Chapter Text
King’s Landing
Rhaenyra was very fond of the new lady-in-waiting her uncle had chosen. While the scar on her face had initially intrigued her a bit, she didn’t care anymore. Lady Aliandre was kind and funny, and she braided her hair beautifully. Plus, she kept her up to date on her uncle, who she was in touch with in one way or another. That’s how she learned he was heading to Volantis where he would stay for a while. She liked it when he went to the Free Cities since he always brought her the most lavish gifts.
“The Queen Consort doesn’t want you to wear that kind of perfume,” Aliandra said as Rhaenyra reached for a bottle her uncle had given her.
“I rarely see her. She’ll never know.”
“She will know since you are having lunch with her and the King today.”
This reminder made the princess sigh. Her father insisted that they eat several meals a week together, hoping that his wife and daughter would become friends if not mother and daughter. He did not want to understand that Alicent hated her and that no roast duck would change that.
The truth was that she was very afraid. If the child Alicent was expecting was indeed a boy, then there was a good chance that she would be cast aside and not just as an heir. The Queen’s disdain and refusal to acknowledge her position affected not only her morale but also her position at court, which was becoming increasingly precarious. Even a child like Rhaenyra could understand that.
“Courage, princess,” Aliandra murmured with a smile. “Remember that you are the heir to the throne.”
For now, she sighed inwardly.
Lunch was going as well as it could. That meant Alicent had ignored her stepdaughter, refusing to acknowledge her existence, and Rhaenyra had been content to eat quietly with her father. They chatted happily about anything and everything, and the princess thought to herself that everything could have been perfect without her stepmother, although she had withdrawn into silence. Yes, everything was fine… at least until Viserys ruined everything.
“I thought, my daughter, that when Alicent is further along in her pregnancy, you will be able to choose an egg for the baby.”
“Huh?”
“Yes,” the king continued, helping himself to the cheese, “you had it for your brother Baelon, I think it is only fitting that you do the same for your future brother or sister.”
“I agree,” Alicent said in a falsely honeyed voice. “I think it would be quite symbolic, to celebrate the renewal of this family.”
“You see, I knew it was a good idea,” her father said, kissing the queen on the cheek.
Rhaenyra gritted her teeth but refused to let her frustration show. “Yes, Father, I will. I will choose an egg for the baby.”
Later, when she was back in her room, the princess wondered if her father was doing it on purpose or if he was just plain stupid. Asking Rhaenyra to choose an egg for a baby that could very well replace her, a child born to a stepmother who hated her, was in very poor taste. Didn’t he realize the position he was putting her in? Didn’t he see how much pain this situation was causing her?
Probably not.
The only things that brought her comfort were her mother’s possessions and the necklace her uncle had given her. Sometimes she wondered if she should have gone with him if she should jump on Syrax and join him. She could imagine traveling on Dragonback through Essos and finding him. He had always taken care of her and showered her with gifts. Rhaenyra was certain he would continue to do so.
But she refused to give up. Giving up King’s Landing meant letting Alicent and her snakes win, and she refused to let them win.
No, Rhaenyra was a dragon, and dragons did not bow to sheep. She would fight to the end for what was rightfully hers.
Volantis
“Have you gone insane?”
Daemon expected his aunt to be less than thrilled with his plan, but he didn’t expect such a strong reaction.
“I am not insane,” he said with a sigh. “Viserys stole what is rightfully mine, and I intend to take it back.”
“Daemon, you’re talking about starting a war. A war,” Saera continued, playing nervously with a strand of her hair. “You can’t do that, it’s insane.”
“Should I sit back and do nothing while Viserys and his cronies have mocked me for the past ten years?”
“I don’t think you’ve thought this through enough.”
“I didn’t expect you to approve of my decision, but I didn’t think you’d side with Viserys either.”
She glared at him. “Don’t be ridiculous, Daemon. I don’t take your brother’s side. You simply speak of conquering Essos, taking the Iron Throne, and overthrowing your brother. No matter what document you have in your possession, people will always see you as a usurper. That’s not what Jaehaerys would want.”
The prince raised an eyebrow; Saera rarely mentioned her father. “You claim to know what he wanted?”
