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The Crimson Dragon- chapter 16: First Kill
🕑 Added 2024-06-01 14:00:08 +0000 UTCChapter 16: First Kill
Three Moons Later
Lilyanna let out a yawn as she left Mysaria's manse and began making her way back to the Red Keep. The sun was still out, only now fading, causing the sky to become orange.
The princess was busier than ever with the royal bank opening, along with her other responsibilities, and she had just finished seeing three different patients.
I like helping people but fuck this shit. Lilyanna thought, wishing more than ever that coffee existed in this world as she yawned again.
"It's her, Princess Lilyanna." The princess in question looked to the side after hearing the attempt at whispering. She saw a group of teenagers standing a few feet away, consisting of three boys and two girls.
They were staring at her as they whispered to each other, not stopping even when they realized that she had noticed them.
Before she began her partnership with Mysaria, no one recognized her when she went out into the city. Even with her red hair and tanned skin, most people did not make the correlation that she might be the King's third daughter.
And since she began her partnership with Mysaria and began offering her medial expertise to the smallfolk of the city, there was an unspoken agreement that no one would say anything about Lilyanna's presence in the streets of King's Landing unaccompanied, and especially not when she went to Flea Bottom.
If the wrong people were to learn about what she was doing, word would reach her parents and Lilyanna would never be able to leave the castle again.
Alicent and Viserys may have allowed her to do and get away with more things than other girls of her age and station, but they most certainly will not allow their daughter to constantly travel to the city's worst slum, interact with peasants, and work for a former prostitute now spy master.
But since the bank opened and it was made clear that everyone would be allowed to use it, there had been an influx of commoners coming into the city from all over the six united Kingdoms, all eager to make their own bank accounts and take out loans.
For days, the line in front of the bank stretched down the road and through the Gate of the Gods, one of the seven gates that allowed entry into King's Landing. Because of this, a large crowd of rowdy and hopeful people congregated outside the city.
Lilyanna and the small council had to start screening each person who came into the bank; asking where they came from, who was their liege lord, and they reason for going to the bank, all of which while necessary slowed down the process a great deal.
The young girl pretended not to notice the looks that the councilors gave her for the mountain of extra work that had been laid at their feet, but she remained adamant they would change their thoughts when they saw how worth it all of it would be.
When word spread that she was the one who produced the whole affair and had been adamant about the bank's location and that everyone, regardless of status, would be able to use it, she had been gaining more attention than she ever had before.
With the smallfolk, they had been more open with their opinions like the group of teenagers she just passed.
There were many who would come up to Lilyanna and personally thank her, calling her blessing to them. She even remembered going to the Street of Flour and getting free food from various venders and bakeries.
After the first few days of this treatment, Lilyanna had brought it up to Mysaria during one of her trips, and the woman laughed.
"You have become a God to them, princess." Mysaria said, still laughing at the confused and put off expression on the girl's face.
"A God? That's fucking crazy, all I did was make a bank!" Lilyanna exclaimed, throwing her hands up in frustration.
"A bank that is not just for the nobles, but for them as well." Mysaria said.
Lilyanna groaned, "But that's not-"
"Not what? Anything special? It is not just the bank itself; you are for many of them the first person of noble blood to treat them like human beings, to see value in their lives, to understand their struggles, to acknowledge that they can improve this continent. That is why they are so enthralled." Mysaria explained.
"So, I just have to accept this as my new normal?" Lilyanna asked.
"Yes." Mysaria said plainly, smiling again when Lilyanna slammed her forehead against the table in front of them, making her feelings on the matter clear.
Still, Lilyanna preferred how the smallfolk were treating her compared to the nobles, most treating her one of three ways; either trying to ingratiate themselves to her despite not seeing anything of worth in her before now, hating her for making it harder to do as they pleased with their finances and openly disliking her, or continuing to act indifferent towards her, but making sure to watch her more closely.
All and all, it was making for an interesting, but very annoying new dynamic for Lilyanna in the Red Keep.
As Lilyanna walked, she noticed a head of silver hair a couple of yards away from her from the corner of her eye, she turned her head to the right as she continued to walk as it was not the first time that she had seen someone with silver-blond hair in the city.
King's Landing was the main seat of House Targaryen and was near other Valyrian houses, the Velaryons and the Celtigars. It was also the nation's capital that the Three Conquerors built for their burgeoning dynasty.
Because of this, King's Landing was full of people from the Free Cities, Dragonstone, Driftmark, and Claw Isle, all people who carried the blood of Old Valyria in their veins.
But Lilyanna's attention peaked when she took in that the silver hair belonged to a young boy and that said the young boy was impeccably dressed. He was obviously trying to be inconspicuous, but the quality of his clothing denoted that he was someone with wealth.
He can't be a prostitute or a dragonseed with clothes like that, they're too clean and the stitching is perfect. So, who- wait... Aegon?!
Lilyanna's eyes widened when the silver head turned slightly, revealing the side of her older brother's face. The girl immediately ran and hid behind the nearest corner, peaking her head out to continue watching him.
To her immense relief, Aegon had not noticed her leaving Flea Bottom, she did not know how she would have explained what she was doing if he had.
