"Are you sure this is a good idea, Jae?"
" It's the best chance we've got, Rhae. You had me informed that a harvest festival is where many lords congregate to discuss important matters. From what we've gathered, the first place to go would be a brothel ."
Rhaenys was uncomfortable going near a brothel. Granted, the town at the base of the Dragonmont had a brothel and she knew that such a place was where Orys was conceived. However, she remembered how long it took for their mother to treat Orys with a tolerable amount of decency and it made her skin crawl at the thought of selling her body for money.
But now, they had to enter a brothel for the sake of their struggle. After commandeering a boat and rowing up the Blackwater Rush, the group had heard that there was a harvest feast occurring at the Stoney Sept and that many of the major lords would attend. They also heard that Black Harren had officially called his banners after Aegon's victory at Rook's Rest, which saw Maidenpool surrendering to Aegon after he marched the troops there and Duskendale surrendering to Visenya after she flew over. In just a few weeks, the dragons had secured all of the lands surrounding the Blackwater Bay, defeated two major ironborn forces, and were now within striking distance of Black Harren's incomplete fortress.
After docking near the Stoney Sept, the group took a room at an inn and closely observed the many lordly houses that had converged on the rather busy town. Their silver hair and amethyst eyes making them stick out like sore thumbs with the exception of Arata, they said that they were travelers from Lys. Rhaenys also began to speak more High Valyrian with Jaenyx and Rhaedar even though she knew that Lysenes didn't speak it, but none of the Westerosi they came across knew the difference.
They saw the twin keeps of House Frey, the silver eagle of House Mallister, the red stallion of House Bracken, the ravens and white weirwood of House Blackwood, and the trout of House Tully among others. Rhaenys explained to them among the riverland houses, the Tullys and Freys were the wealthiest due to their castles being located at critical points on the major rivers in the region, but the Blackwoods and Brackens both commanded the largest forces.
After going through the market square and observing the comings and goings of all of the Westerosi lordlings that had arrived at the Stoney Sept, Jaenyx and Rhaenys saw many of them enter a brothel on the east side of the market, its sign the shape of a peach. That was when Jaenyx came up with a plan to lure one of these lordlings into something he said was called a honey trap. Essentially, it involved utilizing one of the whores at the brothel and catching the lordling while he was in the act.
It didn't take much effort to get one of the whores in on the plot. Now, all they needed to do was to select a lordling. Sure enough, one of them made more visits to the brothel than his acquaintances and always with the same one. Jaenyx paid that whore with two sacks of silver and had her keep that lordling busy while they moved in.
Despite her discomfort with using such a questionable approach, Rhaenys had full confidence in her good-brother. However, she was only going to observe since she didn't want to be around a lordling in his… nude form. Only one I will see bare is Egg .
Getting a signal from the whore they hired, Jaenyx and Rhaenys entered through a back door of the brothel while Rhaedar and Arata stood guard. Moving through the dimly-lit hallways and the many rooms filled with moans and the smell of discharge, they finally arrived at the room where their whore was. Rhaenys saw Jaenyx put his ear next to the door, but she also heard the loud moaning from the other side. She then saw Jaenyx open the door, fighting the urge to avert her eyes at the lordling being caught in flagrante delicto.
"You can go," Rhaenys said to the whore as she handed her another sack of silver for her troubles before allowing her to leave. She took a moment to stare at the lordling, having short red hair and red beard, before she took a deep breath and getting a grip.
"Who the fuck are you?! Do you know who I am?!" the red-haired lordling cried out.
"Broden Tully," Jaenyx answered. "Your uncle is Edmyn Tully, Lord of Riverrun. Am I correct?"
"So you know who I am?"
Jaenyx sighed, annoyed at how slow he was being. "Would we approach you if we didn't?" Broden Tully stepped forward, but Jaenyx drew his sword and put it under his chin. "Really? You're going to attack me with your cock hanging for all to see?" The Tully man gulped. "Sit back down on the bed." To his credit, he was wise to comply before Jaenyx threw his clothes at him. "And put on your clothes, man. There's a lady here."