“I know my father spent his entire life as king establishing and maintaining peace in Westeros. He sacrificed many children for it. The last thing he wanted was for his succession to turn into war.”
“He named me heir, and yet I was usurped. The meaning of my grandfather’s wishes died with him.”
“I stand by the fact that you haven’t thought of everything,” the fallen princess continued. “You want to conquer the triarchy and raise an army, fine; what will you do once you return to Westeros? All the lands you bled to conquer, the innocents who will inevitably die. What will you do with them, Daemon?”
The prince didn’t answer, he didn’t have an answer. She was right, in his rage, he hadn’t thought of that.
“I can’t leave the throne to Viserys,” he said with a sigh. “He married his Hand’s daughter, a Lady Hightower. If she bears him a son, then it’s over. It’s only a matter of time before our family, our dynasty, falls to the Faith.”
“I understand Daemon, I do. I’m just saying you shouldn’t rush into things. Every choice you make from now on will affect thousands, nay, millions of people. A King thinks first of his people.”
The prince held his head in his hands, torn between his anger, his desire for revenge, and the truth that his aunt had just exposed. Saera left the room slowly, leaving her nephew to his thoughts.
“Is everything okay, father?” Gaelys, who had always been the more sensitive of his two children, looked at him curiously.
“I’m fine, my dear. I’m just thinking. Your kepa has an important decision to make.” Two days had passed since his discussion with Saera and Daemon still hadn’t made a decision.
“Decisions adults?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.
“Indeed,” he confirmed with a big smile. They sat together for several minutes before Gaelys spoke again.
“I’m afraid the dragons are dancing .”
“What?”
“The dragons, they will dance if no one does anything.” She turned to him. “Please Father, don’t let them dance.”
Before Daemon could ask any more questions, One of the guards Daemon had brought with him ran towards him.
“Your Grace, you must come,” he said hurriedly.
“What’s going on?” the prince asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Your cousin, Jaemor, has tried to claim Vaghar…”
“Stay with Gaelys.”
Dameon stood up and ran to where the dragons were resting. It was true that Jaemor had shown a particular interest in Vaghar since they had arrived, however, Daemon would never have thought that the boy would be foolish enough to approach the largest dragon in the world without any supervision or knowledge about dragons.
When he arrived at the scene, he was relieved to hear his cousin's voice, a sign that he was not dead. However, the problem remained.
“Jaemor,” Daemon began when he arrived on the scene. “What's wrong with you? took?”
The young man turned to him. “I want to be a dragon rider, like you, like my grandfather and grandmother. Is that too much to ask?”
“I understand that, Jaemor. However, you can’t approach a dragon without any preparations, it’s far too dangerous,” Daemon explained, placing a hand on his cousin’s shoulder. “Are you hurt?”
“I twisted my ankle in the fall, but otherwise I'm fine."
Daemon nodded and turned to the large beast that was still showing signs of aggression. He walked slowly towards Vaghar, muttering Valyrian words, and after a few minutes, she let her guard down and allowed the prince to approach her.
“You could have been nicer, he is my cousin,” he told the dragon in valyrian.
The dragon responded with what could be interpreted as a purr. Seeing how Vaghar accepted the prince's touch without flinching, Jaemor felt his heart skip a beat.
He truly thought this was his chance to finally claim a mount and ride the skies with Daemon as he had always dreamed of.
“I know how you feel. I wanted to claim a dragon too, but my father never let me,” Saera told him. “Dragons are capricious creatures, with their personalities.”
“I truly envy him. I wonder if he realizes how lucky he is.”
“Believe me, Daemon recognizes the privilege he has in being born into the Targaryen family. He knows his luck better than anyone.”
King’s Landing
Not knowing what his prince- his king was doing was torture for Harwin. He wanted to be at the man's side, to help him reclaim the throne that was rightfully his, and to advise him. However, he also knew how important it was that Daemon kept support in King's Landing. He hadn't lied when he said that the vipers would try to take control of the City Watch; Otto Hightower had already sent his son Gwayne and about twenty knights from the Reach to join them and probably to spread their poison. The good thing was that he had the leisure to do what he wanted with the son of the Hand.
