THE QUEEN AND THE PRINCESSES
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127 AC, King's Landing
After losing Qoren, Valyria felt alone for the first time in nearly ten years.
Even when they were apart, Qoren had been her rock for such a long time that she didn't even realise how much he supported her until he was gone. Too stubborn to fall, no matter the pressure that was put on her, Valyria soldiered on believing that the best way to get through this was to continue like she always had.
On top of still being the Princess of Dorne with all the duties that came with the title – duties that would be hers until the moment Cassian married – Valyria had also taken on the position as regent of Dorne now. Even though she had Lewyn to share her burdens with – and an endless support from Serra – it was quite a lot to be the Princess and Prince of Dorne while simultaneously raising five children and sitting on the King's Small Council.
Cecily even offered to return into her service to help her but the Lady of Highgarden had recently given birth to her second child and Valyria couldn't with a good conscience allow Cecily to abandon her own responsibilities and family simply to help Valyria handle her own.
Something that couldn't have come at a worse time was Rhaenyra announcing her third pregnancy since it meant that the Princess of Dragonstone couldn't strain herself. Naturally, that meant that all her duties somehow fell upon Valyria. No one even asked Valyria if she could help, everyone simply made sure to forward her to messages of what needed to be done.
The only upside was that Rhaenyra didn't have an overwhelming amount of duties to perform. She sat on the Small Council – which Valyria did anyway – and other than that, she didn't have much of a role in court since the heir's place was Dragonstone. Thankfully, the castellan and household of Dragonstone were fairly used to running themselves after so many years without a ruling prince or princess and when they needed a decision they would simply send Valyria a letter.
Valyria was in a meeting with Lord Beesbury and Lord Tyland when the news that Rhaenyra was in labour travelled through the castle. She told the maid who informed her to tell Rhaenyra that if she wanted any support she'd be there, but the princess declined. Valyria could not blame her because she didn't want a crowd in the birthing chamber either.
Then a while later the news arrived that Rhaenyra had delivered another son. Valyria excused herself from the meeting and made her way through the castle, eager to meet the new addition to their family. Upon reaching Maegor's Holdfast, she quickly noticed the trail of blood when she reached the princess chambers.
With quick and graceful steps, the black dress Valyria wore fluttered against her legs as she followed the blood, assuming that Rhaenyra was up and running. Several nobles and servants stopped to bow or curtsy as she passed them and then just as she was turning down the corridor to the Queen's chambers, she was met by Viserys.
"Your Grace," Valyria curtsied quickly, "I hear you've become a grandfather once again. Congratulations"
"It's truly a joyous day," Viserys agreed, linking his arm with Valyria's arn. Now when she walked side by side with her dear cousin, Valyria had to slow down her steps in order for him to keep up with her. "How are you feeling today?" he then asked with worry. Ever since Qoren died he seemed to be in constant worry for her well-being.
"I am very fine, and you should not let your concern for me get in the way of this happy day," she told him just as they reached the Queen's chambers. Outside Ser Criston stood and Valyria offered him a slight nod. She had not spoken to him since Rhaenyra's wedding.
"What happy news this morning!" Viserys exclaimed joyously, announcing their entrance. Inside, Rhaenyra sat down with her newborn son in her arms. Laenor stood by his wife's side, making sure she was comfortable while Alicent watched the child like a hawk.
"Indeed, Your Grace," Laenor agreed, smiling happily.
"Where is he? Where is my grandson?" Viserys asked and Laenor picked the babe up from his mother's arms and handed him to the King. "There. There he is."
"Should you not be resting, Rhaenyra?" Valyria asked in concern, noticing her sweaty and exhausted appearance. Not to mention the blood trail she had left all over Maegor's. Walking around like this directly after giving birth could not be a good thing.
"I am alright, thank you," Rhaenyra told her, sending a discreet glare over at Alicent. Clearly the Queen had summoned her and Rhaenyra had refused to back down.
"A fine Prince," Viserys said, rocking his grandson. "Sturdy. You will make a fearsome knight. Yes you will."