As the Tully man dressed while sitting, Rhaenys approached him. "We're not here to hurt you, Lord Broden. We just want some words with you and your uncle."
"You'll forgive me, my lady, but ambushing me in a brothel is not a very good start if you want my trust."
"We had to find a lordling to approach and you were the one that came here the most. Trying to petition any of the lords here would take time, time we do not have."
Broden Tully narrowed his eyes. "Who are you people? What do you want?"
Rhaenys looked at Jaenyx, who gave her a nod. "You know what happened at Rook's Rest?"
Broden Tully scoffed. "Are you being serious? Everyone in the riverlands is talking about it and pretty sure the rest of Westeros will. Black Harren lost ten thousand men in just a few weeks, and all because he couldn't control that crazy cunt of a son. He called all of the banners just last week."
"Yes, we know about that," Rhaenys replied. "But your uncle is here as well as many of the riverlords. Why is that?"
"I'm not privy to that information, so if that's what you're after, I would ask that you let me go." But as he tried to stand up, Jaenyx forced back down with his sword.
"If you don't have the information we need, then perhaps you can give us an introduction to your uncle."
Broden Tully frowned. "Before I do that, I need to know who you are."
Rhaenys took a step forward. "I am Rhaenys of House Targaryen, wife of Lord Aegon, heir of Dragonstone. This is my good-brother, Jaenyx of House Belaerys, Lord of the Basilisk Isles."
The Tully man's eyes widened. "Good gods. So it was your brother that wiped out the ironborn at Rook's Rest?" Rhaenys nodded while Broden Tully turned to Jaenyx. "So, you're the man who controls the knowledge of Valyrian steel?" He let out a laugh. "What a coincidence in that I meet the sister and good-brother of the man who humiliated Black Harren?"
Rhaenys also had to appreciate the fortuity of their encounter. They could have got any other lordling in that room, but they ended up with one who at least seemed impressed with how their brother conducted himself.
"They see that your brother was outnumbered three to one and that a dragon as big as the Gods Eye swooped in and turned the ironborn army alongside the Duskendale and Maidenpool lords to dust. Then again, dragons are still rumors in Westeros."
"As amusing as how our brother's exploits are spreading far," Jaenyx interrupted. "We would like for you to introduce us to your uncle. Can you do that?"
Broden Tully stared at him. "And why would I do that?"
"Because I think your uncle is hesitating to answer Black Harren's call."
"Every lord here is hesitating. It's all because of that bastard beggaring us."
"Can. You. Introduce. Us?" Jaenyx was losing his patience.
Rhaenys intervened. "Please forgive my good-brother, Lord Broden. He can be quite… impatient whenever he's under time constraints." Jaenyx glared at her. "But is it too much to ask if we could meet your uncle?"
Broden looked over Rhaenys, before nodding. "All right, my lady. Come to the sept at the top of the hill at dusk. You have my word that my uncle will be there."
"How would we know that you will not ambush us?" To be fair, Jaenyx had good reason to be worried.
"It's considered sacrilege if one draws weapons inside a sept. Well, at least to those who follow the Faith," Rhaenys explained.
"Exactly," Broden confirmed. "My uncle is a devout follower of the Faith. As long as you two are in the sept, he wouldn't dare harm you. Although, I'm certain that he won't harm you regardless."
"We'll have your word on that, Lord Broden," Rhaenys allowed him to leave before they made their way back to the inn. "You could be a little nicer when you talk to these people."
" Why should I be ?" Jaenyx shot back. " As far as we know, we are still in enemy territory and thus still in danger of being killed. "
"That's not the important issue here. You made very clear your feelings towards the customs of Westeros and I sympathize with that. However, we need all the help we can get and we won't get help if we treated everyone in Westeros like filth."
