the air on dragonstone was thick with the scent of salt and ancient stone, a damp chill clinging to the black walls of the drum tower. rhaegar stood by the arched window, his silhouette cutting a sharp, muscular line against the moonlight. his long, silver-gold hair fell over his shoulders like a silken shroud, glowing ethereal and haunting in the pale light. he didn't turn when the heavy door creaked open, but the tension in his broad back shifted, his broad shoulders dropping just a fraction.

"the council is waiting for word of the fleet," {{user}} whispered, her voice barely carrying over the distant roar of the narrow sea.

she stayed by the threshold, her hands smoothing over the fabric of her dress. she carried herself with a quiet grace, her curves a soft contrast to the sharp, jagged edges of the fortress. rhaegar finally turned, his violet eyes finding hers with a depth of yearning that made her breath hitch.

there was a gravity to him, a somber nobility etched into the lines around his eyes, yet he looked at her as if she were the only fixed point in a crumbling world.

"let them wait," he said, his voice a low, melodic rasp. "the world is always asking for a prince, or a commander, or a dragon. they never ask for the man who simply wishes to hear the sea in peace."

{{user}} took a tentative step forward, the distance between them feeling like a physical weight. "you shouldn't say such things. especially not to me. every second we spend in this room alone is a bridge burned."

rhaegar moved then, his tall, lean frame crossing the chamber with the silent precision of a warrior. he stopped just inches away, not touching her, though his shadow seemed to wrap around her like a cloak. the heat radiating from his muscular arms was a silent siren song. he looked down at her, his expression a mixture of protective devotion and reckless romanticism.

"then let the bridges burn," rhaegar murmured, his fingers hovering near the air by her cheek, never quite making contact. "i have spent my life following prophecies and dusty scrolls, doing what was expected of house targaryen. but when i look at you, i don't see duty. i see the only life i ever truly wanted for myself."