"Sister !" Princess Aemma gasped when a black haired boy collided with her before she could even step in the great hall.
Jacaerys.
"You smell like hell !" He said, directly pulling away and she frowned when she realized that the boy was now taller than her. It had only been a month since she had seen him last but so many things had happened, and it felt like a lifetime.
"You've grown !" The princess said, hugging him despite his disgusted face. "What have you done to your hair ?" She then asked, horrified by that bangs.
"I don't want to talk about it." He replied, pushing her inside of the great hall. "Our brothers thought that I needed a makeover." He said and before she could reply, two black haired boys ran into her.
"Sister ! I've missed you ! What are you doing here ?" Joffrey said, without breathing and the girl chuckled. "Will you stay ? Please please stay !"
"Oh sweet love, I wanted to see my favorite brother." She got on her knees to greet him but the boy frowned.
"Everyone knows that Luke's your favorite !" He pouted and she laughed heartily.
"She never said she wanted to see you." Lucerys spoke up and the princess couldn't help but laugh again.
She had missed them dearly. "Aegon's my favorite." She whispered to their youngest sibling who had just showed up next to them with their sister, Rhaena, holding him. "No Luke's your favorite !" He said lisping and the princess smiled to her brother who just shrugged.
"The truth comes from children's mouths." He smiled and hugged his sister, far less disgusted by the smell of dragon than their brother. "Bloodfyre has laid eggs ?" He asked, grabbing the bag and Aemma nodded before greeting Rhaena.
"Oh my darling daughter !" Rhaenyra appeared from the stairs and Aemma's smile widened. "What are you doing here ?" She asked, kissed her daughter's forehead.
"Bloodfyre has laid eggs, and I thought that bringing them was a suitable excuse to come see you !" She explained and Rhaenyra smiled, wiping off the dirt from her daughter's cheek.
"You don't need a reason to come home." A man's voice echoed behind Aemma and she almost ran into her stepfather's arms. "You smell like dragon's shit." He said, wrapping his arms around her all the same.
"Finally !" Jacaerys exclaimed, glad that someone was finally pointing out the fact that the most beautiful woman in the realm smelled like hell.
"I extracted Bloodfyre's eggs just before I came here." She opened the bag and Daemon took one of the eggs, the blue one a smile of pride on the lips. "She laid f— three eggs, look." She lied, and hopefully, everyone was amazed by the new eggs and no one had seen her mistake.
"They're beautiful !" Joffrey said, giving the pink one to Rhaena so that she would observe it.
"Indeed." Rhaenyra smiled before turning toward her daughter. "Go take a bath."
The princess nodded and walked away from her family, happy to finally be home. She entered her chambers and smiled at the sight of Elinda Massey, her mother's lady in waiting.
"How I've missed you !" Aemma hugged the woman she knew since she was born and her laughter made her smile widen. "I'm afraid I might need to bath." She winced and the woman nodded with a smile as she helped her in the bath she had prepared when she had heard that her princess had returned.
"I trust you have wonderful handmaiden in the capital." She said, as the princess took the sponge from her hand to clean her body herself.
"I wouldn't be so sure." She whispered and the brown haired girl frowned as she started taking of the princess's braid.
"How so ?" She asked and Aemma shrugged. She couldn't quite explain what was wrong with Deria, but something just was. She did not like her, and she did not trust her. She had hoped to find someone as trustworthy as Elinda in the capital, perhaps even a friend. But she felt like she was constantly being spied on, like everything she would do, could be used against her family, she could hardly breathe in kingslanding.
"Well, there's this girl, Deria, she attends to me back there. But I don't like her." She explained and Elinda frowned.
"You're the sweetest person in the world, what in the world could have she done for you yo dislike her ?" She asked and Aemma sighed.
The girl had not done anything wrong, in fact. She did her job well, but something's wrong with her. A part of her thought that she might be spied on, which would be ironic since she was the one supposed to spy on the green in the first place. "She's not you, to begin with." She princess started as she used a brush to clean her nails from the dirt inside the clutch. "And she's weird, I don't like her, something'a wrong with her."
Elinda hummed and chose not to ask for further explanation, she helped the princess she had helped bring into the world getting dressed into a proper gown and Aemma quickly made her way back to her family.
"How are you sweet girl ?" She turned her face and smiled widely at the sight of her mother approaching her.
