Chapter Text
Prologue
"The Higher Mysteries, the arts of magic were, and are beyond the boundaries of our mortal abilities to explain. "
-Maester Yandel, The World of Ice and Fire
The Vale.
Rhea Royce woke up by the shuffling of feet, a maidservant made her way to the windows and unfurled the curtains, resulting in daylight entering her chamber. She squinted through the bright light, her eyes hurting from the sudden flash. Rhea blinked a few times to adjust and rose herself from the bed.
"Must you wake me, Sheryl?" Rhea spoke her voice in a rasp. The aged head maid laughed quietly.
"You have a lot to do on your lists, Milady. Best to do it early so you can do what your heart desires after. "
Sheryl does have a point, Rhea thought. It has been months since her father died but although she succeeded as the Lady of Runestone when her father became Lord Protector of the young Jeyne Arryn, there are still many responsibilities to handle and unfinished records to carry on. She admits that being the Lady of Runestone is a privilege and a high honor as a Lady heir these times are rare but she won't deny that it is sometimes tedious and very draining.
"You all are dismissed, I can dress for myself."
The other maidservants looked up at Sheryl for confirmation. The old maid just sighed and nodded her head. As the servants left the room, Sheryl turned to her liege and spoke upfront.
"Don't do it often or they'll get used to it. "
"I am just going to do work, Sheryl. I don't need to dress extravagantly only for the ink to smudge it. I'm doing you all a favor." Rhea patted her maid's shoulder and walked over to the chair by the door to get her clothes that were brought in earlier. She raised it with both hands, the bronze armor was form-fitting and padded enough to give her comfort. It is littered with runes that appear all over the garment.
"Still, those girls need to acquaint themselves with dressing a Lady. It'll do them good in case guests from other houses come or in the event that they seek new employment elsewhere, they wouldn't risk getting punished by their new superior. I know you fancy your bronze armor milady but if you could only dress as a lady once in a while then it would be a learning experience for those girls and maybe vary your dressing choices. You are still a lady after all. "
Rhea held back rolling her eyes, she couldn't count how much this conservation had been brought up many times in the past years. She turned to Sheryl and gave her a tight smile.
"Very well but only once in a while. That's it. I am attached to this armor, it makes me feel like- like a Lord." She finished the last sentence with a whisper but all the inhabitants in the room heard it right.
For a while, both were silent. Old Maid Sheryl went to Lady Rhea and guided her to sit. She took a brush from her vanity and started brushing her lady's short brunette hair.
"You don't need a piece of clothing for that Lady Rhea. We all acknowledge you as our Liege ever since your father named you and no one here will tell you otherwise." Rhea scoffed.
"My relations beg to differ. They sent me another plea and I quote 'We are concerned with the future of the house, naming our son your heir will stabilize the succession', They don't recognize me as their Lord but as a stand-in for their child. It doesn't help either that I am with no child"
"You need not concern yourself with that. You can still carry a babe perhaps if you-"
"Whatever it is you are thinking, I advise you not to say it. The Gods know how I hate that man, I will not beg him for this." She put her finger up and sighed. Rhea banged her hand on the table out of frustration.
"If only that man died in the Stepstones. I would have been a free woman. My marriage would be void and I could wed someone decent and honorable, someone, who will not step back from his duty.
But no, the Gods have spared the bastard, and now I am still stuck with him!"
"Lady Rhea, be careful of your tongue, supporters of the Rogue Prince might hear it and it will only put you in trouble. People know how the King adores his brother and now with his recent victory in the war, his status is far greater than in the past. "
" Ha! I assure you Sheryl no supporter of his can be seen in the Vale. His actions the last time he was here cemented that." Rhea thought of the charred lands and the many sheep carcasses her men had to dispose of. Not to mention the amount of coins she had to pay to compensate the shepherds and the farmers.
" Still, it doesn't hurt to be careful. Loyalty can be bought." Sheryl brought her hand over her hair, Rhea eyed the movement as she thought of that man.
"If he adores his brother, he would set him in place. Remind him of his duty. Instead, he keeps on indulging him. No wonder that bastard becomes so spoiled. Ah! Enough of this talk, it's too early this morning to discuss him. "
Sheryl merely sighed and continued working her way through her lady's hair. Since Rhea's hair is short she just pinned the top portion of her hair and let the bottom fall freely. Rhea nodded in satisfaction and rose from her seat to change.
