#King's Landing

[patheticdarling]

Her Sacrifice

Summary: The assassins had no such luck finding Prince Aemond but what were they to do when they stumbled upon the beloved wife of King Aegon instead? Her belly swollen with his heir.

Warnings: Blood & Cheese/murder/gore & blood/cursing/threats/blades/pregnancy/kidnapping/funeral/incest (reader is helaena's older twin)

Word Count: 2236

"The other lords will be accompanying me for a drink in the Throne Room. Shall you join us, Wife?" Aegon asked, a slightly eager smile on his face, anticipating your agreement.

You sighed as you began to undo the braids in your hair, "The hour is late, Husband. I must rest."

Aegon pouted, "Just a cup! We've attended to our royal duties all day, have we not earned a bit of respite?"

"Respite is what I shall get with a good night's sleep. Not drinking until sunrise with you and your comrades," you teased. You stood from seat at your vanity, walking over and placing Aegon's hand on your growing bump, "Besides, do you not wish for our babe to be born healthy? So that they may grow into formidable dragon riders like their parents."

He smiled softly at your belly before kissing it sweetly, "You make a good point, my dear. Mayhaps I should stay in with you."

You shook your head, smiling down at him, "Do not let me stop your fun. You are right. The King deserves his respite. Besides there may not be many more nights where we get to enjoy ourselves," motioning to your bump.

"You are going to make a wonderful mother," Aegon stood from his seat, "I shall allow you to enjoy your last moments of rest then." He planted a soft kiss on your lips, "I love you, Y/N."

You stroked his hair, "I love you, Aegon."

Aegon kissed you once more before giving your belly a playful squeeze and disappearing from your chambers. You summoned one of your ladies to help you finish getting ready for bed. Thanking her as you got yourself comfortable between the silk sheets of you and Aegon's bed. Finally bidding her good night as she blew out most of the candles, leaving a few on for Aegon's drunken return.

You could not be sure of the hour when you heard your chamber doors creak open followed by the shuffling of feet. You did not even bother opening your eyes, assuming you'd feel the bed indent as Aegon stumbled towards it.

"Back so soon?" you teased, "I was only being half serious about the sunset-"

Suddenly, a large hand clamped over your mouth. Your eyes shot open as two men loomed over you. You screamed and panicked as the larger man used his other arm to keep you pinned to the bed.

"Quiet!" the smaller man pulled a blade out, pressing it to your throat, "Unless you want me to bleed you like a pig."

You nodded, terrified of what these men could do, "W-Who are you? What do you want?"

"Its not our wants you should be concerned with, Your Grace."

"Who sent you? What do y-you want from me?" your voice shook.

"A life is owed. It wasn't supposed to be you. A son for a son we were told," the smaller man shrugged, "But it seems Prince Aemond isn't in the castle tonight."

Of course, you thought. This was about Lucerys. Your younger brother had taken the boy's life and that was a deed that could not go unpunished. You knew how deeply your eldest sister loved all of her children. The loss of one would be devastating. Taking Aemond's life made sense. But taking yours? And the life of your unborn child? That was not in Rhaenyra's nature. This was plotted by someone far more sinister and dark.

"My uncle sent you, didn't he?" you spoke up. They both sent stares to the other, "Daemon Targaryen. He sent you to kill one of us."

The large man scoffed, "Aren't you a smart one?"

"Shame those smarts won't do you any good now, will they?" the smaller one mocked.

"Please," you tried to beg, "Do not do this. No good will-" The large hand came down on your mouth again.

"That's enough," he grunted before turning back to the smaller man, "I'll hold her down and you cut."

Your blood ran cold at his words. Not only were they going to kill you but they were going to tortuously cut out your unborn child. They both yanked you further down the bed until you were flat on your back. You tried to kick, scream, bite, thrash as much as you could but the man proved to have almost inhuman strength. The smaller man raised his blade, that same sadistic grin plastered on his face before he began to dig it into the lower part of your abdomen.

