Chapter Text
She doesn’t know how this cluster fuck has happened.
She wants to cry, to drown the world in buckets of tears and herself along with it - but as she waits in in the courthouse in her smartest and most motherly suit which she owns – she spins the rings on her fingers relentlessly as she waits for the verdict from the judge.
A frail looking man hobbles through the door and she smiles nervously up at him. He’s been the family lawyer for forty-five years.
He gives her a thumbs up and she clutches at her handbag. Considers voiding the contents of her stomach into it but thinks better of it at the last minute.
She’s twenty-five.
Repeat. Twenty-five.
And now the pseudo-mother of three kids.
Aegon, aged twelve. Aemond, aged ten and little Helaena. Four years old.
‘’You can collect them tomorrow morning. Nine am sharp, mind you. Don’t be late.’’
Rhaenyra pales.
****
Three weeks ago
‘’Gods, how much did I drink last night, Laena?’’ Rhaenyra growls as she pads over to the fridge to find a gallon of water to quench her thirst. Tongue tasting like sandpaper, she gulps greedily and ignores her roommates snort as liquid trickles from the side of her mouth. She heaves, gasping for breath like a guppy sucking down air, as she wipes her mouth with the back of her hand.
‘’You went at it hard last night.’’
‘’I can barely remember a thing.’’ She groans as she presses her forehead against the smooth, cold surface of the fridge.
‘’I’m not surprised. Absinthe will do that to you.’’ Laena titters behind her steaming mug of tea. ‘’You’re all over the news you know.’’
Rhaenyra whips her head over her shoulder, horrified.
‘’What?!’’
Laena hums, scrolling through her phone and sliding it across the breakfast bar towards her. Rhaenyra picks it up and with growing shame sees pictures of herself draped over various men throughout the course of the night. Her barely there black body con dress having ridden high enough to flash her blood red thong between her legs.
She cant remember any of it, but as she scrolls - her tongue in that ones mouth, her hand on that one’s crotch – she slides the phone back with a groan and puts her head in her hands.
‘’Need to call Pat.’’
‘’Already done. They’ll try to minimise the fallout. You’re a model. What do they expect? You’re a party girl, Rhaenyra. Anyone who knows you, knows this.’’
Rhaenyra scowls.
It’s not that she was a party girl – she just had no tolerance for strong alcohol and once it started flowing – she could never think of a good enough reason to stop. What did she have in her life really apart from her modelling and her roommate.? Who, incidentally, was out with Harwin more often than not these days and creating scandals of her own.
Having filed for emancipation at sixteen, and having won; she had separated herself from the Targaryen line for good. Another second in that house would have forced her to do something drastic. Something there was no coming back from.
Yes, she partied, and dated, and fucked who she wanted and occasionally dabbled in the odd recreational drug when things really got into the swing of things, but she was the third most requested model across the globe – and being a model wasn’t as glamorous or as easy as everyone thought it was.
‘’Are you still flying out to Beijing tomorrow?’’ Laena asks as she pours herself a bowl of fruitloops, the sight of the coloured sugary treats making Rhaenyra’s mouth water. Its been years since she has allowed herself even a taste of sugar – unless it came in a cocktail glass of course.
She glares at her roommate who simply smirks quite knowingly and shoves another spoonful into her mouth.
Bitch
‘’Uh-huh. Flight is at four am. Fuck, I’m not looking forward to it.’’
‘’Just think of the money, honey.’’
Rhaenyra snorts. ‘’It’s all I think about.’’ She retorts as she grabs another bottle of water and traipses back to her bedroom.
Throwing herself down her bed, the blue screen from her phone illuminating her face as she scrolls through all the headlines, a genuine smile crosses her face as she stumbles across one which ends with her chortling.
‘Daemon Targaryen spotted leaving KL Club with three hot blondes.’
Rhaenyra smirks. Her uncle has always had a particular taste in women. As a child she had had a brief crush on her remarkably good-looking uncle - but it had quickly worn off as she had gotten older. She saw him only at family gatherings, holidays, or special celebrations. She loves him dearly, despite the fact that she hasn’t actually physically seen him for two years.
They messaged one another every few days. The ritualistic hey, how are you, yes fine thank you, a habit now which grounded her when she felt overwhelmed. There was at least one person on this planet who cared for her.
Rolling over onto her stomach - she zooms in on the picture and her thumb unknowingly traces his face. She misses him – but her pride would never let her call him. She’s done exceptionally well for herself since leaving her childhood home. She could never disrupt his life with all her bullshit.
