The Crimson Dragon |ASOIAF/HOTD|

Lilyanna did not hesitate, immediately running in the opposite direction of the ghostly horde, ignoring the screams of indignation her action produced as the ghosts Began to pursue her.

Why does this shit keep happening to me?! Lilyanna thought, nearly slipping as she turned a corner into another corridor.

"You do not belong here!" The voices rose together again, malice coloring their tone as they continued to chase the young girl.

"Well, if you stop chasing me, I'll happily leave your fucking nightmare castle and never come back!" Lilyanna yelled, glancing back to see that her words had only angered them.

"I don't think you should be antagonizing them!" Baelon shouted as he and the other Targaryen ghosts rushed after her; their spectral forms flickering through the smoke-choked corridor.

"Oh, I'm sorry, grandfather!" Lilyanna snapped back breathlessly as she sprinted down the hall. "Next time a mob of dead people tries to rip me apart, I'll be sure to mind my fucking manners!"

A part of Baelon wanted to preen at the knowledge that Lilyanna had called him grandfather instead of his name, as she had been doing since they met, even though it had only come about because of the stressful situation they now found themselves in, but he held back.

"Why is this happening?!" Alyssa Velaryon yelled, fear strewn across her features and gripping the bottom of her dress as she ran. Aenys' arm wrapped tightly around her waist as he pulled her forward. "Where have we been taken?!"

"We are still in Harrenhal, Lilyanna, and by extension, the rest of us have been pulled into a separate plane of existence that magic of this land has created for itself," Visenya explained. "I thought it was simply spiritual projection that they were inducing upon mortals, but I never would have believed it possible that ghosts could control a nexus like this."

"That still does not explain what in the Seven Hells is happening!" Aenys exclaimed.

"Or why are those ghosts trying to kill Lilyanna, or why were we forcefully pulled from her mind!" The younger Aegon added. "So, can you please explain why that is?!"

"We need to find a place to hide for a few moments so that I can get us all out of here," Visenya said calmly, glancing at her brother and sister as she ignored the question that was asked of her.

"Now should not be the time for your cryptic nonsense!" Jaehaerys spat, glaring at the back of the woman's head.

Again, Visenya ignored the others, her eyes darting around as she tried to find any room that they could take refuge within.

"Mother!" Lilyanna turned her head at the sound of the ear-piercing, terrified scream and saw Daenerys being lifted off the ground by an Ironborn warrior.

The warrior's face was just as ruined as the rest of his body. The flesh along his jaw melted away to expose blackened teeth; one of his eyes had burst entirely, leaving behind an empty socket that still had smoke coming from within it.

Daenerys screamed again as the ghost tightened its grip around her throat, her tiny hands clawing uselessly at the warrior's wrist.

"Daenerys!" Alysanne cried, but before she could do anything, the soldier had been swiftly decapitated, and her daughter had been pulled out of the ghost's arms by an angry-looking Maegor.

Maegor held the young girl against his chest as he ran, tightly gripping Dark Sister in his other hand, and neither Alyssane nor Jaehaerys looked keen at the sight of their uncle holding their daughter, but given their current circumstances, they ignored the urge to pull Daenerys far away from the man.

"They can touch you all?! You can touch them?!" Lilyanna shrieked, seeing the warrior Maegor had cut down, pick their head off the ground and place it back on their neck.

"Why wouldn't they be able to touch us? They are undead just as we are, and this domain is under their control," Visenya answered sharply.

"Don't talk like I'm supposed to know any of this! This isn't common knowledge for people who didn't spend their lives performing ritual-" Before Lilyanna could finish speaking, Visenya grabbed Lilyanna by the back of her dress and pulled her into an adjoining chamber.

Everyone piled into the room, a solar with water-soaked walls, rotting floorboards, and windows that were sealed over by melted stone.

"We need to barricade the door," Aegon told the others as he went to a nearby dresser and pushed it in front of the door.

Maegor was quick to follow his father's lead and grabbed a heavy table near the center of the room, dragging it across the warped floorboards before slamming it against the door alongside the dresser, moving the other men to action.

"Rhaenys," Visenya said plainly, still facing Lilyanna and placing her hands on the girl's shoulders.

Rhaenys unsheathed one of her daggers and handed it to her older sister, and Visenya immediately used it to cut her arm, drawing blood. She wiped the blood with her hand and then pressed her palm against Lilyanna's forehead.

Visenya began to mutter under her breath, and despite standing directly in front of her, Lilyanna could not understand what the woman was saying. In an instant, the blood on Lilyanna's forehead burned cold, and Lilyanna felt the sensation spread across her skin, locking her in place.

Visenya then gathered more blood from her wound and forced her fingers past Lilyanna's lips and into her mouth, wiping the blood against Lilyanna's tongue as the girl gagged. The walls of the solar began to lurch, and the floorboards split apart beneath their feet, plunging the room into complete darkness, and Lilyanna instinctively closed her eyes.

---

When Lilyanna opened her eyes, she found herself standing underneath one of Harrenhal's five towers, wincing when her gaze found the sun above her.

Her entire body felt weak, and she knew that her legs would buckle beneath her if she tried to move too fast, so she resigned herself to standing still for a moment.

This is the effect of blood magic? And I'm not even the one who cast the spell, Gods, this is fucking terrible. Lilyanna thought, closing her eyes again and letting out a deep breath.

