(please do not ghostread)

That night Aelyna lied asleep in her bed, it had been three days since she had last spoken to anyone.

She avoided the gaze of Cregan the most. She realized she was wrong to sully accusations against his name and his  house, out of spite and frustration putting words in his mouth of which he had never said. Aelyna did feel guilty about the ordeal, but even as a child she struggled to do one deed: apologize.

Aelyna tossed and turned in her bed. Her hesitation to return to Kings Landing still prevalent as ever. Was it worth the trouble? Was Viserys Targaryens health and his council of cunts truly the efforts to leave Winterfell? 

To leave him.

Aelyna sighed as she sat up in her bed. Empty and cold because he did not accompany that night. She climbed out of the bed and exited her chambers. Perhaps cake would lift her troubled spirits. The halls desolate and cold, not a guard in sight. Nothing but the torches of light as she followed down the dark corridors. Underneath her feet she could hear a gentle crunch of leaves and twigs underneath her feet. She stopped.

Bending down Aelyna picked up a read leaf, as her fingers barely held it she felt a prickle in her fingers. She hissed when the leave fell again, only now her fingers stained in blood. The metallic scent so sharp in her nose, a pool of blood soaked the leaves beneath her feet. Rotten from the smell of iron.

"Fuck." Aelyna cursed. Another dream.

Aelyna could feel her palms itch, the desperate need to cut through her skin. A trickle of blood and herbs and she could be rid of them. Aelyna's eyes scanned the empty corridor. Nothing but a trail of leaves hoped to lead her. Aelyna's mind screamed to turn around, but like most of her dreams she had the misfortune of having no control over her body. Like a child she followed into a thread of danger her mind played. 

As Aelyna passed through the empty halls, she felt a chill run down her spine. She could hear the crunching leaves- someone was following her. Afraid to turn and look she soldiered forward. The footsteps heavy and slow, as though the one struggled to keep to her pace. Aelyna led herself to outside the castle, to the Godswood. Her bare feet trudged over frozen grass, stabbing into her foot. Aelyna held herself, her breath uneven and skin crawling. The desperate need to wake up. 

She felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Her breath caught in her throat, a sharp gasp escaping her lips as her eyes widened in sheer terror, heart pounding like a drum in her chest. 

There he lay in a bed of snow. As the moon eclipsed the sun, there laid Viserys Targaryen. A frail, shell of a man waiting for death. His skin blue and green, the side of his face hallow as though his flesh had been eaten. Shallow breaths as he looked up to the stars.

At her feet Viserys' crown.

Terror gripped Aelyna's heart, its icy fingers squeezed until her breath became ragged in gasps. Her eyes, wide with shock, as she felt tears stain down her cheeks. Her lips trembled as she felt every limb in her body frozen, as though she was lying in the snow.

The hairs on the back of Aelyna's neck stood. As she looked to her uncle Viserys, she could feel a sinister presence behind her, a creeping and silent force that made her skin burn. She whipped her head around, her breath caught in her throat

"Mother." uttered as she stepped back. 

There she stood, cloaked in violet with raven black hair, bronze skin but her eyes still her eyes. Her eyes were a deep, velvety purple. Like the twilight sky after the sun had set, holding a depth Aelyna could never reach.

Malena, the blood witch of Braavos.

"You can end his pain, my sweet." She stepped forward, but Aelyna's fear too strong as the closer her mother inched the further she stepped back. "Take his pain and make it yours as you did with mine. Bones and all." Malena said with a blood stained toothy smile spread across her face. 

Aelyna looked back between Viserys' hallow cheek and back to her mother. Malena stood with refined poise as blood stained down her chin to her chest. A sinister smile curled at the corners of her lips. Aelyna breath heaved in pain as she stared back at her mothers face. A glint of malevolent satisfaction as she held Viserys flesh in her hand. 

Aelyna jolted awake with a piercing scream, her body convulsed as if she were still trapped inside of her dream. Her eyes wide with terror, brimmed with tears that ran down her salted and flushed cheeks. Her throat burned as her screams became ragged sobs, the horror of her mother still clung to her. 

The chamber door slammed open as three guards ran to find a fear stricken princess. Hysterically crying and shaking as she pushed herself to the bedpost. 

Roslyn pushed through his men, running to the bed to comfort her friend. She craddled Aelyna in her arms, the princess's body trembled violently, her breaths sharp and desperate. Aelyna said nothing as she cried into the crook of Roslyn's shoulder.

The guards bodies pushed aside by the face she had been avoided for three days. 