She was about to walk toward her and embrace her when she realized that something was different about her, her skin was glowing more than when she left, her breast had swollen and she couldn't stop smiling. "Sevens fucking hells." Aemma whispered covering her mouth with her hand. Rhaenyra's smile dropped when she realized that her daughter had instantly noticed her body's changes.
"You're pregnant !" The younger princess almost shouted and Rhaenyra chuckled as she rushed toward her daughter and brought her away from the family who had not heard her.
"Shh ! No one knows !" She said and Aemma smiled.
"Daemon didn't notice ?" She frowned. "I mean, you're wearing the gowns you used to wear when you were expecting Aegon ! What a terrible husband he is !" She said, her cheeks hurting so she was smiling. "I'm so happy ! Tell me it's a girl !"
"I have no clue sweetheart." Rhaenyra cupped her daughter's face. "And don't speak ill of your stepfather."
"I noticed the moment I saw you." She whispered as she rolled her eyes and her mother chuckled again.
"That's because you have not seen me in a month, they see me every day, noticing such small changes is no easy task." She defended her husband and Aemma shrugged. "Don't say anyone will you ?" She nodded and she mother grabbed her arm to bring her back to the rest of the family, but as they turned toward the great gate they spotted a small silver haired boy who's bottom lip was shaking and who's eyes were filled with tears.
"Aegon !" Aemma ran towards her brother but it was too late, already, the boy was crying out his pain and running toward their family.
"Sevens hells." Rhaenyra closed her eyes as she followed her eldest and youngest inside the great hall.
"Papa !" The boy ran toward his father who was teaching Joffrey high Valyrian. Daemon frowned, first thinking that the boy was harmed but when he saw his stepdaughter running behind, trying to reach to the boy before he could, he smiled. "Kepa !" (Father) He shouted and everyone's attention shifted onto him. "Muña ! Muñ—Muña lēd— lēd— lēda riña issa ! Muña—ah-ah !" (Mother is with child) He sobbed and before the older prince could take his son into his arms, Aemma had grabbed him.
"Sevens hells Aegon !" She said and she could only hope that his crying had made it impossible for their father to understand. She looked up at Daemon and her mouth flew open, trying to figure out an explanation but before she could say anything, her brother spoke again.
"Mama !" He sobbed, this time in the common tongue. "Mama is pregnant !"
"What ?" Everyone in the room said at the same time and Aemma closed her eyes.
"What are you crying for little one ?" Rhaenyra asked as she stepped closer to her son who started wriggling to get out of his sister's arms and ran into his father's feet who groaned and leaned down to carry his son in his arm.
"What have you done to my son ?" He playfully asked his wife and Rhaenyra smiled as she walked toward her daughter.
"He always cries over nothing anyway !" Joffrey spoke up and Aegon frowned. "That's not true !"
"Then what are you crying for ?" He asked, standing to walk toward his sister and mother. Aemma snorted, even if these two were inseparable, they were most of the time arguing about everything.
"Because mama is pregnant ! I'm no longer the youngest and.. and.. and.."
And he was crying again. Daemon sighed as he rubbed his son's hair. "Where did you hear this lie ? Mh ?" He quietly asked and Aegon shook his head.
"It's not a lie, I heard.. I.. I heard Aemma saying that... that you were.. that you're a terrible husband b—.. bec... because you didn't notice and—... I don't want to ! I don't want another sibling ! I want to be your favorite !"
Everyone laughed as he spoke, except for Daemon intensely stared at his wife with a slight frown. "I'm papa's favorite." Joffrey said before sticking out his tongue and Aegon grabbed his wooden ans tried to throw it at his older brother but Daemon intercepted the projectile before he could harm the black haired boy. "Huh huh huh, you don't hit your brother." He told him and the boy pouted.
"You said that I was a terrible husband ?" He asked his daughter, slowly moving his eyes from his wife to his daughter.
"Well.." Aemma struggled to find an explanation. "It's that... I mean... I noticed, you didn't." She smirked and Dadmon rolled his eyes.
"So that's it ? Everyone agrees ?" Aegon pouted, eyes full of tears and Rhaenyra sighed as she walked toward her husband to take her son in her arms.
