A month later, Rhaenyra and her family went back to Dragonstone, only this time, Visenya wasn't coming with them.
"Promise me you will be with me when my child comes, sister." Visenya asked as she passed her hands through her belly. "I don't think I can do it without you."
"You have my word, Vis." The older smiled as she pressed her lips on her little sister's forehead as farewell.
"Next time we see each other you will be a mother." Daemon interrupted with a small grin and hugged her. "You will make a good one, dear."
"I hope you won't miss me too much, uncle." The girl teased.
"I surely won't miss your dangerous flying around my kids." They laughed at his remark. "Are you sure you want to stay here with this people?" He whispered with a gaze half joking half serious.
"I am." She assured with a smile and Daemon nodded in acceptance taking a step back. Jace and Luke stood in front of her and she sighed, not sure of how to say her goodbyes to someone he was supposed to wed two months back. "I am sorry for all the trouble I might have caused you, Jace." Visenya apologised sincerely. "I truly wish the best for you and please train more your Valyrian. You will need it when you become King."
"You think I will be a good king?" He stared at her with puppy eyes.
"Just as good a king as Luke will be a good lord of Driftmark." She softly smiled at the two boys. "You two are good boys and will be greater men. Of that I'm sure."
Jace smiled nodding and Luke simply hugged her tightly. "I am going to miss you so much." The little boy whispered. "Dragonstone won't be the same without you."
"It better not be." She joked giggling. "I will miss you too, sweet boy. And remember." The Princess whispered to his ear. "You are good enough."
The boys eyes filled with hope as he heard Visenya, who he admired the most, say exactly what he needed to hear.
"And as for the two of you." Visenya turned to face small Aegon and Joffrey and started to tickled them. Their laughters mixed with the rests. "Don't grow too much out there. Just stay small and cute forever, please."
"But I want to be a man like father." Joffrey pointed with a pout on his lips.
"And you will." She said with a proud smile and stepped back to have a better look of her family. A wave of sadness flooded her heart. "Farewell, my beloved family. I will think of you everyday."
"Keep and eye on him." Rhaenyra told her and she didn't need to say it for Visenya to know she was referring to their father.
"Always."
And with that, Rhaenyra Targaryen and her family left Visenya with a promise to come back.
And they did come back at some point.
Just not when Visenya needed her sister the most.
...
"Aemond you can't enter there, she is out of control." Alicent told her son as he was about to enter the room in which Visenya was. Her water broke days before she expected and she was freaking out.
"She is my wife, mother. She is giving birth to my child." He looked at her never more serious. "I will not let her do this alone."
He opened the door and regretted it almost instantly.
Visenya was curled up in a corner of the bed, with both of her arms around her knees, crying her heart out in pain.
"Visenya." He whispered and when he intended to hug her, she pushed him away.
"No! Don't-Don't touch me!" The girl screames mixed with the thunders sound from outside, flinching away for Aemond's desperate touch. Her eyes were wild, her breathing fast and shallow, her whole body trembling in fear.
"I am not going to hurt you." Her husband said, gently taking Visenya's hand and holding it firmly. Their eyes met. "Listen to me, you are safe. You are in pain but you are not in danger."
Aemond almost expected Visenya to yank his hand away in panic, but she didn't. Instead, she relaxed a little, tears forming in her eyes.
"I'm here." He continued caressing her hand. "You can talk to me or not talk to me, but I'm here."
"I need Rhaenyra." Visenya spoke with a broken voice as the tears fell down her cheeks. "I need my sister, why isn't she here?"
"It's too dangerous to fly with this storm. Specially when she is also pregnant." He tried to explain but the girl simply shook her head.
"I don't care. I can't do this without her." She spoke as she could between the hiccups caused by her cry and stood up growling from the pain. "I will get to Rhaelor and go to Dragonstone myself. I am not having this baby without her."
"Never in a million years." Aemond answered firmly. "Lay down again, Visenya. You are in the middle of labour. You can't mount a dragon."