"What in the name of the Gods was that?!" Aenys shouted, his voice cracking and the volume making Lilyanna wince. His arm was still locked around his wife's waist, and she looked moments away from either fainting or vomiting; her silver hair disheveled, and her face pale.

"Vengeance, most likely," Visenya said dryly.

"I knew that Lilyanna should have left this wretched place as soon as we discovered Harren's existence here," Aegon hissed, holding the bridge of his nose irritably.

Before Lilyanna could hear Visenya's response, she heard a low and unfamiliar voice addressing her. "Princess Lilyanna?"

The princess opened her eyes again and turned her head to see two teenage girls who looked like they were a couple of years older than her. The first had long dark brown hair, which was styled in a single braid that hung over her shoulder, green eyes, freckled skin, and was wearing black trousers and a thick white tunic with a black toad emblazoned on the center. The second was shorter than the first, with black hair, brown eyes, and was wearing a brown dress. Both were looking at Lilyanna with shock and worry strewn across their faces.

Lilyanna knew that the girl in front of her was noble, given how well she was dressed, and she knew how she must have looked to her, given the blood that stained her face and general state of disarray; she was certain the rest of her appearance was just as bad.

"Yes," Lilyanna said, her voice coming out rougher than she intended, forcing her to clear her throat. "Did you need something from me, lady..."

"I am Sabitha Vypren, and this is Lady Marna Darry, Your Grace. We were... taking a walk, and we saw you standing here..." Sabitha paused, visibly searching for the most diplomatic phrasing available to her. "In this state, we came to see if you required help."

Why do I keep running into important characters at the worst times? Lilyanna recognized Sabitha as soon as she said her name, and was sure from Sabitha's tone that she and Marna were not just 'taking a walk' when they discovered her, especially as she took note of how swollen their lips were and how breathless both looked.

Lilyanna forced a smile onto her face. "That is very kind of you both, but I am fine.

Marna could not look away from the blood on Lilyanna's forehead, and how some of the blood had gotten into the princess's hair.

"It looks worse than it is," Lilyanna added to no avail.

Sabitha recovered first, reaching into the collar of her tunic and producing a folded square of clean linen, and wordlessly held it out to Lilyanna.

Lilyanna took it and pressed it against her forehead and mouth, the fabric coming away dark when she was finished cleaning her face. "Thank you."

"Of course, Your Grace."

Behind her, Lilyanna could still hear the argument the others were having with each other, but ignored it as she turned her attention back to the two girls in front of her. "I appreciate your concern, truly, but as you can see, I am perfectly fine."

The two girls glanced at each other before looking back at Lilyanna, and Sabitha was the one to speak again. "Princess, if you are in danger, then-"

"You needn't trouble yourselves any further on my account, Lady Sabitha, truly," Lilyanna said more forcefully,

"Of course, Your Grace," Sabitha quickly said, dipping into a low bow as Marna curtsied, though Marna's eyes made one last involuntary trip to Lilyanna's hairline before she caught herself and looked away.

But as they turned to leave, Lilyanna called out to them. "Lady Sabitha, Lady Marna."

The two paused and glanced back at the princess, seeing that the smile she had been wearing had already fallen away, leaving behind a cold and empty expression.

"I would consider it a personal favor if you spoke nothing of my appearance and I spoke nothing of yours, and it remains between the three of us. We would not wish for others to get the wrong idea about what we have decided to privately do here, now would we?" Lilyanna steadily held their gaze, not bothering to hide the intent within her words.

Sabitha's lips twitched, and she had to fight the urge not to grin even as she could see Marna trembling fearfully next to her from the corner of her eye. "We saw nothing of note on our walk, Your Grace."

Lilyanna nodded. "Enjoy the rest of your afternoon, my ladies."

She waited until both girls had rounded the corner of the tower and disappeared before she allowed herself to relax.

Lilyanna ignored the ghosts and began walking away from the tower, heading in the direction of the castle's gates.

"Lilyanna. Lilyanna, where are you going?" Rhaenys asked, being the first one to notice Lilyanna walking away and drawing the attention of everyone else.

"I'm leaving, I'm not going to stay here to get murdered by the spirits of a bunch of Ironborn because you three assholes decided to rain down fire and blood on the continent over a century ago," Lilyanna spat, glaring at Aegon specifically.

The Conqueror said nothing, both because he agreed with her decision and because he knew that, in a way, this was primarily his fault. He was the one who burned Harrenhal along with Harren Hoare and everyone else who had been inhabiting it at the time.

Lilyanna was the only one experiencing this kind of haunting, as no one else in her family was being pursued and given the dream Lilyanna had of Harren's past and her interaction with the man; this could be nothing less than Harren's way of getting back at him.

"What about your family? You said it yourself; do you not think that they will question if you suddenly fly away atop your dragon?" Rhaenys asked.

"Well, I was wrong, and I'll write them a letter from the nearest castle and make up an excuse as to why I left," Lilyanna argued as she continued to walk. "Unless you can figure out a way for me to fight ghosts, then the smartest thing to do is for me to leave this fucked up castle and never come back."

"This whole situation makes my head hurt," Lilyanna heard Alyssa Targaryen say. "I get that they want to kill Lilyanna for revenge, but would they not have had ample opportunity to? And why only Lilyanna? There are over a dozen living Targaryens in this castle. Why is Lilyanna the only one being targeted by them?"

