The halls of the Red Keep echoed with the sound of revelry, music and laughter spilling from the grand chambers It was a familiar scene—the king, Aegon II, deep in his cups, his golden goblet never empty He lounged in his throne, wine-stained lips stretched into a crooked smile, his eyes glazed and unfocused He was a shadow of the man who once carried the weight of the crown with some semblance of pride.

Across the room, she watched him His queen His wife She stood at the edge of the gathering, her fingers tightening around the stem of her own goblet, though she hadn’t taken a sip all evening She didn’t need the wine to dull her senses anymore; the bitterness in her heart was enough to poison her every thought.

She had married Aegon as the realm had demanded—a union of power But what should have been a bond of strength had become something else entirely He was weak, lost in drink and debauchery, his days consumed by pleasure and excess, while she carried the burden of the crown’s true weight in silence.

As the night wore on, Aegon’s laughter grew louder, more raucous, his behavior more erratic He stumbled from his throne, goblet sloshing over the floor as he made his way toward her, his steps uneven.

“My queen,” he slurred, his grin wide but devoid of warmth, “why do you stand there, so cold, so...distant? Come, drink with me.”

She forced a smile, the kind she had perfected over the years—polished, hollow “You’ve had enough for the both of us, my king.”

Aegon’s grin faltered for a moment, a flicker of something darker passing through his fogged gaze He leaned in close, the smell of wine and something sour heavy on his breath “You always, were... a proper one..Too proper for me.”

Her heart clenched at the words, though they were nothing new.

“Why don’t you drink, my love?” Aegon pressed, his voice mocking, his hand reaching to tilt her chin up.