" Personally, I don't care about these people. Whether they live or die is not my concern, but I have a responsibility to protect my people and it was Westerosi that attacked them. "
"And that's the problem, Jae!" But Rhaenys kept it to a whisper. "You're not in Sothoryos anymore. We have to treat them with some respect if we want their help. Furthermore, there are good people in this continent as everywhere. Would it be wise if we treated everyone with hostility before we met them?"
Rhaenys knew that this wasn't a proper time to discuss Jaenyx's strong reluctance to interact with Westeros' people, but she had to let him know how things were on this continent before his condescension messed things up. He knew how to break people if the carcass of that dead ironborn captain proved anything. He certainly knew how to get information from people and knew what people were. However, while she admired that he maintained his strong connection to his Valyrian roots, he was severely lacking in terms of tact. Probably due to him living in isolation and among only Valyrians. It might have worked with the Sunglass' and his treatment of them was justified given how craven they acted, but she needed to make clear to him that he had to show some prudence.
"At the very least, Jae, let me do the talking. To them, I am a proper lady and I am familiar with their ways. Can you do that?"
To her surprise, Jaenyx nodded. " All right ."
"That's it? You're not going to fight me on that?"
Jaenyx sighed. " Part of being a leader is to know when you're lacking in certain areas. I never really learned how to exercise tact whenever I talked with others. That was probably how I almost let myself be manipulated by your father, although everything turned out for the best ." Rhaenys winced at the memory of their father essentially demanding he marry into their family. " The only reason why my people follow me was not just out of loyalty to my family. I had the courage to admit when I needed help and trust works both ways as a leader. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't have lasted very long. I still have a long way to go in terms of tact even though I know how people are. So, while I know you trust me to keep you safe, I'll trust you to handle the more… delicate aspects of our mission here ."
Rhaenys smiled before pecking Jaenyx on the cheek. Most men would take offense at letting women lead, but Jaenyx let her do it in a heartbeat. My, my, Vis. You really caught yourself a good man here .
At dusk, the group made their way towards the sept overlooking the town. Jaenyx instructed Rhaedar Tarareon and Arata Haru to lie in wait outside should something go wrong while he and Rhaenys hid Valyrian steel daggers in their cloaks. They were not going to take chances, especially so far behind enemy lines.
Walking inside the sept, Rhaenys and Jaenyx saw two older-looking men standing in front of the altar of the Father. One man had long red hair tied with a knot and a red beard while the other had short black hair, trimmed beard, and grey eyes. The red-haired man wore the trout of House Tully while the other man wore the white weirwood surrounded by ravens.
"Lord Belaerys, Lady Targaryen, welcome," the red-haired man began. "Rest assured, no harm will come to you in this place of worship. I am Edmyn of House Tully, Lord of Riverrun. And this is my friend, Colren of House Blackwood, Lord of Raventree Hall." He held out his hand.
Jaenyx cautiously shook both of the men's hands while they kissed Rhaenys'. Rhaenys judged Edmyn Tully as welcoming and genial, odd considering how they treated his nephew earlier that day. She was more wary of Colren Blackwood, who just stood there and listened. From her experiences with Jaenyx, she knew that it was the quiet ones she had to watch out for.
"Thank you, my lords, for making the time to speak with us," Rhaenys said. "I also know both of you are taking great risks in meeting with us, given the current circumstances between our family and your king."
Edmyn Tully scoffed. "He may be a king, but all of Westeros knows that he has no love from riverlords such as ourselves. It's a wonder that he's not worried when we have not replied to his ravens, calling us to assemble at his unfinished keep."
"Wouldn't you be oathbreakers then, since you have not answered the calls of your king?" Jaenyx asked. Rhaenys glared at him. What the hell are you doing ?
Thankfully, Lord Tully was not offended. "A king must handle his vassals and his people with decency, but Black Harren has done nothing but beggar us and treat us like slaves for the past thirty years. So, if I'm an oathbreaker, our king is the first to commit such a crime."