She sighed doing what she said as her inconsolable sobbing became stronger.
"I am so scared, Aemond." She confessed and their eyes met again. Visenya's gaze felt like a scared little child in the middle of a storm for him. His heart ache at the sight of his love like that.
"I know..."
"You don't!" She snapped again. "I am going to die like my mother did."
"Don't say that. Please, don't say that." Aemond murmured hugging her. He could feel her body shaking under his arms.
Alicent stood in the door watching the scene with tears threatening to fall down. She never saw Aemond love anyone as he loved Visenya. He was so careful with everything he said and he never held anyone so softly before.
"My first thought when I was giving birth to Aegon was: "death is here"." She spoke approaching the two of them, who turned their gazes to face the Queen. "My breath quickened like yours and panic surrounded my being. I held a hand that tried to help me but I could feel sanity drowning me. Nothing but the paranoia of dying in my mind." She stood in front of Visenya. "But, listen to me, your body knows how to have this baby. Just as your body knew how to grow this baby for almost 9 months. You can do this and you are not alone."
Alicent held her hand up in the air for her to grab it. With some hesitation, the Princess took it as she put herself on a more comfortable position in bed.
"Aemond leave us." Alicent demanded, but all Aemond could do was look at Visenya's face twisted in pain. His wife nodded, letting him know that she would be fine.
"I'm on the other side of the door." He whispered as he laid down to kiss her forehead. "I love you."
All Visenya did was nod, knowing that if she spoke nothing would come out of her mouth but a cry of pain.
"Visenya." Alicent caught her attention again once Aemond left. "At some point, you are going to feel like you can't do it anymore. Like you can't keep pushing. And that is when the baby is coming, okay?" The girl nodded again as sweat drops fell down her face, she squeezed Alicent's hand as she felt another wave of pain invading her body.
"I am going to murder your son if he puts another baby on me again!" She screamed as she pushed one more time and Alicent softly smile. Thunder, screams and dragon roars mixed in the air.
"You are doing great, Visenya."
"Please don't let go of my hand." She begged closing her eyes recovering a little from the latest contraction pain.
"I won't."
An hour later, the baby's cries filled the room. As soon as Aemond heard it, he rushed inside the room. Visenya was holding their baby as she cried from happiness and Alicent smiled next to them. His wife looked at him connecting their eyes.
"Is it...?" Aemond asked but was to amazed to finish.
"It's a little girl, love." She grinned from side to side. "A wholesome girl."
"A girl." Aemond whispered with a strange feeling of warm embracing his body. He approached his girls. "Can I...?
"Of course. Be careful." She passed him the baby.
"I will leave the two of you with your new born. I will inform the King about everything." Alicent softly said as she got up, but Visenya's hand stopped her.
"Thank you." The Princess said with honesty. "My baby is here because you helped me and I will never forget that."
"Don't thank me, this is my grandchild after all. We are family too."
"We are." Visenya softly nodded as she let go of the Queen, who left the room.
She knew it was selfish of her to feel bitter with Rhaenyra to not be there as she promised, but she couldn't help but to feel like that wounded a little the relationship they had.
"Your mother is overthinking again." Aemond murmured to the baby as if she could understand and rocked her which made the tiny human chuckle a little. "Maybe we should be thinking about a name instead." He looked at her and she smiled, but this time sadness shadowed her eyes.
"I want to name her Aemma." She said feeling her voice breaking a little bit. "I want to name her after the woman who gave her life for mine. Now I understand. Looking at her... she was worth all the pain and struggle. The sleepless nights and restless days. And watching her grow up and go out into the world is something worth all of this. Even death."
"Then Aemma it is." Aemond nodded passing baby Aemma to her mother. He sat next to her and caressed her hair as they both looked amazed at their daughter.
"I won't let anything happen to any of you." He whispered.
"We have to protect her. Whatever it takes." She looked at him and he nodded.
"Whatever it takes."
If only they knew then it would cost them everything.