There was something else that tortured him; watching Otto wander the corridors, bowing to the False King and the Andal Queen. He felt like he was suffocating, surrounded by traitors and vipers.
Lost in his thoughts, he had completely forgotten that he was in a brothel with his men.
“Any problems, Commander?” asked Ser Luthor Largent, one of his seconds.
“None, I was just thinking about our prince.”
“Ah, the Commander. I wonder what he’s doing now. I heard some of them left our ranks to follow him to Essos. Maybe I should have done that.”
“He must have plenty of exciting adventures,” Harwin said absently.
“Adventures filled with women, blood, and alcohol,” Luthor continued.
“We’re in a brothel. If you want women and alcohol, just ask.”
“Ah yes, that’s true. But a mere knight like me can’t afford the best women. I miss the days when we could fuck at the Prince’s expense.” However, he set his sights on a beautiful brunette who took him straight to one of the rooms.
“Ser Harwin, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you. I thought you’d abandoned me.”
Tamara, one of his favorites, came to sit on his lap and kissed him tenderly. “I’m sorry, but I have less time for that kind of thing now.”
“Yes, you are the Commander of the City Watch. Although rumors claim that you still obey the prince.”
“What kind of rumors?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. Tamara tucked a strand of her blond hair behind her ear.
“You know, the rumors that gossip in the dark corridors of brothels.” She smiled. “If you’re good to me tonight, I’ll tell you what I’ve heard. I’m sure it’s information that might interest the prince.”
Suddenly, Harwin was willing to be good to her. He hadn’t entered the brothel for this, he had just come to accompany his men, but if he could leave with a good fuck and information for his King, how could he decline.
He was still buried inside Tamara’s moist heat when she began to speak to him.
“Mysaria, the Prince’s former mistress, they say she stopped selling her body,” she said, tightening her legs around Harwin’s waist.
He growled in response. “And? She can do whatever she wants.” He quickened his hip thrusts, eager to make her come so he could finish this conversation.
“Oh but she sells much more interesting things now,” she said before letting out a long moan. She couldn’t continue the conversation, too busy enjoying herself, a rare thing when you were doing your job.
When she had her orgasm and Harwin had spilled his pearly seed on her belly, she decided to speak. “She’s selling secrets now. She’s developed an information network that seems very lucrative.”
“She’ll need money for that. Paying her informants must cost her a fortune.”
“She has enough,” Tamara replied, caressing her lover’s chest. “Someone paid her a fortune to sell the Prince’s information.”
Harwin sat up suddenly. “To whom?”
“I don’t know, but one night, when she was drunk, she confided to me that she had made a lot of money and that she would be able to stop prostituting herself very soon.”
“Why do you tell me that?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. “I’m sure you could make a lot of money if you worked with her.”
“I’d rather not work against Prince Daemon. Everyone knows his temper. If he were to learn of this, I’d rather be on his good side.” She pulls him closer. “As for the money, I’m sure you can take care of me.”
Volantis
“I can’t give up. I won’t give up.” Saera set down her teacup and looked at him with interest. “You’re right,” he continued, “many will die in the war I’m about to start. Innocents, civilians, and soldiers alike. But I can’t stand by while Otto destroys what my family has spent decades building.”
She sighed. “Daemon…”
“I’m not asking you to follow me. I know you’re not a fan of war or fighting. I’m simply asking you not to stop me. Grandfather chose me to protect our family, and that’s what I intend to do.”
“You understand my fears, don’t you? I say this for you too. You love your brother and your family, it’s one of your greatest qualities. I’m afraid that by starting a war against your blood, you’ll destroy yourself.”
“That won’t happen.” Saera searched his eyes for any trace of doubt but found none.
“Tyrosh is ruled by a beast. This man is a monster who commits unspeakable atrocities. If you show up and save the city, people will see you as a hero rather than a tyrant.”
Daemon was speechless. “I knew you wouldn’t give up, you’re far too stubborn for that. So I started thinking about how you could conquer the Triarchy.”
“Saera…”
“Don’t look at me with those surprised eyes. You should know that I would support you. You are like a son to me, Daemon. I will not let you go into danger alone.”
The prince only smiled. “Thank you, thank you Saera.”
“Don’t thank me now. You have things to learn before you go to war. We will make you a King.”