Aegon appeared to be looking for something, his head constantly turning and his eyes searching as he moved down the street.
Lilyanna watched as a smile soon appeared on Aegon's face as he reached the street that she was just standing on. He then quickly walked down it, entering Flea Bottom, and soon disappearing from her sight as he blended into the crowd.
Lilyanna groaned as she stepped out from her hiding place, already knowing why her brother would be going to Flea Bottom.
He's going to a brothel. This has to be the first time he's been; he wouldn't have looked so lost before if he had. Plus, Mysaria would have told me if she saw Aegon skulking around.
Lilyanna had been working hard to ensure that Aegon did not become the same hedonistic man that he originally was.
Since he had his first taste of alcohol at a feast, she had always ensured that she sat next to him to keep him from having more than a glass of wine.
And while she had noticed his eyes beginning to wander whenever there were servant or noble girls in the vicinity, he kept his hands to himself and made no demeaning comments. Because of this, she had chalked his staring up to the typical actions of a hormonal prepubescent boy.
But now she was forced to think of her brother going to Flea Bottom to "get it wet," making her shiver in disgust, and it her skin crawl even more because Aegon was twelve and the women he would be seeing would not be.
Wouldn't it be worse if the prostitutes there were twelve or younger? I mean, know that some are, ugh, it makes me sick to think about.
Lilyanna had no problem with Aegon being sexually active, and despite its ranting and raving, the Faith of Seven did not either. While the teaching of the Faith spoke against having sex before and outside of marriage, no one batted an eye when men constantly did so as it was seen as normal.
In Fire and Blood and House of the Dragon, Aegon was not judged as strongly as he should have been for being so lustful or the women that he assaulted, as people usually looked the other way and ignored it, made a joke out of it, or covered it up to protect his reputation.
Even when he committed the taboo of having multiple bastards on multiple different women, it was often ignored because plenty of men had at least one natural-born child out there in the world.
Lilyanna always thought that this was done to act as a hypocrisy to Rhaenyra, who also had sex before and outside of marriage and had bastards of her own but was labeled as a whore and unworthy of the throne because of it.
Shit, do I have to have talk with Aegon about consent? If he wants to fuck everything that moves then whatever, but I won't sit back as he ignores people's boundaries. Lilyanna thought.
She only hoped that the butterfly effects caused by her existence would finally do her some good and work on Aegon and keep her from being forced to have a very awkward conversation with him.
~X~
Hours Later
Lilyanna opened her eyes, immediately knowing where she was when she saw the black void above her, and the water covered ground that she was lying on. Seeing the Iron Throne when she turned her head only confirmed what she already knew.
"Well at least I know my dream tonight will be interesting." Lilyanna said aloud as she pushed herself to her feet.
Lilyanna did not know how much time had passed as she waited, but she found it strange that she had to wait as her dreams usually started immediately after she realized that she was dreaming.
Lilyanna started to whistle as she waited for the conquerors or some other member of the Targaryen dynasty to appear.
What's taking so long? This shit is usually instant. Lilyanna thought to herself.
Before Lilyanna could ponder more, she felt a pair of hands suddenly latch onto her shoulders, grabbing her and forcibly turning her around.
Now facing the other way, Lilyanna locked eyes with the three Targaryens that she was waiting for, realizing that it was Visenya who was holding onto her shoulders.
"What are-"
"You have to wake up." Rhaenys said, there was a wildness in her eyes as the words quickly left her mouth.
Lilyanna stared at the woman confused, "Wait-"
Aegon growled, "There is no time for questions, you need to wake up. Now!"
"They are right; your life is in danger, Lilyanna. So, wake up now before you die a second time." Visenya said strongly.
Lilyanna began to sweat, her breathing becoming faster and heavier, and her vision starting to become blurry as dark spots danced in the corner of her eyes.
Lilyanna took a deep breath as her eyes slowly opened, taking a few moments to adjust to the darkness of her bedroom, the only source of light coming from her windows.
The princess tensed when she heard the door to her bedroom open, the sound of footsteps filling her ears before the door was closed as quietly as it could.
She guessed that that it was just a single person who had entered her room, the weight of their steps telling her that the intruder was male. Her back was toward the door, so the intruder could not see her face, allowing Lilyanna to eliminate his element of surprise.
An assassin? Were they hired or did this guy just decide that he wanted to kill me himself? Lilyanna thought.
Slowly, trying not to be seen moving, Lilyanna moved her hand under her pillows, grabbing the hilt of the dagger that she had placed underneath them.
And Helaena said I was paranoid for keeping it here.
Lilyanna's raced as the steps of the intruder grew closer, stopping once they reached the side of her body, allowing them to stand over her.
Lilyanna closed her eyes slightly and breathed as slowly as she could before they could see that she was awake, not wanting them to suspect that anything was wrong until it was too late.
Lilyanna heard the sound of a blade being removed from its sheath, seeing the blurry motion of the person above her raising their arms, preparing to bring the knife down on her.
Just as her would be assassin was about to stab her, Lilyanna rolled to the other side of the bed, quickly landing on her feet. As she spun around, she saw that the intruder had ended up stabbing the mattress, not expecting her action.
