Bronze She-Dragon

Chapter 35: Tied

5TH MOON OF YEAR 131 AC

The sun was shining brightly above the Red Keep and its picturesque garden. The light crept through the cracks in the stone walls around it and touched the blooming flowers and the lush trees. The faint scent of the blossoms filled the air, allowing whoever visited the garden to lose themselves in this peaceful harmony. Peace... It is so fragile, yet for the past ten moons it has been constantly present not only in the castle but in the capital overall. It was quite strange to realize that the war was over at first, and yet, good things are extremely easy to get accustomed to.

"Has Aegon left his chambers yet?" A soft female voice was heard.

"He must still be resting." The man chuckled. "You know, Aegon doesn't know measures when it comes to any sort of celebrations."

They were walking together, a man and a woman, hand in hand. The touch of their skin against each other filled their bodies with warmth and love, and the looks they were giving each other every other minute were a reflection of the way they felt. However, they were not alone: the man was gently holding a year-old boy, who clenched his little hands on the collar of the man's shirt.

"Oh, he barely needs an excuse to get blind drunk." A woman sighed. "Not to mention, yesterday's celebration was quite a bigger event than what I expected. I didn't think so many noble lords would honor us with their presence for Aemon's nameday."

"Honor us with their presence?" The silver-haired man laughed. "They are lucky to even be let into the castle. You know well, Daena, that security measures have been taken very seriously ever since we came back to King's Landing."

The Targaryen Lady nodded in agreement, reaching out to the head of her young son and gently stroking his hair.

"Does it truly matter if the castle is guarded by hundreds of sellswords? Our most loyal protectors are kept in Dragonpit, not here." She uttered, a smile suddenly curling the corners of her lips as if she had remembered something very pleasant. "Talking about that, did you know that Dreamfyre took Ceryssa on her first-ever ride several days ago?"

Aemond's eyes widened in genuine surprise, yet there was a note of happiness and a certain pride in his glance. His stepdaughter, despite her title of the Warden of the West, was growing into more of Targaryen than Lannister.

"That is wonderful news. Our girl dreamt about it for so long. Dreamfyre is one stubborn beast."

"She is," Daena responded softly. "Sometimes it feels like she takes better care of Ceryssa than I do, and it is me who is her mother."

Aemond couldn't help but smile at Daena's words, his eyes moving slightly lower.

"Don't trouble yourself with these thoughts, I am sure that Ceryssa understands. After all, she is only this close to being a grown woman, and your complete attention will soon be needed elsewhere."

The Kinslayer touched Daena's swollen belly with the tips of his fingers, feeling another rush of warmth spreading gradually across his body. The Lady couldn't contain a smile herself: her stomach had grown big at that point, and she could feel that the birth of her new child was now a matter of weeks. The wave of unconditional love was washing over her with a whole new force, and every time Daena thought that she couldn't possibly love her children more than she already did, her motherly heart kept proving her wrong every single time.

"So... Baelor for the son?" The woman asked, covering Aemond's hand with hers.

The prince nodded, his gaze remaining focused on the belly.

"And for the daughter... There are two names, very suitable for a lovely Targaryen Lady."

Daena raised her eyebrow.