".....The white stag!" Rhaenyra exclaimed softly, her purple eyes shining as she stared into the distance.
It was standing a few metres away from them; it was a large creature, probably as big as a horse, staring back at the siblings. Its fur was as white as snow, its eyes darker than the winters in the north.
The siblings stared back at the stag, each holding their breath. The white stag is said to be the King of Kingswood, and it is believed to bring a great omen if a royal could hunt it.
Ser Criston Cole stared at the white stage, his hand slowly hovering towards his sword.
SLING
He began to draw the sword, slowly and carefully. He wanted to hunt it. No, he needed to. If the lords and ladies knew that the princess had hunted a white stag, they would surely become hesitant.
But just then,
""No!""
Both the siblings whispered to the knight simultaneously, shocking the Kingsguard.
He turned to them; they were still looking at the Stag, which had now turned angst.
HUFF
It huffed at the siblings, glancing at Aegon a beat longer before it turned around and ran into the forest.
Silence.
The three stared at the spot in silence, their minds recalling the scene that had happened just a few moments ago; they could still hear the hooves of the stag becoming distant as each moment passed.
"We should go, Princess!" Criston suddenly said, breaking Rhaenyra out of her daze.
"Huh?" she mumbled, turning towards the knight, "Right!"
They both then turned their horses back towards the camp and began to ride towards it.
All along the way, Aegon kept silent. His eyes lost their usual shine as they became distant, falling into a daze.
What was he thinking? No one knows...
....
Alicent was pacing in the tent, her face losing colour while her hands trembled; she was worried.
She could still remember it, Rhaenyra just storming off, holding her son. She knew that her friend wouldn't harm her son.
But still, there was this nagging feeling in her heart, slowly taking root: what if she did hurt him…?
"Have they found them yet?!" She turned to her husband, who was standing in the corner along with Otto and a few lords.
Viserys sighed as he listened to his wife; he walked towards her. "Nothing will happen to them, Alicent. Ser Criston Cole is a fine knight. You heard the soldiers; he went after them. They will definitely be back!"
But his reassurance fell on deaf ears; after all, how could a mother not be worried when her son is missing.
"B-But, Your Grace—" Alicent wanted to ask more, but Viserys cut her off, saying,
"You should take a seat, Alicent. Pacing around and worrying won't do any good for the babe!"
Alicent bit her lip in frustration, but she complied nonetheless. She took a seat, yet she was on the edge, and her gaze was fixed on the entrance.
It took a few hours, but
"The prince and the princess have returned!" A yell came from the outside.
BADUMP
Alicent's heart thumped; she stood up from her seat, tightly clenching her hands and striding outside, followed by Viserys and Otto.
"Aegon!" she called, walking outside the tent, her eyes darting toward her friend, getting off the horse along with her son.
"Aegon," she whispered once more as she walked towards them.
Rhaenyra got off the horse, Aegon in her hands. And the moment she did, her friend paced towards them. She knew she was in the wrong; she shouldn't have just taken off with Aegon.
"Mama!" Aegon exclaimed, surprised as he opened his arms. His mother was a wreck, her hair was haggard while tear stains riddled her smooth face; 'she must have been worried,' he mumbled inwardly.
"Aegon!" Alicent whispered once more, reaching them. She then immediately took Aegon from Rhaenyra, hugging him tightly. "Are you okay?!" She asked.
"Hmm," Aegon hummed in reply, hugging her back.
It took a few minutes for Alicent to calm down, while Rhaenyra stayed with them. She wanted to apologise to her friend and didn't want to run from it, while Criston too stayed behind.
Alucent then turned to Rhaenyra, her green eyes red with anger and worry; she opened her mouth and was about to say something when Aegon interrupted her.
"Mama! Aegon, sister, watch White!" he exclaimed aloud, grabbing his mother's attention, along with the lords and ladies gathered around them.
But the people didn't understand what the young prince was saying while Aegon repeated, "Me, sister, watch White!"
'Ugh, playing around like a baby is fucking tough!' Aegon mumbled inwardly but kept a bright expression on his face.
'I could already feel it; the moment we entered the camp, I could see it in their eyes, the lords and ladies, they were going to use this against her!' he muttered inwardly, glancing at his sister.
'So thank me, Rhaenyra. I'm just saving your ass!'
"What is this about, Rhaenyra?" Viserys asked, standing behind his wife with Otto on his other.
The king had a frown on his face; he couldn't understand what his son was mumbling about.
But Rhaenyra bit her lip, hesitant to say anything. Watching this, Criston stepped forward.
"The prince and the princess both have spotted the white stag, Your Grace!" he exclaimed aloud, stressing the word 'both.'
GASPS
Gasps erupted among the crowd as the lords and ladies began to whisper to each other while one among them loudly asked, "Is it true? Did the prince really spot the white stag?!"
Criston's face twitched; he clearly remembered stressing that the prince and the princess had seen the white stag!
"Yes, my lords!" Criston nodded, turning to Viserys, "The prince and the princess have spotted the white stag! Both at the same time!"
Rhaenyra clenched her hands as Criston defended her. This was why she didn't open her mouth. She knew they wouldn't believe her; she could hear it after all!
The whispers of how the prince had seen the stag! And how great an omen this is!
Aegon watched his sister; he understood her frustrations. Sighing inwardly, 'looks like you still need my help, huh.'
He then turned to his mother, "Yes! Aegon, sister, watch White, same time!"
While some lords widened their eyes at this, some deftly ignored the prince. He's still young after all; he might have seen wrong.
But some other lords thought, 'if they both spotted the stag at the same time, to whom did the omen go?'
It took a few minutes for the crowd to dissipate; after that, Rhaenyra apologised to Alicent. Of course, Aegon mediated between them, and the Queen consort accepted her apology, but still, there was some tension between them.
'Phew, I think I managed this quite well!' Aegon thought to himself, hugging Alicent as they sat inside the tent.
'I managed to get close to Rhaenyra, although it's just a little. The next big thing is Daemon! He would seduce Rhaenyra in two years' time, which I have to take care of… I have no idea how!'
YAWN
Yawning out loud, 'Anyways, I'll think of it later, I'm too sleepy….' He yawned once more, resting his head on Alicent's shoulder.
Noticing this, Alicent patted her son's back. "Sleep, Aegon," she whispered.
And soon, Aegon fell asleep…
...
Aegon opened his eyes, finding himself in the black void once more.
"Ah fuck! Not again…!!"
ROOOAAARRR