CHAPTER ONE ,
burn it all to the damn ground.

(  112 A.C. ——
——  Red Keep,
King's Landing  )

          Daemon Targaryen was furious — it was practically dripping off of him like acid, eroding the halls of the Red Keep as his heavy, booming steps echoed off the pale red ten foot stone walls lined with aperture springline windows. The first light of the morning sun started beaming heat onto his face as it rose in the sky, matching the burn feverishly rushing through his body.

Servants scurried out of his way, petrified of what the consequence may be if they weren't fast enough. The guards stationed against the wall every few feet strayed their usual eyesight that was glued ahead of them resembling statues to haste fleeting glances as the prince passed by with such wrath that it put them on wary alert.

Daemon's violent violet eyes were locked straight with a scorched venomous glower. His fists clenched tight enough to break skin and draw blood, the stinging of the torn flesh only fueling his anger, reminding him that his niece had just felt unendurable pain in the hours after dusk, during the blackest part of night, right here in the fortifications of a place he thought she'd be safe.

Ser Abyl Lash was fixed at the enormous two doors made out of expensive oak that was banded with black iron when Daemon arrived at the quarters that resided in the farthest back of the Keep with a perfect looming view of the towering rocks of Aegon's High Hill and Blackwater Bay below — it's merciless crashing waves waiting for someone to be stricken with death when they hit the water at a frightening speed.

The Kingsguard gave him a firm nod of respect and stepped out of his way, giving Daemon access to strike his knuckles against the sturdy wood. Lillibaeth Targaryen jumped at the enraged pounding that pervaded her chambers, "Fleur, go away, please!" Her voice was stern but thick with anguish, giving out at the exasperated request towards her lady-in-waiting of wishing to be left alone.

The princess's cane corso, Darconia, perked up fast and started barking, leaping off the bed and charging towards the door but ceased immediately when Daemon's head peeked through the crack, his face softening for just a moment when he saw the gentle giant and her whole demeaner shifted from defensive to compliant, "Mazumbagon, mīsvos angel." he spoke just above a whisper, opening the door further and entering the room and lending his open palm towards her cold nose.
{Settle down, armored angel.}

Darconia gave him a biddable sniff and a single lick before turning away from Daemon with a slight snort of annoyance after having to get up from her deep slumber to defend her owner from the man she needed no protection from, and going to the soft and plush place Lillibaeth had set up for her in front of the lit over-grouted limestone fireplace consisting of silver that had the appearance of glinting diamonds when the sun seeped its midday rays into her chambers — one of Lilly's favorite spots where the hearth that was taller than her contained high flickering flames that sometimes whispered to her if she stared long enough into the vigorous glow.

"Uncle!" Lillibaeth exclaimed, rushing to rise from under the several covers where she lay in bed. She staggered to her feet with a sharp and shaky inhale through her clenched teeth at the sudden movement which made the constant pain in her abdomen even more prominent.

She was shocked that he was here, especially this soon, Lillibaeth had hoped it be days before he'd show so her body would have the time to heal some of the worst harm that had been done to it, therefore it wouldn't be so unsettling to look at.

A terrible sense of shame overcame her every time someone stared at her and she'd figured that she might as well drop dead before Daemon got the chance to. Her uncle had taught her to be strong and brave and how to defend herself her entire life and the impending fear of knowing that he might think of her as weak if he saw her like this was a worse pain than any of the suffering she was facing right now.

Weak —— The single word that had been spat in her face by her father, King Viserys the "Peaceful", any free chance he got. The single word she wouldn't bare to be able to hear come from Daemon's lips —— Weak.

Daemon's body jerked towards her when he saw her attempt at standing, he had practically skipped several steps to get to her side as quickly as possible, "Don't do that." He sighed — not out of frustration towards his niece but rather out of overwhelming heartache.

His short journey on horseback as he barreled through the narrow streets of King's Landing, not caring of the destruction and harm he left in his wake, consisted of thoughts that raced vigorously of what he was going to see when he walked into this very room.

No matter what images he cursed himself to conjure up or the graphic description of what had happened to her that Ser Harrold had sent in a missive to him, without the knowledge of the king, and with the help of Lillibaeth's assigned guard that was posted just outside the heavy doors that stood behind the both of them, nothing could compare with what his own two eyes saw as he took in her body that was now in complete view of him as he carefully guided her back into bed and pushed the lush covers back over her legs — hiding the bruises that were already shades of deep blues, purples, and black and skinned flesh that felt warm and raw with a constant itch she couldn't satisfy without clawing open the thin layer of scabbing that her cells were already starting to build.

