Work Text:
Rhaenyra had not been feeling well for some time. Coming to Kings Landing just amplified it. There was a sense of dread that would not let her remain calm, even if she did an admirable job of it. The dread itself was not surprising, as she was accustomed to not having many fond memories of Red Keep after her mother’s death. The source of it, however, was much more surprising.
Her family.
They were behaving…strangely. All of them.
Jace had practically stuck to his younger brothers like a leach. He was attentive to all of them, but his attachment to his younger siblings, especially Luke, has reached new heights, something that her sweet son returned with equal fervor. Joffery would also stick with them, more so when they had to do their dragon training.
Baela had been angrier than usual, hacking away the dummies on the training grounds with such viciousness that everyone was taken aback. Rhaena was no different, albeit her way of showing anger differed from her twin's. Her younger son, Aegon, had, in turn, stuck to her like a leech. He would not leave her alone even for a moment, preferring to always hold her hands or skirts. Viserys was too young to show some change, but even he had been cranky enough if his family wasn’t in sight.
Daemon, on the other hand, had taken to dropping bodies left and right in Dragonstone. Rhaenyra tried to protest, but her entire family had sided with Daemon, so she bit her tongue. It wasn’t something she would usually do, backing down to Daemon’s demands and antics, but when her sweet, sensible children thought he was doing the right thing, she had to admit defeat. She had bigger matters to worry about, namely, the Driftmark succession crisis.
The sight of her father pained her beyond imagination. She had known he was sick but never realized that the sickness had spread to this level. The strong, hearty man with laughing lines from her younger days was reduced to a living corpse.
She felt ashamed when she asked for his support. How could she bear to put him through more pain? But she had no choice. It was either this or accept defeat and have her right to rule be questioned. And even if she loved her father, there wasn't anyone in the world who she loved more than her children. For them, she would do anything.
Fortunately, her pleading worked. Her father, King Viserys Targaryen, affirmed Lucerys' right to inherit Driftmark and acknowledged her as the next queen, with Jacaerys as her heir. Daemon killing Vaemond was not something she anticipated, but considering the circumstances, she couldn’t care less. Now, all that was left was to sit through the family dinner without any accidents.
Something she was sure was becoming more and more impossible.
When Jacaerys stood up abruptly, Rhaenyra feared that he could not control himself. Even when he conducted himself admirably and toasted his own uncles, her fears were not assuaged. When he took Helaena to dance, Rhaenyra still held her breath, waiting for something to happen. At this point, she would take anything. That would be better than stewing in this strange fear.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, the Gods did hear her thoughts because as soon as Father left the room, Aemond stood up and toasted her sons with his vile words.
“Each of them handsome, wise, and Strong.”
Rhaenyra held her breath. Everyone stilled. The silence was broken when her eldest chuckled.
"Well then, let me propose a toast to you, uncle," Lucerys spoke up, mirth evident from his features even if his eyes were dark. “To my uncles, Aegon the Lusty and Aemond the One-eyed, each as green as their mothers' dress.”
Not many were unaware of what Luke had just implied. Green may be Hightower's beacon to war, but it also held another meaning in common literature. Envy.
Lucerys had not just insulted both princes with their titles; he had also implied that they were envious to their core.
Aemond swiveled towards her second eldest. “What did you say?”
Luke feigned innocence. "Am I wrong, Uncle? Everyone knows that both of you are going to inherit nothing. All you will have will be the scraps Mother will hand you. Is it wrong of us to acknowledge that your bitterness stems with us not from our alleged Strong blood but rather your status as being worse than even a second son?"
“You are nothing but a bastard!”
This time, it was Jacaerys who spoke up, still laughing in a low voice. “Even if that is true, we both come off better than you, don't we? Lucerys may be a second son, but unlike you, he will still be a Lord in his own right, something your brother, despite being the first son, can't achieve. Besides, better be a bastard than a Hightower half-breed. Compared to you, we are not ashamed of our ancestry, taking pride in our valerian blood. What have you done? Claimed a dragon whose previous rider had died not long ago and taunted her daughters, parading around in the Hightower green while taking advantage of all symbols of legitimacy afforded to you by Targaryen blood while simultaneously disrespecting its traditions and religion. At least when people see us, they don’t need to wonder if we are Targaryens or someone else. I have to ask, Uncle, what do people think about who you are when they look at you? A Targaryen or a Hightower?”
