DRAGONS HEART. daemon targaryen

23. the end is here

"Thank you, my love", Roseva smiled and watched them leave before she noticed her husband in the doorway. "Love?".

Daemon smiled sympathetically before walking over and kissing her lightly, "I'm . . .".

"Sorry?".

"Yeah".

"I understand. He was your brother and it's okay to be upset and angry. I am too. I just — we cannot afford to lose our children, Daemon. I refuse".

Daemon cupped her face, "We will not lose our children. I promise".

"Your promise?", Roseva looked at him curiously.

The man nodded, "I promise".

⸺

Rhaenyra sat in her chair at the end of the painted table as the men around it discussed strategies. Roseva laid her hands on her shoulders in comfort as she watched the women restrain going to war.

"The Lord of the Tides", Rhaenyra and Roseva turned at Ser Erryk's voice, "Lord Corlys Velaryon . . . and his wife, the Princess Rhaenys Targaryen"

Rhaenyra stood and Roseva moved to the side and watched the man use his cane to loudly lower himself down the steps with his wife and granddaughters — Baela and Daena with him.

"My Lords"

"Lord Corlys. It brings much relief to see you hale and healthy again", Rhaenyra spoke softly and the man nodded with a small smile of his own.

"I am very sorry about your father, Princess. He was a good man".

Rhaenyra blinked a few times, still getting used to the loss of her father. It was so odd to her. It felt the same when her mother died.

"Where is Daemon and Steffon?", Lord Corlys looked for their presence but they were not in the room.

Rose stepped forward and he turned to her, "There were other concerns which demanded by husband and cousins attention", she smiled lightly at him and he returned it — he always enjoyed the Baratheons presence, she was always full of light, or well she had been before she married Otto.

"Hmm", Lord Corlys hummed before banging his cane on the floor and began walking forward to the painted table and pointed to the figurines, "Your declared allies?".

"Yes", Rhaenya moved with him and observed.

"Too few to win a war for the throne".

Rhaenyra parted her lips for a moment before speaking, "Well, we would also hope to have the support of Houses Arryn, Baratheon, and Stark".

"Hope . . . is the fool's ally".

Daeron moved from behind his mother, "Did you call the Queen a fool, Lord Corlys?", his face scrunched in anger.

Rhaenyra looked to the boy and patted his shoulder before Roseva pushed her son back with a tut as Lord Corlys looked at him in amusement, "Both Arryn and Baratheon share blood with my house. But all of them swore oaths to me".

"As did House Hightower . . . if I remember".

"As did you, Lord Corlys", Robert spoke in the mist of sharpening his knife. The boy looked up from his knife and raised his eyebrows at the lord, daring him to say he was wrong.