"I cannot say for certain, but it could be that Lilyanna's connection to all of us and the way her body has been created to function by the Gods is the reason for this. So, Lilyanna has an easier time interacting with magical forces as a result. I would wager that it is simply easier for the Ironborn to interact with Lilyanna than other mortals, especially those who do not live in the castle and are mere guests, only being able to touch their dreams." Visenya explained, once again looking at Lilyanna with an analytical expression, which annoyed the girl.

"But even so, from what we have seen, there must be a limit to their power, yes?" Aemon asked. "Unless these previous altercations were simply the Ironborn toying with her."

"It doesn't matter if they're toying with me or not, I'm not-"

"Hello, princess," Lilyanna flinched, quickly turning around and seeing Alys Rivers standing behind her.

The woman was looking at her with curiosity and excitement, her bright green eyes reminding Lilyanna of Nyx's when the dragon was about to dig her teeth into some poor, unfortunate animal.

"What do you want?" Lilyanna said flatly, staring at Alys with distaste, inwardly questioning why the woman was clenching her right hand so tightly.

"You ruined him," Alys said, ignoring the question.

Lilyanna frowned. "Ruined who?"

"Aemond," Alys said softly, smiling when Lilyanna glared at her in response. "My strong and valiant prince had been a King in the making when I would watch his future through my storm clouds and flames. I had patiently waited decades for him to come and free me from my prison, but then you were born, and everything changed. Tell me, Princess Lilyanna, where did you hail from, and who has given you the power to alter destiny in such a fashion?"

Visenya clicked her teeth together, staring at the bastard like she was an unholy abomination. "She is a First Man witch."

Alys' eyes then flickered toward the space behind the princess, her smile becoming more devilish. "I have never known a mortal to be so intertwined with the dead. It's a beautiful sight, truly."

Lilyanna's eyes widened and then narrowed just as quickly.

"You can see them," Lilyanna said, already having her answer.

Alys' smile did not waver. "Every last one of them. Though I must say, I did not expect there to be quite so many. You must be highly favored or horrifically cursed by the Gods."

Does she truly know everything? "What do you want? To kill me?"

"Nothing so terrible," Alys said, and opened her right hand.

Lilyanna had enough time to register the fine grey powder sitting in the woman's pale palm before Alys blew it directly into her face.

It hit her eyes, her nose, and the back of her throat, and the weakness that had been sitting in her legs since Visenya freed her surged upward through her entire body as she lost her balance.

When she fell onto the ground, hearing the shouting of the Targaryen spirits around her, the last thing she saw before losing consciousness was Alys Rivers looking down at her with that same intrigued expression.

---

"-I just do not see why I must share Criston with Aemond! There are plenty of other knights that he can squire with if he wishes to copy me so badly."

"I am not copying you; unlike you, I do not want to wait until I am nearly five and ten to become a squire. I am taking the initiative to better myself far sooner than you did, Aegon."

Lilyanna blinked, staring up at the ceiling instead of the open sky, and was now sitting upright in a chair at the table near a window, a plate of food in front of her that had been partially eaten.

The candles within the room were all lit, and outside the window, the sky was now the deep bruised purple of late evening.

When she looked around, she saw that she was within her mother's bedchamber, seated at the table with her family arranged around her. Alicent sat at the head, listening to her sons with exasperation. Aegon and Aemon sat on either side of their mother, Daeron was beside Aegon, Lilyanna was next to Aemond, and Helaena was next to her.

How long have I been sitting here? Lilyanna thought, glancing out the window as she felt her heart race.

A part of her questioned if everything she had experienced had been real, but knew that it was, as she could still taste Visenya's blood and still felt like she could faint at any moment.

Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, Lilyanna immediately turned to her twin, leaning her head close to Helaena's and whispering. "Helaena."

Helaena slowly turned to face Lilyanna, looking at her sister wearily and hesitantly. "Yes?"

"H-How did I get here?" Lilyanna asked. "When we were separated, I-"

Helaena's eyes widened, and a relieved smile appeared on her face. "You're back to normal."

Lilyanna frowned. "Normal? What do you mean by that?"

Helaena glanced at their brothers and mother before continuing. "When you disappeared in the hallway, I searched much of the castle for you before I finally found you in the rookery. But when I tried to speak to you about it, you ignored me and kept trying to avoid talking about it. No one else noticed, but... but you were not acting like yourself, not fully. It was as if someone had stolen your face and was pretending to be you, and it was terrifying. I thought... I thought you may have been stuck like that forever."

Lilyanna stared at her. "I have no memory of any of that. I had been outside one of the towers; two ladies had found me after Visenya freed me from where I had been taken. But then Alys Rivers..."

"She did this to you?" Helaena asked.

Lilyanna nodded her head. "I think she was trying to keep me from-"

Lilyanna froze as she caught sight of something on the palm of her hand, and when she turned her hand over to properly look at it, Lilyanna saw a symbol that looked to be etched onto her flesh with ink in the shape of an eyeball with three vertical lines going through it.

"Helaena, Helaena, can you see this?" Lilyanna asked, lifting her hand and showing Helaena her palm.

Helaena frowned. "See what?"

"You don't see this symbol!"

Helaena shook her head, and Lilyanna felt a pit forming in her stomach as she slowly lowered her hand back to the table, clenching her fist.

What the hell did Alys do to me?

"Aegon? Visenya? Rhaenys?" Lilyanna whispered, trying to get some answers from those whom she knew would have seen everything.