"I can take it from here, you are dismissed." The head maid stared at her, Rhea just gave her a tight smile in return though her eyes were teasing her. Sheryl huffed and left the chambers.
She took her armor and dressed herself. She made a clicking sound in her mouth when she was finished. Rhea went to the mirror and looked at her appearance.
Although she wore this numerous times, on some days even in different variations, she just couldn't help staring at her reflection whenever she donned this garment. What would her father think now? Would he be pleased or is he going to be disappointed with how her current affairs are going?
Stop it. Father fought for the position I have right now. He believed in me, so I should too.
Her eyes found her way to a small box tucked in the corner of her vanity. She opened it and found a ring with small rubies surrounding the bronze band. She gazed at it and a memory of her father resurfaced.
"I found this gemstone on the shores near Gulltown. It was beautiful so I had it broken down and fashioned into the ring. I figured the red stone would bring variety, the Gods knows how many bronze trinkets you have in your chambers." Rhea laughed at that.
"I was supposed to give this to you after your wedding night but after that happened I figured it wasn't the right time so I had it hidden in my quarters." She glanced at the ring placed on the night table beside her father's bed.
" I wished many times that I had not married you to that man-"
"It's not your fault, father."
"I had a hand with it, nonetheless. I always saw him as wild but I thought once he settled down he would honor and perform his duty especially with him being a prince but I see now that as time goes by he grows worse. I regret it so much Dear Rhea" His talk was interrupted with bursts of cough, his hand on his mouth and the other on his chest. Rhea went and rubbed his back to ease the pain somehow.
"You should rest now, Father."
"No, Rhea-" His voice was hoarse and he tried speaking to her but he was once again attacked wildly with his coughs.
"I shall fetch the Maester. We will continue to talk tomorrow."
But there was no tomorrow because her father died the next day.
She remembered the funeral that happened afterward. Ravens were sent all over Westeros to inform them of the death of Lord Yorbert Royce. Many fellow vassal houses the likes of Redforts, Corbray, and Grafton came. Representatives from the High Houses also came and expressed their condolences. Lady Jeyne Arryn came the very second she heard about her father's death and stayed with her from the beginning until he was buried beneath the earth. Even the King, though could not come, sent a letter of condolences and complimented his father's achievements throughout his years, and although it was all formality it still warmed her the same.
Rhea waited and waited but he did not come.
Ever since that day all the remaining little respect she had for him vanished and the feeling of hate just grew more every day.
She took the ring from the box and wore it. She could have sworn she saw the gemstone glow red for a second but it was probably the light playing tricks on her. With everything settled, she made her way to the office and started doing the work that was expected of her.
She doesn't need him, she thought. If the war won't kill him then his frequent drinking and visits to whorehouses will. She really hopes he will procure a disease and die. The realm would be happier.
Rhea was itching to go outdoors. Time inside the office has drained her and had her longing to bask under the warmth of the sun, smelling the fresh scent of grass.
Wanting to be free from the confines of her office and the intense aroma of inks, she placed down the papers and hastened her way to the stables. There she greeted the stablehand who was a young boy, Mika was his name.
"Fetch me a horse, Mika. I will be riding out today."
She glanced at the skies and decided it would be great to be hunting as well. She also had the boy fetch her bow and arrows.
If hunting was the only thing I would do, I would be very happy. Rhea thought to herself. There is no use in thinking what-ifs however, the only thing she should put her focus on is the future and that is it.
Sometime later, the boy returned with a white mare and her bow fastened in the saddle. She mounted her horse and rode away from the castle, leaving instructions for the boy to await her return and also to take care of the other horses. Old Yorkar was supposed to be the one handling the stables but she supposed he was training this boy to succeed him. Still, he was far too young and needed supervision. I'll scold him for that later.
The sky was overcast, the sun covered by the clouds but not so much that it darkened it, just enough for some of the sunlight to pass through. The bird's screeches were heard all over as she passed through hills, and just like that all her problems seemed to vanish with the sound.
Her horse galloped over the field, the wind hitting her face. The sight of the castle of Runestone came into view and brought her into a state of awe. The castle will always have a special place in her heart, often she would feel as if her ancestors are looking at her through their house abode.
How times changed, Royces were once kings of these lands until the Andals came and their house swore fealty to them. Now it was the remains of Valyria who entered the game and had all the houses bend to their knees. I wonder if some forgotten foreigner would come next and annex the current rulers. Though with how the Targaryens are slowly growing in numbers, especially the dragons. Highly unlikely.