Rhaenys sighed in relief. "I'm relieved to hear for once that rumors reflected reality, my lord."
"Quite so, my lady," Lord Tully nodded. "Regarding how you both treated my nephew, Broden, other lords would take offense and would punish those who did such a deed. But given his constant indiscretions and whoremongering, I would say that he got what was coming to him. So, I won't blame you for what you did to him."
"Thank you, my lord," Rhaenys slightly dipped her head.
"However, you would not have taken such a risk unless you felt that you needed to. Which brings us to why you wanted to meet with us." Rhaenys noticed that Lord Blackwood was still silent, which made her uneasy.
"I assume you heard about Rook's Rest."
Edmyn Tully scoffed. "That's the reason Black Harren called the banners in the first place. However, I, Lord Blackwood, and other lords have not yet responded and have come here to Stoney Sept to discuss other options."
"With my husband Aegon showing that Black Harren could be defeated, we would like for others who have suffered under his yoke to fight back. He attacked my good-brother's people, which is only a taste of what he had done to you all for thirty years. In addition, the fact that you have not answered his call means that you don't intend to support him. I believe we could help each other."
Edmyn Tully crossed his arms. "In what way, my lady?"
"Between you and Lord Blackwood, you can raise an army that can challenge Black Harren. And that's not including the forces that could be marshalled by the other lords that have come here. Combined with our dragons, we have more than a fighting chance against the forces of the ironborn."
"And so you suggest we bend the knee to you?"
"You have seen the results with Rosby, Stokeworth, Massey's Hook, and Rook's Rest. In exchange for their fealty, we reconfirmed them in their titles and lands and they fought admirably alongside us. If you declare for our cause, we can guarantee that you will retain your current titles and lands. As a further gesture of goodwill, we will also gift you with a Valyrian steel sword of your choice."
Rhaenys did not consult with Jaenyx on that, but she knew that adding Valyrian steel to the table would greatly increase their chances of getting new allies. Thankfully, Jaenyx did not outwardly respond.
"As tempting as that sounds, Lady Rhaenys," Edmyn Tully said. "We cannot declare for your family at this time."
"And why, my lord?"
"Yes, your husband won one battle and showed Westeros that Black Harren is not invincible. However, the fact remains that he fought only one battle. Black Harren still commands a large army and there's word that he's assembling the ironborn fleet. If we declare for you while he still commands such considerable forces, we would be in serious risk and would lose more than what we already have."
"But would not declaring for us continue the sufferings brought upon you by Black Harren?"
"There is much to risk, my lady. But your family commands less than ten thousand troops. How can those numbers possibly fare against the forces that Black Harren can muster? We have also heard that you are also moving against King Argilac. Simultaneously fighting against the marcher lords that would respond to Argilac's commands would be fatal, so the odds are very much against your favor."
"We have dragons, my lord."
"Aye, but they are still rumors to the rest of Westeros. And only have few have truly seen what they can do. So, can you understand why we wouldn't side with you in your struggle?"
Rhaenys should've expected that the riverlords would not help them and they had good reason not to. They still had a small army and most of Westeros still doubted the existence of their dragons, meaning that they would not believe in their capabilities so easily.
Then, Rhaenys heard Jaenyx scoff. "As I thought, Lord Tully."
Lord Tully blinked. "I beg your pardon?"
"You may not believe in what our dragons can do, but they were the ones that burned four thousand ironborn at the Blackwater Bay. They also burned nearly ten thousand men at Rook's Rest and accomplished what both the Storm Kings and ironborn have failed to do for generations: control of the lands surrounding the Blackwater Bay. Aegon was outnumbered, but he still defeated the army at Rook's Rest all the same. The dragons are capable of feats that are beyond the capacities of even the largest of armies. But you lords are more afraid of losing what you have, but are ignorant to the fact you're already losing much under Black Harren."
"Jaenyx!" Rhaenys scolded.
"You dare call me ignorant?" Edmyn Tully quickly became angry.