"Does the babe have a name yet?" Alicent asked, her tone light.
"We haven't spoken-"
"Joffrey."
Rhaenyra and Laenor looked at each other before the latter decided, "He'll be called Joffrey."
"That is an unusual name for a Velaryon," Alicent noted.
"I think it's nice," Valyria said, smiling sweetly. "It gets so very confusing when all the names sound the same anyway."
"I do believe he has his father's nose," Viserys then said, making Laenor smile in agreement. Valyria looked down at the young boy – noticing he shared the same features his brothers had.
"I do believe you are right, Viserys," Valyria agreed. Joffrey definitely would grow up to look like his father. His real father.
Laenor and Rhaenyra shared an uncomfortable glance before the former said, "If you don't mind, Your Grace, your daughter has exerted herself heroically and should rest."
"Of course," Viserys said. Before he could hand the little prince back to his mother, Alicent swooped in and took the child. She not so discreetly studied the babe's appearance before taking the bundle and carrying it out, smiling kindly down at the babe. Laenor followed close by.
"Well done, my girl," Viserys praised his daughter. "I do hope the labour was easy."
"I think I called the midwife a cunt."
.•° ✿ °•.
Valyria's stay in the Red Keep was nearly over — Dorne needed her more — so she didn't have time to sit around and do nothing. After giving Rhaenyra her congratulations she was off to the city to oversee a few projects she had started down there with the goal of making the city a better place. Using some royal funding – which is why she constantly had to attend meetings with the Master of Coin – she created projects around the city. She hoped to get the economy started by creating jobs for the smallfolk that resided in King's Landing.
Once she returned from the city, she was met by the unusual sight of young Prince Aemond being escorted through the Red Keep by Ser Rickard Thorne. Taking notice of his dishevelled appearance – the way dust or smoke covered his face, hair and clothes, she grew concerned, "Aemond, what happened?"
Seeing the way he cast his eyes down, not willing to meet her gaze, Valyria connected the dots. Lately, the little prince had grown more and more desperate to bond with a dragon of his own and this was not the first time he had ventured down into the Dragonpit in search for one. "How many times must your mother and I tell you not to do this? You could have gotten seriously hurt. Dragons are not cats that you can chase."
"They made me do it!" Aemond exclaimed in defence. "They gave me a pig! And put a tail and wigs on it!"
"A what?" Valyria frowned in confusion, brushing Aemond's curly, silver hair away from his face.
"They said they found a dragon for me. But it was a pig," Aemond explained; the sadness and frustration on his face was clear as day.
"Aemond, one day you will have a dragon," Valyria assured him, crouching down a little to be on his eye-level. "Many Targaryens did not bond with their dragons until later in their lives. Not all of us had an egg hatch in our crib like your siblings and cousins. I did not bond with Ānogara until I was four." Seeing how he was about to point out that he was much older than that, she added, "And Laena Velaryon – who currently rides the largest dragon in the world – did not bond with Vhagar until she was five-and-ten years old."
Aemond nodded, comforted by her words. Then he mumbled, "They all laughed."
"I will speak with them," Valyria promised him. "Was it Jacaerys, Lucerys and Aegon this time too?"
Aemond nodded again. It was sad really how much the boys teased him. How they would gang up on him. "I will make sure it does not happen again, and before I live, you can join me and Ānogara for a flight. How does that sound?"
"Thank you, Lyria," Aemond said, a smile on his face as he hugged her. "Thank you! Thank you!"
.•° ✿ °•.
Valyria didn't bother going to Alicent or Viserys with the matter. Viserys had after all given her full reign to chastise the children if it was needed. At times it was better she did it since Alicent and Rhaenyra both tended to be rather biased.
Her first stop was Aegon's chambers. Ser Arryk bowed his head and opened the door for her to enter. The eldest prince was lying in bed, looking very bored as he read one of the books Cyrenna had sent him from Dorne.
"I admit, when I heard a flying pig had been spotted in King's Landing, I became concerned for a moment," Valyria said, announcing her presence. "Whose idea was it?"
