WILDFIRE○J. VELARYON

8○ 130 AC: LIGHT

Night had fallen, but Lucerys still hadn't woken up. Vaera still didn't know what to do. The boy was taking shallow breaths, evident by the cold air that showed up when he breathed.

Luke wasn't dead yet. He still had the slightest bit of life in him, but that was soon to disappear.

As his life flashed before his eyes, he thought of Vaera and how kind she'd been to him even though she was Aemond's sister.

He thought of his father. Not just Harwin. He could barely remember his real father, but he thought of Laenor Velaryon.

It was unusual to have a memory like that. As he heard Vaera crying, he thought about her once again. How she would feel when he died.

Vaera looked at the boy, holding the only hand he had left when he stopped breathing. His hand went limp in hers.

"Luke?" She asked, knowing he wouldn't answer. "Luke. Please. Wake up." The boys eyes remained closed, his chest no longer rising and falling and no cold air making it out of his mouth.

"Please -" Vaera cut herself off when she suddenly remembered something. She was still wearing her locket.

The locket Aemond had given her on their nameday almost three years ago. The locket she had taken into the strange room next to the Maester's chamber.

The locket that contained a piece of paper she'd ripped out of a book. She fumbled with the locket, opening it to reveal the same piece of paper she had put in there almost three years ago.

Revealing the same drawing she once found so unsettling. She didn't know if it would work, but she was gonna try regardless.

She hated herself for letting any harm come to Luke in the first place, and this was the only option she had.

She placed her hands on Luke's chest in the same manner as the man in the drawing. Her hands were covered in Luke's, and most likely Arrax's blood.

"We ask the Lord to shine his light and lead a soul out of darkness. We beg the Lord to share his fire and light a candle that has gone out."

Vaera muttered. She didn't know why she thought it would work, but she had to have hope. After sitting there for a while, nothing happened.

It didn't work. She carried it with her all these years and it didn't work. She took her hands off of Luke's chest, lying down in the sand beside him as she cried.

She cried, thinking about how Rhaenyra would react to hearing that her son was dead. She cried, thinking about how Jace would blame her, about how everyone would blame her.

She thought about how everyone was going to feel. Luke was an innocent boy. He didn't fight Aemond. He did as his mother asked.

Vaera then heard a strange noise, which caused her to stop crying. She opened her eyes and looked at Luke.

"Luke?" She asked before he shot up, gasping for air. She was honestly terrified. She didn't think it would work. She thought Luke was dead.

But he sat in front of her, breathing. Eyes open and darting around. He was alive.

"Vaera?" He asked, and she wrapped her arms around him. "I thought you were dead." Vaera muttered.

"I think I was..." Luke said. Vaera then looked at the piece of paper before snatching it and folding it back up, placing it where it belonged.

"He tried to kill me." Luke said. "He took my arm." Vaera looked at the boy, feeling relieved that he was now speaking.

"Who was he?" Vaera looked at him, confused. "What?" She asked, not comprehending what he just asked.