When she received no acknowledgement, she called for them again and even began to call for the others. And when her calls continued to go ignored, Lilyanna felt herself panic.

"Helaena," Lilyanna whispered urgently, grabbing her twin's wrist beneath the table hard enough to make the other girl flinch. "I can't hear them anymore."

Helaena immediately went still; the earlier relief vanished from her face almost instantly. "What do you mean?"

"They're gone," Lilyanna's voice cracked slightly. "I can't feel their presence, I can't see them, it's just me inside my head."

For the first time in years, Lilyanna was completely alone, and she knew that this was not a naturally occurring phenomenon, which only scared her even more.

"Lilyanna," Alicent said, glancing at her daughter and seeing how worried she looked. "You have been quiet all evening. Are you feeling well?"

"I feel perfectly well, mother," Lilyanna said, keeping her closed fist beneath the table. "I am simply tired."

Alicent studied her for a moment. "You disappeared for most of the afternoon. Where did you go?"

"I went for a walk," Lilyanna said. "I lost track of time."

Alicent sighed. "I will not begrudge you wanting time to yourself, but you must allow Ser Rickard or another knight to accompany you. We are not in King's Landing anymore, and you can't just disappear without telling anyone."

Lilyanna nodded faintly, no longer paying attention to her mother as her thoughts further spiraled. "I know."

She looked back down at her palm, her stomach turning and twisting as she thought about what she should do.

---

The Next Day

"My youngest daughter, Edeline Bracken, my Queen," Humfrey Bracken said, smiling proudly as he presented the young girl next to him.

Edeline looked just like the rest of her family, tall for her age with thick black hair, dark eyes, pale skin, and a proud look on her face.

The girl curtsied at once, lowering herself gracefully before the three royals.

Lilyanna and Helaena stood next to each other, half a step behind their mother, enduring the interaction in silence while the Brackens continued their greetings.

Alicent had kept her promise of personally choosing young women to be her daughters' ladies-in-waiting, given Helaena and Lilyanna's clear reluctance to do so themselves. And once word of the Queen's desire was known, dozens of Riverlanders and Westermen flocked to them, eager to present their daughters, sisters, cousins, and nieces to her.

But Lilyanna could not find it within herself to care about people eager to ignore her presence in favor of her mother and sister, given her current predicament.

She had tried to leave Harrenhal again early that morning, but when she went to walk past the castle gates, it was as if an invisible wall had formed in front of her, preventing her from taking even a single step beyond them.

No one else was affected by it, causing the guards nearby to look at her strangely as she tried to force herself through it to no avail.

And her mood was only further affected as she still could not speak to or see the other Targaryen spirits, nor could she wash away the marking that Alys had left on her hand.

"Edeline has always had a calm temperament," Humfrey continued. "She is well-read, skilled with needlework, and has already begun learning to manage a household from my wife."

Edeline lowered her head modestly at the praise, though Lilyanna noticed the girl's gaze quickly flickering toward her.

Lilyanna could not even blame her for it; she was aware of what her reputation was, especially among more conservative members of nobility. She could only imagine the kind of rumors and stories that were told about her behind closed doors.

"She sounds lovely," Alicent said warmly. "How old are you, Lady Edeline?"

"Three and ten, Your Grace."

Then she must be only a few moons older than Helaena and Lilyanna. Alicent thought, smiling faintly before glancing toward Helaena. "And do you enjoy music? Poetry?"

Edeline hesitated briefly before answering. "I enjoy both very much, Your Grace."

Lilyanna's attention wavered once more, and as she looked around the hall, she soon caught sight of Alys Rivers standing at the far end of the room.

The bastard woman was standing next to a pillar, dressed plainly as she stared at Lilyanna, smiling brightly at the young girl.

The symbol on Lilyanna's palm began to throb, and the world around Lilyanna began to shift dramatically, disorienting her.

When things settled, Lilyanna looked around and at first thought that nothing had happened, until she found herself standing next to her own body.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Lilyanna muttered, raising a hand trying to touch the face of her double, only for her fingers to pass through her own face.

This version of herself turned away from where she had been originally facing and was now staring at her mother and the Brackens with a blank expression on her face.

"Lily? Are you alright?" Helaena whispered, seeing the change in her sister's eyes.

'Lilyanna' smiled at Helaena, and Helaena felt a shiver race down her spine at how wrong the expression looked on her sister's face. "I'm fine, Helaena, why wouldn't I be?"

"Helaena, that's not me!" Lilyanna shouted, but just like yesterday, Helaena could not hear or see her, nor could she touch her sister.

Is this what Helaena was talking about yesterday? Someone else wearing my face while I was gone? Lilyanna thought.

Before she could do anything else, the same group of ghosts that she had encountered began to rise from the earth, glaring at her menacingly as they reached out toward her.

"You do not belong here!"

Lilyanna found herself running again, barely paying attention to how the landscape around her changed, becoming the twisted and burning castle she was quickly beginning to despise.

The hall around her warped violently as she sprinted forward, stone walls splitting apart with fire bleeding through the seams, and smoke curled thickly through the corridors, stinging her eyes and throat.

Lilyanna did not know how long she had been running for, but when she found herself reaching the doors of the castle's armory, she immediately ran toward them, throwing herself inside and pushing as many objects in front of them as she could.

