Playing a Little Prank

Knock, knock...

Just then, a faint knocking came from outside the door.

Rhaegar furrowed his brow in confusion, wondering who would come at this hour.

"Brother, I came to see you..."

Helaena's soft, childish voice came through the door.

Remembering the promise he had made the night before, Rhaegar said, "Come in. The door's unlocked."

Creak—

The door slowly swung open, and Helaena cautiously peeked her little head inside. She was dressed in a silk nightgown.

She looked around the room. Only after confirming there was no one else inside did she enter.

Then she quickly turned and shut the door.

Her movements were smooth and practiced, like those of a skilled little thief.

Rhaegar found it amusing. "What are you afraid of? Do you think there are monsters in my room?"

Helaena shook her head and pressed a finger to her lips. "Shh, I sneaked out. Mother hasn't gone to bed yet."

"Is Alicent in your room?"

Rhaegar asked, puzzled.

Helaena tiptoed over to the bed and replied, "She just went to see Father."

Rhaegar's lips curled up. He guessed that Father had called Alicent away.

That was just as well. At least he wouldn't have to put up with her insincere concern.

He glanced at Helaena's eager face and pointed toward the fireplace. "I bought a ball, along with some other toys. Go take a look."

"Mm-hmm~"

Helaena nodded eagerly and ran to the pile of toys by the fireplace.

Illyric was a strict man, and he had taken the task Rhaegar assigned him very seriously.

The toys he'd bought were the most popular items in each shop, sure to please children.

Helaena first picked up a colorful ball, then grabbed a dragon-shaped rag doll stuffed with goose down.

The little girl plopped down on the carpet and began playing with her new toys.

Rhaegar smiled. Not wanting to interrupt her play, he lay on his stomach and closed his eyes to rest.

He had promised Helaena she could come play in his room, so there was no reason to turn her away.

Besides, his half-sister seemed to have the gift of prophecy. Spending more time with her couldn't hurt.

It might even help him figure out the rules behind his Dreamer ability.

Though he had no idea whether the Dreamer ability had any rules at all.

Neither sibling said a word, and the room fell quiet.

A handsome little boy lay sick in bed, while a rosy-cheeked little girl played beside the fireplace.

It was a warm and peaceful scene.

Then Helaena picked up a bright silver bracelet and held it up. "Brother, is this bracelet for me too?"

Rhaegar looked over. It was an imitation made by the blacksmith. He answered casually, "No, that's one of my accessories."

"Oh..."

Helaena murmured, then said nothing more. She quietly put the bracelet down.

Seeing the little girl's disappointment reminded Rhaegar of the moment Rhaenyra had refused him. His chest felt heavy.

After a brief hesitation, Rhaegar smiled in resignation. "It's yours now. If you like it, put it on. Think of it as a gift from me."

He didn't want to turn Helaena away, just as he didn't want his sister to turn him away.

Things had taken a turn for the better. Helaena beamed. "Mm! Thank you, Brother. I really like it."

"You're welcome. If there's something you like, you should go after it yourself. You deserve it."

Rhaegar spoke softly, but his chest rose and fell, tugging at the wound on his back. He winced in pain.

Helaena finally noticed that something was wrong with Rhaegar. Clutching the bracelet, she returned to the bedside and looked at him with a puzzled expression. "Brother, why are you lying still on your stomach?"

"I got hurt, so I have to lie on my stomach in bed and rest for a while."

Rhaegar answered honestly.

"Does it hurt a lot? Aegon sometimes pinches me when he thinks no one's looking, and that really hurts."

Helaena innocently assumed someone had pinched Rhaegar too. She rose onto her tiptoes and climbed onto the bed, puffing out her cheeks. "I'll blow on it for you. If I blow on it, it won't hurt anymore."

Rhaegar was amused by the silly girl.

His laughter pulled at the muscles in his back, making the pain even worse.

"Damn those chains! Why don't they just kill me!"

Pain flaring through him, Rhaegar angrily cursed the scoundrels who had switched the chains, venting his frustration.

Helaena jumped at his shout and shrank into a corner of the bed, afraid to come closer.

"Don't be scared. I'm cursing the people who hurt me, not you."

Once he realized what had happened, Rhaegar smiled wryly and reassured his sister.

He really had it rough.

His back hurt, and now he had to comfort a silly little sister too.

Helaena couldn't hear his thoughts, but she had her own way of thinking.

She crept over to Rhaegar, pursed her little lips, and blew as hard as she could on the bandages wrapped around his back.

Watching her, Rhaegar felt something strange stir inside him.

It was a kind of comfort he couldn't quite explain.

He reached out and ruffled Helaena's silver hair. "There, my wound doesn't hurt anymore."

Helaena stopped blowing and stared at him blankly.

Confusion showed in her clear eyes.

As if asking, "Really?"

Rhaegar noticed the bracelet in her hand and suggested, "Would you like me to help you put it on?"

Helaena tilted her little head and thought for a moment, then nodded.

Rhaegar took the bracelet, held out his sister's hand, and slipped it onto her wrist.

Thanks to the frailty he'd suffered in the past, Rhaegar was unusually slender.

The bracelet made to fit his wrist was just the right size for Helaena's slightly chubby one.

Rhaegar gave his approval. "A chubby little girl like you looks just right wearing this bracelet."

He hadn't expected Helaena, whose cheeks had been rosy just a moment earlier, to change expression in an instant.

Her smile vanished. Pouting, she moved away from Rhaegar, turned her back to him, and curled up into a ball.

Rhaegar's smile froze. He hadn't expected even a two-year-old girl to care about being fat or thin.

He called Helaena's name several times, but she didn't answer. She remained perfectly still, making her protest clear.

Seeing this, Rhaegar smiled helplessly, turned his head, and got ready to sleep.

Apologize?

Hah. Targaryen men never apologized!

As the minutes passed, the night grew deeper.

Helaena turned her head and stole a glance at the sleeping Rhaegar.

When she saw that her brother hadn't moved, she slid off the bed and left the room.

Elsewhere, Rhaenyra had just returned from Dragonstone.

As soon as she entered the Red Keep, a servant stopped her and told her that the king had asked to speak with her.

"Fine. Let me change first."

After a full day of fun, Rhaenyra had gotten her fill. She washed up, changed, and went to see her father.

When she reached the door to Viserys's bedchamber, Rhaenyra was about to knock when the door opened from within.

Alicent, dressed in an elegant gown, stepped out of the room.

Rhaenyra was in a good mood and took the initiative to greet her stepmother and close friend.

Alicent managed a weak smile and quietly warned her, "Rhaegar was hurt. Your father is furious, so don't talk back to him."

At this point, Alicent had already shown that she wasn't as loyal to their old friendship as she had once been.

But without her father, Otto Hightower, manipulating her, she and Rhaenyra hadn't yet reached the point of breaking off their friendship.

For the time being, she showed Rhaenyra some kindness, trying to preserve the friendship that had already begun to fray.

Hearing that Rhaegar had been hurt, Rhaenyra's mind went blank. She immediately asked, "How did Rhaegar get hurt? Doesn't he have Ser Illyric protecting him?"

Alicent glanced back into the room. She was just about to say more when Viserys's voice cut her off.

"Rhaenyra, how much longer do you intend to keep your king waiting?"

Viserys's tone was clearly unpleasant, his anger barely contained.

"I'm sorry. I need to go back and look after the children."

Alicent gave her an apologetic look, lifted her skirts, and walked past Rhaenyra.

Rhaenyra was at a loss. Frowning, she entered the room.

Viserys was sitting beside a stone model of a battlefield in his bedchamber, fiddling with a dragon-shaped stone carving.