Lilyanna saw that man across from her was tall with a lean build and was dressed in filthy black clothing. He had a gaunt face, sunken cheeks and pale blue eyes, dirty stringy brown hair, and he reeked of sweat and manure.
"You're supposed to be asleep, little brat." The man hissed, his eyes taking on a wild and crazed gleam as he glared at the princess.
"And dirty diseased lackwits like yourself are not supposed to be in a princess' chambers; I guess we're both disappointed by each other." Lilyanna snarked, tightening her grip on her dagger.
The man's eyes narrowed, and he quickly pulled his dagger pout of the mattress and in a surprising show of athleticism, jumped over the bed and tackled Lilyanna to the ground.
Lilyanna let out a gasp, feeling the wind being knocked out of her as the man slammed his knee against her chest to pin her down and quickly trying to slit her throat.
NO! Lilyanna grabbed the man's wrist, stopping the blade a few centimeters away from her neck. Lilyanna growled, using her strength to buck her hips upward, knocking the assassin off her. Lilyanna jumped to her feet, creating distance between them.
"Help! Somebody help!" Lilyanna screamed; she knew that her room was unguarded but hoped that her yelling would attract the closest guard to her.
Lilyanna sidestepped, the intruder when he ran at her intending to silence her. She stuck out one of her feet, causing him to trip over, sliding across the floor when he fell and slamming into Lilyanna's dresser.
He isn't a trained killer, if he were, he wouldn't have fell for that. Lilyanna thought, but she had already assumed that he was not due to his appearance. The princess then ran towards her door, trying to escape into the hallway.
Just as her fingers grazed the handle of the door, Lilyanna felt a hand grab her ankle and yank her to the floor. While the man did not have much in terms of skill, Lilyanna was not expecting for him to be so fast, to have crossed the room so quickly after falling to the floor in such a manner.
Lilyanna tried to kick the man away, but he kept moving his body out of reach, still maintaining his grip, tightening as he pulled her away from the door.
Lilyanna rolled onto her back, once again trying to kick the man, only to receive a punch to the jaw. The man straddled Lilyanna's waist, using his left forearm to hold her down, learning from his pervious mistake. As he raised his right hand up to the ceiling, Lilyanna saw herself reflected in the dagger's blade.
"You should've just stayed unnoticed, stayed a dumb, spoiled little bitch." The man growled.
I'm going to die, no I can't die, not again, I can't, I can't, I can't!
Lilyanna! A voice screamed in her, a familiar one, that if she were not so scared she would have been able to identify where she had heard it before.
Kill him! You cannot die here, Lilyanna. Your purpose has not yet been fulfilled. You must kill him!
Instinctually, Lilyanna moved faster than she ever had before, using her dagger to slash the man's throat. Blood spewed out of the cut like a fountain, raining down on Lilyanna, covering her face, neck, arms, chest, and hair.
Lilyanna saw the man's eyes widened as he stared at her in shock, his body shaking as he tried to touch his throat. Lilyanna used this opportunity to push the man off her, causing him to fall to the ground next to her.
His body hit the floor with a thud, causing more blood to leave his neck and splatter onto the floor. A horse rattle left the man's lips before his body went limp, and she knew that he was dead.
Lilyanna slowly sat up, breathing heavily through her mouth as she stared at the body next to her, looking into his now lifeless blue eyes.
~X~
Lilyanna did not know how long she had stayed like this, but she only felt herself snap out of her trance when she heard her bedroom door swing open, slamming against the adjacent wall.
"Princess Lilyanna! Your sister Princess Helaena said she heard scre-" It was Ser Rickard Throne who had entered, a tall well-built man with salt and pepper hair and bread and a longsword unsheathed and in his hands.
He froze, he knew that something had to have happened for Helaena to come running towards him as he guarded the Queen's bedchamber, but he had not expected to walk into the princess' room and see this.
"By the Gods..." He whispered, sheathing his sword, and rushing to Lilyanna's side.
"Are you all right, princess?! What happened here?" He asked, but the girl only stared at him silently.
"Lilyanna!" Rickard turned around and saw that the Queen, Crown Princess, Prince Consort, Lord Commander of the City Watch, Criston, the Cargyll brothers, and Princess Helaena had entered the room.
Alicent did not waste a moment as she rushed to her daughter, she did not care about the blood that covered most of her body, holding her daughter as she searched for injuries.
"How could this happen?!" Rhaenyra yelled, looking at the four Kingsguard in the room, "Is it not your jobs to protect this family, how was that man able to get in here?"
"Our rounds were completed, and the castle guards saw nothing out of the ordinary, Your Grace." Erryk said, drawing Rhaenyra's ire.
"Well, they clearly did not check hard enough!" She yelled.
"Rhaenyra," Laenor said, placing a hand on the woman's shoulder, "Now is not the time; we need to find out if there are others."
Rhaenyra clenched her fists knowing that Laenor was right, she then turned to the other men, "Ser Erryk, go and alert the guards, I want the Keep shut down; no one gets in, and no one gets out, not until we are sure the danger is gone. Ser Arryk, get the rest of the Kingsguard and have them watching the children and gather them in my chamber. I want no one besides my family and I to be able to enter."