Aemond surged forward, trying to tackle Jace, but he was ready. With a swiftness that was the signature of Rogue Prince's student, Jacaerys sidestepped the older Prince and, in the same breath, took out a dagger and slashed it in the direction of his face. Alicent screamed, and Rhaenyra’s eyes widened, but she was distracted by Luke’s cry. She turned towards him, seeing him pinned down by Aegon, but in the next breath, her sweet, sweet Luke got his hand on a fork and stabbed it in his uncle’s throat without hesitation.
Chaos broke out. The guards surged forward to tackle both of her sons, but most got subdued by her own guards that her husband had insisted on bringing with them. Ser Criston Cole, famed for his skills and sword fighting, was also bcut down like a pig by a random soldier. Rhaena took Heleana to the side, not letting her see the bloodshed in the room. Otto Hightower also stepped towards his grandsons, but before he could reach them, Daemon intercepted him, taking off his head without any hesitation.
All of this happened in a matter of seconds. Rhaenyra stood there, shocked to her core. Not even in her wildest dreams did she imagine such a scene and that at the hands of her own sons. The only one in a state similar to her was Alicent, while everyone else was moving swiftly around both of them.
"Secure the room. No one can leave this place until the Red Keep is purged from traitors." Daemon barked orders to his men, each hurrying to obey his orders. Aegon was still gurgling on the floor, clutching his throat, while Aemond was screaming due to his ruined eye. None of her sons cared, though, as they easily sidestepped their fallen uncles and rushed out of the hall.
She was jolted out of her stupor when Alicent rushed towards her, screaming and accusing her of being a murderer. But just like others, she was intercepted by Baela, of all people.
“A queen for a queen, you wretch.” The girl whispered to Alicent before she strangled her to death.
The shock was too much for her. All the Princess could do was slide down to her chair. "What have you done," she whispered. Apparently, no one in the entire hall shared her remorse.
"What we should have done a long time ago.” Daemon sneered. Baela came to her on her father's gesture, ushered her out of the hall, took her to their chambers, and gave her a goblet to drink from. So great was her stupefaction that Rhaenyra did not realize when she hit the pillow, drugged by the sweet wine.
Surely it was a dream. Surely, when she woke up, all of this would be a figment of her imagination.
Daemon stalked the halls, patrolling the hallways for errant greens. A few moments later, Jacaerys joined him.
“Rhaenyra?” he inquired.
“She is sleeping. Baela is with her.”
“What about everyone else?”
“Rhaena had taken Halaena to Maegor’s holdfast. She is secured; no one could get in and out of that place. Grandmother Rhaenys and some sea guards are also there. Lucerys has taken all the children to King’s chambers and barricaded himself.”
Upon the young Prince's hesitation, Daemon raised an eyebrow. "What?"
“Should you not be with the King in his last moments?”
He should be. But what was the point? His brother singlehandedly brought the end of their house. After what Aegon had told him, there wasn’t much love left in Daemon for his brother. “He has been dead to us for more than two years. What can I do to comfort him? Let Lucerys do that. The boy is too soft for his own good.”
Jacaerys nodded. He couldn't change his stepfather's mind. Besides, they had bigger problems to contend with. Namely, the Green Council.
“Is Aegon still alive?”
Daemon snorted. "If you call slowly bleeding out on the floor like a pig, then yes, he is still alive. Do not worry, though; men are guarding him. As soon as someone mounts a heroic attempt to save him, they will put him out of his misery."
That made sense. As much as Jace wanted to hurt the bastard, he would prefer the safe ascension of his mother as soon as possible. “And what of Aemond? I don't get why you wanted to keep him alive, though."
It was hard to miss the madness from his stepfather's eyes. "What was it that his cunt mother said about our Aegon? Ah yes, cut off his body parts and send them to Black loyalists to warn them off? Daeron is still in Old Town. If the boy doesn't know what’s good for him and surrenders, I will personally cut Aemond piece by piece to send the message, starting by his feet.”
No one would stop Aemond from that. The entire family remembered vividly how Lucerys body wasn't even found. From the few bits of Arrax they were able to find, they could only assume that his brother’s body was not even intact. Returning the courtesy to that murederer would not make them loose their sleep in the slightest.
Daemon patted his back. "Tomorrow would be a long day. Go join your brother and get some rest. I would prefer you all to have your wits when dealing with Green Council. Aegon may understand what is happening, but Joffery is still too young. Having both of his older brothers might calm him down."
“And what are you going to do?” Jacaerys asked curiously.
Daemon smirked. “I have a rat to hunt.”