Lilyanna flinched when the doors began to rattle, her breathing coming in ragged gasps as the dead pounded against the wood, trying to force their way inside.

The princess immediately grabbed a sword off a rack, and from what she had seen of Maegor, she knew that the blade would not do her much good, but holding it made her feel better.

She then walked toward the windows, wanting to see if she could smash one of them and crawl out of it. But when she saw her reflection in the glass, Lilyanna nearly dropped her sword, shocked by the face within it that she never thought that she would see again.

Her hair was now shorter, straighter, and a shade of dark brown that matched her new eyes; her skin was a warmer, richer hue, her lips were bigger, her face slimmer, and she was a few inches taller.

It had been so long since she had seen it, but she could never forget what her own face looked like, even if she was no longer living the life of Rosalind McDaniels.

"What the fuck?!" Lilyanna yelled, poking her cheeks.

She looked down at her body, but saw that it did not match her reflection; she was still wearing the dress she had put on that morning, and her skin was still white.

"How is this even-"

"Rosalind," Lilyanna froze, instantly recognizing the voice.

Slowly, she turned around and gasped as she saw Marsha McDaniels standing across from her, staring at her lovingly.

Her mother was just as beautiful as she remembered her being, a small woman with curly black hair, warm brown skin, and tired amber eyes that always seemed softer whenever they landed on her daughter.

"M-Mom?" Her voice cracked as she nearly dropped her sword.

Marsha smiled at her gently, the same smile she used to wear whenever Rosalind came home exhausted from school or collapsed beside her on the couch after a bad day at work. "Hello, baby."

Lilyanna felt her knees weaken, ignoring the pounding against the armory doors, the sound muffled in her ears.

Marsha walked forward, gently placing her hands on Lilyanna's cheeks and leaning in close, her smile growing. "Why did you forget about me?"

What?

"You abandoned me, Rosalind," Marsha continued, ignoring the shocked look on her daughter's face. "You were supposed to come back home from the grocery store, but instead you let yourself be murdered, leaving me all alone. How was I supposed to survive without you? You were my heart, my entire world, and yet you did not care about what your loss would do to me."

"That's not true!" Lilyanna shouted, placing her hand over one of Marsha's. "I love you; you're my mom! I didn't want to leave you; I wanted to come back, but-"

"Then why have you replaced me?" Marsha hissed, her smile disappearing as she squeezed Lilyanna's face angrily. "You have accepted a new mother, that redhead bitch! You have accepted a new father and siblings as well! When was the last time you even thought about me? That you even reminisced about my memory? Cry for my loss? You do not care about the life we had, about the world we lived in, all you care about is saving these incestuous, evil roaches from their own damnation!"

Lilyanna threw herself backwards, holding up the sword in her hand and pointing the end at Marsha's throat. "You're not my mom! You're an illusion, a fucking ghost wearing her face and trying to trick me!"

Marsha stared at her for a moment before she began to cruelly laugh at Lilyanna.

"Is that what you need to tell yourself?" Marsha asked quietly. "That the uncomfortable truth is simply just another monster trying to trick you?"

"I know it is," Lilyanna growled.

"You died, Rosalind," Marsha continued, slowly stepping forward despite the sword aimed at her throat. "And then you left me behind to mourn you alone."

"I didn't choose to die!" Lilyanna screamed.

"No?" Marsha asked. "Then tell me, how long did it take you to stop wishing to go home?"

Lilyanna froze as she felt Marsha's eyes burn into her very being.

"How long did it take before you stopped praying to wake back up in your own bed? Before this place became more real to you than your own world?"

"SHUT UP!" Lilyanna thrust her sword forward, piercing Marsha's neck, the woman's blood shooting out of the wound as the sword ush through to the other side of her neck.

Lilyanna watched as the illusion of Marsha began to choke on her own blood, and the sight reminded Lilyanna of how she herself had died.

Only now she was standing in the place of those callous and apathetic onlookers, watching as the light faded from Marsha's eyes.

Lilyanna felt like vomiting, but pushed down the urge as she broke the window and climbed out of the armor just as the building's door was knocked down, running across the castle grounds and into Harrenhal's smithy.

The princess closed the doors behind her and used the sword to cut her arm, drawing blood from the weeping wound.

"Fuck, how did Visenya do this?" Lilyanna asked herself, covering her hands and fingers with her own blood and wiping it against her face. "She said that most of what constitutes magic is intent. I must focus."

She wished that she and the elder Targaryen had gotten further in her studies of blood magic before coming to Harrenhal, instead of being forced to navigate blindly. Lilyanna pressed her bloodied palm flat against the smithy's stone floor and tried to remember everything Visenya had ever said to her about intention as she heard the Ironborn trying to break into the smithy.

Please, I need to get out of here. I need to be able to leave this castle.

Soon, the marking on Lilyanna's palm began to burn, and Lilyanna bit down on the inside of her cheek hard enough to make herself bleed to keep from screaming.

When she lifted her hand, she saw that the inking of Alys' mark slowly began to melt away, staining her palm black.

"Lilyanna!" The princess looked up and saw the worried eyes of Aegon, Visenya, and Rhaenys staring down at her.

"You-You're b-back," Lilyanna smiled softly, her vision blurring as she saw the room filling with the rest of her kin.

Rhaenys grabbed Lilyanna's shoulder before the girl could fall over, holding her against her chest.

"I-I couldn't d-do it," Lilyanna said, looking at Visenya.