"Yes, Your Grace." The twins replied, quickly leaving the room to carry out their orders.
"Ser Rickard, find the Grand Maester and have him brought here immediately. My sister may have injuries."
Rickard stood to his feet, "Yes, Your Grace."
"Ser Harwin go to my father's chambers and alert the King about what has happened and the orders I have given to the others."
Harwin nodded his head, quickly leaving as he ran towards the King's bedchamber.
Helaena took this time to step forward, "Lily? Lily did he hurt you?"
Lilyanna remained silent, still staring into the intruder's cold and lifeless eyes. She felt as if they were taunting her, mocking her for her weakness.
I killed him, I just killed a man. Lilyanna's body started to shake as the weight of what she had just done had begun to manifest.
"We should move the princess, Your Grace. I believe that she is in shock, staying here... with the body, will not do her any good." Criston said to Alicent, looking at Lilyanna worriedly.
I had to; if I didn't, he would have killed me. It was necessary, I mean, this is Westeros, A Song of Ice and Fire, everyone kills everyone here, that's how it's done. But I'm not one of them, I'm normal. But if I were normal, wouldn't I be more upset, more freaked out by what I had done? I just killed a man and yet I feel no remorse, only thrown off by the fact that I was able to do it, that I had killed him so easily. I liked taking his life...
What is wrong with me?
Alicent held Lilyanna's face in her hands, trying to pull her attention away from the body, "Lilyanna, please, Lilyanna, you have to speak."
Lilyanna looked away from the body and at Alicent for a moment, seeing worry, fear, and relief in her mother's large brown eyes. And when Alicent smiled at her, she then ripped Alicent's hands away from her face, turning her head to the side and proceeded to vomit onto the floor.
Laenor took a step back, almost gagging at the sight and the smell of Lilyanna vomiting, having not expected the reaction.
Alicent quickly pulled Lilyanna's hair away from her face, rubbing her other hand in circles on her back as Lilyanna continued to vomit.
"Fuck." Lilyanna once she was done, speaking for the first time since she cried out for help earlier.
Lilyanna missed the way the adults of the room looked at each other, the way that they all looked at her.
~X~
Lilyanna stared at the murky and dirty tub of water that she was now sitting in, watching as the blood and soap were rinsed from her body.
She had been in the tub long enough that the water had gone cold, but she could not find it within herself to exit.
Despite saying that she was perfectly fine, Alicent was not having it and forced her to sit down while Orwyle examined her. Once he gave her a clean bill of health, Lilyanna was led to Helaena's room while servants filled her bathtub.
"Lily? Are you finished? It's been a while." Helaena said from the other side of the door.
I can't sit here forever. Lilyanna thought, sighing as she climbed out of the tub.
She took her time dressing herself, taking a deep breath before opening the door and walking past her sister.
"I'm sorry, Lily." Helaena said as she kept pace with her.
Lilyanna stopped, turning to face Helaena, "Hely, you don't have to apologize to me, you didn't do anything wrong."
Helaena looked down at the floor, "I should have seen-"
Lilyanna grabbed Helaena by the shoulders, "Don't even finish that sentence! This is not your fault, and it never will be."
Lilyanna then fiercely hugged her sister, only relaxing when she felt Helaena's arms wrap around her body.
"I was so scared that I... that you..." Helaena said as she began to tremble in her sister's embrace.
"I know." Lilyanna said simply.
The twin sisters stood in the middle of the room, continuing to hold each other tightly, as if the other were at risk of disappearing before their eyes.
"We have to go to the small council chamber." Lilyanna said after a few moments.
"I know." Helaena replied softly.
Reluctantly, the sisters separated, making their way towards the door. Outside Helaena's room were Erryk and Arryk, the two Kingsguard being ordered to stand watch over them as Lilyanna cleaned up.
The two knights silently led the girls to the small council chamber, following them inside as the rest of their brothers had done with the rest of the royal family.
After the castle was shut down and it was made clear that no other suspicious people were found, the small council members had been summoned for an emergency meeting. It was then that the rest of the Targaryen/Velaryon children were brought to the chamber as well.
"Lily! Lilyanna!" The five boys cried out once Lilyanna and Helaena entered the room, they had been by their parents' sides as they waited.
They had been kept in the dark for some time before their parents had explained that someone had broken into the Keep and tried to kill Lilyanna.
Before Lilyanna knew it, she was in the middle of a large hug, Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Daeron each latching onto her.
"Mother said that someone attacked you!" Daeron exclaimed, tightening his hold on his sister.
"Is it true that the man tried to stab you in your sleep?" Jacaerys asked, looking over his aunt worriedly.
"We were so scared when we didn't see you, Lily!" Lucerys cried out, his eyes shining with fallen tears.
Lilyanna sighed as she tried to move, "Boys, I am fine."
Lilyanna did not get far as Aemond appeared from her left and grabbed her arm. His gaze was intense as he looked over Lilyanna's body, looking for any hint of injury.
"Aems, I'm fine, truly." Lilyanna told her brother.
Aemond stooped his search, staring into her eyes, "They say you killed the assassin. Slit his throat open."
"I did." Lilyanna admitted without hesitation, "But I am fine, I promise."
