Chapter Text
The sight of the Red Keep’s towers visible at the horizon made Rhaenyra shift nervously in her saddle, which immediately caused small pinpricks of discomfort to run through her pelvis. Daemon and Caraxes were too far away to be able to see anything but it didn’t stop her to flush in embarrassment at the reason for her soreness. It wasn’t bad, nothing more than a nearly constant reminder about what occurred between them mere a few hours ago. Considering what her Septas taught her about marital duties, about just laying there, bearing the pain and letting her husband rut into her until he would spend himself inside her, the slight discomfort she felt was nothing. While the first time Daemon entered her felt definitely strange and rather uncomfortable, it hadn’t brought her much pain and it was dulled by the pleasure he gave her.
Just in the morning the most prominent thing she felt at the prospect of losing her maidenhood was overwhelming dread, but now she couldn’t wait until they would be alone again. It filled her with anger to think what Septas teach all the noble young girls in the realm, but what more to expect when marriage duties explain women who took oaths to remain pure. However, Rhaenyra wasn’t nearly as naive in those matters to not know that the way Daemon treated her was special and for most women the Septas’ teachings were probably true, but if they would know that it could be different then they wouldn’t settle on bearing the pain. Maybe when she would be a Queen she would be able to change things.
If…
Dread filled her heart once again, soon everything would be in the open and she would know if she still had any chances to become a Queen.
Syrax and Caraxes touched the ground in the Dragon keep when the sun was close to the horizon painting the clouds in bloody red and Rhaenyra tried not to take it as a bad omen for the upcoming talk.
“Princess!!” Frantinc shouts could be heard from the entrance.
Daemon rolled his eyes and stepped closer to her offering his arm to her, Rhaenyra accepted it and ignored her sworn shield, who seemed to try to gain her attention.
“Princess! His Grace ordered us to bring You to him as soon as you return,” Cole announced, trying to come closer to her and grab her arm, which made Rhaenyra wonder how she never before realised how often he was stepping out of line with his behaviour towards her.
“Great, we wanted to see him either way,” Daemon replied, like he just heard some great news.
“You don’t! Let go of her, you… you brute!” It looked like Cole didn’t exactly know how to deal with the entire situation, which wasn’t uncommon for people dealing with the Rogue Prince, but his hand still moved towards his sword.
“Turn around.”
Ser Cole hesitated until he had to feel the hot breath coming from Caraxes mouth, who took full advantage of his long neck and sneaked closer to the knight without moving the rest of his body, which remained close to Syrax. Seeing how close he was to the biting and fire breathing end of a dragon, Criston backed away, glaring daggers at Daemon.
Rhaenyra at first said nothing, unsure how to deal with the knight that was so close to her just a day ago and now made her simply uncomfortable. Only when they reached the carriage did she turn to address her sworn shield. “Thank you for your assistance, but my uncle will escort me to the keep.”
The ride which normally dragged to her, this time seemed way too short for her and soon they found themselves leaving the safe confines of the carriage and entering the castle.
Quickly it became obvious that their lengthy absence didn’t go unnoticed and they were escorted towards the throne room, because it seemed that her father planned to play the ‘I’m the King’ card.
“Ready for your first exile?” Despite it being a very real possibility, Daemon’s tone remained light, even if it wasn’t entirely sincere and some strain could be heard in his voice.
“With you? Always.”
Her answer had to take him by surprise, because he gasped and looked at her with wide eyes. However he didn’t have a chance to say anything to that, as the doors to the throne room were opened and a guard announced their arrival.
“What have you been thinking? You cannot just take Rhaenyra out flying and then disappear for an entire day!” Her father started his rant, directed at Daemon, because of course it was, when they were halfway through the throne room.
“That was all Rhaenyra’s plan,” he immediately defended himself by shifting the blame to her, but she wasn't upset because of that, she wanted her father to know that it was all her doing.
Her father clearly wanted to say something to that, most likely something unpleasant, but Rhaenyra didn't give him a chance. “Yes, father. It was all my doing. I did my duty that you and your council kept pressing me about.”
She could say it directly, but she wanted Viserys to come to this conclusion himself. It brought her probably an unhealthy amount of pleasure to see her father’s face go from confusion to understanding and terror. He got paler and paler the closer they came, his eyes first flickering to their bandaged hands and then to their cut lips, which must have killed the last of his doubts.
“What have you done?” He breathed out with so much horror in his voice like he just witnessed his beloved daughter feed a newborn to the dogs.
“I did what you wanted me to do for months… years even. I picked my husband. Daemon and I married on Dragonstone in the tradition of our House.” Rhaenyra didn't let her voice waver, mustering all the confidence she could find to show her father that she believed in her decision.