"What would you have they do ?" She asked, rubbing the boys hair. "I'm always going to love you sweet boy.. mh ? Having another child doesn't mean we will love you less." She explained and Aemma felt like melting at the sight of her father lovingly rubbing her mother's belly and admiring her as she were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
She hoped she might, one day experience the same kind of helpless love. One that lasted through the years, through distance and even hatred. She had one day, a few months after claiming Bloodfyre, asked her mother why she had chose to remarry so soon, she had no idea that her mother and stepfather had always been close, that they had been in love with each other long before their respective marriage.
Aemma had been surprised by the fact that her mother had loved someone else before Ser Harwin, and more by the fact that she had never stopped loving him, even though she was married to Laenor, and in a relationship with Harwin Strong.
And she had been even more surprised by the fact that both her mother and stepfather had begged the king to let them marry after the death of Daemon's first wife but he had denied them, convinced that Daemon did not love Rhaenyra and just wanted to use her to get closer to the throne. To imagine the king, who always seemed so pliant to his daughter's will, force her mother into a marriage with her father had almost made her sick. But Rhaenyra had been quick to reassure her daughter, promising her that she had had her choice between many suitors and had finally chosen Laenor, who was the closest to her age, who she had grown up with and who had obviously no interest in her Valyrian blood.
She wished she had been borne from love, she knew her parents had loved each other, Laenor was her friend, Rhaenyra had accepted him as he was, and so had he. It was a little relief, to know that, at the very least, she had not been borne from a loveless union like her uncles and aunt were. Yes, she was the duty her parents had to honor to the realm, but there was a little satisfaction in knowing that they had loved each other, in their own way.
A warm arm wrapped itself around her own arm, dragging from her trance. "It pleases me to have you home." Aemma smiled at her sister and pressed her hand.
"I have missed you Rhaena." The twin smiled and started walking toward the warm chambers of Dragonstone. Aemma frowned when she saw where her cousin was leading her. "I have just bathed, I do not wish to stink of dragon so soon."
"I know.." The younger girl replied but did not change their direction. "But I wanted to ask you something." She said, nervously smiling as she looked down at her feet.
"You can ask me anything." Aemma smiled and nodded at the guards guarding the eggs, they opened the stone doors and Aemma regretted following her sister here as she felt sweat forming in her nape.
Heat her never harmed her, but it did not mean it could not bother her. She could stay hours under the sun, without catching a sunburn but she could get hot and sweaty, and there were not many feelings she hated more than that.
"What is it Rhaena ?" Aemma asked and her sister sucked a deep breath.
"I... erm.." She started, unsure
"stop doing that." Aemma interrupted her when she saw that she was nervously swinging from one foot to the other. "Tell me."
"I had a dream." Rhaena said, and her cousin frowned. She hoped her sister wasn't plagued with the same kind of dream she was. "I dreamt I was on dragonback. And.. and and.." The silver haired twin sucked a sharp breath before finally spiting it out. "And I saw your egg. The pink one, and I was wondering if.. well, I know it might selfish of me to... but I just wonder if—"
"You can have it." Aemma interrupted her once again, grabbing her hand to keep her movements. "I'm sure it'll hatch." She smiled and Rhaena smiled even wider.
"You are sure ?" She asked, eyes brighter than the sun itself.
"Of course I am. You're a Targaryen, it's your birthright, go on, take it." She gently pushed the girl toward her new egg and Aemma smiled when she saw how pleased her sister was.
After having instructed the dragon keepers to put it in a warming cauldron and take it to Rhaena's chambers both girls walked toward the princess of Dragonstone's chambers.
A few minutes later, Rhaenyra had joined them and Aemma was now seated on the floor, her mother sat on an armchair behind her, braiding her hair and Rhaena was standing behind Rhaenyra, braiding her hair. The boys were in the tilt yard, training with Daemon. Daemon had ordered a feast to be held this evening, to celebrate the news of his wife's pregnancy. "Will you take one of Bloodfyre's egg for the new babe ?" She asked her mother and Rhaenyra hummed.
"I don't know. There fresh, they have more chances to hatch. But I would prefer if he rode one of my dragon's baby." She said, putting a kiss on the top of her head before continuing braiding. "You smell good. What do you use in your hair ?"
"Jasmine oil, Baela told me it helps with the growth." She replied and Rhaenyra nodded.
Perhaps she should have gifted Aemond jasmine oil along with the egg, since he would have to cut his hair because of his clumsiness while opening the clutch. Aemma scoffed to herself and slightly shook her head, she was certain he had more hair product that weapons in his chambers so his hair looked perfect. Well it had, looked perfect, but no longer.
