a terrifying presence has entered the room

Aegon’s heart skipped a beat, and it took every ounce of his self-control to stand without making a sound, as if trying not to scare a frightened little rabbit. The possibility of accidentally startling Helaena concerned him, even though there was no real risk of her falling from the window, as they were all kept shut at bedtime.

It was no longer the first time Aegon had woken in the middle of the night to find Helaena gone. And each time it occurred, he felt as if he were right back in the past, trapped in the same despair that washed over him when one of the Kingsguard came running to inform him that the Dowager Queen had found Queen Helaena about to jump from the window of her private chambers. Until that near-fatal occurrence, Aegon had not realized how negligent he had been with his sister-wife since the end of the war.

From that day on, Aegon felt haunted by the thought of waking to bad news again, even if Helaena was safer after he had decided that they should return to sharing the same chambers every night — a habit from their childhood and the early moons of their marriage, though Aegon had chosen to put an end to such intimacy once Helaena finally became pregnant.

Trying his best to keep his voice low and calm, Aegon moved toward his sister. “Hel?” When she did not answer him, he closed the distance between them. She did not even blink at his approach, her eyes fixed on the window as if she were in a trance. It had been years since he had ordered the servants to reinforce the iron latches on their bedchambers’ windows, making it impossible for Helaena to open them without a key that only he and the Kingsguard kept, but that did not stop the queen's mind from wandering far from reality.

Once he was certain he would receive no response, he wrapped his arms around her waist with extreme gentleness, feeling how cold her skin was beneath the thin fabric of her chemise. “Oh, my love… you are freezing.”

Despite the physical contact, Helaena relaxed into his embrace, offering no resistance as he guided her away from the window to lead her back to bed. He laid her down with the same gentleness he had shown at their bedding ceremony, so many years before — on that night, Aegon had been so anguished that he had nearly retched while taking her maidenhead.

Carefully, the king lay down beside the queen, pulling the blankets up to cover them both. He cradled Helaena against his chest and rested her head upon his shoulder, sighing in relief as her familiar scent washed over him. Though she remained still, her gaze was slowly returning to normal, and she blinked a few times. Noticing the movement of her eyelids, Aegon offered her a fond smile, determined to draw her attention back to him rather than to some distant point on the ceiling or the walls.

“I believe tomorrow will be a warmer day. If the sun is out, we might take the children to the gardens for a few hours,” he began, choosing not to ask about what she had been thinking. He was aware — based on everything those last few years had taught him — that the best way to help was to bring her back to reality gradually, with tenderness and quiet conversation to fill the silence of their chambers. “I will have the cooks prepare lemon cakes for you and Maelor and fresh fruits for Jaehaera too, so we can eat while we sit and watch the sky.”

Helaena did not answer him with words, but the sound that she let out came close to an agreement. Barely audible though it was, it made Aegon feel more relieved than ever, the smile on his face widening.

In the past, Aegon would have already given up. He would have squandered the Crown’s gold in the brothels, drowning himself in cheap wine and paying whores to give him pleasure until he forgot all the worries that haunted him. He would never have spent the entire night by Helaena’s side, cradling her body against his own, talking to her until she drifted back to sleep. For years, Aegon believed his affection for his sister had faded away, buried beneath the forced marriage they had been pressured into at such a young age. Back then, she was nothing but a silly little thing in his eyes, with her bizarre fondness for bugs and her inability to fulfill her marital duties in a way that truly pleased him.

Yet, guilt had awakened something deep within him. In his heart, he had always blamed himself for being so negligent on the night Jaehaerys was murdered. He knew everything could have been different if the Kingsguard had been patrolling the whole Red Keep instead of drinking with him in the Throne Room. His firstborn would not have been killed, his daughter would not have witnessed her twin being beheaded, his youngest son would have known his older brother, and his wife would not have been so utterly consumed by grief that she came to see suicide as the only escape from her pain.

What had begun at first as a desperate attempt to redeem himself for all his selfishness and neglect had, over time, blossomed into a pure genuine devotion. Aegon loved Helaena. This time, not just as his younger sister, but also as his wife. She was his Queen, she deserved to be cared for.

The low murmuring of Aegon’s voice gradually began to take effect. Helaena’s eyes, once fixed and distant, grew heavy, her eyelids fluttering lazily as she surrendered to exhaustion. She let out a soft sigh, nuzzling her face against his chest, seeking more of the welcoming warmth he offered. Her hand, which had been resting on the sheets, trailed up to the linen nightshirt Aegon wore, gripping it as if some part of her already knew she needed his brother-husband to anchor her to reality.