Surviving

Chapter 37: The Girl Who Fell Apart

There wasn't much that surprised Queen Rhaenyra anymore, there wasn't much left for her to feel after the storm she'd been thrown into since Princess Rhaenys returned. So much had been taken from her, and yet so much more stood before her now, covered in dirt and trembling with nerves.

Rhaenyra thought her eyes were deceiving her. That she was just mad with grief. The gods had been beyond cruel to her, so why wouldn't they be now?

But then she felt fingers reach for hers, warmer than ever.

Naerys.

Rhaenyra felt that warmth and immediately pulled her eldest child into her arms, nearly falling to her knees when Naerys collapsed against her with relief. Her daughter, her only daughter. Home.

"I'm so sorry, mother." Naerys wept with her tears staining Rhaenyra's black cloak. She was safe. She didn't have to hide anymore. She was home.

"Shhh, Naer..." Rhaenyra cooed into Naerys' hair, tightening her hold around her daughter with her eyes shut tightly together. Words couldn't begin to describe the relief the queen felt at that moment. There was still hope. "The fault does not lie with you in this, sweet girl."

"But it does, mother!" Naerys whined, sniffling harshly before she started to pull away with a fearful look on her face as she whispered. "I could've stopped him."

Rhaenyra furrowed her eyebrows together. "What do you mean, Naer?"

Naerys' lips pressed tightly together with her eyes dropping down to her mother's stomach hidden underneath her cloak. She remembered what she saw as she snuck into the castle. She remembered the faint image of flames over a small pyre.

"Naerys..." A voice gasped from behind them, making Naerys turn to see Rhaenys rushing towards them with tears streaming down her face. Rhaenys pulled the girl into her arms, practically crushing her in her hold, but Naerys didn't care. She was just happy to be with her family once more. "What happened? You were supposed to remain with Ser Erryk."

"We got separated..." Naerys admitted when Rhaenys pulled away from her with concern filling her violet eyes. Flashes of the coronation appeared in Naerys' mind, making her swallow nervously. Naerys' head snapped towards her mother instantly with fear creeping through her once more. "I saw them crown him...mother, we have to do something. We have to stop them."

"Naer..." Rhaenyra sighed regretfully, but Naerys was desperate.

"He cannot be king! Mother, please! He is a monster!" Naerys pleaded through trembling breaths, barely noticing Rhaenys' hand slipping into hers for support.

"Perhaps this conversation is better suited in private..." Rhaenys gave a knowing look towards Rhaenyra, but Rhaenyra could see something off in her cousin's eyes. Something they weren't telling her.

Rhaenys snuck a sympathetic look to Naerys before she walked away from them, leaving them alone once more. Rhaenyra took Naerys' hand, leading her to her chambers and locking the door behind her as Naerys went to the edge of the bed.

Naerys slumped down on the ground in front of the bed, leaning her back against the mattress with a defeated sigh. Rhaenys was right. Her eyes remained lowered from her mother's worried gaze and her fingers fidgeted anxiously in her lap. It was now or never.

Rhaenyra carefully joined her daughter's side, intertwining their hands as she studied her eldest's face. It burned her to see Naerys so broken and closed off once more. But she wouldn't push Naerys, especially now.

"I..." Naerys' dry voice cracked before she swallowed hard, taking a deep breath as she tried to focus on steadying her words. She repeated them in her head over and over, trying to get word line right, but found her thoughts plagued with images of Aemond. She wanted them to go away. She didn't want the reminder of her stupidity. She didn't want to think of the man who held her heart hostage in King's Landing as a trophy for his deception.