Rhea's horse galloped over hills, across the fields of grass until she saw a figure who was on horseback ahead.
"Good morning Lady Rhea" The man greeted. He was clad with similar bronze armor and runes surrounding the fabric, akin to their house.
Gerold.
"Cousin." She nodded.
"What's today's quarry, Rabbit?" She scoffed internally, after all the years she hunted together with him and her father did he really think she would settle for only a rabbit?
"Deer."
Gerold raised his brows at that. Yes, I'm doing it alone. So what?, Rhea thought.
"Fine Challenge, care for some company? "
No.
"I'd rather ride alone." She answered. He pursed his lips with her response and just nodded in return.
"Good fortune to you."
Gerold can be helpful at times, unlike her other relatives. Still, he has a tendency to babble quite a lot and she would rather have a quiet morning with her attention focused on catching deer than listen to him ramble about things she couldn't care less.
Rhea steered her horse and rode towards the south, the speed just enough for her to gaze at the lands she grew up with. All of this land, hers. Barren but beautiful. All of this would be improved soon, Once she clears up the work her father left her, she will begin the construction of new infrastructures where her descendants will look at their lands with pride, and her ancestors nod to satisfaction.
Yes, everything will come to its place, I just need to be patient for a little while.
After galloping over the hills and passing through the forests she soon arrived at a narrow passage. Surrounded by rigid and ragged stones lies a tight path with a figure in the center ahead, blocking her way. The stranger wore a gray cloak and approached her as soon as she came into sight.
Once Rhea got into range she could make out that silver-gold hair hidden under the hood. No other Targaryen has come to the Vale, not since Aemma.
"Husband." She calls out in recognition, if one was keen they would recognize the disgust aimed at her words.
All this man ever did in their marriage was run, spreading profanities and insults to her name.
Perhaps, at the early stages of marriage, it was his insecurity taking hold as Rhea has lands and he does not. Nevertheless, his immaturity has reached its boiling point. A Decade after the marriage, Rhea is still heirless and he probably has many bastards all over Westeros.
"What brings you to the Vale?" He paused, and she glanced at her backside to see if he brought his dragon with him. His dragon is not here. She scoffed.
"Well, Have you, at last, come to consummate our marriage? "
No one can deny how Rhea feels at the moment. Seeing the man who is responsible for all the ridicule and mocking she receives outside of Vale and is in a way also responsible for the current predicament she has now. She couldn't hold back her tongue.
His comments reached so wide that they traveled to her people, offending not only her but the whole of Vale. Jeyne Arryn, as mature as she is at her young age, once threatened to go to King's Landing and demand an apology in a bout of childishness. Thankfully her father who was Lord Protector at that time was able to calm her down and told her it was not a good idea. Though even my father was displeased when news of his insults traveled to the Vale.
"The Vale sheep might be willing even if I'm not...our sheep are prettier after all,"
Fucking Bastard acted like he was the only one forced into this marriage.
Rhea could never blame her father for this union. However, she still resents this decision. At that time her father needed a strong power to solidify her claim in Runestone. When the Late Queen Alyssane suggested this pairing to her father, he took it right away without even considering the kind of man he married his daughter.
In all her slander, Daemon only stands and listens, keeping his purple eyes on her the whole time, glaring.
It unnerved her.
"Or perhaps your brother has, at last, had his fill of your company, cast you aside in favor of a little girl. "
Daemon steps forward and holds his hand out. The horse jolts in fear and retreats a few steps.
What is this bastard doing?
"What will you do now? Will you strike the child down or-"
That's when Rhea smelled it.
He stinks of dragonback. This fu-
Rhea, gasping in recognition of what he was trying to do, reaches out for her bow. Daemon kept an eye on her as he continued to hold out his hand in front of the horse, putting fear in the prey. What happened after that was all a blur, once she grabbed the bow she saw him reach his hands out, spooking the horse in turn which led it to flip carrying her along with it. She landed straight on her back with the weight of her horse slammed into her fall.
At first, a spur of pain traveled throughout her body, and then nothing.
She cannot move.
The horse, unscathed, got up and ran its way out of the scene, abandoning the Lady of Runestone.
Daemon approached Rhea, placed a foot on her forearm and her body didn't flinch. She whimpers at the realization that she is paralyzed from her arms to her legs. Her husband turns his back and prepares to leave. In anger mixed with delirium, Rhea called him out.