Cregan

When Cregan Stark marched through his men, his eyes widened in sheer terror. The color drained from his face as he looked to the woman he loved in a state of panic. The white sheets of her bed, stained in blood, with herbs, stones and knives covered at the foot at the bed. One look to Aelyna, as she clung to Roslyn his eyes immediately travelled to her forearm, drenched in blood

"Gods be good." One of his men gasped. Like a loyal hound he turned 

"All of you, leave us. Now!" he ordered. The guards exited but he could not ignore the look of horror in his men's face. His blood boiled at the idea a wrong thought could cross their minds of her "All of you. Out!" he affirmed.

Aelyna looked up from Roslyn's shoulder, to meet Cregans eyes.

Despite her shaking demeanor, the urge to flee was strong within her. A deep regret etched in her body when she looked back into Cregans grey eyes. a Sorrowful heaviness that spoke volumes to her remorse. She shoulders dropped as she felt like a child again. It was the one thing she had hoped he would never see of her

As she was, filth and all.

"Fuck." She cried. Soon like anyone who has ever had the misfortune of loving her, they would leave her.

Roslyn worked swiftly and alone. The last thing Aelyna needed was her evening become gossip between the servants, that was if they guards hadn't already spread their own seed of gossip. Sheets finally cleaned Aelyna sat in her bed, her back against the bed post as Cregan sat across from her. His hand held hers as his thumb traced over her bandaged hands.

She had yet to speak. 

Aelyna could not bare to look him in the eyes, if she dared she feared she would see the love he once held for her slipped away. 

Cregan lifted her hand, a sweet kiss against her bandaged knuckles as Aelyna held his hand tighter. "When you had said you struggled finding sleep, was this what you meant?"

She nodded her head, finally she mustered the courage to look him in the eye. 

Cregan hoped in his eyes she could only see the tender look of love and concern for his dragon. When he noticed her lip draw skew from biting her inner cheek, he felt at ease. She saw it and could finally breathe. 

Aelyna felt her body ease at his soft touch. His gaze steady, attentive and focused on her and her alone. 

"When you said you aided yourself, did you mean to harm-" He struggled to find the word without offending her "How long have your nights been such as tonight?"

Aelyna sighed deeply "For as long I could remember." she answered, her voice hoarse from her screams as she cleared her throat "Though it is nothing I ever wished to burden you with."

"Nothing of is a burden on me."

Aelyna shook her head in disbelief "You would be the first to think so." She murmured.

Cregan sat closer to her when asked "When you said you aid yourself in finding sleep-" he said 

"Blood magic." She calmly said "I understand that it is mayhaps frowned upon, but since I was a child small potions have always helped. Though now, they seem more darker than I would like them to be."

"From my understanding, blood magic is not something to be easily toyed with Aelyna." Cregan replied 

"I know." she answered "My mother is a witch and my father. Few Targaryens have had the inclination to be dreamers, I unfortunately am forced to be one. Believe me I had no choice in what I am." Aelyna sat closer to Cregan, her legs crossed as she could feel a tear sting in her eye "I know blood magic requires a sacrifice, but I would rather spill my own blood than take after my mothers use of magic."

"This is the first time you have ever spoken of your mother." Cregan noted "You needn't share, if you do not wish to."

Aelyna found his care endearing, but if he were to be her husband, mayhaps it was best he knew "She is nothing but a gaping pit that has haunted me since I was born." Aelyna admitted "A witch who worked in a brothel in Kings Landing. She was blind with bloodlust, even confessed to me that the night Daemon bedded her she saw visions of herself riding a dragon. She had hoped to had given birth to a dragon herself."

Cregans eyes widened, finally the pieces and mystery of Daemons bastard was coming together. That was why it was known far and wide that his Aelyna was a motherless child "And when you were born-"

"She abandoned me at the Red Keep." Aelyna finished "Took her visions on a boat to Braavos, where she worked as an actor. As a child we had heard rumors of a witch in Braavos, she had the ability to change her appearance. She often opted to take resemblance of Targaryen princesses hoping a dragon would find her." Aelyna scoffed "Imagine my shock when one night, while enjoying the streets of Braavos I see a woman with my face on stage."

"I have heard rumors of brothels, who dress their women as Targaryens. How could you be so sure it was her?" Cregan wondered

"I felt it. The end to a tether I had been searching for all my life." Aelyna confessed "I had the displeasure of meeting her. She was so cold, and yet I was drawn to her. I so easily trusted her and took her into my heart, even as a woman grown all I was to her was a pawn. She was willing to sacrifice her own blood, her own babe in the hopes of taking my dragon. How pathetic of me to so easily trust a stranger."