“A Valyrian wedding if it wasn’t clear,” Daemon added like he genuinely just wanted to be helpful and considering how Viserys constantly bowed to Andals and their beliefs maybe that clarification truly was necessary.
“We also married in a Sept just to be sure and the marriage was consummated, so you cannot annul it.” From the corner of her eye Rhaenyra noticed that Daemon smiled smugly at her words, which rather didn’t help their cause but also didn't come as a surprise to her. She knew who she had married and that he loved riling his brother up.
“My little girl… You monster!” Viserys nearly jumped from his throne, immediately reaching for the sword at his belt, like he actually had any chance to win against Daemon. “I will put you to the sword for this! For touching her.”
Rhaenyra moved in front of Daemon without even thinking, which earned her an irritated huff from her husband. However, to her surprise he didn't stop her, probably recognising that while he for sure could easily overpower his brother, her being in Viserys’ path could prevent the fight altogether and an actual bloodshed was the last thing they needed if they wanted to have any hope for her father to accept their marriage.
“You won't do anything.” She made sure that her voice carried as much authority and seriousness as possible, she didn't want her father to think that she was jesting. “If anything… ANYTHING happens to my husband I will burn the entire Red Keep to the ground. Am I clear?”
Viserys looked straight into her eyes for a long time, maybe trying to judge if she would truly follow through with her threat or maybe trying to intimidate her into moving from her position. Finally, he gave up, letting go of the sword he started unsheathing.
“How could you? She is just a child!” he hissed, looking at his brother over her shoulder.
“A child?” Rhaenyra scoffed, furious, before her husband had a chance to respond. She still didn't move from her position in front of Daemon. “Somehow I was not a child when for the past years you were constantly pressuring me to find a husband. You sent me on a tour to be paraded in front of suitors like a bed slave on an auction. And yet suddenly I am a child?”
Even Daemon gasped at the bluntness of her words, and her father paled even more, which was an impressive feat considering his usually pale complexion.
Daemon came to his senses first, “And your new wife was two name days younger than Rhaenyra is now when you married her and put a babe in her womb.”
“She is your niece!” Viserys seemed set on ignoring their words and concentrating his anger on his brother.
“And? Aemma was your cousin if you forget it. Our parents were siblings, just like our grandparents. We're dragons, our blood calls to each other.”
“You truly try to be the second Maegor!” Viserys kept going like he didn't even hear his brother's words.
“Why? Because I married my niece?” Daemon exclaimed, clearly exasperated. “And you claimed his dragon, so what?”
“Father…” Rhaenyra started, hoping to reason with him or at least not let them escalate, but the only thing she achieved was to have him turn his attention to her.
“How could you be so naive You stupid girl!”
Anger flared in her heart at being called naive, him killing her mother and marrying that harpy assured that she had little naivety left in her body. The snakes that he surrounded himself with showed her ugly and unforgiving the world was.
“What was stupid in my decision? The fact that I married a man who can give me pure Valyrian children who will bear Targaryen name? That I married a fearsome warrior and dragonrider capable of defending my claim? That I married a man who won't use me as a means to better his house position? That I married a man who loves me?”
“Loves you? You're truly naive if you believe that. He doesn't love you and only hungers for the throne.”
“I can say that about every single lord and their heir that was presented to me as a possible match.” Rhaenyra truly couldn’t understand why her father always saw greed in Daemon's eyes but at the same time was completely blind to it in any other person, especially if their name was Hightower.
“Any of them would be a better husband to you. Do you wish to be treated like…” A sudden smile appeared on Viserys lips, but in Rhaenyra's opinion it only made him look like he lost his mind. “You bastard! You still have a wife! This marriage is…”
“You should truly get rid of your Small Council,” Daemon said before Viserys found the right word. “I'm a widower.”
Visery took a step back, his eyes getting comically wide. “You… you…”
“Before you accuse me of murder, Lady Rhea died moons ago, while I was fighting in Stepstones, after she fell from her horse during a hunting trip and received a fatal head injury. At least that's what Lady Jeyne wrote in the letter she sent to me informing me of my wife's death.” Daemon spoke calmly, but Rhaenyra heard the hurt in his voice, at the fact that his brother once again thought the worst of him.
“But why did no one tell me?” For a moment disbelief replaced Viserys’ anger.
“That is a question to your Hand and your council. I was certain that you already knew, even before me as King's Landing is closer to Vale,” Daemon only shrugged.
“Did you…?” Viserys turned his eyes towards Rhaenyra.
“Cousin Jayne informed me about it in one of her letters. I thought that you knew and just didn't care to say anything.” In truth she knew that that news didn't reach her father, but she wouldn’t admit that she kept him in the dark on purpose, so he wouldn’t get any brilliant ideas of placating Vlaryons by offering Daemon as husband for Laena.
