Chapter Text
“Why would you do this to us? This isn’t fair!” Viserys whined as Rhaenyra broke the news at the weekly family dinner.
“Dad, I’m your daughter. Whose side are you on?” Rhaenyra asked as the whole table voiced their opinions loudly on the subject.
“Rhaenyra, please. You’re upsetting the children,” Alicent chided as her sons and daughter went into full blown panic. Glad to see they took the news well. She knew that they’d all be upset but she wasn’t expecting this.
“What did you do to him?” Aegon asked from across the table with an angry look.
Mashed potatoes fell from Daeron’s mouth as he broke into sobs. Aemond sat on the floor holding his knees to his chest. Helaena lay on the dining room floor wailing at the top of her lungs.
Viserys stood up from the end of the table and yelled, “You’re tearing this family apart!”
Not too long after, she said her goodbyes and made her way to the Range Rover parked out front. None of her boys had come down to say bye to her. Daeron’s loud sobs could still be heard outside as she unlocked the doors. Why does everyone assume that it’s my fault? As she turned on the radio, Maroon 5’s She Will Be Loved played from the speakers. Of course this song would come on. Sometime in the future she’d be sure to sue Adam Levine for the emotional damage that he’d caused with the song. Count your days, Adam Levine. One day, you’ll pay for this.
As she parked her car in the driveway, she thought of how empty the house now was. Her sons had packed their bags and asked to stay with Viserys for a few days to process what their mother had told them. Divorce was something they’d heard about from friends at school. Never did any of her boys imagine that it was something that could happen to theirs. Joffrey was too young to understand what was going on and she was somewhat grateful for that.
Their marriage had been a happy one full of love and tenderness. Criston and her had been together since senior year in high school. On the day of their graduation from Oldtown University, he’d gotten down on one knee and asked her to marry him. That and their wedding day had been one of the best days of her life. She remembered how happy her family and friends looked as she and her husband had walked out of the Starry Sept together hand in hand.
However, it had changed within the past couple of years and she couldn’t find it in herself to let it continue. Things had changed and she couldn’t carry on as if nothing had happened. As hard as it was to do, she decided they needed to part ways. The bottle of wine that she’d left to chill in the freezer was now the perfect temperature. Rhaenyra’s downed a few glasses of the cool liquid and then made her way to the bedroom. Silk sheets gave her a soft welcome as she slid them over her chest.
The wine kicked in, she closed her eyes, and felt herself drift away.
“Why would you do this to us? This isn’t fair!”
“Rhaenyra, please. You’re upsetting the children.”
“What did you do to him?”
“You’re tearing this family apart!”
Her family’s voices echoed through her head as she was pulled deeper into the darkness. I still love him but I can’t even bare to look at him anymore. Criston’s face appeared and Maroon 5’s She Will Be Loved played in the background. I don’t mind spending everyday/ Out on your corner in the pouring rain/ Look for the girl with the broken smile/ And she will be loved/ And she will be loved
It was one of their songs and it normally brought back fond memories. Now, all it brought back was sadness, loss, and pain. Adam Levine, count your days. One day you’ll pay for the emotional damage you’ve caused. His face became hazy as the darkness finally took over. For the first time in the last couple of weeks, she was able to sleep peacefully. No doubt, thanks to the wine and empty home. She loved her children but 3 boys were quite the handful. Rhaenyra could only imagine what her father and Alicent were dealing with at the Targaryen mansion.
She woke up a few hours later with a throbbing headache and looked at the time on her phone. 6:30. Recklessly, she hadn’t set her alarm for work and threw herself out of bed to get ready. Time seemed to drag on as she sat at her cubicle and looked over the numbers in front of her. Work had always been something that she looked forward to but now it felt like an inconvenience. The drive home took longer than usual due to the construction on the freeway. Why must I suffer? Both hands gripped the wheel tightly as Rhaenyra let out an exasperated sigh.
“Hey, Mom. What’s up?” Jace said as he answered the call.
“Are you boys having fun? Please tell me you’ve been working on your homework.”
“Of course, don’t worry about it Mom.”
Luke’s voice yelled out in the background, “UNHAND ME YOU RAT!” Daeron’s giggle rang out followed by a loud THUMP as someone fell to the floor.
“YOU IDIOTS! Mom, my eye! Luke got my eye!” Aemond screamed.
“Aemond, it’s a scratch. You’ll be fine.” Alicent told him in an exasperated tone.
“Keep away from me you heathens!” Helaena warned the boys.
“Alright. Well, say goodbye to everyone for me. I love you all.”
“Bye,” a chorus of voices rang out as she hung up the phone.
In a couple of days, her sons would be back home with her. That was something to look forward to. What she needed now were two things: wine and sleep. Only one glass tonight, followed by some television, and a good night’s rest. The phone on her nightstand rang loudly and roused her from sleep. 3:00. Luke’s name appeared on the screen and she hit answer.
“Hey, Mom. So don’t panic…”
“What happened?” Don’t panic. Keep your cool.
“We’re at Lannister Memorial. Jace had a bit of an accident.” Time to panic.