Kingslanding
(105 AC)
- Hometown Glory -

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Sweat poured down her face. Everything inside her was spasming and she knew that either she or her child would survive the birth. It was hard to imagine that both would survive the birth, and yet King Viserys prayed that a miracle would happen.

A miracle. Don't we all believe in miracles somehow? King Viserys firmly believed in them and he was convinced that his wife would give birth to a strong and beautiful boy.

But somehow everything went differently than planned. The maesters and maids ran around Queen Aemma's chambers looking for anything that would make it easier for the Queen to give birth, but they failed.

They found nothing that could help the Queen. There wasn't even a pillow left. Everything in the room had been given to Queen Aemma in advance. But now she needed something. Something for her back. Her back hurt like hell and not a second went by without her screaming in pain.

King Viserys stood next to her bed. He looked down at his wife and began to worry. At some point, he sat down next to her and held her hand. She tried to smile at him, but all he could see was the pain in her eyes. The pain caused by the birth. The pain that broke his heart.

A few minutes passed before Aemma's contractions started again and she cried out in pain once more. King Viserys narrowed his eyes. Tears ran down his cheeks and he was afraid. Probably a justified fear when he looked at the state of his wife and the worried faces of the maesters and maids.

If only he knew how he could help. Suddenly the maesters and maids became even more frantic. King Viserys stood up in a flash as one of the maesters scurried to Queen Aemma's side and took the pillow from under her sweaty head. King Viserys didn't understand why he was doing this at first, but when Queen Aemma began to clench and writhe in pain, he realised that the maester was trying to make it easier for her.

The birth lasted about 2 hours. 2 hours of agony, pain and, at the end, grief.

Mourning for his deceased wife and son. The son he had wanted so much and the wife he had loved so much were now dead. They had died before his eyes and there was nothing he could have done to stop it. The grief literally consumed him. It felt like he was choking on his own tears and like his head would burst any second.

It was one of the worst feelings he had ever had and one of the worst sights he had ever seen. Why was this happening to him? Why was it happening to his wife? She didn't deserve to die, any more than his son deserved to die. For a few minutes he stood next to her bed, where her lifeless body lay, with his lifeless son in his arms and his thoughts on his only daughter - Rhaenyra.

How should he tell her about the death of her mother and brother? Should he do it at all or should one of the maesters? But before he could come to a decision, one of the maesters disappeared towards the door and left the chambers.

At the moment Rhaenyra's mother and brother died, she was sitting outside with her best friend, Alicent, watching a tournament that her father had organised in honour of her mother and brother. But nobody could have guessed that neither the Queen nor her child would survive the birth. And it would shake the whole kingdom and all of Kingslanding to learn of the Queen's death.

Rhaenyra and Alicent sat in their seats, watching Rhaenyra's uncle and Ser Criston Cole duel, when suddenly Princess Rhaenys stood up and offered Rhaenyra her heartfelt condolences. Rhaenyra and Alicent looked at each other. Why was Princess Rhaenys offering her, her heartfelt condolences?

Quick as lightning, Rhaenyra stormed into the palace and searched for her father. She found him in the throne room, sitting on his throne and mourning. She did not understand. Who was he mourning for? She walked towards him, her expression questioning and her whole body trembling.

He looked up when he saw her outline and sighed. He knew that now was the time to tell his daughter about the death of her mother and brother. But how was he going to do it? It wasn't easy for him and somehow he had hoped that the maester would have taken on this part. But he didn't and now he had to tell his daughter the painful truth.

As if she sensed what he was about to say, she sank to the floor in front of him and let her tears flow freely. He stood up, knelt in front of her and took her in his arms. She was his only constant. The only thing he had left of his late wife. She was his only heir...