He shook his head "Not pathetic. She gave birth to, I can not imagine the pain you must have felt when she could not be what you needed of her to be. A mother."

"All nothing but tales." Aelyna whispered softly as she held his hand "But now I am older, my dreams are more vivid and to spill blood is the only way I can get through one night."

Aelyna's heart felt heavy, a twinge of guilt still lurched in her skin "I do apologize. It seems I am not the woman you intended on making your wife. I would not judge you too harshly if you were to fall out of love with me Cregan." Aelyna let out a small sigh of defeat "It seems I have always been difficult to love."

Cregan furrowed his eyebrows. In utter disbelief, he could not reason with himself that Aelyna thought so little of him and his love of her. Was it so difficult for her to believe that he was utterly devoted to her. Their eyes held a steady gaze to one another. In her eyes could see her drown in shame and regret.

"Who gives you the right to decide that I will fall out of love with you?" he firmly asked "Aelyna, I fell in love with you knowing you were a witch, that you were Daemons firstborn daughter. Do you think so little of my loyalty to because of wha-" he scoffed "Of what? An unfortunate history you had no control or say in the matter of."

"How could you have known what I am?" She narrowed her eyes "How could I expect of you to care for me as much I care for you?" Aelyna's voice cracked. She could feel herself choke on her cries, a tangled knot in her throat. Gods, she hated how weak she felt when crying. 

She felt stripped naked, for all to so see the cracks that was her

Cregan leaned forward to her "The better question is, why would you think I am incapable to care for you?"

Aelyna's eyes looked behind him, in the back of the chambers near candle light she could see her mother. She breathed in deeply, blinking her eyes to see her gone. 

She inhaled deeply, her attention solely focused on Cregan. Gazing into his eyes felt she could breathe under the suffocating ocean that was her mind. Grey eyes so mesmerizing, where every one of faults slipped away in his gaze.

"Why do you think I have remained unmarried for so long. I have never been good enough for any man to tolerate." she confessed "It is one thing to be lusted for, that I can tolerate but to be accepted, trusted and loved. It is something I have never succeeded in."

"You are very defiant. I have told you once, what I feel is more than lust." Cregan gently cradled her face in his hands, wiping the stained tears off of her cheeks. His thumbs softly brushed her cheeks, traced in circles to set her at ease "I still wish to make you my wife and I could spend a lifetime showing you why and how much I care for you. Not out of duty, but because I wish to." His words were a whisper to Aelyna, her nerves shook under the weight of his gentle hold

"A lifetime?" she managed to finally smile. A kind and gentle smile flashed him "That seems like a long time."

"Aelyna, I would care for you even after I am." Cregan smiled, his thumb traced over lips "There will never be a day of which I can be without you by my side."

Aelyna could not speak, perhaps it was the screaming or she just could not find the words to say anything at all. Their lips met in a tender kiss, so soft and lingering. 

Cregan held her, as though she was the air he breathed. The back of his neck felt the friction of her bandaged hand, and even with what he knew he could not lie and say he cared for her less. The kiss was light and playful, like a feather in the wind as they pulled away. 

He would wage wars for her, his first and final thoughts with each morning and night would only be her.

Aelyna rested her head in the crook of his neck, as she felt his arms around her. If love were a poison, she would take the risk of dying in Cregan Starks love.

☆ ࣪ ִ AUTHORS NOTE :l 𝆬 3

Malena when Aelyna just wants to sleep:

Cregan and Aelyna own my entire heart (you can tell I'm listening to either Frank Ocean or Mitski when I write them)

we finally got a Malena introduction, let me just already say this woman is gonna terrorize the shit out of Aelyna. But based on everything I have written so far, I'd love to get feedback on Malena's introduction because I really hope I've been building this up good enough. 

Also remember when I said Aelyna is another side of a coin when it comes to being a dreamer, this is what I meant. In lore being a dreamer is very prophetic and omen like, but I really wanted to play into a kind of horror aspect in it- if that makes any sense at all.

I gotta be honest, and tell me if I'm wrong, but I really feel I am putting Aelyna through the trenches. Like her closet has many skeletons as enough, but at the same time I don't wanna stop because it builds lore. 

Episode 6 is dropping tonight and I personally can't wait to see Vermithor <3<3

again please vote or comment, I would love to hear thoughts on the book/chapter and thanks to anyone who's still actively reading baptism