The Pyre for a hero

Aren't we all sinners?

Rhaenyra waited for the children to leave the room before she walked to the door.

"Both of you must stop this constant fight and resolve it for the sake of your children. Be grateful they are all here and safe with both of you to love and cherish them", Rhaenyra scoffed before leaving.

"I feel as though we are always in this circumstance. You and me stood around each other not knowing what to say until one of us speaks up and then we fight then fuck angrily like savages", Shaera laughed softly as did Daemon, she loved his laugh until remembering the conversation that needed to be had.

"If you want to be with her then I shall not stop you for I love you too much to hold you back, no matter how much it would break me. Do not forget about our children, even if you grow to resent me one day do not cast them aside",

"I would never leave you. You have stayed by my side as I have yours, I could never choose somebody else over you. I do not understand why you are trying to force a wedge between us, why are you pushing me away?".

"You have always found it difficult to express your feelings except your anger and I know this is difficult for you which is why I am saying it. You are free of me, you are free to fuck or fight whoever you decide",

"Do you hate me?".

"I am telling you that my love for you consumes me, loving you is engraved into my mind and heart. I love you and that is why I am giving you your freedom, go and take her or anybody else as you please",

"If you love me as you say you then you wouldn't be saying it. If you do not hate me then why are you breaking my heart? I do not want freedom, I want you. You may not believe me but I swear to you my flame that nothing happened with Nettles or anybody else. I crave you beyond obsession, I love you".

Shaera's eyes were cold when he first walked in the room but now they were red, her tears spilled down her porcelain face. She was still the most alluring woman to exist. Daemon wiped her tear away before enclosing his hand to her cheek.

"I do not hate you, I don't think I ever will but it would be so much easier if I did. When she came to my room at Dragonstone, it was like she was taunting me. I remember when I was a girl that my mother would say that love would my immoral sacrifice, now I know what she meant. I would inevitably lose something for those that I love".

They were like fire and ash, so similar yet so different. You cannot have one without the other.

"Why are you so intent on me leaving?",

"I do not want you to leave but what I want is insufficient when I think of you. I am giving you an option".

"An option? A fucking choice of freedom? I would never leave you nor betray as you think I have",

"Goodbye Daemon".

"No. You cannot, you can't just say goodbye. I won't let you throw this away. Do not leave-",

"You will realise one day that you do not need me as much as you think you do and that is alright".

He grabbed her hands in his, he placed on his heart. His quickened pulse jumped under her fragile touch.

"As I have told you before, I will always need you my flame. Do not push me away because of something that I have not done".

Shaera pulled him into a longing kiss, it was warm but both of then could taste the salty tears on the others face.

"I believe you",

"Then why are you still trying to rip me heart from my chest, why must you insist on this if it isn't what either of us want".

"To ease the pain of when of us dies because of this fucking war! I don't fear death, I fear living in a world that you are not in",

"The pain would never cease, a constant feeling of emptiness. Not even death can take you from me, I would welcome the stranger if it meant I could hold you in my arms forever".

"What is wrong with me?",

"Nothing, you are the embodiment of perfection".

"If I am so perfect then why can I not escape the fear?",

"Tis the fear of the inevitable, you are afraid that someday you will be left alone in this world".

"How do you know that?",

"Because I have the same feeling. I live for the excitement because I know I am not invincible-".

"You act as if you are invincible",

"Yes but I do so because I fear that I will die having accomplished nothing. You cannot let the future decide who you are now".

Daemon looked at her, Shaera's next words would decide if his heart would shatter into a thousand pieces unable to be fixed.

"Alright",

"Alright?".

"I will try for you, for our children. I thought- I thought that you would not return or that when you did return that you would tell me that you were leaving me for Nettles",

"Never, my flame".

Daemon pulled her closer to him, her body pressed against his as he held her. He refused to let her go, ever.
~
Unbeknownst to them, Alyssa had been eavesdropping from the secret passage. Her eyes stung with tears at listening to her parents almost leave each other. She had always heard stories from people claiming of two great love story of the Rogue prince and the Realms desire, no two people were better matched but they do not see what truly happens. They knew nothing of the fights and the insecurities, the darkness that lurked in the cracks of their relationship. Alyssa knew her parents were always at each others throats and yet they stayed because they could not exist without each other.