𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑟 𝐶𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑑 // 𝐽𝑎𝑐𝑎𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑠 𝑉𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑦𝑜𝑛

~III~

"He did it again."

Helaena's voice heard almost inaudibly when Aemond entered along with Daela inside her room. She was sitting there accompanied by her mother who as soon as she was informed about her son being in the dragon pit searching for dragons to claim had stood up and walked over to her two children.

"Your obsession with those things goes beyond understanding."

"They gave me a pig!" The boy shouted. His hair were messy and his face dirty with smoke.

"What?", Alicent looked at her youngest child who had as well come with her brother. Daela turned to look elsewhere visibly annoyed.

"They said they found a dragon for me, but it was pig."

Behind them Helaena was whispering something about a worm that was lurching onto her palm. The youngest girl smirked and lowered her head picturing the scene exactly how it had happened. Lucerys exiting the dungeon with a pig with wings following. And on the other side Aegon with Jace laughing at Aemond who stood there silent.

"Daela, did you take part in this?"

"What? No!"

"You were laughing at me!"

"You tried to steal my dragon!"

"That wasn't so funny, was it?"

"Children!" Alicent raised her voice. Aemond stopped looking at his sister and turned to face his mother. Daela gave him a final deadly stare and then sighed.

The Queen to her son in her arms, "You will have a dragon one day." Said reassuringly

"He'll have to close an eye." The blonde girl whispered, but no one was close to hear her.

"I know it" the woman continued.

"They all laughed..."

She hugged her son and Daela turned to exit the room. It was her dragon that almost got stolen. Her mother would never understand how mad she was at him for doing something like that.

"Daela, come back here."

"What did you know of it?"

"Nothing. No one tells a girl about their plans." Alicent looked for a while her daughter. She saw her younger self in her, she as well knew nothing of her father's plans, growing up. No one was telling her anything and if it wasn't Rhaenyra, she would be alone.

"You know we're family, right? We have to protect and help eachother. What happened wasn't something funny.", She caressed her daughter's hair.

"Tell that to him as well! He is the one who wants to steal my dragon."

"You could've claimed him sooner!"

"His egg opened in my bed! He is mine, not yours!"

"Whoever claims him first."

"Enough! Aemond you don't have the right. He's rightfully hers, what would your father say?"

"Yes, like he'd care for us..."

"You're being cruel. He's taking care of you, every day he's out there watching you, your brother and your nephews training."

"He doesn't do this for us. Rhaenyra's children are all he cares about.", she could hear the hate between his words.

"You don't have any right talking for her like that and I will not have it. You father loves you and his grandsons equally. And you will never again set a foot near your sister's dragon without her approval. Daela, don't smirk, I won't have you again making fun of Aemond. Are we clear?"

No one replied. They just kept looking anywhere else but her. "Children, are we clear?"

"Beware of the pairing." a whisper was heard from Helaena's side.

Aemond was the first who despite his disagreement nodded eventually. He turned to face his youngest sister and after sighing he apologized. "I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted." she paused and gave a look at her mother who was waiting for her apology as well. "And I'm sorry for laughing at you."

"Thank you." Alicent smiled and pulled them inside her embrace. She held them tightly and kissed the tops of their heads. "You can go now, or you can stay if you want."

Aemond looked at Helaena who as soon as she spotted him observing them stopped staring at him and turned her gaze elsewhere, red from embarrassment. He smiled, "We'll leave you. Maybe I can have some training with Ser Criston."

The two children exited, leaving the guards to close the door.

They weren't far away from Helaena's chamber when the boy turned to his sister for once more. "I want you to swear that you'll never act behind my back."

Daela stood silent for a couple of seconds. She could not swear something like that. She shouldn't swear this. It would be so difficult for her to do that. If she wanted to have friends she'd have to act behind Aemond's back since he was the one being laughed at, consequently the thing she could bond with her nephews and her brother. She sighed and whetted her lips. Well at least she'd have her mother on her side if she agreed. "I swear."

"That's not enough. Swear it on your dragon's life."

"Enough with my dragon! You have no idea what this oath means. I will not swear on that."

"Oh I know pretty well. Better than everyone actually. Because if you don't have a dragon you'll get to experience what I do. Swear. Or else I'll tell our mother."

Daela shook her head in disagreement with tears appearing in her eyes. "You will not force me!"

"Watch me." He turned and headed towards the room they had just minutes ago left behind.

Daela loved her mother more than anyone else in the kingdom. She was the one who looked like, she was the one who showed her love, she had the one who would allow her being around without making her feel like a burden. Aemond's words would ruin that for her. She would never trust her again, maybe she'd even stop loving her as much as she currently did.

"Wait!" Aemond had almost reached the door and was about to tell the guards to let him in. "I'll swear... I swear on my dragon's life."

He smiled at her, "Then I swear that I won't let anything happen to your dragon as long as you keep your oath."

After that he continued walking the opposite direction of Daela leaving her with tears dropping from her eyes.

She turned to leave as well. She would go to her room. What else could she do. No one would understand her, not even her mother. No Targaryen would ever give such an oath unless he was sure that he'd keep it. She wasn't. Still, she sworn. All she could hope was that she would keep it.

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