave for hours yet but given this…they should get to the Red Keep, the Targaryen family home, as soon as possible. Rhaella and the kids needed them.
Hesitantly, she asks, “Do you want me to tell them now?”
Thankfully both Rhaenys and Aegon were always early risers, even during Winter Break and they’d been so excited to see their young aunt & uncle and their grandmother. As always, they’d been planning to stay a week, so they’d already packed the things they were taking last night. At least they didn’t have to worry about that.
All she really had to do was sort breakfast while the kids showered and dressed and then get them fed. She told herself to make Rhaegar’s plate as well. She suspected he was not going to eat much, but, she wanted him to have something.
He gives her a grateful look. “Yes, please.”
She tries to be reassuring but there isn’t very much more she could say that wouldn’t sound false.
She knows that some part of her husband still loved his father, but, Aerys of the present hadn’t been the Aerys of Rhaegar’s childhood for well over a decade. She knew that from Rhaegar’s own admission and her own experiences. Aerys was the vices one can have condensed in human form. One shouldn’t speak ill of the dead and while she’s had years of practice not speaking ill of Aerys, she knew the dead quite well.
Aerys hated Christmas, like he did most holidays, but, demanded their presence and their presents while Rhaella dutifully signed his name onto the gifts for kids they gave. She and Rhaegar never got a gift, not that she expected any from him. Quite frankly she’d be cautious if he ever did make the effort. Even the decorations were for “image” purposes, and he promptly sucked the life out of the holiday by hiring out to do it, even for the inside of the house.
As she heads towards her kid’s rooms, she thinks about what just happened. For what probably was the first time in his life, Aerys had attempted manual labor and a nutcracker fell on him. While she felt for Rhaegar, Rhaella, Viserys, and Daenerys, remembering the last time she was in Aerys’ vicinity, she’d be lying if she hadn’t considered this a heck of a Christmas miracle.
To her relief, everything looked quiet when they got there. It was a few hours later so the emergency personnel must have already left. Since the house sat on a large plot one had to get through a gate to visit, there weren’t any nosy neighbors, but she suspected that there would be talk about the death at the Red Keep Manor sooner or later all through King’s Landing.
Neither she nor Rhaegar mentioned the single, giant Nutcracker doll standing tall by the right-hand side of the door or drew attention to the fact that there should have been another one, standing tall, on the left-hand side. But, she thought about it and when they got to the stone steps when she’d caught Rhaegar looking at a spot approximately where the nutcracker should have been given the placement of the other one before shaking his head and painting on a mild expression for the stodgy, old butler, Pycelle.
Someone must have cleaned the blood, she thinks. Or maybe more snow fell while they were traveling.
Because she and Rhaegar agreed long ago that their kids’ access to Aerys would be limited to holidays like Christmas, the kids had been happy enough when they realized they’d still be seeing “Granny Rhae”, “Vissy”, and “Dany” even though Grandfather Aerys “had gone away and wouldn’t be coming back”.
Rhaella was pale when Pycelle announced their presence, but she seemed happy to see them.
As she gives Viserys and Dany each a tight hug, she was glad she didn’t have to explain that much to her kids. They’d taken the news reasonably well. At times like these she’s glad she already had a modified version of the “death” talk with her kids. Her own parents died before she married Rhaegar so explaining why they only had one set of grandparents to visit happened a long time ago.
After the pleasantries, they settled in the living room. The kids parked themselves on the floor watching Balerion’s antics with plates of cookies and other Christmas goodies nearby. Rhaenys practically begged Rhaegar to let her take Balerion with them and like always, he’d agreed. It turned out to be a good idea. Daenerys squealed jubilantly every time the cat went near her and Viserys pet the black cat every so often. He’d even giggled a time or two. A strong, little boy indeed.
As it usually did, the house looked amazing. They hadn’t taken down the decorations. She was sort of relieved. While this was a house of mourning and memories of Aerys were probably coloring her impressions, she’s sort of relieved at the signs of normalcy.
Her gaze fell on the immaculately designed, large tree. Real, of course, but, not one ornament, light, or tree needle out of place. Or a present too though they hadn’t known what to do about Aerys’ gifts. They’d placed the kids’ gifts and Rhaella’s there earlier, but, the ones meant for Aerys, while they brought them along, they left them in the car. They didn’t quite know how Rhaella or the kids would react to seeing them just yet. But, the family tradition was to open gifts Christmas morning after a formal breakfast. However, this wasn’t the time to address any of that.
Keeping his voice low, Rhaegar asks, “How are you are, Mother, really?”
