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03/ A LOVELY WAY TO BURN
NOW.
A lot could happen in one year.
Maelora Targaryen thought when her half-sister Rhaenyra and her children left the King's Landing to live in Dragonstone with Prince Daemon 6 years ago, everything would become simpler in her life. That her mother would be merrier and less pressuring, and that her father Viserys would be more attentive to his other children. She thought, like a piece of slashed flesh stitched up, her family would slowly heal, knitting up.
Maelora wasn't sure when the misfortunes covered the Targaryen family like a cloak. But, their days were getting darker and darker with every passing day.
King Viserys' sickness weakened his body, making him no longer able to rule his kingdom. Queen Alicent and her father Otto Hightower took this mission, which meant Maelora could barely see her mother anymore. She was always too busy and when she was not, she was too weary.
Aemond, her twin brother, her other half, was split from her the way lands were split with seas. He focused on his studies and training, even skipping dinners sometimes. Although his chamber was next to Maelora's, the girl could barely see her twin anymore. He always had an excuse to ditch their plans and even when he stood next to her, he felt too far away.
Helaena spent her time in the garden with her bugs. She barely formed a proper sentence without speaking in riddles anymore. She also refused to be touched. It was hard to communicate with her. She was fading away from existence slowly, slipping away from Maelora's fingers.
Aegon was Aegon, as always. He carried a cup of wine everywhere, his eyes half-closed by his drunkness. He was usually out of the castle, rumors lingering that he spent his nights in the Street of Silk and when he was home, he spent his days sleeping all day as if he was dead.
Daeron occasionally came to the Red Keep for a visit, staying for a week at most before he went back to Oldtown where he would try to write to his family almost every day. Maelora specifically asked - almost even begged- him to give as much detail as he could so that the girl could pretend like she was always there with her little brother and ignore the fact that even though they were bonded by blood, their lives were drifting away like dry leaves on the ground carried away from each other by the gentle breeze.
Life slid by right in front of Maelora's eyes. It was in a blur, too fast to catch any glimpse of it. Minutes and seconds were playing a game of tag, days competing with each other in a race, months melting into each other.
