The Emancipation of Rhaegar

Chapter 27

Twenty - Seven

[I never do this but this chapter is sensitive to childbirth/miscarriages, I'll put a little * where it begins and ends for those who want to opt out of reading it]

Kingslanding - The Red Keep

Rhaegar sighed, nodding to Arthur as he walked out of his chambers. "Excited?" Arthur asked him.

"To see those two idiots?" Rhaegar chuckled. In all honesty, he had missed his close companions. Although Julian Tyrell and Otto Redwyne had only spent a few weeks at the Keep, during the birthing of his son and to celebrate, Rhaegar had grown freakishly close with them both. Both despised their families but their positions and loyalties disallowed them from making any real tactical moves to undermine them. Julian, had been stuck with his aunt, who as he said had a nose larder than an anteater and Otto, merely was lonely cooped up at Old Town with his lavish sisters.

Arthur laughed along with him. It wasn't really his job to make friends, but how could he resist when Rhaegar had such great taste in friends? "I can't say I don't enjoy their company, even if they are distracting and reckless as children."

Their chatter was abruptly stopped an ear crippling scream. Rhaegar turned back to his quarters, which were very close to the nursery, Elia's room, Arianne's room and his parents' room. "Did you hear that?" He asked Arthur. He did have a tendency to dream up sounds at random times of the day, so a nod from Arthur assured him it wasn't his ears or imagination playing tricks on him. Almost as quickly as Arthur nodded his head once, Rhaegar was dashing back to the chambers. Opening every door he could, even the rooms that he knew were empty. The nursey, which was closely guarded by Kingsguard was as quiet as the night, with the children taking their nap; he mumbled a small sorry to the wet nurse and closed the door. The next room, Elia's room, was empty.

"She's doing her mothers charity garden party," Arthur reminded him.

What even was that. Rhaegar asked himself but knew better than to question his wife's' many tendencies to busy herself around the castle. He opened the door to Arianne's room, which was also empty.

"Walk with-"

"Oberyn, I know. Just double checking," Rhaegar huffed. The next room was his parent's room. A smaller scream came from their room, and Rhaegar felt his heart drop to the pit of his stomach. Ser Barristan stood in front of the room, as solid as a statue and with his helm on. "Barristan, have you gone deaf. That's my mother screaming in there." He moved to open the door, only to have Barristan move in front of him.

"Ser Barristan," Arthur said, wondering why the skilled knight was fighting their attempts to enter the room.

"Have you been called by the King?" He asked both of them.

**Rhaegar scoffed at him and pushed him aside, although noticing that Barristan basically moved for him. He turned the charcoal dragon-headed door and stepped into the room. "Mother!" He exclaimed. The gruesome sight in front of him brought flashbacks of Elia's pregnancies and he felt his stomach churn. His mother lay on the floor, holding her small stomach and groaning in pain. Her white dress was soaked through and through with her blood.**

"Rhaegar," she whispered, reaching out for his hand.

"Don't just stand there!" He managed to stutter out to Barristan and Arthur. "Get help." Aerys stood above them, back arched forward involuntarily and glowering at them both. "What did you do?" Rhaegar asked him, touching his mother's bloody waist. "What did you do!?" He felt his hair sweep his face as he yelled the question once more. The neat bun it was in falling apart as he shook. The crown he wore on his head sliding from here to there as he did so.