"So, I will do what I do best and appeal to your selfish nature," Jaenyx continued. "Simply put, if you declare for our cause, then we will not only allow you allow you to keep your lands, we will give you more than you already have. And those will be coming from the ones that our dragons will burn to ash."
"You think it's that simple, boy? You throw lands at us and we will be your dogs?" Edmyn Tully retorted.
"You haven't said anything contrary to that notion," Jaenyx shrugged. "Everyone wants something that they don't have, and you're no different."
"How dare you reduce us to men driven by greed, boy!" Edmyn Tully shouted. "I have daughters and I have responsibilities to the people under me. Who's going to protect them when I declare for you and my home invaded by the ironborn? My daughters will be raped and the village around Riverrun burned! If you had a family, you'd understand."
Rhaenys fought back a gasp. Oh, no. Why did you say that? Fortunately, Jaenyx remained calm at his rudeness. "I do have a family, Lord Tully. So you're wrong to think that I don't understand what it's like. It's the exact reason why I'm fighting for them right now."
"And so, you must understand why I won't fight for you, my lord," Edmyn Tully spat with disdain. "I believe we're done here. The next time we cross paths, how about you show some respect to your elders?" And with that, Lord Tully turned to leave the sept in a huff. "Colren, are you coming?"
"I have some other matters to discuss with Lord Belaerys and Lady Targaryen, Edmyn. I'll join you shortly." Lord Tully looked as if he wanted to protest, but simply nodded and walked out.
"You must forgive my friend, Lord Belaerys. He has a tendency to be overly cautious and unwise in his choice of words."
"And you would describe your friend in that manner so soon after he leaves, my lord?" Rhaenys asked.
"Myself and Lord Edmyn go back a long way, my lady. He is an able lord and very well-liked throughout the riverlands, but he can get very complacent, which usually happens when you're around people who act and think like you."
"What about yourself, Lord Blackwood?" Rhaenys inquired.
"I have the blood of the First Men in me and unlike the other riverlords, I follow the Old Gods. I only came to this blasted place for my friend."
Rhaenys was quite familiar with the worship of the Old Gods. Even though Dragonstone didn't have a godswood, she had studied the significance of the weirwoods among the First Men. Although the practices of the Old Gods was interesting, their condemnation of unions within families did not sit well with her since she loved Aegon. Visenya was a little more interested in the Old Gods than her, who had visited the godswood at Highgarden and found that worshipping trees made a little more sense than worshipping arbitrary deities. Nevertheless, Rhaenys, like the rest of her family, reconnected with their Valyrian spirituality and maintained a healthy distance from the spiritual traditions of Westeros.
"And the thing about being the only ones to hold fast the traditions of the First Men," Lord Blackwood continued. "You know what it is like to sense those who would conspire against you and know what it is like to stand on your own two feet. If you are familiar with our feud with House Bracken, you would see how that developed our sense of self-reliance."
Rhaenys nodded. "What do you wish to say, my lord?"
"Lord Edmyn may not be amenable to supporting your struggle at this moment, but give him some time. In the meantime, I will try to convince him to at least consider your offer while I will prepare my troops to fight alongside you."
That surprised Rhaenys. "Why would you do that?" Jaenyx asked, just as surprised.
"Black Harren has been spitting on the traditions of the First Men for decades, Lord Belaerys," they both saw anger emerge in his eyes. "He's been cutting down weirwoods to support his vanity project near the Gods Eye. As a worshipper of the Old Gods, that is an affront that cannot go unanswered. But more importantly, my ancestor Agnes Blackwood died trying to fight the ironborn under Harwyn Hoare. I see this as my chance to do what Agnes Blackwood failed to do."
Rhaenys exchanged a look with Jaenyx. This was their first ally that they found in the riverlands, which meant they made good progress. "How many troops can you muster?" Jaenyx asked.