"I knew you couldn't finish."
"Craven!"
Daemon stopped to glance at her then lifted a rock from the ground. Rhea's cries magnify as she feels her impending doom. She felt a burning sensation in her fingers but she took no notice as her head was filled with thoughts about her people and the future of her house. As her husband slowly went closer, she cried internally to the Gods about why she was given such a fate.
Rhea woke up with a start, her skin drenched with sweat but all she could feel was dread. She brought her arms in front of her and shook them.
I can still feel them.
Rhea clutched her hands to her breast and wept silently so as to not alert the servants and the knights stationed across Runestone. Her form was shivering not because of the coldness of the room but because of fear. Her death was still a glaring memory and the thought of how it happened was frightening even if it was a dream.
Or was it?
As this thought came through her mind, her eyes traveled to an object glinting on the walls across her.
With anger replacing her feeling of helplessness, she rose from her bed took her house's Valyrian blade, the Lamentation, and stormed out of her room with determination. At another time, Rhea would have thought about this matter thoroughly but all of the thoughts in her head were filled with what happened in that dream, or was it even a dream?
The exit of the Lady of Runestone from her chambers in this ungodly hour alerted the knights patrolling around the castle, especially with her carrying the famed Valyrian steel in her hands.
"Lady Rhea, is there something we could do to assist you at this hour?"
Rhea did not answer his question. She paid no heed as she advanced herself to the stables with one thought in mind.
Entering the stables, the force from opening the door made a loud noise waking the stablehand. To Rhea's recognition, it was the same boy from the dream. Mika. This just made her body grow colder and her heart beat faster. He got up to his feet once he recognized the presence of the Lady Rhea Royce.
" Milady what can-"
"Leave."
"Uh Mi-"
"I will not repeat myself. " She interrupted him leaving no words for him to finish.
"Yes." Mika scurried and went his way quickly to the door of the stables.
"Boy," Rhea called out and Mika paused.
"Tell Yorkar to resume his post and not leave you unattended. If he passes on his work to you again. I will have him dismissed. Understood?"
Mika bobbed his head in reply and continued his way to the door.
Once he left, Rhea walked through the stables, examining each horse in its stall until she found the same white mare on the end of the left side. She slowly opened the doors and approached the horse.
"Come here, girl."
Rhea took the reins and put them on the white mare. Once she finished, she pulled the horse and left the stables. She was only in her nightgown and if people were awake, they would frown at her display but she couldn't care less about what others thought.
The sound of the hooves mirrored the loud beating of her heart. The silence of the dawn amplified it further and even her ears feel as if it is going to burst inside. She does not want to do this but she has to. She will make sure that anything from that dream will never happen.
Survive. Live.
She has been repeating those words ever since she left the stables. Standing idle was what led to her death. She has no care of the world outside of Vale and opts for a recluse in her lands with the reason of managing it. She was too lax and looked at what had happened to her in that dream. She needed to be reminded how her world is different and that whether she likes it or not she will be greatly affected by its wave. She needs to take charge and it doesn't matter if she turns inhumane in doing so.
It took almost half an hour of walking with the horse for her to arrive. She pulled the reins to the last place she saw herself in that dream.
The one where she saw Daemon and the place where Rhea died.
She could still feel it, the feeling of helplessness, and it grew only stronger when she stopped at the place where she was lying down from her fall. She stared at it for a minute then took her sword hanging from the saddle, unsheathing it.
"This would be quick. I am sorry."
She drove Lamentation deep into the horse's heart, the horse screamed at the pain. Rhea's eyes watered and her lips quivered but her hands stayed at the hilt of her sword, shoving it even deeper until no sound came from the animal. The blood from the mare got over her face and all over her white gown. She could imagine how she looked right now but for her survival, she would do anything. The horse may not be at fault but she needs to make sure it will never happen.
She took the sword out and looked at the sight in front of her. She closed her eyes in pain and kneeled before the corpse, mumbling a simple prayer. She stood and stared at the empty pathway littered with stones. She recognized the stone that Daemon used, she gritted her jaw at the sight but she picked it up, weighing it in her hands. She decided to bring it with her on her way to her residence.
Rhea's thoughts were so clouded with plans on how she was going to handle Daemon that she did not notice that she was wearing the ring nor did she notice the red eerie glow coming from it as she walked her way back to Runestone.
Shadowborn Act I : Prologue