"It was Jace's," Aegon said, placing the book beside him, straightening up.
"But you went along with it?" Valyria asked, crossing her arms.
"Aemond is a twat," Aegon defended his actions.
"Aemond is your brother," Valyria corrected him, sitting down on the bed. "We are family. We do not fight wars amongst ourselves."
"It was just a joke," Aegon exclaimed.
"I am not saying that you are not allowed to joke, but this in particular is a very sore spot for your brother," Valyria told him. "It was a mean thing to do. Remember that when you are three people against one, a joke can quickly turn bad."
"I will," Aegon looked down in shame. He didn't like being scolded by Valyria. He didn't want to disappoint her.
"And the next time you see Aemond-"
"I will apologise," Aegon promised.
"Good," Valyria kissed his forehead. "Aemond looks up to you," she said and when Aegon opened his mouth to protest, she added, "He does. You are his older brother. He seeks your approval – even if he admits it or not."
Standing up, Valyria brushed her hands against the skirts of her dress to rid of any wrinkles, "Now I have two more princes to chastise."
Leaving Aegon's chambers, Valyria eventually found Jace and Luke dining with Laenor. Rhaenyra was likely resting from the birth. "Lyria," Laenor stood up to greet her with a kiss on the cheek, "what a lovely surprise."
"I am afraid this is not an especially joyous visit," Valyria said, raising an eyebrow as she raised an eyebrow at the two princes. "Have Jace and Luke mentioned their little stunt with the pig in the Dragonpit today?"
"A pig?" Laenor frowned.
"It seems Aegon alongside Jace and Luke here decided to trick Aemond that they found him a dragon only to give him a pig with wings and a tail instead," Valyria explained. "It ended with Aemond nearly being attacked by a real dragon, not the pig."
"Boys?" Laenor turned to give his sons a stern glance. When it came to scolding them for their wrongdoings, Laenor was the better parent. Rhaenyra, much like Alicent with her children, liked to blame everything on someone else. Their own children were always in the right.
"It was just a joke!" Jace defended. "And Aegon was in on it too!" Meanwhile, Luke was staring down at his lap in shame, tears welling in his eyes. Valyria realised that he likely was the most innocent out of the trio, but he too needed to learn not to simply follow his older brother and uncle.
"I've already spoken to Aegon and he will be apologising to Aemond for this little incident," Valyria said. "I hope I can expect the same from you two – and that this will not be repeated. Aemond is your uncle – he is your family – and I do not wish to hear that you've ganged up on him again."
"Jace, Luke, answer Valyria," Laenor told the boys sternly.
"We promise," both of them mumbled.
"Good," Valyria smiled at them. Luke was the closest, so she leaned down and kissed the top of his head. "Now when I've settled this matter, I have to be the mediator to a few adults instead."
.•° ✿ °•.
127 AC, Pentos
Even after nearly a decade of marriage, Laena couldn't help but find her husband a mystery. It turned out that ten years wasn't enough time for her to figure out Daemon Targaryen. The rebellious younger brother of the King who had killed her betrothed and given her a life of adventure that she always longed for still remained a closed book.
They had two children together – daughters that he clearly loved – and despite all the time spent together there was always a distance between them. At times, it felt like the love they had for their children and their dragons was all they had in common.
One thing she definitely hadn't expected when marrying him was that the Rogue Prince didn't require constant excitement nor adventure. He could be content reading books for entire days without moving an inch. And despite not fully understanding him, Laena knew exactly where to find him.
The soft night breeze made her shiver as she stepped out on the rooftop of Prince Reggio's palace in Pentos. As expected, she found her husband seated on a chair, nursing a goblet of wine in one hand. She often found him up there, enjoying the view. The peace and quiet.
Daemon offered her a small smile and adjusted the pillow for her to sit down next to him. But he did not say anything. "Laenor has written," Laena said, breaking the silence. "Rhaenyra has delivered another son."
After hearing the rumours flying around about the Rogue Prince and the Realm's Delight, Laena did expect some form of bond to exist between uncle and niece. In the beginning of their marriage, Laena always tried to search for any sign of emotion when bringing up Rhaenyra. Every single time she was met by nothing else but boredom.