"I can raise six thousand men in a fortnight, but I have to be careful as to not draw attention from Black Harren's agents. And I can't send all of them to you since I need to protect my lands. What I can give you is five hundred of my infantry and two hundred of my cavalry, along with some free advice. If you want the riverlands to declare for your family, you need a more decisive victory over Black Harren. By decisive, I mean that he suffers irreparable damage that he won't be able to attack either you or us. In the meantime, I will convince Lord Edmyn to at least consider declaring for you. I am not well-loved in the riverlands, but if he does it, the other houses will follow."
"Do we have your word on that, my lord?" Rhaenys stared him in the eye. Getting a nod from him, Jaenyx and Rhaenys shook his hand and left the sept.
"Do you trust him, Jae?" Rhaenys asked as they talked back through the Stoney Sept back to their boat.
"Daor," Jaenyx replied.
"He promised to raise six thousand men for us and he already given part of his army to us."
" I believe that he has a personal reason to go against Black Harren, but I don't think he was telling us everything. "
"What do you mean?"
" He said that Edmyn Tully is well-loved throughout the riverlands and that if he rises in rebellion against Black Harren, the others will follow. If Lord Blackwood wanted to rise against the ironborn, he would have done it himself, but he wants his friend to do that for him. "
"Well, it is as he and you said. He's the popular one, so naturally, people would follow him."
" True, but I'm trying to work out his plan. What does he want from us? "
"Ah… you think he's not helping us out of the goodness of his heart?"
" Well, your father didn't give me and my people sanctuary until I agreed to marry Vis. So, you have that to remember ." Rhaenys again winced. " But he has other, more selfish reasons to help us. I mean, that's what lords usually are. "
"What do you think he's after?"
" Everyone in the riverlands know about the Blackwoods fighting against the Brackens. One thing he could ask from us is help against his old enemy. "
Rhaenys nodded. "And others?"
" Well, he's only the major worshiper of the Old Gods south of the Neck. Helping us and succeeding could be his way of asserting his dominance over those that have long isolated him ."
Rhaenys couldn't eliminate such possibilities. "How should we proceed from here?"
" It is as Lord Blackwood said. We need something more decisive against Black Harren. Rook's Rest was a great start, but we need to fight and break the ironborn's back. Once we do that, he won't have control over his vassals anymore. "
"So what now? Back to the Blackwater Rush?"
" Probably. Or yet, wait for Blackwood's men to join us. At least he's the first one to give us any kind of support. "
"Five hundred men and two hundred cavalry is no small support at this stage."
" Agreed. But we need to strategize ."
As they made their way back to the docks, Rhaenys turned around and saw that they were being followed by a group of men. Giving Jaenyx and the others a glance, they made their way to the boat before turning around and drawing their weapons.
"Who the hell are you?" Jaenyx ordered.
One of the men, the leader by the looks of him, walked forward. "Pretty well-armed for travelers, aren't you?" He then drew his axe, with the others following suit. "By order of His Grace Harren of House Hoare, first of his name, King of the Rivers and the Isles, you are hereby under arrest for spying. Drop your weapons."
"No," Jaenyx replied.
"I said, drop your weapons," the ironborn got infuriated that someone defied him.
"Come and take them, you bastard," Jaenyx shot back.
The leader laughed, his dirty hair swinging as he turned to face his men. "You hear this fucking guy?! All right, we'll do this the hard way." The ironborn swung his axe at Jaenyx, who avoided it by moving to his right, drawing his sword, and slicing through the gambeson. The cut was clean, as the blade passed through the gambeson and the front of the torso out the back. The ironborn leader saw his legs collapse beneath him before he fell over, body in two parts.
The other ironborn promptly attacked, with Jaenyx stabbing one in the belly with his blade and pulling it out with such force that blood and intestines spilled out of the cavity before the poor ironborn fell on his knees with his mouth wide open. Arata Haru cleanly decapitated one other while Rhaedar swung his axe down on another's head, the skull splitting open and brain matter splattering over the dock.