He tried his best to keep a stoic face in an effort to not scare her, but he ultimately had no control over the rage that was inevitably taking over his features. His rugged face contorted into a look that no one wanted to fall victim to — his jaw clenched so profusely that muscles jumped at the great pressure as his brow bones lowered and furrowed casting a sinister shadow over the dilated pupils that no longer showed the vibrant beauty of their usual hue.

It was a sight no one deserved to see themselves in and it was certainly a sight Lillibaeth Targayan did not deserve to see — gone was a body that was once gleaming with tender innocence and in it's place was a beaten down and defeated shadow of a girl stained with speckled psychical abuse that will forever be a painful memory to her and a pitiful one to everyone that looked at her.

The spot next to her mattress indented considerably. Daemon's massive build a daunting contrast in relation to lillibaeth's little frame. He was careful not to shift her too much from the movement as he got as comfortable as he could before twisting his torso to face her lowered head, watching the pained shallow breaths that left her nose.

"Why are you here?" Her voice sounded that of a hurt child afraid of getting in trouble, not even able to make eye contact towards the man she worried would call her weak, although, no such thing had even crossed his mind since the news of her assault and would never cross his mind — in Daemon's eyes, Lillibaeth Targaryen was anything but.

The prince took a moment to dissect her question, searching for the right answer that would hurt her no matter how he chose to speak it, as his large ragged palm caressed the side of her small smooth face, his fingers lacing themselves in her thick hair. He was careful not to touch her swollen and gnarly looking left black eye that was littered with broken blood vessels accompanied with a swollen, discolored cheekbone, and the deep slanted stitched gash on the eyebrow right above it, certain it was going to leave a prominent scar after studying how the flesh parted in a gruesome manor all the way down to the tissue.

His thumb grazed the skin of her cheek in small back and forth motions and then traveled to her lips — his eyes followed in tow with his delicate and precise movements as he examined her face with an agrieved grimace and titled head lowered slightly to read her facial expressions, to see what her responses to his touches were to make sure he didn't push her too much with the contact.

He glided tenderly across the entirety of her full bottom lip that had several blood-stained, small teeth shaped indents where she had broken skin by biting down to halt her screams after being threatened with her life and gagged with a deep red cloth that held the sigil of House Targaryen. The bitter taste of metal still lingering in her mouth and on her taste buds no matter how much she tried to wash it down or spit it away — it was a griping memory of what transpired the hours before that wouldn't ever leave her.

"Because no one else will be." He sighed, his gravely voice low in tone. Ashamed to be apart of a family that had continuously yapped about how 'blood is our greatest alliance' yet treated Lillibaeth as if she was their villain.

She slumped at his brutal honesty. She knew it to be true, it had been true since she came into this world screaming like the dragon who's egg she shared the cradle with as a babe that Aemma implored towards Viserys although she was a bastard. But heart wrenching truths shatter you on a different level when spoken out loud — it made it real and you cannot run from the real truth.

Daemon's face sunk at her reaction, "My princess–" he stopped bluntly, his eyes straying from her avoidant and distant ones when she slightly lifted her head in an attempt to relieve the aching pain that resided in the nape of her neck that traveled down to a spot in her spine between her shoulder blades.

However, because of that innocent action, Daemon's gaze hardened — deep discolored contusions were brutally imprinted in the shape of large fingers on both sides of her neck, misshapen from the struggle to keep a solid grip. There was a hitch in his throat which was followed by jagged breaths that heaved through his chest as he subconsciously made his gentle hold flex into a tense grip.

Lilly stiffened at his sudden tightened touch, her mind and body working against each other — her mind knew it was him but all her body detected was a hand where one was once was just hours before dragging her along the cobblestone by the ends of her once adored and precious hair but now all she wanted to do with it was rip it from her scalp. It no longer belonged to her.

Her hand cursed with a quiver, came up to push him away but he was quick to beat her to it, placing his spare left hand atop of hers, leading both of them onto her lap, "Shh, shh, shh." His hush consisting of a low, loving tone almost no one saw from the renowned apathetic prince and it was certain if anyone but the kind-hearted princess was here in his hold, he would be unrecognizable, "Put your hands down." he stroked her cheek lovingly and then glided to her lips, the tip of his finger doing a similar but brisk motion, the salt on his skin stinging the broken, swollen flesh. She meekly huffed in obedience, which would habitually amuse Daemon at her submissiveness but nothing about this situation was amusing to him. He was disgusted.