White hot pain seared through your body as he continued to slice into you. Your vision was blurred with tears and you could have sworn your throat was raw from your cries. Though the pain was so intense that you could not process the sounds that might have been leaving you. Warm blood pooled all around you, the once ivory sheets now a deep crimson. One last gasp left you as they pulled your child from your body.

Suddenly you had remembered your mother telling you about the pains of childbirth when you first married Aegon and all anyone could talk about was you producing his heirs. She had a rather negative approach that utterly terrified you. So, you decided to find comfort in Rhaenyra's advice instead.

"I will not withhold the truth from you, it truly is the most excruciating pain a woman must go through."

You groaned, "That is not what I had wished to hear, Sister."

"You did not let me finish. The process is hard, yes. And you will feel the urge to curse the Gods or even your husband and swear to never bear anymore children," you both laughed, "But the moment you hear those sweet cries and your babe is placed upon your chest, the pain is forgotten. And nothing has ever seemed so worth it. Then you will know, right then and there, that you would do it all over again if it meant you could finally find that purest form of love."

And yet, you would never discover that beautiful feeling your sister had painted so clearly. The room was almost eerily silent besides the dripping of blood onto the stone floor.

"What do you know?" the man panted as he held your lifeless infant, "A son. Congratulations, my Queen."

You could not speak as you felt your body numb itself. Tears falling with no cries as they stuffed your son's body into a sack. It was as if you could feel your heart shatter. The men finished their sinister act before fleeing through a secret passageway. You tried little to fight the heaviness in your eyes. Perhaps this was all a horrible dream and if you shut your eyes, you'd open them to find yourself in bed with Aegon's arms wrapped securely around your belly. The last thing you could muster was a small smile at the sentimental image as your vision faded out completely.

"Sister?" Helaena called out into your bed chamber, "I did not wish to wake you but Aegon is being so loud and I cannot sleep with him-" Her voice caught in her throat at the sight of your mangled body lying on the bed. Your figure lifeless and your eyes vacant as you stared at the canopy. She approached your body, a shaky hand reaching out to touch your face to be met with utter stillness. Helaena backed out of the room slowly, tears flowing down her cheeks before sprinting to find some sort of help. As if anyone could undo what had already been done.

"I-I don't know what happened. I came in and she...she was..." Helaena's voice cracked with sobs as various people filed into the royal bed chamber; the Kingsguard, the Dowager Queen, the Hand, and lastly, your husband.

They all stopped at the sight before them, their eyes welling with tears and their stomachs churning. The Dowager Queen let out a heavy sob as all their attention turned to the King. Aegon approached your body cautiously.

He fell to his knees, his hands cradling your bloodied face as he sobbed, "My wife, my dearest-"

Nobody dared say a word as Aegon mourned over you. His sobs heavy with grief as he called out your name over and over again. The Queen Mother clutching Helaena's arm as they cried with him. The Kingsguard hanging their heads low in shame at their failure to protect their Queen. Otto Hightower, known to be quick with his word, said nothing.

The council meeting that followed was one full of dread and grief. Most of the council mourned, the Hand schemed, and the King could do not but curse the Gods and swear revenge.

"Your Grace, perhaps we should speak of the funeral arrangements for the Queen-"

"No," Aegon was quick to stop the Hand, who raised a brow at his grandson's denial, "I will not have my wife's body dragged through the streets like a dog!"

"Not dragged, honored!" Otto corrected him before lowering his tone as he spoke to the King, "Y/N was my granddaughter and I loved her. She deserves the funeral of a Targaryen princess, a Targaryen queen. The small folk wish to mourn their Queen and the heir she carried. And they need to know who is responsible for this."

Aegon's face twisted in disbelief, "How could they not already know?! Who else would do this save the bitch queen of bastards?!"

"We must know for certain, Your Grace," Lord Jasper suggested, "If it was not your sister, this may prove to be an even bigger threat to the crown, to you, my King."

Aegon scoffed, "I do not care what threatens me. My wife is dead. And my child," he stifled a sob, "That cunt did this, I know it. Her and her kingdom of traitorous bastards will burn for it."