No jealousy...
No longing...
"Does your brother mention if this one also bears a marked but entirely coincidental resemblance to the Commander of the City Watch?" Daemon asked, snorting at the end in a near mocking manner.
Laena couldn't help but laugh herself, "He seems to have left that detail out." For as long as her brother was happy, she couldn't care less about who really fathered Rhaenyra's children. When her husband said nothing, Laena confessed, "I miss my brother, Daemon. As I think do you."
"I miss Westerosi strong wine," Daemon said, his previous mirth disappearing at the mention of his brother. "It could be dependent on for a few hours of peaceful oblivion." He took a sip from his goblet and then he threw the rest out on the ground. "This amber shit they drink here."
Daemon stood up and walked over to the wall. He leaned against it, looking out at the city. In the distance, all that could be heard was the sound of dogs barking. Laena stood up and walked over to him, "Do you never long for home?" she wondered. In her youth, all she wished was to ride Vhagar to the end of the world. But now she found herself wanting nothing else than returning to Driftmark.
"No," Daemon replied without missing a beat.
"I don't believe you," Laena told him. The reason he was acting this way was proof enough that he missed it.
"Believe what you please," Daemon replied dryly.
"You lure the virtues of Pentos but you have no interest in it. If you did, you would venture into the city. But instead you spend your time here, in the library, reading accounts of the same dead dragonlords whose legacy you claim has no hold on you," Laena said, desperate to get something out of her husband.
"I didn't know I was being so minutely observed," Daemon said sarcastically, gaze still firmly locked at the horizon.
"You do not sleep!" Laena exclaimed, genuinely concerned about him. None of them were truly happy there.
"How can I with haunting my every move?" Daemon asked rhetorically.
"Life has, I know I disappointed you. Perhaps I too, am not the wife you would have wished for yourself," Laena said and it felt good to admit it out loud. In front of him.
"Laena-"
"It does not pain me," Laena told him sincerely. "I've made my peace. But you are more than this, Daemon," she placed a hand on his shoulder. "The man I married was more than this." She kissed the back of his robe-covered shoulder.
"Did–," Daemon cut himself off, eyes downcast. "Did Laenor mention anything else?"
Laena smiled sadly. It had taken her some time to see the signs. The way there was only one name that could make Daemon show any emotion or interest. Most news from Westeros he expressed nothing but boredom about.
"Laenor tells me tensions are growing between the Queen and Princess," Laena said, studying his expression. All she received was a snort in response. "Jacaerys and Lucerys spend a lot of time in the training yards." Still nothing but disinterest. "Oh, and Princess Valyria is currently in King's Landing much to the King's and court's delight."
The reaction was barely visible. For a very long time she had missed it. But once she had noticed it once it was impossible to miss. The way life seemed to return to his purple eyes at the mere mention of her name.
Thinking back to Princess Rhaenyra's wedding, Laena recalled searching for any form of interaction between the blushing bride and her uncle. A few times, she could see the young princess looking towards the Rogue Prince, yet his attention always seemed to be elsewhere. Having heard from her mother that Daemon and Valyria usually spent every moment in the other's presence at each other's throats, Laena dismissed it as Daemon finding amusement by annoying Valyria.
Now Laena realised it was so much more...
If Valyria Targaryen was in the room, Daemon saw no one else.
.•° ✿ °•.
127 AC, Sunspear
Valyria returned to Dorne the day after Prince Joffrey's birth.
A few days later a letter arrived to Sunspear informing her of the latest happenings in court. It was probably a coincidence but not even a day after she left court did the tensions grow even more between the Greens and Blacks. According to the letter sent to her by Viserys – that she combined with the information Serra had succeeded in gathering – she found out how an incident in the training yard had led to the departure of the Hand.
It seems Ser Harwin Strong no longer could take the way Ser Criston Cole clearly favoured the Queen's children when he taught the young princes how to fight. A sparring match between Jacaerys and Aegon had somehow ended with the Lord Commander of the City Watch attacking the Queen's sworn protector.
