Chapter Text
Rhaenyra looked blankly as a bright light bathed the surroundings in its glow. She couldnt understand why there was still light in the world when her light, her joy, her strength was cruelly snatched from her by that beast.
"Oh dear, this isn't Earth. Well, at least not the one I know."
Rhaenyra looked at the strange blue box which had materialised out of nowhere, the man who stumbled out of it though was what made her stagger.
The Doctor looked at the regal silver haired woman standing on the shore, tear tracks still visible on her cheeks and wondered what had happened to her to make her look so desolate, so broken. In a strange way she reminded him of his own self, of his pain and grief.
"Daemon." Her voice shook as she spoke.
Doctor tilted his head, "I never forget a face, my lady. But I dont recall ever meeting you."
Rhaenyra didnt understand. Why was Daemon here? Why did he have black hair, wearing some strange combination of clothes. Why did he look so young?
"Who are you? Why do you wear my uncle's face?" Pure rage took her, "are you a sorcerer? Sent by those vile people, those kinslayers!" She spat with venom, "usurpers, sitting on my throne? Trying to hurt me in another other way by showing me a mirror image of my husband?"
The Doctor blinked, "I am no wizard, my lady. I assure you I dont know you. I am not your uncle. Your husband." He paused. "I am not here to hurt you."
His eyes took in his surroundings. The raging sea behind the silver haired woman, a dragon roaring beside her. Now that he actually looked, there seemed to be ash on the woman's visage. Was the woman a dragon tamer? Now that was interesting. He had been to many worlds, seen many creatures, but it was astounding a human being could ride a beast as ferocious as this. This was surely earth but a parallel universe.
Rhaenyra shut her eyes and The Doctor flinched as the woman broke down completely, her knees buckling as she fell down, tears running down her cheeks as sobs wracked her body, sending a chill down The Doctor's spine. He had seen grief, he had seen loss, he had seen death, but this was something else. It was as if this woman had lost her entire world.
He slowly made his way to the woman, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. It only made the woman sob louder.
He has to help her. There must be a reason why he was sent here, why the TARDIS brought him to this grief stricken woman.
Rhaenyra didn’t know when her tears dried. She listened to the man, The Doctor, this strange man who could be her Daemon if not for his hair. The things he spoke of could not be true. They couldn’t.
"I am speaking the truth, Rhaenyra." Doctor said, "Just come inside and see for yourself." He gestured to the blue box, "maybe I was sent here so your son could be saved, there must be a way to save him."
Rhaenyra didn’t know if the man, Doctor was telling the truth. But if there was a chance she could have her sweet Lucerys back, she'll take the chance.
"Now time travel is easy if you know what you are doing, Rhaenyra." Doctor waved his hand around the numerous buttons. Rhaenyra was looking at the TARDIS with wide eyes, this world seemed to be some magical, medieval, fantastical Earth. No wonder she found everything so bizarre.
"How—how do we save him from that horrid alpha brother of mine?"
Doctor nodded, yes, this world had alphas, betas and omegas. He knew of such designations between wolves, between humans this was his third time.
"Are you sure there is no chance of him being your son's alpha? You did say you had your suspicions about them."
Rhaenyra laughed, it was anything but happy. "I would rather my son remains alone than be tied to that murderer." Her eyes hardened, "they will remain suspicions. If he had any decency, he would not have chased my boy. His loss of eye means nothing in front of my son's life."
Doctor nodded, "I agree. That’s why I am here, to help you save Lucerys." He rubbed his hands, "alright, so we'll go back to the time where there is most possibility of change." He looked at Rhaenyra who was looking oddly at the controls, "Rhaenyra?"
She turned to him, "can we go further? Can I see the future?"
Doctor was slow to respond this time, "you can. But you may not like what you'll find."
Rhaenyra squared her shoulders, “I want to know."
Doctor smiled, a soft, gentle smile, "then I’ll do as you wish, my queen."
Rhaenyra gave The Doctor a wistful smile. He really did look like her uncle.
Doctor glanced at Rhaenyra who seemed frozen. She was still looking at the glass encased document detailing the Dance of the Dragons, the beginning of the end of the dragon riders, Targaryen’s. People around them were looking at the tapestries and preserved dragon eggs with interest, a stark contrast to him and Rhaenyra. A few visitors had stopped to ask Rhaenyra if she and he were cosplaying as Daemon and Rhaenyra. He had not found it amusing. Rhaenyra had not even deigned to answer the annoying girls.
He couldn’t imagine what she was feeling, knowing her three sons died, she died, killed by her own usurper brother. Her husband/uncle dead, taking out the kinslayer with him. Her two youngest sons married to each other, survived but lived a life of grief and despair, always remembering the loss of their older brothers, mother and father. They had no one but each other and their sisters.
The step mother got her wish after all. An eye for an eye. A son for a son. He wondered how this Alicent felt after her whole bloodline ended because of her and her father's greed. She died alone, hating the green colour. He couldn’t believe even after so much loss, the woman had still tried to kill Rhaenyra's son, Aegon. She really was hopeless. Some people were really just bad, there was nothing for it. Seriously, making a person walk after giving birth- he didnt know what sort of monster did that.
He couldn’t blame the man who looked like him for punishing the Greens. (Fun name, green, colour of envy). A loss of a child, a parent, a sibling is too great for anyone to bear. By all accounts, Aemond brutally murdered his nephew, his supposed true omega mate, an envoy in cold blood. He couldn’t fault Daemon Targaryen for his actions. This was a different world. It was ironic, Aemond got stabbed in the same eye he lost by his uncle.
All because a woman and her father wanted something that wasn’t theirs. He wouldn’t be surprised if this Otto had actually been involved in Daemon and Viserys' father's demise. It seemed the most obvious answer. Otto seemed the type to do something so vile. The circumstance surrounding his death were suspicious.
"I want to go back."
Doctor was brought out of his musings by Rhaenyra's soft voice. He turned to her and gently grasped her hand in his. His heart clenched in pain as he saw the despair in her eyes, "my sons, my children, Jace, Luke, Joffrey, Aegon, Viserys, Daemon—" she shut her eyes as tears slid down her cheeks.
The Doctor wrapped his arm around the ethereal woman's shoulders and they made their way to the exit of the museum. He had to save her son, he has to. He has to make sure Lucerys doesn’t die. He cannot bear to see this woman suffer.
"Now, I am going to take us exactly to the point where you must stop your son from going."
Rhaenyra nodded, "alright, but won't I run into myself?" She looked curiously at the time lord.
Doctor shook his head, "no, these things always work out. You’ll be fine. I’ll be there, out of sight to see everything is going as it should. You’ll find me after, so don’t worry." He gave her a fond smile, "you will save your son, your whole family, Rhaenyra. I promise you."
Rhaenyra tried to smile but couldn’t. Only more tears slid down her cheeks. The Doctor understood though and gently patted her shoulder, "I know."