Chapter Forty Eight

                                    

                                          
With the sky alternating between absolute darkness and sudden bursts of light from the lightning strikes, visibility was poor.
Relentless rain poured down without mercy. Aesira and Luke guided their dragons towards the lower bailey of the Baratheon Castle, Durran's Defiance. Both beasts had become increasingly uneasy and restless as they landed, further adding to Aesira's growing anxiety.
	The downpour made it hard to see, and the flashes of lightning illuminating the gloomy sky only served to make the darkness seem all the more oppressive. The castle they stood before was imposing, with a massive outer curtain wall that rose one hundred feet high and was as much as eighty feet thick on its seaward side. The wall was composed of a double course of pale grey stone with an inner core of sand and rubble, its smooth and curving surface seemingly immune to the battering wind and rain.
	As they dismounted from their dragons, they heard a deafening roar that echoed through the air, shaking the very ground beneath their feet. Aesira and Luke quickly turned around to see Vhagar craning her head above the castle's curtain walls. Aesira's heart sank as she realized that the presence of Vhagar meant that Aemond was also there. The realization filled her with dread and she prepared herself for the worst.
	She remembered how stupidly she had spoken to Aemond about ravens being sent out, and she realized that he must have told his mother and Alicent had sent him to win over Lord Borros. Her mind raced as she tried to come up with a plan to counteract Aemond's influence and secure the support of Lord Borros for their cause.
	Aesira stood in the pouring rain, her skin stinging from the cold, as she turned to Luke and said, "You need to climb back into Arrax's saddle and go home."
	Luke's clothes were drenched and his hair was plastered to his forehead. He shivered as the cold seeped into his bones, but his determination was clear in his eyes. "My mother sent me to deliver this message, Aesira," he said, his voice steady despite the conditions. "I won't run from this. I am the son of Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen. I won't run from Aemond and his monster dragon."
	Aesira's heart swelled with pride as she looked at her thirteen-year-old cousin. He was so brave and strong, and she knew that he would do everything in his power to uphold his mother's trust. She could see the castle's curtain wall looming in the background, its imposing presence seeming to mock their efforts.
	Aesira wanted to pull him into an embrace, to comfort him and tell him how proud she was of him. But she knew that now was not the time. Instead, she nodded and said, "You are here on the Queen's errant and I am only your escort. You will treat with Lord Borros, but leave Aemond to me."
	Luke nodded, his confidence growing with each passing moment. "I will."
	The two of them turned towards the castle, its curtain wall towering above them, the rain and wind battering against its smooth surface. Aesira knew that it wouldn't be easy, but she was determined to see this through. Together, she and Luke would not let the pouring rain, the cold or Aemond's dragon stand in their way.
	Tonight, they would win a victory for their queen.
	Luke and Aesira marched through the portcullis gate, the sound of their boots echoing through the courtyard as they approached the knights standing on the steps leading into the castle. Luke stepped forward, his head held high and his voice steady as he announced, "I am Prince Lucerys Velaryon, with my escort Lady Aesira Targaryen. I bring a message to Lord Borros from the Queen."
	The assembled knights nodded and turned, forming a circle around Luke and Aesira as they were led through the castle's grand halls. Aesira lowered her hood, checking that her staff was in place and pulling her braid out from beneath her cloak to let it rest over her shoulder.