#i swear there's a joke about alabama hidden in here somewhere... i've been listening to ethel cain too much lately lol

[alicent-targaryen]

ELDRITCH (RHAENYRA x DAEMON ▸ Southern Gothic!AU)

It has been years since the last time Rhaenyra crawled into Uncle Daemon’s lap. “S’not appropriate no more,” he rebuffs her through clenched teeth when she tries and she climbs down, crushed. But she had such a fright walking back from school through the dusty cornfield that she didn’t think it through. Ever since she was a little girl, there have been rumors of bad spirits roaming the countryside, stalking graves and scratching pews in abandoned churches. Some folks say they are being punished for the sins of their dying town. But this marks the first time she’s had a brush with the supernatural. She heard harsh overlapping whispers slithering between the tall ears of corn, dark figures brushed past her, and long leaves began to wrap tight around her frame like tendrils. She struggled to set herself free and ran straight home where Daemon sat dutifully every day next to her father’s deathbed. Viserys snored soundly and Daemon embraced her tight, shushing her as his fingers patted her messy pigtails. He must’ve sensed the terror rattling her bones because he let her stay. Rhaenyra’s chest heaved. She chided herself. Since when was she a scaredy cat? “What happened?” He asked. “The…corn.” He hummed in understanding. She clung to his white shirt, inhaling his calming scent. “Them damn things can’t hurt you, sweetheart," he promised in his thickened drawl. "I’ll fight off every last one of them for you.”

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