"Of course you are." Aegon said as he made his way over to the group. He tried to pretend that he did not care, but the strain in his voice and the fear in his eyes clashed with this, "I mean, you were attacked by some killer who somehow managed to sneak into the castle and into your room and then you were forced to kill him, of course you're perfectly fine, you're doing amazing."
Lilyanna rolled her eyes, "I don't need your sarcasm, Egg."
"Well one of us has to be the reasonable one here!" Aegon exclaimed.
Aemond scoffed, "And when would that ever be you?'
Before Aegon could respond by calling his brother a twat, the sound of a throat clearing drew the children's attention away from each other and towards the long table.
Each of the councilors were watching their interactions, but many of their eyes were shifting towards Lilyanna.
"Children, now is not the time." Viserys said, "Now come forward."
The children did as they were told, walking towards the small council table, Jacaerys and Lucerys returned to their parents, the two boys allowed Laenor to put an arm around them as thy stood behind Rhaenyra's chair.
Aegon, Aemond, and Daeron stood behind Alicent's chair as well, leaving Helaena and Lilyanna to stand in the space between Alicent and Viserys' chairs.
Alicent immediately reached for Lilyanna's hand and held it tightly. It had taken a lot of convincing to leave Lilyanna alone while she bathed, only doing so when Helaena agreed to stay with her and the Cargyll twins stand guard outside.
Lilyanna turned to her mother, raising her hand to her lips, and kissing the back of it, smiling as she did so. "I'm fine, mother."
Alicent did not believe her daughter, thinking back to the empty look in Lilyanna's eyes as she stared at the man at her feet, how she vomited when she was brought out of her thoughts.
She feels the need to be strong, to not be weak in front of us. But her innocence has been taken tonight and Lily does not believe that she can confide in us, in me. Alicent thought, her guilt rising.
"Ser Harrold, what were you able to find about the assailant who attacked my daughter?" Viserys asked the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.
Harrold stepped forward, placing a small coin purse, a dagger, and a folded piece of paper on the table. "After searching the man's body, we found a coin purse, because of the amount inside we believe that he was paid to carry out this attack on Princess Lilyanna."
"How much was inside the purse?" Tyland Lannister asked.
"Forty sliver stags, Ser Tyland." Harrold answered.
"What? My life is only worth forty silver stags?" Lilyanna muttered, somewhat offended that her life was worth so little to whoever ordered this hit on her life.
A little over two hundred stags is worth one gold dragon. I still haven't figured out how to properly convert dragons, stags, moons, stars, pennies, half-pennies, and groats to a dollar but forty silver stags still feels way too low to kill a princess! Lilyanna thought.
Aegon snickered and when Lilyanna looked away from the purse, she noticed that everyone in the room was staring at her.
"Oh, I guess I said that too loud." Lilyanna said aloud.
"It's good to know that your priorities are in order, sister." Aemond said drily, not looking overly impressed with her.
"Whoever hired him had him breaking into the Red Keep and kill a princess and all of that was only worth forty silver? They must not have a very high opinion of me to do that." Lilyanna argued.
"Lilyanna, that is not important." Alicent said, drawing everyone's attention to her, "What is important is that someone tried to have you killed and we do not know why."
"We do not know why, my Queen, but we do know how the man was able to enter the Keep." Harrold said as he reached for the paper, unfolding it before placing it down on the table again.
On the paper was a drawing of the Red Keep's interior with a line starting from the servants' chambers above the Keep's kitchen leading to Maegor's Holdfast, and finally Lilyanna's bedchamber.
"He had managed to fool the other servants and disguise himself as a new swineherd in the pig yard. He had been here for the past moon, calling himself Tobin but we do not believe that is his real name, and according to witnesses he had asked many a question about Princess Lilyanna." Harrold explained.
"A swine herder should not have been able to travel through the Keep unaccompanied without anyone finding it strange for over a moon. Which means either our security is greatly lacking, he had help from someone here, someone who has extensive knowledge of the Keep, or both." Rhaenyra sneered, resting her now clenched fists on the table.
Someone wanted her little sister dead, and if not for the fact that the man chosen was poorly trained along with Lilyanna's own skill, she would have been dead long before any of them realized, far too late to act.
Orwyle cleared his throat, "Someone hiring the assailant would make sense. Based on his appearance and how he was able to blend in seamlessly with the other swine herders, I doubt he could write let alone make detailed drawing such as this."
Jasper slammed his hand against the table, "Who cares about his artistic abilities, an attempt on a princess' life had occurred tonight! A dastardly crime has taken place under our noses, we must respond to it!"
"Respond how, Jasper?" Lyman asked the man, "Princess Lilyanna has... has taken care of the man, he is dead and with him he has taken the identity of his master and their motive."
"I already know what his motive was." Lilyanna said confidently.
"You do?" Laenor asked.
Everyone else in the room looked skeptical, not entirely believing that Lilyanna could know what the man's motives were.
"I do. Before he tried to stab me for the second time, he said 'You should've just stayed unnoticed, stayed a dumb, spoiled little bitch.'" Lilyanna responded.