Before anyone could speak, the doors of the council chamber opened as Lord Larys entered. He bowed meekly as all eyes turned to him.

"My lords, Your Grace," he greeted the council.

All stood still, "State your purpose, Lord Larys," the Hand spoke.

"We have apprehended one of the assailants. A gold cloak, known for his brutal nature. The guards caught him fleeing the Gate of Gods. He carried the child's body in a sack."

The King hardly wasted any time, stomping over to the doors, "I shall kill him myself."

"We might retrieve further information about who is to blame for this tragedy after questioning," Ser Criston stopped Aegon from leaving as Otto spoke, "I trust in your skill set, Lord Larys."

The Strong Lord bowed before exiting the room. All eyes turned once again to the King and his Hand.

"We will hold the service for both the child and mother-"

"I said no," Aegon grunted, "My wife and child will not be put on display for the Realm."

"Your Grace, we might use this to our advantage in the war you wish to march into. Your people need to know the depravity that Rhaenyra is capable of. The great houses of Westeros will see that she is not fit to rule given her cruel nature. They will flock to your side and with them, their armies and bannermen."

Aegon continued to shake his head. He could not just let them see you or your child like that. They did not deserve it.

"Mother," he turned to the Dowager Queen for support.

Alicent approached Aegon's chair, "The Hand sets on a difficult path, my darling, but it might be the right one."

The King could not muster anymore fight, "Have the Silent Sisters prepare the Queen and child for their journey. Behind them will be Princess Helaena and the Queen Mother."

"No, I do not wish to be a spectacle," Alicent argued but her father would not hear it.

Your husband visited your body as the Silent Sisters began to prepare it. They had cleaned the mess and dressed you in one of your favorite dresses, the emerald color complimenting your skin and hair.

"Your Grace, it is ill-fated to look upon the face of death," Maester Orwyle warned.

"That is not the face of death, Maester. That is my wife," Aegon spoke, "Leave me with her."

Maester Orwyle and the Silent Sisters bowed before leaving the King with your body. He softly stroked the hair from your face as he broke into sobs once again.

"I am so sorry, my love," he cried, "I-I should have been there to protect you. And our son." Maester Orwyle had informed His Grace that the child you carried was a prince, a perfect heir, "You truly would have been the most wonderful mother. You were already a perfect wife and Queen. Motherhood would have come naturally."

Aegon recounted how well you did with Rhaenyra's last two babies, the ones she had with his uncle Daemon. As much as he did not care for his half-sister, he knew you did. Always quick to defend her, even against your own family. So, he was forced to ask himself, how could she do this to you? To your child?

"They will pay for what they have done," your husband muttered to you, "I will win this war. I will win it for our child. I will win it for you. With fire and blood. Your sacrifice will not be for naught, my Queen."

[daenysthedreamer101]

HOTD in colors - RED

[wardrobeoftime]

House of the Dragon + Costumes

King Aegon II Targaryen's Valyrian steel armour in Season 02, Episode 03 & 04.

// requested by anonymous

[myfandomprompts]

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON SEASON 2 SCENERY

[hotdaemondtargaryen]

HIGHTOWERS SIBLINGS, TWEETS:

[game-of-style]

Gowns for Queen Aemma Arryn, mother of Rhaenyra Targaryen - Atelier Couture Spring 2022

[goosebasedcryptid]

How do you do fellow asoiaf nerds

Please (please) enjoy this map I made for a King's Landing metro network this summer

Here are some Facts (a lot of them are based on the Paris metro because I have to suffer through it daily)

- There are tunnels that connect the Jaehaerys, Alchemists and Alysanne stations and the signs are so unhelpful you will lose 10 minutes going around in circles every time

- Septon Barth was supposed to be called "Maegor" when lines 5 to 7 were announced but due to the public's opinion they changed it (this is because I originally named the station Maegor wtf was I thinking)

- Lines 3 and 2 have different fares if you want to go to the airports or the harbor

- Some portions of line 6 around High Hill and Aegon I are above ground, the stations and rails have become prime street art real estate, and the neighbourhood around it is gentrified as f

- Line 4 is always late or crowded and the seats have bedbugs

- The station at the Dragonpit is designed to look like a cave and has really cool decorations with fake dragon bones and reproductions of historical artefacts and lore.