Visenya frowned, still looking at Lilyanna with concern. "Lily-"

In that moment, the doors of the smithy flew off their hinges, and Iroborn swarmed the room, descending upon the Targaryens and Lilyanna like rabid animals.

"Get off of me!" Viserra screamed as two Ironborn grabbed her by the arms.

Alyssa tried to help her sister but was quickly seized herself, two warriors wrenching her arms behind her back as she cried out. Baelon punched one of the men holding his sister-wife in the face, only to be dogpiled and forced to the ground.

Maegor, Jaehaerys, Aemon, both Aegons, and Visenya tried to fight back but were overwhelmed and beaten down.

Rhaenys spun around, trying to lift Lilyanna off the ground and stand back, before a warrior stepped between them and shoved Rhaenys back hard enough that she stumbled and nearly tripped over her own feet.

Hands then closed around Lilyanna's arms and hauled her upright, and the smithy lurched sideways as her vision swam.

She could hear the others shouting, the sound becoming more distant with each passing moment. She tried to stay awake, but darkness clouded the edges of her vision, and the last thing she registered before her eyes fell shut was the sound of a man's laughter.

---

"Where are you going?" Heleana asked the thing that was pretending to be her sister.

Helaena had seen 'Lilyanna' slowly moving away from their mother's side, Alicent being too distracted by the various nobles around her.

'Lilyanna' smiled. "Nowhere, sweet sister. I simply need some air; it is quite stuffy in here."

"I'll come with you," Helaena said.

"That isn't necessary."

"Well, I'd like to, sister," Helaena said with fake sweetness.

Something shifted behind the impostor's eyes, and it smiled again, making Helaena's skin crawl. "You are persistent."

"She is my sister," Helaena said, ending the ruse. "I am always persistent about her."

She reached out and grabbed 'Lilyanna's' wrist, and the reaction was instantaneous, the hand flipped over and caught Helaena's in a vice-like grip, and Helaena felt the bones of her hand grind together so sharply that her vision whitened and she nearly folded in half trying to relieve the pressure.

"Do not," 'Lilyanna' said, very quietly, leaning in close enough that only Helaena could hear her. "Make me hurt you worse than this."

'Lilyanna' then released her grip, and Helaena straightened, cradling her hand against her chest, her eyes stinging.

When she looked up, 'Lilyanna' was already walking away, moving through the gathered lords and ladies with Lilyanna's exact gait, her head held the same way Lilyanna usually did, and disappearing through the hall's far doors without looking back.

Helaena stood very still and tried to remember how to breathe normally, as fear gripped her heart.

"Helaena," The princess turned and saw her mother approaching her, wearing a warm and privately satisfied expression, but her eyes were strained.

"I have wonderful news," Alicent said, glancing back toward the Brackens with approval. "I have found Lady Edeline, Lord Roote's niece, Lady Taria, and Lord Marbrand's young sister, Lady Ellyn, as acceptable and sensible prospects. They will be joining us once we leave Harrenhal and after they have done their goodbyes with their families."

Helaena said nothing, still reeling from her encounter with the fake Lilyanna.

Alicent's expression dimmed, allowing the look in her eyes to become further pronounced. "I was not as successful with Lilyanna, however."

The Queen had faced polite deflection when she tried to find girls to become Lilyanna's ladies, even amongst lords and ladies with multiple female relatives.

She could not stop herself from thinking about what Lilyanna and Daemon said the other day, and hated how both were proving to be right. It irritated her to see so clearly how little these people regarded her daughter, expecting the words of her and believing that she would be a corrupting influence on anyone made to exist close to her.

She knew that Lilyanna would not be upset by the outcome, but Alicent only worried further about what life would be like for her daughter as she continued to grow older and continued to be seen as so polarizing.

There is still the Vale, the Stormlands, and the Reach; someone will undoubtedly come begging for the opportunity to align themselves with the royal family through Lilyanna. Alicent thought.

"Helaena, where is your sister?" Alicent asked, having noticed that Helaena was by herself.

Helaena hesitated, opening and closing her mouth. "She… She wanted to be alone for a moment. S-She needed some air."

Alicent looked at her, noticing her daughter's peculiar reaction. "Again?"

"You know how she is," Helaena said lamely.

"I do," Alicent said, voice becoming weary. "Which is precisely why I know that 'wanting to be alone' with Lilyanna is never simply wanting to be alone. What am I going to do with that girl?"

You may not need to worry about doing anything about Lilyanna's behavior ever again. Helaena thought, her mind running through countless situations that her sister could be finding herself in at this moment.

Helaena looked down at her hand, seeing that her knuckles were red and beginning to swell where the impostor's fingers had ground them together.

Whatever was wearing her sister's face and controlling her body, it was malicious and would undoubtedly harm her sister.

Knowing what she had to do, Helaena waited until her mother's attention was called upon by someone else and left the hall, intent on looking for the thing that took her sister's body.

---

Lilyanna woke to the sudden feeling of something painfully hitting her in the stomach, knocking the air out of her lungs as she gasped.

Her eyes widened, and above her also stood a young man wearing black armor with long black hair, beady eyes, oily skin, and who was smiling down at her maliciously with a mouth that was missing a couple of teeth.

"She wakes, father," The man said, kicking Lilyanna again for good measure.

Lilyanna heard someone laughing nearby. "Thank you, Kirth."