Rhaenyra clamps down on the thoughts of what her life could have been had her mother not died. It had all gone to shit from there, really.
The house had gone from deeply mourning Aemma’s passing - to suddenly being filled with the sounds of babies crying every hour of the goddamn night and ongoing arguments which lasted for weeks. Aegon had been born not even two months after her mother died. Then came Aemond and finally Helaena.
She knows she should love her siblings, innocent in all of this, but she would never forgive her dad for cheating on her mom before she died of cancer. The decision to cut herself off from them had been the easiest one she has ever made in her life.
Rhaenyra curls herself into a ball, knees close to her stomach as she huffs. Hangover days were the worst. Everything seemed more fucked, more dire and she inevitably spent the day feeling sorry for herself and thinking of all the what ifs and what could have been daydreams.
Her head pounds sharply and she pulls a pillow down from above her head and snuggles into the cool side of it, hoping to lessen the thudding.
She would sleep for a few hours, have a shower, and hit the club again.
Drink, rinse, sleep – repeat.
After all, there was nothing or no one waiting for Rhaenyra Aaron.
****
Rheanyras eyes blink open in fright as rough hands shake her shoulder, jostling the mattress and she slaps at the hands until they draw back. She rubs her eyes and sees Laena standing at the foot of her bed.
‘’What the fuck?!’’ she hisses venomously but when there’s no scathing retort in response, Rhaenyra cocks her head in concern as she notes how pale her cousins face is.
‘’Switch on your TV.’’ Laena murmurs softly and Rhaenyra huffs, her heart starting to race as anxiety kicks in. She fumbles for the remote on her bedside table, aiming it at the screen and blearily wipes the remnants of last nights mascara out of her eyes.
‘’The footage here may be distressing to some viewers. It has been confirmed that the helicopter which crashed shortly after seven o’clock this evening, belonged to Viserys Targaryen.’’
Rhaneyra stares open mouthed at the TV as the footage depicts the smouldering remains of chopper blades, bloodied seats askew and missing from the interior all together. Oxygen masks dangle uselessly in the breeze as the camera pans across the wreckage, every detail enhanced and horrendously vivid. Metal is twisted and burned into garish spikes, smeared with black oil.
‘’It is now ten minutes past eight and we have just received confirmation that the three passengers on board have been pronounced dead on arrival at Seattle Green Hospital. The names of the unfortunate occupants are Viserys Targaryen, Alicent Targaryen and Otto Hightower.’’
The blood drains from Rheanyras face and its only when she feels the strong arms of her cousin clench around her does she realise she is screaming.
Her throat burns, the agony of losing her father – guilt which now batters at her as their last conversation plays through her mind - overwhelms her entirely. The yelling, the fighting – the endless silence for years after that would now linger forever between them.
Rhaenyra knows that Laena is talking to her, she can vaguely make out that someone is talking, but she cannot take her eyes away from the screen as pictures of her father appear alongside footage of the crash.
Her phone rings – the vibration rattling the glass bottle of water on her table.
****
The funeral is a grand affair. No expense has been spared and Rhaenyra has had zero involvement in any of the arrangements. She had been sent a card dictating the time and place, the elegant swirling scrawl making her stomach clench with how impersonal it all felt.
She stands at the back of the crowd, platinum blonde hair in a bun at the nape of her neck. A black veil shields her from the scowls and curious looks of the people in attendance. The itch at the back of her neck intensifies and she curls her hand into a fist by her side. She will not show weakness in front of these people, these vultures who now all look at her like their next meal ticket.
On top of the shock of her father dying – was the sudden onset of the fact that she was still the heir to the vast majority of her father’s worldly possessions. The will having been read out the week prior to the funeral and naming her the sole beneficiary.
She had declined to take over the shares she had inherited in her fathers company, the nepotism of it all settling like sludge in her belly. She had had the family lawyer draw up the papers relinquishing her hold and ties and had named Daemon in her stead. May he do what he wanted now with the company her father had tried so hard to keep him out of.
Rhaenyra discreetly casts her eyes about the room – having followed the procession of fake mourners back to the hotel where the wake was being held – and was unsurprised to find that her uncle was not here.
She knew he wouldn’t come. His pride would never let him show up. The way he had been ousted from the family, blacklisted, and shamed – she didn’t blame him. She never would.
‘’I want mama.’’ Rhaenyra hears from the corner of the room where a stern, grey-haired woman harshly hushes her little sisters weepy pleas.
