RED QUEEN | DAEMON TARGARYEN

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Valyria cracked a small smile that quickly fell again as she thought about missing the birth of her first grandchild. Noticing this, Daemon brought her hands to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "Elara will understand."

"Mayhaps," Valyria muttered, defeated by his stupid logic.

"And Cyrenna will be with her," he added, "so she won't be alone."

"That is true," Valyria said with a slight nod, her voice barely above a whisper. With a newfound determination, she said, "But I will attend the wedding. The journey to King's Landing is much shorter and I refuse to miss my daughter's wedding."

"I would prefer it if you didn't. Though I won't fight it." Leaning down to kiss her clothed stomach, Daemon said, "Just a little while longer and you'll be able to ride Ānogara all day long, train with a sword and run around in the gardens with our children again."

"And after that you will never touch me again," Valyria told her husband.

"Let us not make any rash decisions," Daemon chuckled.

"Three children in a little over four years of marriage is enough," Valyria narrowed her eyes at him. Not to mention that with everything going on in the Seven Kingdoms, Valyria did not have time to be bedridden for days. Despite not being one to leave her fate to chance, she prayed that this birth would be an easy one.

.•° ✿ °•.

132 AC, King's Landing

A few days after Cyrenna left Dragonstone, a letter arrived from House Stark with the news of Elara giving birth to a son; Rickard they named him, in honour of Cregan's late father. Valyria couldn't be happier for her little girl who wrote a letter of her own to tell Valyria more details about the birth. According to the Lady of Winterfell, it had been a fairly easy one without complications which dampened some worry for her mother; Valyria's guilt for not being there surely would have become unbearable if the birth had been long and difficult.

Cyrenna stayed with her twin in Winterfell for as long as she could before she had to leave for her wedding. Despite the birth being an easy one, Elara unfortunately could not join her. While she truly wished to attend her twin's wedding, the new mother couldn't in good faith leave her newborn son at the moment.

"Are you certain you shouldn't be lying down, Valyria?" Alicent asked in a faux concerned tone as the two stood in the middle of the Great Hall overseeing the decorations for the wedding feast the next day.

"Quite certain, Alicent," Valyria responded lightly, not about to give the Hightower woman the satisfaction of treating her like being with child meant that she couldn't do anything. Running around might not be on Valyria's list of things to do, but no one knew her body better than herself and while she of course felt the side effects of pregnancy, they were not as intense as with Jaeron and Viserys.

"Wait," Valyria said when she noticed how a few servants struggled to hang up a green banner with the Seven-Pointed-Star just above the dais. "What is that?"

"This marriage is to be blessed by the Gods," Alicent explained, clearly behind the Hightower green tapestry.

"In the Sept," Valyria said, gritting her teeth as she tried to keep her tone light. "Not here." Turning to address the servants she commanded, "Please hang up one of the Targaryen banners instead. The one we had for my wedding to Prince Daemon would be perfect."

"No-"

Ignoring Alicent, Valyria turned to the betroths who were speaking with Aemond a bit away from their mothers, "Aegon, Cyrenna, this is your wedding feast," she said, believing it was their right to the side, "do you prefer that banner or one with the Targaryen crest?"