The final ironborn attempted to charge at Rhaenys and swung down with his axe on Rhaenys' left shoulder. However, all he heard was a steel clank despite the axe going through her cloak. Acting on instinct, Rhaenys drew her dagger and stabbed the final ironborn in the neck, cutting his major blood vessels and blood spraying on her face while he fell to the ground dead.
While still in a daze, Rhaenys felt someone push her to the boat as they cast off from the dock. She felt someone shaking her, turning to see it was Jaenyx.
" You all right ?" she heard him ask. She removed her cloak to reveal her dragon coat. She heard that Visenya's asked him to make one for her after she nearly drowned in the Blackwater Bay. Like Visenya's, it was dipped in dragon's blood, Meraxes' blood, with the shoulders and torso covered in Valyrian steel plates. Unlike Visenya's, it was red trimmed with black, the colors of House Targaryen. That axe would have cleaved through her shoulder had it not been for Valyrian steel plate protecting it, and Rhaenys forgot she wore it because of how light it was.
"Oh, my gods." Everything was coming back to Rhaenys. "I just killed a man."
" It was either you or him, Rhae. There was no getting out of that one. "
"But it was still a person."
" No one's going to blame you for killing someone to defend yourself. Egg definitely wouldn't. "
In the span of a week, Rhaenys nearly drowned and had taken her first life. She was content with living the life as a proper lady of Dragonstone and never intended to partake in the rigors of war, but here she was. How am I going to go back after all of this ? She learned that no person came back the same after a war and she was afraid that she was going to lose parts of herself that she was afraid of losing. She felt her breath quicken and exhaling faster than normal, the stresses of the last week and the panic of killing a man overtaking her. I… can't breath.
Fortunately, Jaenyx saw what was happening and held her tight. " Hey, hey ," he shushed as he ran his hand down her hair and back. " You're all right. You're alive. That's all that matters, Rhae ."
" It's getting too much, Jae ."
" I know, I know. Just calm down, but also let it all out. Let it all out ."
For the first time since she got out of that bed, Rhaenys felt tears come down her face. Jaenys continued hugging her, his hands calming her down as she let out all of the anxieties and worries that had built up inside her. " I'm scared, Jae ."
" Me too, Rhae. Me too. "
"How do you do get past this?" Rhaenys looked up in his eyes.
" Honestly, Rhae, you don't. Something like killing will never leave you. Anyone who says that killing is easy is either lying or something is wrong with their mind. However, what you can do is remember and learn how to survive the next time. What would help is remembering that you have something to lose if you die. You have Egg, but what would happen to him if you died on that dock? " Rhaenys didn't answer, for both already knew. " Be afraid of the things that you will lose. It may not make it easier for you to handle, but it might just give you a better chance the next time. That's all I can say now ."
"What about nearly dying?"
Jaenyx hesitated. " I know what it is like to almost die. However, something prevented me from doing so because my mother died instead so that I might live. "
Rhaenys stood straighter. Jaenyx avoided talking about his mother and even Visenya was quiet about it. " What happened? "
Jaenyx sighed. " The red death broke out in the Basilisk Isle and my father died painfully from it. I got infected and I was close to death. I still remember my skin peeling like parchment and me almost losing my breath. " Rhaenys saw his breath quiver. " She had her brother, Taygor's father, do a blood ritual where she exchanged her life for me healing and living. " Rhaenys saw that the mention of the red death made Rhaedar Tarareon sink in slightly, the red death also a sore subject for him. " The last thing she said to me was 'Only death can pay for life .'"
This was the first time Rhaenys had heard Jaenyx talk about his mother to her, and she now began to understand why there was so much sadness in him. Deep down, he felt… guilt because he allowed his mother to do what she did. She reached up and ran her hand across his back to comfort him.
They rowed the rest of the Blackwater Rush in silence, Rhaenys and Jaenyx both reflecting on what it was like to nearly die and what it was to kill. I just hope this ends soon, so that everything will go back to the way it was .