He let go of the side of her face, which left a lonely chill in his wake she hadn't realized she had after she was left by oneself in this bed once the maesters cleaned her up and her handmaidens bathed her with their supple touches, until the absence of his hands that it had become clear to her, but just as quickly as it danced wickedly in the room, it was soon replaced with the doting warmth Daemon emitted when he grabbed Lillibaeth's scraped chin with his thumb and index, adjusting her head to the left towards him. All he so desperately wanted was to see her bright jade irises that matched his pale lilac ones so damn well.

Lillibaeth knew what Daemon desired in that moment but she didn't have the physical or emotional strength to upturn her eyelids, each blink providing a burning throb, and truly see him when he's looking at her so up close, where she can hide nothing from him. Absolutely nothing. — So Lilly kept her view below, where his hand had still remained wrapped protectively around her fingers with destroyed fingerbeds from trying to fight back in the bleak darkness. Not focusing on anything. Unable to focus on anything.

Humiliation burned off her in a searing fire that thickened the silence in the room. The white noise screaming at them to speak! To reassure each other that it was going to be okay! But that was just untrue, it wasn't ever going to be okay. Nothing about this was okay.

His right hand unclasped from it's hold around her's, the same chilling atmosphere entering her body once again. His arms placed themselves on either side of her to balance his forward shifting weight to plant the most feeble kiss in the middle of her forehead, to ensure not to disturb her, but the touch, even if it was barely noticeable, caused a shock to her system with the dull, throbbing sensation that encircled the circumference of her skull coming to the forefront of her attention after being distracted by her uncle's airy affection. She flinched significantly as a hiss left her parted lips, her whole body instinctively trying to form into a fetal position but the pain from the lesioned skin underneath her night gown halted her in her spot.

Daemon's hands recoiled to his body in a panic at her sudden reaction. Lillibaeth's broken and dull eyes widened in terror as they at last connected with his — the same shock she had just felt now buzzed in his body at the fixated horror burned into the irises. A look he had never seen in her. A look that nearly brought him to his knees in an aching suffering, feeling the torment that pumped through her as if it was his own.

"Skorion- skorion nykēla gaomagon?" His voice laced with hurting desperation as he scoured her face for answers, fearful that she wouldn't speak it aloud.
{What- what did I do?}

"It hurts" She whimpered, breaking eye contact and shifting uncomfortably in her seated spot.

She lowered her back against the elevated pillows in several minscule movements with strained puffs of breaths to ease the agony, "Baelagon issaros!" she cried frailty, slow tears making their way down her cheeks, the salty droplets stinging the several small inflamed abrasions taking over her once silky and rosy complexion.
{Help me!}

Daemon did as he was told and when she was nestled comfortably, he stood to his feet, hinging at his hips to place his forehead against hers in a delicate motion, careful to lean against the start of her hairline and nowhere near her injuries. Lillibaeth allowed him as he slowly rubbed his hands up and down against the skin of her arms that rested by her sides. His eyes were closed, unknowingly missing the smallest upturn of the corners of her lips at the tickle of his fluttering eyelashes, that occasionally caught a droplet of her tears like a spider web on a dewy morning, as he tried to take small calming breaths — to allow himself to shut himself off, even if for just a moment, to be by her side in a peaceful stillness before the vengeance engulfed him entirely and he burned the damned castle, the damned city, to the ground if need be, and god did he have no problem doing so ...

... but whatever he thought he was going to uncover, it was much, much worse — enough to start a tear, as small as a pin prick, in the strongest family of the Seven Kingdoms from the inside out that will slowly rip the flesh bigger and wider until the blood-fueled flames finally oozed out of their wounds and onto the land they once called home and they burned it all down themselves.

author's note,

jesus christ this was a lot 😪

i tried to write more dialogue but i felt
the silence added so much more than
what words couldn't ever accomplish to do.

my high valyrian translations may be stupidly
incorrect but every website i went to drastically
contradicted each other so i ended up using a
combination of that and an online dictionary so
i did try to do my best. bare with me pls, it was
very difficult 🙃

✶ 𓆇 ♞ -

⤹ INTRODUCING!
Ser Abyl Lash

(one of the few men
in the princess's life
who                 loves
and   respects   her.)

━━━   protrayed by alexander ludwig

✶ 𓆇 ♞ -

we must protect abyl at all costs,
he is an angel in human form 🥹😭

him and lilly's friendship (w/ daemon
third wheeling) >>>>> anything else

with love ,
sloane