Game of Thrones: I Am The Heir For A Day

Chapter 98: The Queen’s Guilt

Chapter 98: The Queen’s Guilt

The siblings shared stories of their adventures.

Before long, a group of guards showed up.

"Rhaegar, Rhaenyra!"

Viserys, looking a bit worn out but happy to see them, brushed past the guards and hurried towards his children with surprising speed.

"Father!"

Rhaegar's face lit up at the sight of his father, though he couldn't hug him with Rhaenyra still leaning on him.

Rhaenyra was startled by her father's arrival and turned to face him, greeting him timidly, "Father."

She had slipped out of her chamber through the secret passage behind the Kingsguard, and she felt a twinge of nervousness at being caught.

"It's good to see you both safe," Viserys said, breathing a sigh of relief. He ignored his daughter's subdued greeting as he focused on his son.

He crouched down next to Rhaegar, his eyes scanning him with a look of paternal concern. He had dreamed of Rhaegar's safe return, and now seeing him in the flesh, he felt a profound sense of relief.

With an affectionate embrace, Viserys planted a kiss on Rhaegar's forehead. "When the dragon roared on the island, I knew it was you who had returned."

Rhaegar wiped away the drool with a sheepish grin and bragged about his victories. "Cannibal and I defeated Vermithor and Silverwing. No dragon on the island could match us."

"You're certainly bold, my boy," Viserys replied, his expression a mix of pride and concern.

Since Rhaegar's recovery, he had grown in many ways, but his audacity seemed to grow with each passing day.

From taming a dragon without permission to engaging in battles on their doorstep upon his return, Rhaegar's daring actions left Viserys wondering what the future might hold as his son matured.

Viserys was filled with thoughts but showed only relief on his face. "You've never been an ordinary child, Rhaegar."

In that moment, he recognized Rhaegar as the prince foretold in the Song of Ice and Fire prophecy.

Indeed, Rhaegar had proven himself capable of taming the largest wild dragon ever seen and defeating the renowned Bronze Fury and Silverwing of the continent.

"Come, I've prepared a grand feast to welcome you home."

Viserys gave his eldest son a playful pat on the head before lifting him up.

As they walked, Viserys turned to Rhaenyra with a hint of reproach in his voice. "You disobeyed me again, Rhaenyra."

"I'm sorry, Father," Rhaenyra apologized, bowing her head. "I was really worried about Rhaegar, so I couldn't just wait around."

"It's not the first time you've disobeyed my orders," Viserys replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Let's set that aside for now. You both seem to be in good spirits."

Rhaegar gave a small smile in response to Helaena's greeting, then turned to Alicent and said, "Thanks to Cannibal's protection, I made it back safely."

"The wild dragon?" Alicent's puzzled expression matched her crossed arms.

"Once I tamed him, he stopped being wild," Rhaegar clarified.

Alicent said, “You showed great courage in taming an adult dragon all by yourself.”

"On the other hand," she added, glancing at Aegon, "Aegon is still struggling to command Sunfyre and has yet to succeed."

"Mom!" Aegon objected, his eyebrows furrowing.

As Rhaegar observed Alicent's hands, he noticed their roughness, which showed she'd been used to practical tasks like sewing and writing. Her fingers showed signs of recent injuries, with the wounds still fresh and unhealed.

Rhaegar, who was well-versed in scholarly matters, recognized these wounds as recent, likely inflicted in the past few days.

Rhaegar paused before speaking, "Your Majesty, what happened to your hand?"

"Huh?" Alicent seemed taken aback, looking at Rhaegar's gaze and quickly covering her hand with a slight panic.

Alicent offered a smile and said, "My apologies, perhaps it's just the humidity of Dragonstone Island making my hands itch."

"Make sure to keep warm," Rhaegar added casually, though his tone was peculiar.

While Dragonstone Island was indeed humid, King's Landing, being a seaside city, wasn't significantly drier.

Alicent's excuse didn't seem very convincing, and her nervousness only made Rhaegar more suspicious.

Alicent quickly changed the subject, asking a servant, "Is the banquet ready? Please bring it forward at once."

Viserys agreed.

Rhaegar leaned in close to Rhaenyra and asked quietly, "Why is Alicent nervously tapping her fingers?"

As Rhaenyra was Alicent's former confidante, she was aware of such details and whispered back, "It's a nervous habit of Alicent's. Whenever she's anxious, she tends to tap her fingers, often to the point of bleeding."

"Nervous?" Rhaegar echoed silently.

Why would someone be nervous?

Fear, excitement...

Or maybe it's a sign of guilty?