‘’I want mama.’’ Rhaenyra closes her eyes, sadness for her siblings as they all sit forlornly and devastated against a couch tucked away in the corner.
‘’Be quiet this instant, Helaena. We have discussed this. Your mother is gone. It was her wish that you continue to be raised and taught by me and when we get home, young lady, I will be correcting your manners in the way that I ought to have been allowed to from the very beginning.’’
Rhaenyra takes a step forward.
‘’You cant talk to her like that!’’ Aegon jumps up and Aemond is quick to follow.
‘’Oh, yes I can. I am your governess. It was your mothers and fathers wish – ‘’
‘’Eggy, I want mama.’’ Helaena cries, tugging on his sleeve and her tears now drip down her blotchy, angelic red face.
The governess yanks the small child to her feet by her wrist and all Heleana yelps.
Rhaenyra takes another step forward. The hand around the stem of her wine glass shaking.
‘’How dare you think you can speak to me like that? All my years of faithful service and sacrifice to feed you, teach you, and raise you into respectable members of society. This insolence will no longer stand, Aegon. Your parents are no longer with us and you will do as I say or you will live to regret it. You are nothing now, boy. All of it has gone to your sister.’’ The governess smirks tugging Heleana’s arm violently upwards, nails digging into her skin.
Aemond latches onto the woman’s arm – and bites.
Everyone in the room is startled when an ear-piercing scream shatters the sombre affair.
Rhaenyra growls low as she catches the hand intending to hit her little brother; her feet having flown her across the room without a second thought.
Recognition flares in the governesses eyes, nostrils flaring and she pales considerably to a waxed-moon hue. ‘’Miss T-Targaryen.’’ She gulps and Rhaenyra tightens her grip around the old crows hand, bringing it down and roughly tossing it to the side.
The governess brings her curled fist to her chest, mouth agape in alarm. Rhaenyra can feel all the eyes of the wake on her, quiet tittering and whispering but she also feels the soft, warm body of her little sister behind her.
‘’I – I was only educating your siblings. They are mannerless little cretins but I promise you that I will teach them their place – ‘’
Rhaenyra raises her glass – pouring the contents of her wine over the governess’ head.
Aegon chuckles wildly, almost hysterically at the sight and Rhaenyra feels her lips quirk at the sound.
‘’You’re fired. Get out of my sight.’’ She hisses darkly and the governess bursts into tears. ‘’The next time you go near children – I’ll have you arrested for abuse.’’
‘’You cant do that! Mistress Alicent left strict instructions – ‘’
‘’Which I am now overriding. As the Targaryen heir, I think you’ll find that I have enough clout to do whatever the fuck I want now, including making sure that you disappear down whatever black hole it is that you crawled out of.’’
Dismissing her by turning her back – Rhaenyra faces the children she hasn’t seen since for almost a decade, having in fact never met Helaena at all up until now. Crouching, Rhaenyra lifts her veil and attempts to give them a comforting smile.
Heleana clings to Aemond and they both look suspiciously at her. Aegon, however is still laughing quietly and tears are running down his face.
‘’Do you want to live me with me?’’ Rhaenyra asks as she looks at them all and cocks her head.
She says the words without thinking about them too deeply. She just knows… feels… that its now her responsibility to see that they received a childhood they could look back on with fondness. Her heart hammers in her chest as the enormity of what she’s just asked begins to slam into her.
‘’Sure. Better you than an orphanage.’’ Aegon shrugs, sticking his hands in his pockets and avoiding her gaze.
‘’Aemond?’’ Rheanyra questions softly and the boy jolts, blushing. He nods, avoiding her eyes.
‘’Well, that’s settled then. I’ll make a few calls and hopefully, by the end of the week, all of you will never have to worry about being hit or mistreated again.’’
Heleana looks up at her with tear-stained cheeks, snot bubbling from her nose and gives her a weak smile.
Rhaenyra reaches out carefully and brushes her little sisters hair out of her face. ‘’I’ll see you soon. All of you.’’
Walking away, she stops briefly outside to watch how security manhandles the governess into a black SUV and drives off. Rhaenyra unlocks her phone and scrolls down to the number she never thought she would need to call.
It rings, and rings and rings until she feels her toes begin to scrunch in her four-inch heels in discomfort and anticipation.
‘’What.’’
Crisp. Clear. Curt.
Beautiful.
‘’Uncle Daemon?’’
She places a hand over heart as it skitters around her chest. She hears his low, sultry laugh, immediately picturing him with his signature shit-eating grin.
Warmth blossoms beautifully inside of her at the sound of her name leaving his lips.