The Darkness We Hide

Chapter 3

Days had passed since Princess Viserra and Lord Arryn tragically died, with Ser Laenor following the next evening. Ser Laenor was slain by his companion, Ser Qarl, in a duel that left House Velaryon weak. Lord Corlys and Princess Rhaenys were shattered at the news of their son. Both of them, childless and knowing more grief than love. Though both suspected it was Rhaenyra behind the murder since she married Prince Daemon almost immediately.

Now everyone gathered at Dragonstone for Princess Viserra's funeral. There was a lot of back and forth on her proceedings. Some felt she should be cremated at The Vale, some thought King's Landing. But only three people fought tooth and nail for her to be cremated at the very same place she was born. Alys, Daemon and Rhaenyra.

There was one issue that the three remained in agreement on that they couldn't win though. Daemon and Rhaenyra begged and pleaded for the king to hold separate funerals, but he refused to see reason. And when he looked at Alys for an answer, she still refused to even look at him.

Prince Daeron, the king's youngest son, was also finally in attendance for his sister's funeral. He was only a year younger than Aemond, but the two stood about the same height. Daeron didn't particularly know his two half sisters all that well, but he was under Alicent's thumb enough that he was only there as a formality.

Everyone stood quietly as the Sept continued the eulogy, equally divided in the field at the funeral. Three funeral pyres, but Lord Arryn's was separated from his wife's pyre at Alys' request while Alys stood alone in between her parents with Braxes immediately behind her.

The greens and Viserys on Lord Arryn's side, the blacks on Princess Viserra's side. It wasn't out of political rebellion between the two, but solely just to prevent another funeral incident happening between any of the children, Alys included. Other lords and ladies of the realm traveled as well, lingering far in the back as they all trembled before Braxes.

Alys' eyes remained solely on her mother and baby brother's pyre. She wanted to crawl atop with her mother and shout the command. Each day felt like a heavier weight was placed on her back and today, her spine couldn't handle much more.

Aemond couldn't pull his eye away from Alys for one minute. Half his face was bandaged up with his cloak over him, but he could not look away from her. He didn't care about his rivalry with his nephews and cousins. If he thought he could, he'd run right across to her and pull her into his arms and tell her it would be ok. But instead he just watched her.

He watched her blankly focus on her mother's pyre with tears continuing down her cheeks, not even noticing tears of his own blooming. Every bit of light in her had been sucked away. He noticed her toying anxiously with a ring on her thumb. 

"May the gods give them rest. Lady Alyssa, if you would please." The sept ended looking towards the young girl.

Alys swallowed hard, walking forward to the heads of her mother and brother. She reached up, placing a scroll beside each of their heads. She lingered for a moment by her mother's head. Her finger just barely grazed the wrapping of Viserra's head and felt like the wind was knocked out of her for a moment.

Her head was hung the entire time as she sang that very same lullaby just loud enough for her to hear.

"Brave little girl, my brave little girl. Someday you will conquer the world. Trust your heart, and know it's true. For I will always protect you."

Her eyes flickered up for a moment when she heard a sniffle to her right. With one crying eye looking back at her was Aemond. He looked a mess, emotionally. He had snot dripping from his nose, with tears streaming down reddened, puffy cheeks. For some reason, she couldn't look away from him and neither could he.