Tyland cleared his throat, "While that is exceptionally rude and disrespectful, my princess, what does that have to do with his motive?"
Lilyanna turned and looked at the man as if she thought him to be of low intelligence, "What it has to do with, Ser Tyland, is that he emphasized that I was a spoiled and naive princess." She then looked towards the other adults, "And what has happened in recent moons to causes me to no longer be 'unnoticed,' but in the minds of everyone in the realm?"
"The bank." Rhaenyra answered, her eyes growing larger as the pieces started to come together.
The Princess of Dragonstone then looked towards the King, "Father, this must be the work of one of the lords!"
"Are you sure that you are not allowing your emotions to cloud your judgement, Your Highness? There is no proof that an honorable lord of Westeros was the one to order this attack on Princess Lilyanna's life. For all we know, this... Tobin, had stolen the silver stags and carried did all of this out of his own will." Tyland retorted, maintaining his posture even when Rhaenyra turned her fiery gaze upon him.
Rhaenyra sneered at the man, "He could have stolen the silver stags and just decided to kill my sister? That is quite the high bar you are trying to reach. The lords of Westeros are the ones who would find the most problem with the royal bank; it keeps your peers from being able to hide their finances and just what they truly get up to when they believe the Crown is not watching."
Tyland's jaw clenched, "And how do we know that someone from across the sea did not hire the killer?"
Lilyanna sighed, "If it was someone from Essos, let's say the Iron Bank, the man would not have been so poorly skilled, and I would most likely be dead."
"Do you truly believe that?" Viserys asked, speaking to his daughter for the first time that night.
"I do. Essos isn't close to King's Landing, if the mastermind were from there, they would not only have to pay an assassin, but an assassin that they could trust not to run off with their payment, could blend in with the average Westerosi citizen, and possibly travel to and from Essos. If it were me, I would most certainly ensure that whoever I got was good enough to see the job through, so we would have found a lot more coin on the man and he would have been an actual, trained killer." Lilyanna explained nonchalantly, appearing to be unbothered by everything.
Viserys let out a deep and slow breath, "Then we cannot ignore the possibility that one of my own vassals could have done this."
A silence fell over the room as people looked between each other, all thinking if someone in that very room could have been involved in the plot to end Lilyanna's life.
Mysaria did warn me that someone would make an attempt on my life, but I did not think it would happen so soon. Lilyanna then looked at Tyland Lannister.
He has been awfully argumentative tonight, more so than usual. In the books and show Tyland did not have a problem with the plan to kill Rhaenyra and her family when he and the rest of the Greens usurped the throne. But Tyland does not strike me as a child murderer himself, more like someone who would not object if someone else did so in front of him.
But this whole thing was sloppy, Tyland may be a cunt, but he isn't stupid, he would have realized that there were far too many holes, things could and did go wrong.
Lilyanna's eyes narrowed, I doubt he had a hand in all of this, but I wouldn't be surprised if he knew or at least had an idea of who did.
"We must increase security while we continue the investigation. All the royal family, especially Princess Lilyanna, must always have guards with them from now on." Lyonel spoke, looking directly at the King.
"What?!" Aegon exclaimed, "We do not need guards at all hours of the day."
Alicent noticed her son's reluctance and nervousness, staring at him pointedly, "And what exactly are you doing that you do not want a guard to know about?"
Aegon flinched under the weight of his mother's stare, quickly looking away, "N-n-nothing."
"He went to the Street of Silk today, mother." Aemond said, giving his brother a smile of faux innocence.
For as long as he could remember, Aemond had been forced to endured Aegon's opinions and thoughts, having to listen to Aegon tell him things that either made his skin crawl, roll his eyes, or question how they could be related let alone have the same mother and father.
For days Aegon had been telling him of his plan to sneak out and go to the Street of Silk, curious about what it was like after all the stories they heard floating around the Keep.
"When you see me next, little brother, I'll be walking through these halls a man." Aegon told him just before he left.
Some man you are. Aemond thought as he watched Aegon cower under their mother's glare.
"What?!" Alicent exclaimed, as she faced Aegon, "When- how-why-"
"Mother, you can yell at Aegon later. How long are we going to have to have guards with us at all times?" Lilyanna asked, temporarily drawing Alicent's ire away from Aegon.
"Lilyanna, we will all be guarded from now on, permanently. It was honestly foolish that we had not done so previously." Alicent said to her daughter.
Lilyanna spoke plainly, "I do not need a guard; I can take care-"
"You cannot take care of yourself." Alicent said, "You are a child, not some warrior reborn. Thinking that you can handle any assailant is not want you should take from tonight, you could have died. There is someone out there that wants you dead, so you will have a guard, preferably a member of the Kingsguard, with you at all times and you will not complain about it."
Lilyanna started at her mother with an emotionless expression, hiding the anger that was building inside her.
A Kingsguard in charge of watching her was the last thing she needed, it would do nothing but hinder her movements, but Alicent calling her a child who needed to be protected bothered her even more than anything else.
"Am I understood, Lilyanna?" Alicent asked, staring at her pointedly.
"Yes, mother." Lilyanna spat, making her displeasure known.
Lilyanna ignored the rest of conversation around her, thinking of how she would be able to ditch whoever was chosen as her protector as she stared despondently at the table.
