RED QUEEN | DAEMON TARGARYEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

"Of course," Valyria said and allowed her husband to guide her down to the palace. Pale pink marble paved the marble of the courtyard. Qoren spent the next hour showing her around inside the palace. It was truly unlike any other castle she had visited that was built to be a stronghold or radiate power. While the polished floors and furnishings showed wealth, there was also something cosy about the place.

After showing Valyria the inside of the palace, he led her out on one of the terraces to show her the crown jewel of the Water Gardens. The terraces overlooked several pools and fountains shaded by blood orange trees that could be reached via a fluted pillar gallery leading to a triple archway.

"It's wonderful," Valyria told Qoren, completely overwhelmed by all of this. "I love it. For how long have you been planning this? It must have taken years to build."

"It took some time," Qoren admitted. "I am shocked you haven't seen it during your flights. Every time you have returned home after a ride on Ānogara I have expected you to ask about why a new palace was being built."

"I rarely fly over Dorne. I wouldn't want to be shot down by a scorpion," Valyria said sheepishly. "I still don't think everyone here has warmed up to her and the other dragons yet."

"No one would dare to shoot Ānogara," Qoren told her firmly.

"I still don't take any unnecessary risks," Valyria said. "The memories of the destruction our dragons are capable of are just as raw in your hearts as my family's remembrance of the pole from a scorpion that pierced through Meraxes eye."

"You are happy here, aren't you?" Qoren asked, his voice taking on a new kind of seriousness.

"Of course I am," Valyria said and it was the truth. "Why would you ask that?"

Qoren chuckled humorlessly, running a hand through his black hair. He turned away from her and leaned his elbows against the terrace railing, staring out at the pools, "It's funny actually. How things change that is." Frowning in confusion for what felt like the hundredth time that day, Valyria casually leaned beside him. With her head tilted to the side, she observed his face, taking note of his downcast eyes.

"When I asked for your hand, I honestly didn't care very much about how it might affect you. I knew you had children already – it did not bother me – but never once as I wrote that letter to Viserys Targaryen did it occur to me that this wouldn't be what you wanted."

"Viserys gave me a choice-"

"But I did know he'd do that," Qoren argued. "I did not expect him to. Truth be told, I assumed Viserys would see an opportunity to marry off his cousin and strengthen his ties with Dorne without much thought about your feelings on the matter. I could think like that because while I enjoyed your company and found you desirable, I didn't care much about your feelings."

"I do not fault you for that," Valyria told him honestly.

"I didn't back then either," Qoren said. "Back when I made a decision concerning your happiness I didn't care much for you. And now when I - when I love you, I find myself worried about having ruined your life. That this isn't what you wanted-"

"You love me?" Valyria asked, not hearing a single word he said after those words left his lips.

I love you ...

Valyria had always been told she had a big heart. She loved her family more than anything else. She'd do anything for them. But that was a different kind of love. Other than her father, Valyria couldn't recall anyone explicitly telling her that they loved her – other than maybe her children and Aegon. Maybe Viserys had said it some time, or Rhaenyra when she was younger.