Probably finally coming to the conclusion that he couldn’t simply set their marriage aside and that they truly were lawfully married, Viserys slumped back into his throne. However Rhaenyra doubted that he accepted his defeat, after all he still didn't reach for the most powerful weapon in his arsenal, her position as a Crown Princess and she fully expected it to be his next move.
“You were supposed to marry Laenor,” Viserys said in a petulant tone that didn't suit the King.
“I was supposed to pick my own husband, you promised me that or does the King's word mean nothing now?” Surprised that he actually admitted to his plan of marrying her off, Rhaenyra could barely contain her fury at the fact how easily her father bent to Hightower’s will in nearly anything besides - for some unexplained reason - naming Aegon heir like everyone expected.
“It would mend the rift between our families, make up for the slight dealt to Velaryons by our family.” Viserys continued, like Rhaenyra didn't even open her mouth.
“Our family didn't deal them any slights, you did and using your own daughter as something that can be gifted to soothe Corlys bruised ego when you yourself married for your own desires is just plainly wrong.” Daemon sounded angry but somehow managed to refrain himself from shouting obscenities, for which Rhaenyra was glad.
Viserys just bristled at his brother's words, shaking his head in clear disappointment,but somehow it didn't make Rhaenyra feel guilty like she usually did upon seeing that expression on her father’s face.
“I really hoped that it wouldn't come to this…” Hearing those words, Daemon reached for her hand, holding it tightly in anticipation of what for sure would come. “I cannot let Daemon so close to the throne, so you need to chose Daemon or the throne. You either renounce this marriage, letting me annul it, and then marry Laenor like you should or I will have to name Aegon my heir.”
Despite anticipating it, her father's words still came like a punch to the gut. I pained her that he would so easily replace her and that he hated his brother so much, despite owing the crown he wore to the same exact man.
Daemon said nothing, only squeezed her hand once again. Maybe he would react differently if they hadn't spoken about this exact scenario earlier, but now he knew that she married him taking this consequence into account.
“Daemon.”
“What?” Her father seemed taken aback, like he didn’t understand what she actually meant.
“I’m choosing Daemon.”
“Why…?” Viserys’ voice stuttered, like he couldn’t believe what he just heard.
“Because I won’t let you use my position as your heir as some sort of carrot to make me jump higher and higher.” Rhaenyra’s hands shook from her rage, but her voice remained calm. “Already it’s ‘Leave Daemon or I’ll disinherit you’, ‘Marry the man I chose no matter how bad this match would be for you, or I’ll disinherit you’. What’s going to be next? ‘Get pregnant already or I’ll disinherit you’? ‘Birth another child or I’ll disinherit you’? ‘Name the child a certain way? Marry them to whoever you want? Bow to your favourite Higtowers? Will you threaten the same thing when I disagree with you on something? Nothing I’ll ever do will be enough for you. And who will give me a guarantee that one day you won’t simply change your mind? When your precious, awaited son is older and Alicent gives you another spare? After all, maybe you’re just afraid of the fragility of children’s lives.”
“I gave you my word that you won’t be replaced!” Viserys exclaimed, clearly indignant at the suggestion, like he just didn’t threaten to disinherit her a mere moments ago.
“You also gave me your word that I’ll be able to choose my own husband and yet you clearly already decided about my match with Laenor, so forgive me that I’m not willing to forsake my happiness for a chance that maybe, a huge maybe, I will become the Queen.”
With a heavy heart but also complete certainty that she made the right decision, Rhaenyra turned around ready to leave and most likely to start packing her belongings. She didn’t dare to look at her husband, afraid to see disappointment and regret in his eyes, but when he squeezed her hand, she couldn’t avoid it any longer. With a small but heavy sigh she raised her eyes to Daemon’s face, just to be welcomed by a sad but still encouraging smile.
“Don’t worry, I have a mansion in Pentos and then we can explore Essos.”
Rhaenyra couldn’t help but return the smile, at least they would be free from the heavyweight of the crown hanging over their family.
They didn’t even make it to the door before her father yelled. “Wait!”
Well, in the end Viserys didn’t disinherit her, claiming that he couldn’t possibly leave her on the mercy of his depraved brother and on another continent nonetheless and he knew that he could achieve that only one way.
And before morning they received another great news - one that Daemon proclaimed in the safety of their rooms the best wedding gift he could get from his brother - Otto got dismissed from his position for the crime of not informing his King about Lady Rhea’s death.
Maybe, just maybe, now the terrible fate Rhaenyra saw in her dreams would never become anything more than a nightmare.