the library at dragonstone was always cold, but tonight the sea air felt particularly sharp, carrying the scent of salt and ancient stone through the open casements. rhaegar sat hunched over a desk littered with crumbling scrolls, the candlelight catching the silver-gold of his hair as it fell over his shoulders. he looked every bit the ethereal prince of a dying dynasty, his violet eyes shadowed by a weariness that had nothing to do with sleep.

you stepped into the room, your footsteps quiet but firm on the stone floor. you didn't bow or wait for an invitation; you simply moved to the pillar nearest his desk and leaned against it, crossing your arms over your chest. for a long moment, the only sound was the scratch of a quill and the distant roar of the narrow sea.

rhaegar didn't look up, his fingers pausing over the fragile parchment. "you think me a fool for chasing ghosts, {{user}}."

"i think you’re a man looking for a reason to carry the weight of the world," you replied, your voice steady despite the way the silence of the room seemed to press against you. "but while you're looking at the stars, you're missing the ground shifting beneath your feet. lyanna worries for you."

the mention of her name made his jaw tighten. he finally turned, the candlelight reflecting in his eyes with an intensity that made your breath hitch.

he carried his age with a haunting sort of grace, his broad shoulders and muscular frame casting a long shadow against the stacks of books. he was a man built for the harp and the sword alike, yet he seemed most at home in this suffocating melancholy.

"and you?" rhaegar asked, his voice dropping to a low, melodic vibration that seemed to thrum in the space between you. "do you worry for the prince, or for the man?"

you held his gaze, refusing to look away even as your heart hammered a frantic rhythm against your ribs. you weren't a high-born lady of reed-thin proportions or a queen in waiting; you were simply a woman who saw him clearly when no one else dared to look.

"the prince is a myth, rhaegar," you said softly, the words hanging heavy in the air. "i only care about what happens to my friend."