CELTIGAR - House of The Dragon

The Battle for Winterfell

The battle raged on as Stark men defended their home, all their bannermen fiercely figthing the Greens alongside the rest of the Blacks. In the skies, dragons fought dragons, Caraxes and Syrax busy trying to burn the rest of the Greens troops before they could reach Winterfell. Vhagar, Tessarion, Sunfyre and Dreamfyre breathed fire as their riders fought valiantly on the ground below them. Soon, Daeron reached his dragon, Tessarion, and mounted him to find Meleys and Rhaenys who had been out patrolling before the battle started. Countless men and women had already died and night was slowly falling on the battlefield.

Rhea was now in the midst of all the action, searching for Aemond. Whatever the outcome, songs would be sung about this encounter here in the North, Rhea thought. It was too extraordinary a battle for it to fall into oblivion, one the likes of Westeros hadn't bore witness to since ages. It was the first time both the Black Queen and Green King had found themselves in the same place, waging war against each other. They had never directly led their troops against their own kin before, and it would be the last. This day would be crucial. They all knew it would end there, and they fought as if they would not see the next day.

Most of them would not.

As she raced through the field, Rhea came face to face with someone she wished she wouldn't have to face. Both of them stood a few metres away from the other, bloody swords in hand, bruises and blood on their similar faces. Rhea looked in the man's eyes, the same as hers, and she felt a sharp twinge in her heart. Before her was Orys Celtigar, her cousin, the man she had named her successor as Head of their House.

As he took off his helmet and strode towards her, Rhea saw that his dark hair was now short, and sweat had slicked it back. She breathed quick as she herself took the last remaining steps towards her cousin and clamped her hands on his forearms. They had not seen each other in years, and, the last time they did, they were still allies. Now, they were enemies and all reason would tell them to kill the other and end it there, but they were family and their ties were much deeper than that. While the Targaryens had spent the past two years killing each other, the Celtigars had orders not to harm Rhea. Orders which, she knew very well, came from Orys. He still had hope that, after all this, Rhea would return to her House and take back her rightful position as their Head. Rhea, on the contrary, was well aware such a thing would never be possible.

"Orys, cousin," Rhea whispered, still not believing he was standing in front of her.

"I always said it would end like this, on opposite sides of a battlefield," the tall dark-haired man stated sadly, regret in his tone. "I did say it would, when you bent the knee to Aegon."

Rhea's eyes fluttered with heartache.

"What I did then, I would do again," she said squeezing her cousin's arm. She led them to a distant corner so they wouldn't stand in the middle of men fighting. "For I did it to ensure the prosperity of my House."

Both of them looked at the other feeling conflicted, while they wanted to hate each other, they couldn't.

"The sacrifices you made did not go unseen, cousin," Orys spoke emphatically. "I want you to know that. With Rhaenyra, our name is no longer bearing the shame it used to until you came along. You led us back into our former glory and it is now restored. House Celtigar is back among the Great Houses of Westeros, because of you."

Rhea smiled proudly, a single tear rolling out of her eye. All her life, it had been her goal, before everything changed. To know it had finally happened filled her with immense joy, whether or not she could see it didn't matter to her, simply knowing was enough.

"Thank you, Orys," Rhea's voice broke. "For keeping your word."

The man smiled.

"Always, cousin."