From Storms to Thrones (Part 1)

The crisp air carrying across the sea pelted at my body, and I was thankful for the servant woman's warning about grabbing a cloak. It blocked most of the wind, retaining my warmth. Rhaenyra and I walked side by side on the beach, the rhythmic sound of the waves crashing against the shore filling the silence. The scene was almost peaceful, if it weren't for the fact that we were in a war zone with flying beasts capable of melting skin from bones soaring overhead.

After some time of walking in silence, Rhaenyra suddenly stopped, her gaze fixed on the horizon. I followed her line of sight, squinting against the wind. You could almost make out the Red Keep on the other side of the sea.

"You said," Rhaenyra began, her eyes locked on the distant horizon, "that we all die."

Her words hung heavy in the air, the weight of them pressing down on us. I took a deep breath, the salty sea air filling my lungs. This was a conversation I had dreaded, but it was inevitable.

"Yes, Your Grace," I replied, my voice steady despite the turmoil inside me.

We stood silently for a moment, the waves crashing against the shore the only sound. Rhaenyra stood as still as a statue, her gaze unwavering. Finally, she spoke again, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"How?" she asked.

I stood there, thinking. How will I handle this? If I tell Rhaenyra everything, my usefulness is gone. But I also claimed to know the future. What if I knew what was coming and didn't speak, and Rhaenyra blamed me for the loss?

I opened my mouth to speak, then closed it again. Syrax swooped down at us, trilling happily to her rider, and I flinched.

Fuck it.

I wasn't a strategist or a master of espionage. I didn't know whose lives to save or whose not to. I didn't know how to use the knowledge I had.

But Rhaenyra would know.

"Your Grace," I said slowly, my voice trembling slightly as I tried to choose my words carefully. "Before I tell you how, you must understand something. I won't receive any other visions."

Rhaenyra's gaze shifted from the horizon to me, her eyes narrowing slightly as she absorbed my words. The wind whipped around us, the salty sea air stinging my cheeks. I took a deep breath, gathering my thoughts.

"What I saw is like water so calm it is like glass," I continued, my voice steadier now. "Once you know... once you make a change, you are casting a stone into that water, and the ripples could change everything."

Rhaenyra's expression remained unreadable, but her intense focus on my words made me feel the weight of the moment. I glanced down at my hands, fidgeting with the edge of my cloak.

"When I chose to save Prince Lucerys," I said, looking back up at her, "I feared that my actions would change everything and render me useless to you. But that change was like a small pebble. Only a small ripple. Not enough to shift the future entirely."

I swallowed hard, the gravity of what I was about to share settling in. "But, Your Grace," I said, my voice dropping to a near whisper, "if we make larger changes, the ripples will be more significant. They could alter the course of everything we know."

Rhaenyra's eyes, intense and unwavering, searched mine for a long moment. She seemed to be weighing my words, considering the enormity of what I was saying. The wind tugged at her dress, the gray fabric fluttering around her like the wings of a bird.

"And if the stone is big enough," I continued, my throat tight, "it will change everything."

Rhaenyra turned back to the horizon, her gaze fixed on the distant Red Keep. "Tell me," she finally said, her voice soft but commanding.