- Line 7 was supposed to be a full loop but the rich neighbourhoods on Aegon's Hill and around on Red Keep didn't want the metro running through their backyards. So if you want to go from the River Gate to the Iron Gate you either have to go all the way around the city walls or ride 4 successive lines.

Please critique and suggest improvements and or/fun facts of your own

[bbygirl-aemond]

one of my favorite things about this show is the recurring themes of power rotting and corrupting everything around it. viserys says plainly that the crown "crushes whoever wears it" and we've seen the iron throne cut him before, but recently we're also getting more at the idea that the rot spreads beyond just crown and throne. the entire red keep, as the seat of power for the realm, is just as corrupted. as alicent says in this episode, there is nothing clean there; it is as infested with power as it is infested with rats. and even king's landing as a whole is marred by the war and the struggle for power, as we saw with the riots. it is only outside of king's landing entirely- outside of civilization entirely- that alicent can find respite.

[silverflameataraxia]

Imagine thinking the sibling that you were closest to is dead and then finding out they're alive...and betrothed to those who betrayed and murdered your family.

Jon saw no reason not to tell him. "Moat Cailin is taken. The flayed corpses of the ironmen have been nailed to posts along the kingsroad. Roose Bolton summons all leal lords to Barrowton, to affirm their loyalty to the Iron Throne and celebrate his son's wedding to..." His heart seemed to stop for a moment. No, that is not possible. She died in King's Landing, with Father. "He's to marry Arya Stark. My little sister." Jon could almost see her in that moment, long-faced and gawky, all knobby knees and sharp elbows, with her dirty face and tangled hair. They would wash the one and comb the other, he did not doubt, but he could not imagine Arya in a wedding gown, nor Ramsay Bolton's bed. No matter how afraid she is, she will not show it. If he tries to lay a hand on her, she'll fight him. By now she'd be eleven, Jon thought. Still a child. "I have no sister. Only brothers. Only you." Lady Catelyn would have rejoiced to hear those words, he knew. That did not make them easier to say. His fingers closed around the parchment. Would that they could crush Ramsay Bolton's throat as easily. Jon felt as stiff as a man of sixty years. Dark dreams, he thought, and guilt. His thoughts kept returning to Arya. There is no way I can help her. I put all kin aside when I said my words. If one of my men told me his sister was in peril, I would tell him that was no concern of his. Once a man had said the words his blood was black. Black as a bastard's heart. He'd had Mikken make a sword for Arya once, a bravo's blade, made small to fit her hand. Needle. He wondered if she still had it. Stick them with the pointy end, he'd told her, but if she tried to stick the Bastard, it could mean her life. "The heart is all that matters. Do not despair, Lord Snow. Despair is a weapon of the enemy, whose name may not be spoken. Your sister is not lost to you." "I have no sister." The words were knives. What do you know of my heart, priestess? What do you know of my sister?

- Jon VI, ADwD

Interesting that Sansa's marriage to Tyrion wasn't even worthy of being mentioned to Jon (even though we know he knew about it, he's never once cared enough to voice any thought on the subject), but Arya's betrothal to Ramsay takes up Jon's entire sixth POV in ADwD 🤣

[tronodiferro]

Daemon & Rhaenyra's Legacy by Jota Saraiva

[nulnoildrinker]

Say what you will about the devastation brought by the dance of the dragons, but for a few glorious weeks there must've been dragon in the bowls o' brown in Flea Bottom, and I think that's beautiful.

[aesthetic--mood]

Daemon Targaryen Aesthetic

[daenysthedreamer101]

HOTD in colors - GOLD

[wardrobeoftime]

House of the Dragon + Costumes

King Aegon II Targaryen's blue shirt and green & golden doublet in Season 02, Episode 01 & 02.

// requested by anonymous

[thewatcher0nthewall]

How Cruel can The Gods be?