~X~
The group of the Queen, her children, her sworn protector, and Sers Arryk and Rickard, were completely silent as they left the small council chamber and entered the Holdfast.
Despite no one saying a word, Lilyanna could still hear the questions on everyone's lips as she felt their eyes on her.
She hated being treated like she was made of glass, like she was weak, but she could not fault them for being worried about her.
The first room they reached was Alicent's, and Lilyanna had expected that her mother would insists that she see each of her children enter their rooms before going inside her own.
But this was not the cause as Daeron had stopped the group, "Can we stay in your room, mother?"
Alicent looked at her youngest son, "My room?"
The thought of having her children close by did make her feel better, that they would be better protected, but she knew that Daeron was suggesting this out of his own fear.
Daeron looked away, "I-I don't want us to be alone. What someone breaks in again?"
Alicent kneeled in front of Daeron, "No one will break into the Keep again, the castle is safe."
"It's safe now, but it should have been before." Daeron argued.
Lily almost... almost died tonight. We could have lost her. Daeron thought as his eyes began to burn.
Helaena moved next to her brother, making eye contact with Alicent, "I'm fine with us all sharing a bed tonight if the rest of you are."
Aegon crossed his arms, "I guess as the man of this family it's my job to protect you all. Being in the same room would make it easier for me to do that."
"And I suppose that someone will have to be there to protect Aegon from himself and everyone else from him." Aemond retorted, hissing slightly when Aegon punched his arm in retaliation.
Alicent smiled before turning to her thirdborn, "Lilyanna?"
A small grin formed on Lilyanna's face, "Well, I wouldn't want to be left out of this family sleepover now, would I?"
Before she knew it, Lilyanna found herself lying in between her mother and sister on her mother's large bed as her brothers encircled them.
~X~
Lilyanna did not know how much time had passed but the sky outside was beginning to lighten, and she was the only one out of the six in the bed that was still awake.
The girl quietly sighed, accepting that she was not going to fall asleep and sat up, intending to crawl out of the bed.
It took her a few minutes to untangle herself from her family's arms and legs, her mother, and siblings each having a part of their bodies reaching out and touching her own.
Lilyanna pumped her fists once she had placed her feet onto the floor and stood up, tiptoeing as she made her way to the doors of Alicent's balcony.
Lilyanna visibly cringed when she slowly opened the doors only for a loud creaking sound to fill the room. She quickly looked back at the bed, jumping slightly when she saw Aegon turn, but relaxed when she realized that he and everyone else was still asleep.
The girl made her way outside, closing the doors behind her before going to rest her arms on the railing, the chilly air not bothering her despite standing there in only a thin nightgown.
Lilyanna was able to see the lights coming from the city, while she usually thought that King's Landing was ugly and poorly designed in the daytime, she could not deny that King's Landing had a certain charm and beauty when the lights of so many torches and candles blended with the bluish-black background of the sky at night.
"Now if only we could get rid of the awful smell, then this city wouldn't suck as bad." Lilyanna said to herself.
"It is quite disappointing to see what our descendants have done to the city we built. Truly makes you forget this is the spot where a King and two Queens first started their conquest."
Lilyanna jumped to the side, raising her hands up in front of her in a boxer's stance. The princess saw that to her left stood the Three Conquerors, and that Visenya was the one who spoke.
Lilyanna relaxed, pressing her hand over her heart, and letting out a deep breath, "You people need to stop doing that to me. I'm going to have a heart attack one of these days."
Her request was ignored as Rhaenys stood in front of her raising her hand and giving the illusion that she was holding her face, as they both knew that she could not physically touch her.
Rhaenys smiled, "We are glad that you are safe, Lilyanna."
"You can't be that ecstatic, I mean you need me, right? I was the one you guys had to choose to save this family from itself." Lilyanna said.
Aegon shook his head, "We do need you, but we cannot preserve your life. We may have brought you here and the Gods have given you a gift of a stronger than normal body, you are still human. As we did tonight, we can warn you in advance if we see danger coming your way, but we cannot physically keep you safe, if you were to die, we would not be able to stop it."
Lilyanna placed her chin against her knuckled as she proceeds what was told to her, "So, I guess being the savior of the world doesn't give me any extra lives."
"Extra lives?" Rhaenys asked as she and her siblings were confused by the statement.
I also guess that these three didn't learn all that much about my world when they took my soul over here. Lilyanna thought.
She supposed it made sense, it was magic and Gods that brought here, any if she knew anything about the fiction genre it was that magic came at a high price.
"Wait, the last time you guys were here I started coughing up blood, then I collapsed, and I felt like my chest was going to explode." Lilyanna then placed her hand on her chest, her eyes widening slightly, "That's not going to happen again, right?"
Visenya moved closer, standing next to Rhaenys, "I do not believe so, it would make little sense for it as we have waited this long for your body to grow accustomed."
"Accustomed to what exactly?" Lilyanna asked.
"The blood magic that was performed on the four of us. I believe that the spell that was cast has now solidified. While unexpected this is better than before, communication through only your dreams chattered in intervals was becoming annoying." Visenya explained.