Lilyanna looked past the man who kicked her and realized she was lying on the ground beneath a black stone throne carved into the shape of a kraken. Sitting on the throne was Harren Hoare, and on either side of the chair stood five men, wearing the same black armor as Harren and Kirth.

The rest of the room looked nothing like the burning wreckage that Harrenhal was when she was being accosted by these spirits. The Hall of a Hundred Hearths was opulent and pristine, being in perfect condition, unlike how the hall looks in the present day. And the massive hall was filled with countless ghosts, all watching her with rapt attention.

"You slept for quite some time," Harren said from his throne, resting his chin on his fist. "I was beginning to worry."

"My sincerest apologies," Lilyanna said sarcastically, pushing herself onto her knees and finding that her hands were tied behind her back.

The Targaryens were arranged along the walls, restrained with iron. They all looked perfectly fine except for Aegon the Conqueror, whose head lay at his feet, having been removed from his neck, and was staring at Harren with absolute loathing in his eyes, which seemed to greatly amuse Harren.

"What the fuck?" Lilyanna muttered.

"Missed quite a disappointing show," Harren said as he gestured lazily toward Aegon. "Unfortunately, it seems that just like us, your decrepit lot is also incapable of feeling pain. I had longed for the day when I could take my revenge on this false King, and yet, not a sound escaped his lips when I cut off his head."

As he spoke, the rest of Harren's sons moved away from their father and joined Kirth, surrounding Lilyanna.

Harren leaned forward in his throne, his smile growing larger as he stared at Lilyanna. "But over these past few days, I saw how much these mongrels care about you, and then I had the most marvelous of ideas."

"You can hurt me," Lilyanna said plainly, having already figured out what the man's intentions were.

"I can hurt you," Harren pleasantly agreed before turning to look at his other prisoners. "I wonder just how they'll look when my sons beat you to death."

"Lay a hand on her, and I will raze this castle again a hundred-fold, Harren!" Aegon growled, his body trying in vain to escape his binding.

Lilyanna had just enough time to brace herself before a boot connected with the side of her ribcage.

The Hoare King laughed. "Do you believe you are in a position to make threats, boy?"

"Stop, she's just a child!" Maegelle cried.

"There were children that were living in this very castle when he set his dragon upon it!" Harren spat, jumping to his feet and glaring at the septa before looking at Aegon. "There were children across Westeros that you did not care about when you took their lives for the sake of your dynasty. So why should I care about this one?!"

Another kick struck her shoulder hard enough to knock her onto her back, and around her, Harren's sons laughed.

"Careful," One of them sneered. "The dragon bitch looks fragile. We don't want to end our fun too early, do we?"

Lilyanna clenched her jaw as another blow landed against her stomach, spitting out blood as the Ironborn and Riverlander ghosts behind them cheered with every blow that was landed on Lilyanna's body.

Rhaella buried her face in her sister's shoulder, unable to watch anymore, while Aerea, like the others, tried to escape their binds.

Viserys whimpered as he saw one of the men punch Lilyanna in the face, and shuddered as Lilyanna's blood splattered on the floor.

"Must you truly behave like animals?" The entire hall went still, and every ghost turned toward the massive entrance of the hall where Alys Rivers stood beneath the black arches.

Harren's expression immediately darkened. "You."

Alys smiled pleasantly. "Hello, Harren."

The Hoare king rose slowly from his throne, irritation radiating from him. "Foul witch."

Alys dipped into an exaggerated curtsy. "Flatterer."

"You dare seek our presence after hiding from us for so long?" Harren growled. "You and your crippled brother spent years evading my reach within my own castle."

Alys' smile sharpened. "And yet neither of us died screaming beneath your walls. I do suppose that makes Larys and me cleverer than you."

Several Ironborn snarled at the insult, and Harren himself looked moments away from ordering her to be ripped apart.

Instead, he slowly sat down, sneering at the woman. "Speak quickly before I lose patience."

Alys' gaze drifted toward Lilyanna, still lying bloodied on the floor between Harren's sons. "You are wasting her."

Harren barked out a laugh. "Wasting her?"

"She is more useful alive than dead."

"She is dragonspawn!" Harren's voice became thunderous. "Her bloodline destroyed my house!"

"And your need for revenge has trapped you here for over a century," Alys replied coolly. "Tell me, Harren, how much satisfaction has your vengeance truly brought you?"

Alys slowly walked forward into the hall, and none of the dead moved to stop her, knowing what she was capable of.

"You haunt these ruins endlessly," Alys continued. "You rage, you torment dreamers and visitors alike, and you even kill the few who have taken this castle as their own, and yet you are still here."

The Riverlander ghosts lining the hall shifted uneasily, as did some of the Ironborn, as no matter how much they did not want to admit it, they knew she was right.

Alys stopped beside Lilyanna, staring down at the battered princess thoughtfully. "She can free you."

That caused an immediate uproar throughout the hall.

"What?" Jaehaerys demanded.

Visenya narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Explain yourself, witch."

Even Lilyanna stared at Alys in confusion through her one unswollen eye.

Harren sneered openly. "You expect me to trust this creature?"

"No," Alys said simply. "You do not need to trust her, only bind her to your will. You are not the first spirits to remain in the mortal realm with unfinished business, unable to know true peace. If you can make a bargain, she can give you whatever you desire.

