Got: Sins of the Father
// My dysfunctional family. <3 poor Bäahal, she clearly didn't ask for any of this, but perhaps a subtle change in the power dynamics could do something.
“Bäahal ran, as always. She ran
away from the wrath of her brother who couldn't stand to see her face
and would lash out at her because she dared speak to him. The young woman fled the palace for the moment, unable to feel safe within its
heavy walls. She let her feet drag her to the private Targaryen
cemetery, and as if she'd memorized the number of steps needed to go
to her father's grave, she found herself in front of Aery's last
home. The sun was high in the sky, brightly shining above her but
that didn't seem to be enough to dry the tears that were flooding on
her face, nor did it prevent her from falling onto her knees before
curling herself into a fetal position in front of her father's
tombstone.
Viserys, as usual, couldn't stand
the sight of her and was still irritated when Bäahal tried to
befriend him. His knee-jerk reaction was to slap her face when she
mentioned taking a stroll with the dogs together and going to her
favorite coffee shop. He took offense with the casual tone in her
voice and the genuine desire to talk to him. He took offense because he saw his father in her and because she kept trying to see what was
good in him despite the horrors he made her go through and that
didn't sit well with the “prince”. How could he forgive Aerys
for destroying his family by having an affair with someone who wasn't
in the family? He fell in love with a commoner, spawned a child, and
broke his wife's heart. Sweet Rhaella fell sick and died because of
Aerys because she felt betrayed twice. First with the affair and
later with the child she had to raise. He traumatized his son, let
him spiral freely into violence, and even had the audacity to die
before his son could confront him. All that was left was Bäahal and
by the seven gods did she look like him.
Bäahal had always been a
sensitive child. She'd known from the very beginning that something
was off. Her mother hid her tears well, but not enough for her child
not to notice. Aerys did fall in love with someone he later abandoned
because he had a family of his own. He condemned Sunni to a lonely
life, with a child she had to raise. No matter how much she loved the
child, she was a single mother. Bäahal recalled how torn her mother
was at the idea of letting Aerys meet her. She recalled the heated
arguments between the two of them, the screams, the hugs, the kisses, and the passion that transpired through their interaction, and that
was understood by a child this young. She remembered the
excruciating pain she felt, later on, when her father insisted on
taking her to his family in order to raise her as a proper “heir”
to the Targaryen empire, he was building. Her mother hated him for
taking her child away from her, but she was grateful and hopeful that
he would give her a better life than she could. And then she died
suddenly, leaving her only child with just her father.
Bäahal had always been a
sensitive child. She knew that her very existence caused problems
around her. She could tell that her step-mother and siblings didn't
want her around. It wasn't even personal, it wasn't her fault but her
father's. She was the embodiment of his sins and none of them could
stand to look at them. She was the living proof that Aerys cheated.
It didn't matter if he fell in love or if he tried to be fair to
everyone. From the moment he brought the kid to his family, he had
destroyed everything he had built and while he gave his children as
much love as possible, she could tell that he was unhappy with how
things went. His last months on Earth were filled with regret and
sadness. While Bäahal took him on his daily strolls, he kept
apologizing for the way he treated her and the pain he caused to her
and her mother. He kept telling her that he couldn't help himself but
chose love instead of duty and that because of him several people had
a miserable life. But no matter how many times he had apologized to
Bäahal that didn't change the hatred others had for him.
That didn't change the pain he
caused to his little one, nor did it alleviate the anger they all had
towards him. Rhaegar and Bäahal forgave Aerys before Rhaegar died a
horrible death. The eldest son of the family managed to accept Bäahal
and saved her from her other brother's scorn. Bäahal nearly escaped
one of Visery's angry tantrums that had him nearly beat her to death.
It left a few scars on her back, where his metal boots pierced the
skin but they softened over the years. He was so angry, so hurt and
so were the others, and Bäahal was left in the middle of this
hurricane, alone. This morning was nothing new to her. Viserys was
like an open nerve, bleeding profusely and leading him to
self-destruct -although, she did note that he had been doing good
lately. Apart from the occasional smoke, he had been sober. Daenerys
had all the weight of the world on her shoulder and was still hurting
from the loss of her first husband...Bäahal, well, Bäahal needed
the arms of her father around her, telling her that everything would
be okay but he wasn't here anymore, he wasn't here.
“Perhaps, everything would have
been simple if you didn't have me.” She sobbed but quickly shook
her head because she didn't agree with her own words anymore. “No.
you should have been better, father. You shouldn't have made me the
scapegoat of your sins. You shouldn't have left me alone! But you
know what? I'll show them that I can be happy. I'll show them that I
can have a better life than this. I can love, I can be loved and I
can be my own person. I will make a life of my own too... I promise
you... I promise you, I will knock their walls up, I will break the
cycle, I will save everyone starting with myself.” She sobbed,
holding some dirt in her hands. Perhaps she would manage to do it, perhaps the connections she had would help her set herself straight. After all, she made friends. yes, they were the "enemies" but they were her friends. one of them was even more than just a friend, he was her Golden Lion. perhaps her first sentiment was the right one but, either way, she was
alive now and that was all that mattered.