"So, you are just going to be hanging around me at all times?"
Aegon looked towards Visenya, "Would that be possible, sister?"
Visenya's jaw clenched, "I do not believe so, we should be able to stay around Lilyanna for a substantial period, but we are not of the living, staying around a living person permanently can have unforeseen consequences."
"What kind of consequences?" Rhaenys asked her sister.
"The usual; death, madness, terrible luck." Visenya answered.
Lilyanna paled, "But not to me?"
Visenya rested her hand against her hip, "You could experience these things, but these effects could easily overtake your family and others around you. There is a reason the worlds of the living and the dead are supposed to remain separate."
Lilyanna stared at the woman blankly, "You really know how to comfort a girl, Visenya."
Visenya returned her blank stare, ignoring the sounds of Rhaenys' laughter, "I can comfort you physically, if you wish, ao byka genes."
Lilyanna could hear the threat, but smiled regardless, "I don't know what about me is rat like, but I am happy that you come up with a nickname for me."
A small smile appeared on Aegon's face as he saw the familiar vein begin to pulse on his eldest sister's forehead. "Relax, Visenya."
Visenya turned her head to her brother, "Don't even start, you twat."
Lilyanna watched as the two began to argue with each other, finding it strange to see these two legendary figures bickering with each other, acting in the manner that she has caught Aemond and her own Aegon doing countless times.
"It's shocking, isn't it?" Rhaenys asked, amused when she saw the surprise on Lilyanna's face.
"I guess it's easier to forget that you three were just siblings before you decided to conquer the continent." Lilyanna replied.
Rhaenys chuckled, "They were far worse when we were younger. But yes, in the last hundred years, the three of us have been idolized and glorified beyond compare, forgetting that we are human."
"I thought Targaryens existed above it all; Gods amongst men." Lilyanna said, remembering the rhetoric that her rouge of an uncle constantly spouted.
"The Fourteen Flames blessed us through our blood and bond with dragons, but we are entirely mortal. The Doom more than proved that." Rhaenys said softly, looking over the balcony and towards the city.
Lilyanna looked away, thinking about how despite what Rhaenys had said, plenty of Targaryens would maintain the belief that they were better than everyone else, of their inherent Valyrian superiority.
Rhaenys turned to her brother and sister, not looking overly impressed, "Are you two done squabbling like children?"
Aegon and Visenya gave the other a look before huffing and turning away, both annoyed at letting the other get under their skin and at being called children by their younger sister.
Aegon broke the silence, "Let us go, sisters."
Lilyanna perked up, "Wait, you're leaving now? But I still have questions."
"And those questions will be answered at a later point. You are tied to us now; we can see you anytime." Visenya responded.
"And we will not have time to speak now that it is morning. Your family will soon awaken." Aegon added.
"Morning?" Lilyanna looked to the side and saw that the sun had already risen, beginning to bathe its light over the land. "When the fuck did that happen?!"
Rhaenys chuckled, "Bye, Lilyanna."
"You guys said you can see me at any time; does this mean you can see everything that I do? Like you can see me when I'm alone, when I use the privy?!" Lilyanna asked afraid of what the answer would be, but already knowing what it would be.
Her question went unanswered, but Rhaenys' smile grew into a wide grin as the three became smokey figures before disappearing.
Lilyanna stared at the spot where the three once stood, "I'll never be able to shit comfortably ever again."
Having the three of them around more would be helpful. We could figure out what the Gods are trying to do with and having them by myside when I'm lucid would make that easier. Lilyanna thought.
Lilyanna turned behind her, looking at the doors when she heard someone moving around the room frantically. She braced herself when she heard that person moving towards the balcony, and when the doors swung open, Lilyanna saw the worried face of her mother.
"Lilyanna! I was looking for you-why weren't you in bed and how long have you been out here?" Alicent exclaimed, looking her daughter over for any signs of injury.
"Uh, a few hours, I think. I couldn't sleep." Lilyanna answered.
Alicent stood straighter, closing the distance between them, holding her face in both hands. "You should have wakened me; I would have sent for the Grand Maester."
Lilyanna had to keep the disgust that she felt from appearing on her face when she thought of what Orwyle would give her to 'help' her fall asleep. "You needed your rest, mother."
"And you did not?" Alicent asked.
"I'm sure that not sleeping today will make me so tired that I will fall asleep the second my head hits the pillow tonight."
"And you are sure that you are well? That you do not need a maester?"
"Yes, I am sure."
Alicent stared at her daughter intensely, "Lily, you can talk to me about your feelings. You can tell me about how you are doing after last night."
"I know-"
Alicent shook her head, "I don't think you do. It is okay to be afraid, what happened last night was traumatizing, you should not have had to stain your hands with blood."
Lilyanna did not say anything, wrapping her arms around her mother's waist and laying her head against her shoulder.
Alicent hugged her fiercely, kissing the top of her forehead and then resting her own head against Lilyanna's.
Sorry mother, I'm not the innocent girl that you think I am. I'm going to have to make my hands even bloodier if I want to save us all. Lilyanna thought.
And the girl hated just how fine she was with the thought of killing again, how quickly she had moved on from her pervious guilt and anxiety.