Rhaella opens her mouth, closes it, and opens it again just to sigh. “I’m fine, actually.”
For a moment Rhaegar looks as though he was about to ask a follow up. Instead, he nods easily and she finds herself exhaling. Rhaella pats his hand, but, she looks sad. “I know he’s your father, but…”
Rhaegar frowns then, “But, what Mother?”
Rhaella gives them a guilty look. “I think mourned the best part of him a long time ago.”
She pretends like she hadn’t understood what Rhaella meant. While she never asked, Rhaella had answered the one question everyone wanted to but refrained. She knew such things were difficult but, after the affairs and the abuse…why had Rhaella stayed?
“If I left, for whatever reason, I’d never see the kids again. It was written into the pre-nup. Damn thing is iron clad. My parents were so very eager for me to sign it so I could marry Aerys and I was young and foolish enough to think that I could weather anything.”
Rhaella was one of the strongest people she knew. She had weathered Aerys and now she doesn’t have to worry. But, the way she was looking at them for judgement was so incredibly sad. She couldn’t judge Rhaella harshly for that at all without being a hypocrite.
Rhaegar sighs and gives Rhaella a kiss on the cheek. “I know, Mother. Me too.”
Rhaella lets out a deep breath. “I’m just so glad you are here.”
“So am I,” Rhaegar says.
She asks, nodding in the kids’ direction. “How are they taking it?”
Rhaella looks rather proud. “Rather well, but, I will be scheduling some therapy.”
That is a good call.
Rhaella elaborates, “You remember my Aunt Rhaelle?”
At their nods, she explains, “I called her to let her know about Aerys. She recommended one, Cressen. She retained his services when they lost Steff and Cassana. I will call him on Monday. The rest of it can wait.”
Rest of it?
At their blank expressions, Rhaella sighs before explaining, “Rhaelle said she’d handle the notifications for some of our friends but, I told her to wait since it’s Christmas and I didn’t want to put a damper on other people’s holidays. I still must make some calls myself, including the funeral home. The coroner will release the body to them when the arrangements are made but nothing is open until the following Monday. I also tried calling Varys.”
Wow, she thinks admiringly, Rhaella had things quite in hand. And Varys too?
Rhaella continues, smiling conspiratorially, “He didn’t answer,” she says about the family lawyer as of a few years ago. She continues, “Since then, Pycelle has been tutting endlessly about it being “unprofessional” and retaining the services of Tywin again.”
Rhaegar holds in a snort. “That was what, three lawyers ago?”
She chokes down her own laughter. Tywin Lannister had been an old school friend of Aerys who served as his lawyer for a long time until they also had a falling out.
Rhaella bites back a smirk. “Exactly. It’s Christmas Eve, besides. I did what any reasonable person would do when a call doesn’t go unanswered, I left a voicemail.”
Despite the seriousness of the matter, she cracks a smile at that. “You’ve had a busy day.”
Rhaella sighs. “Yes, I have.” Then, she frowns.
“What is it, Mother?”
Again with that guilty look, “I know I shouldn’t, but, I want to get out of the house for a bit.”
She and Rhaegar look at one another. She shrugs. It’s up to her husband. But, she understands Rhaella’s feelings on the subject. She’d never liked being cooped up either.
Curious, Rhaegar poses the question, “What did you have in mind?”
Rhaella answers, “I always wanted to go to downtown, you know they decorate it each Christmas. The Tree Lighting always sounded fun. Your father never wanted to go.”
That does sound good actually. They drove through downtown while was still daytime, but, it had looked quaint, and she had seen the sign about the tree lighting ceremony of the giant tree in the town square.
Rhaegar smiles humorlessly, “I remember him shooting me down the one year I asked.”
Rhaella shakes her head ruefully, “Christmas was never his favorite holiday.”
Rhaegar huffs, but he adds, smiling reassuringly, “It sounds like a splendid idea.” He turns to her, “What do you think?”
She adds, “I think the kids will love that.”
Rhaella beams as Rhaegar goes over to the kids with a “That settles it”.
When Rhaegar is done proposing it, Viserys and Daenerys turns toward their mother who nods.
In all seriousness, Viserys asks, “Can Balerion come too?”
She blinks because that usually was Rhaenys’ line. Before Rhaenys and Dany even fully form their version of “puppy eyes”, Rhaella says firmly, “Everyone here is going.”
At that, all four children cheer at that before racing off to get their coats and chatting eagerly. She turns to Rhaegar and Rhaella who are also putting on their coats and shoes. Maybe they’d truly mourn and clearly there would be plenty to do, but, for now it was Christmas-time and they’d make the best of it.