"I'm sorry, what?" Lilyanna asked. "Why would I ever-"

"What is it that you seek most in this life, Harren Hoare?" Alys said, speaking over the princess.

Harren thought about what he wanted, at first all he could think about was ending the Targaryen bloodline and ridding the world of dragons, but as he thought of what Alys said earlier, only one thing screamed louder in his head than any other. "Harrenhal."

Alys smiled when she heard the whisper, knowing that she had the old King where she wanted him. "Then task the princess with restoring this once great castle to its former glory. Your hate and longing for what was taken from you was strong enough to bind your soul and those of everyone here to this when Aegon attacked, then the princess undoing the wrongs of her forbearers should be strong enough to free you."

The dead immediately erupted into murmuring.

"I tire of this place," one old woman whispered.

Another ghost nodded shakily. "I want to see my children again."

"We have lingered long enough," Someone else muttered.

Harren's face twisted with fury as control of the hall slowly slipped away from him. "You would abandon your king?"

"We would abandon this prison," One Ironborn answered quietly, and Harren looked ready to explode.

Then his gaze slowly returned to Lilyanna. "You would rebuild Harrenhal?"

Lilyanna stared at him like he had lost his mind. "No."

Harren's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Do you have any idea how large this castle is? Rebuilding it would take years! Decades even! And it would take enough gold to bankrupt half the realm! The Strongs would never want to do so, and even if they did, whoever owns this place would bleed themselves dry maintaining it! It would be a fool's errand!" Lilyanna exclaimed.

Harren smiled coldly. "Then I suppose you had best become very resourceful."

"If she refuses, then you may continue amusing yourself by tearing her apart piece by piece until her soul belongs to Harrenhal as well," Alys said, finally looking at Lilyanna directly. "I would rather she not die, but alas, if that is what is necessary, then it shall be."

"Why are you even doing this?!" Lilyanna asked. "What do you have to gain from this?"

"A favor."

"A favor?"

Alys kneeled in front of Lilyanna, lifting her head and placing it on her lap, forcing the young princess to look at her. "In exchange for saving your life, I wish for one favor from you, princess, in which you give me whatever I ask of you."

"What makes you think I will agree to that? To any of this?"

"Because I know you don't want to die, and leave your precious new family behind," Alys smirked. "And because I will be the one helping to administer this deal, it cannot happen without me."

"If the girl fails," One of the Ironborn called out. "Then we lose nothing."

"She dies either way," Another agreed.

"But if she succeeds…"

"We are free."

Alys looked back down at Lilyanna. "It does not seem they will be very happy with your refusal. I would suggest that you decide wisely."

Lilyanna glared at the woman, but could see no other way out of this as she swallowed the blood in her mouth. "Fine... I accept."

Visenya leaned forward, her body straining against her chains. "No, Lilyanna, don't-"

Alys' eyes glowed a dark green, and Harren quickly left his throne and kneeled next to the bastard, placing his hand on Lilyanna's shoulder. Lilyanna screamed as she felt the flesh beneath her jaw beginning to burn, smoke wafting from the area.

The Targaryen ghosts saw a golden longboat, one fourth of the sigil of House Hoare, flaring against her skin like a brand.

"It is done," Harren said with a laugh, smugly turning to smirk at Aegon. "She's mine now, Targaryen."

Everything soon went dark for Lilyanna, her body slumping as she lay against Alys' legs, feeling the woman caressing her fingers through her sweat-slicked hair.

---

The first thing Lilyanna felt when she woke up again was her lungs burning and water entering her mouth and nose.

She could not see clearly within the dark water, and she soon realized she was underwater and was sinking, but she could not muster the strength to move her limbs.

Wow, of all that just for me to die here? Lilyanna thought, still unable to move her arms and legs, let alone her head.

Before she could accept her faith, Lilyanna noticed something swimming towards and when they came close to her, all she could see was green skin and some kind of horns on its head before it reached for her and carried her upwards before her vision blurred.

When she found her bearings, Lilyanna found herself lying on the rocky shore of the Gods Eye.

Lilyanna coughed, spitting out some lake water as she stared up at the grey sky above her while waves gently lapped against the shore beside her.

Weakly, Lilyanna lifted her hand and touched her neck, wincing at how raw the skin felt. Her entire body hurt, and she was sure that her injuries were really severe, given how she could only see through one of her eyes.

Lilyanna heard several rumbles and growls along with feeling the ground shake, and as she slowly turned her head saw her family dragons, including her own, rushing toward her.

Nyx was the first to reach her and curled protectively beside her, lowering her massive head until her snout nudged carefully against Lilyanna's shoulder.

The dragon let out a low, distressed whine, smoke curling from her nostrils as she sniffed at the blood covering her rider's face and clothes.

"I know," Lilyanna rasped weakly, lifting a trembling hand to press against Nyx's warm scales. "I feel like shit too."

The dragons crowded around her restlessly, growling and hissing at the water and in the direction of the castle.

Lilyanna slowly pushed herself upright with Nyx's help, wincing violently when pain lanced through her ribs. She looked down at herself and nearly laughed hysterically at the state she was in.

Her dress was soaked through with lake water and smeared with blood and soot; one sleeve was half torn from the shoulder, and bruises were already darkening her exposed skin.

Gods, Alicent is going to lose her fucking mind when she sees me. Honestly, Helaena and Visenya are probably going to kill me, too. Lilyanna thought, before questioning just how she was going to make her way back to the castle.