A foolish move; one that simply fueled the rumours about the true parentage of the Velaryon boys.
In a way, Valyria pitied all three of them: Harwin, Laenor and Rhaenyra.
It could not be easy for Harwin Strong to be so very close to his children without being able to claim them. The fact that there seemed to be a bond between father and his sons – especially Jace – only made it worse. She had seen it several times. How Harwin lingered around the young princes even though he had no reason to unless one wished to admit the truth. Like the clear physical resemblance wasn't enough, Harwin's clear affection for the boys was all but a confirmation of what could never be admitted out loud.
Then there was Laenor – forced into a marriage with a woman that he could never be with. Clearly, a friendship – a form of affection even – had grown between him and his wife over the years but it was not the affection required to sire children. In a way, Laenor was probably happy that Rhaenyra found another way to provide heirs for the throne and Driftmark to take the pressure off them both. But it was also blindingly clear how unhappy he was. How he was an outsider in his own family. His sole purpose in the Red Keep was to father heirs and he couldn't even do that.
Rhaenyra was the centre of it all. The King's chosen heir – the future Queen – who when forced to, had married for duty only to get a husband that could never love her. Valyria did feel sorry for the princess for being put in this position; everyone expected her to bring forward an heir and when her husband couldn't provide one for her, she sought help from another man. Perhaps that was the only option Rhaenyra had if she wished for a child.
Yet at the same time, Valyria hated that she had to take part in the ridiculous lies that Rhaenyra and Viserys all but forced everyone in the Seven Kingdoms to play along with. Questioning the legitimacy of Rhaenyra's children was considered treason; therefore everyone talked in the privacy of their own chambers or whispered amongst themselves about how two Valyrians somehow got three sons with Andal features.
The Baratheon blood in them is strong, people would say in the presence of their King or future Queen. Then they would turn around and mutter about how the blood indeed was Strong.
Even if Rhaenyra was a man, children born outside of the marriage would be considered bastards. The fact that she was a woman did not make anything better. Those that wished to tear her down would use this against her the second Viserys drew his last breath.
Lyonel Strong knew that which is probably what prompted him to take his eldest son with him to Harrenhal in hopes of quenching the rumours.
Unfortunately, in an attempt to quench the rumours that spread like wildfire, Harwin and Lyonel Strong had been caught in an actual fire. When the news of their deaths reached Sunspear, Valyria did not believe for a second it was a coincidence. It could not be. A fire at Harrenhal takes the life of lord and heir, leaving the largest castle in Westeros in the hands of Larys 'Clubfoot' Strong.
"The Triarchy has set eyes upon the Stepstones once more," Lewyn told her as the two of them sat inside the study belonging to the Prince of Dorne, currently shared between the two regents. At the moment, Lewyn was truly the one who kept her from succumbing underneath the pressure. He'd been assisting Qoren for years and she treasured his assistance in ruling until Cassian was old enough.
"Have they made call for help?" Valyria wondered. Valyria might technically have been a Martell since her marriage – even though everyone continued to refer to her as 'Valyria Targaryen' – and she had grown loyal to House Nymeros Martell but no matter what Qoren might have done, she could never support a war against her own family.
"No, I believe they've understood it's a lost cause. Especially after Qoren retreated the last time," Lewyn said. "He gave up the Stepstones for a princess. A song bards will sing about for centuries." Both of them smiled sadly at the thought of him. Soon a year would have passed since his death and while the grief had lessened some of it remained.
A rapid knock on the door echoed through the room. Valyria called for the person to enter and in came Serra. There was something about her lady-in-waiting's expression that she did not like. A seriousness that didn't belong there.
"What is it?" Valyria asked, her thoughts immediately going to the worst possible explanations. One of the children was injured, there had been another attack against them, Viserys had become more ill.
"News from Pentos," Serra explained. "Laena Velaryon is dead."
_____________
I know I promised Daemon P.O.V but instead it became one last Laena P.O.V. Next week there will be a reunion ....