[witchthewriter]

𝐓𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝟹𝑟𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑀𝑎𝑒𝑔𝑜𝑟'𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠

INTJ

Slytherin (the most Slytherin Slytherin to ever exist)

Chaotic Evil

Scorpio Sun, Scorpio Moon, Capricorn Rising

Trigger Warning: mentions of torture, death, death of babies and miscarriages.

Tyanna was the daughter of a magister of Pentos. She began as a tavern dancer and rose to become a courtesan, although some claimed she was also a poisoner and a sorceress.

When Prince Maegor Targaryen returned from his exile to claim the Iron Throne, the Faith Militant was in near full control. They challenged his rule with a trial of seven, in which Maegor won but was left grievously wounded.

Maegor's second wife, Alys Harroway, returned twenty-eight days later. In her company was Tyanna, rumoured to be both Maegor's and Alys' paramour. After meeting Tyanna, Visenya gave her full care of Maegor; which troubled his supporters.

Awakening from his coma, Maegor burned the Warrior's Sons at the Sept of Remembrance atop the Hill of Rhaenys and waged war on the Faith Militant.

It was after his victory at the Great Fork of the Blackwater that Maegor returned to King's Landing and announced his intention to take Tyanna as wife. When Grand Maester Myros objected, claiming that the only true wife of Maegor's was Ceryse Hightower, Maegor killed him.

Maegor married Tyanna atop the Hill of Rhaenys, and it is said that Alys joined them on their first night of marriage.

Tyanna was mistress of whisperers on her husband's small council and was titled, 'The King's Raven.' It was said that discussing secrets in the Red Keep was foolish, as even rats and other creatures were her spies.

In 44 AC, two years after Maegor returned from exile, Dowager Queen Visenya died. In the confusion after her death, Aenys I's widow, Queen Alyssa Velaryon, fled from Dragonstone with her children and the Targaryen sword, Dark Sister.

Alyssa and Aenys's second son, Prince Viserys had been under Maegor's thumb at the Red Keep. He served as his squire, however, he was punished for his family's escape. Tyanna questioned him. For nine days straight. He died on the last day and his body was left in the town's square.

That same year, Queen Alys gave birth but it was "to a monstrosity." Queen Tyanna convinced Maegor that it was because Alys had been having secret affairs. Maegor did not believe it and called Tyanna a barren, jealous witch.

So, Tyanna gave Maegor a list of twenty men she claimed slept with Alys. This led to the extinction of House Harroway, as well as the torture and execution of dozens of alleged lovers. Tyanna tortured Alys herself. It went on for nearly a fortnight until the queen died.

Tyanna could not give Maegor an heir.

So the King wed three 'Black Brides'; Elinor Costayne, Jeyne Westerling and his niece, Rhaena, three years later.

Tyanna had to force Rhaena to be obedient by threatening her daughters, Aerea and Rhaella. Some stories claim that Tyanna gave Jeyne a fertility potion the night of the wedding but the new bride tossed it into Tyanna's face.

A year later, Queen Jeyne birthed a stillborn 'monstrosity,' and rumours spread that Maegor was cursed.

In his anger, Maegor bid two of his Kingsguard; Ser Owen Bush and Ser Maladon Moore, to bring Tyanna to the dungeons. As the torturers prepared their tools, she confessed.

Tyanna had been responsible for both Alys and Jeyne's 'abominations', claiming she had poisoned the babies in their mother's wombs. She then promised that the same fate would befall the pregnant Elinor.

Tyanna was killed by Maegor himself. He cut out her heart with Blackfure and threw it to his dogs. Two moons later, Elinor did in fact birth a stillborn 'monstrosity.'

That same year, Maegor died on the Iron Throne. His headsman, gaolers and confessors were all condemned by King Jaehaerys I Targaryen for having aided Tyanna in the death of his elder brother, Prince Viserys.

According to some rumours, Tyanna was not loved by her mother-in-law, Queen Visenya Targaryen, or by anyone else for that matter. She is remembered as a black-hearted woman who was hated and feared.