"What is it ?" Rhaena asked, when she saw her sister chuckling.
"Nothing." She replied. "Well, in fact, grandsire, had a stone winged pig made for his replica of the old Valyria. He put in on the old Targaryen castle." She said, not wanting her family to know that she had agreed to bring the prince with her to her egg hunt.
Rhaenyra laughed loudly when she remembered where her father had the idea. "I don't understand." Rhaena intervened quietly.
"Well, after Joff's birth, Luke, Jace and Aegon had the wonderful idea to offer Aemond a pig with a tail and wings." Aemma explained and Rhaenyra followed.
"Aemma had been mad at them for hours after that." She mocked her daughter who shook her head.
"I might have found it funny if Aemond hadn't almost got himself killed by trying to claim Dreamfyre." The princess defended herself and her sister nodded in agreement.
"It was cruel of them." She said and Aemma frenetically nodded, making her mother hiss in frustration when she saw the braids disappear.
"Thank you !" She exclaimed before speaking again. "But it was also funny."
The silence fell again in the room and Rhaenyra opened her mouth a few times before finally speaking. "We will come to the capital, for yours and Aegon's nameday." She said and Aemma frowned.
"What ?"
"It's about time we present him to the court. Your father wants to organize a hunt in your honor." She explained and Aemma frowned once more.
"My honor." She repeated and the princess nodded.
"You're reaching your courting age, it's something we must celebrate." She smiled to her daughter who didn't reciprocate.
There it was. Her courting age. She had hoped celebrating her fifteenth nameday here, in Dragonstone,away from the politics, but now it had became a political event itself. Courting age meant courting, and courting meant betrothal, betrothal meant marriage, political arrangements.
"I don't want it." She said and Rhaenyra sighed.
"It is not your courting age we will celebrating, it will be your fifteenth nameday." She tried and Aemma scoffed.
"The fifteenth nameday of a girl is the celebration of her courting age. I don't want to be exposed to the entire realm for men to see me and decide is I'm desirable enough to marry."
"Come on," Rhaenyra said. "you're The most beautiful woman in the realm, The sapphire of Dragonstone, any man would be crawling at your feet for a minute of your time." She gently shook her daughter's shoulders, in an attempt to embellish the prospect of her nameday but Aemma rolled her eyes at the mention of those stupid nicknames.
"Exactly, and it's a hunt. I can already imagine it, they'll be fighting each other, trying to bring me the biggest boar, or deer, or stag hoping to gain my favor."
Rhaena winced at the thought of it, men were stupid creatures.
"It will not be a competition for your hand little one." Rhaenyra tried to reassure her daughter. "It will be yours and your brother's nameday, he's being presented to the court, you reach your courting age and that is all. A demonstration of our strength." She explained and Aemma didn't reply.
A demonstration of their strength. That she could do. "So you don't expect me to sit down and accept the company of every lord who wishes mine ?" She asked, unsure.
"I don't expect you anywhere near the camp during a hunt sweet girl." Rhaenyra said and Rhaena followed.
"And I don't expect father allowing any man near you on his watch." She chuckled and Aemma smiled.
A demonstration of her strength. That she could do.
~ • ~
Aemma sighed as she sat on her bed. The room looked so empty without her things, most of them having being sent to the capital but unfortunately did not make it through the storm. There was more things in her chambers in king's landing than in here, and it startled her. She didn't live here anymore.
Dragonstone was her home, it was the place her family lived, it was the place where she had become the woman she was. It was the place where she had become a dragonrider. It was the place where she had become a great fighter, mastering both the sword thank to Daemon and the spear thank to Trystane. It was the place she had improved her skills in archery. It was probably her favorite place in the world, and if you had told her, a few months ago that she were to leave Dragonstone, she would have laughed at your face.
Dragonstone was everything she needed, she was surrounded by her family, in her ancestral home, sleeping with sounds of flapping wings, dragon's roars and waking up with the sound of waves colliding against the shore. Aemma was dragon of the sea, living here, with both sea and fire, was what she needed.
And yet, she didn't live here anymore. She lived in a viper's nest. A castle infested with rats, spies and traitors.
A castle that would be hers, eventually, after her mother, when she would become lady of the seven kingdoms. She thought she might do as the conqueror, move her court to Dragonstone, she would happily spend every second of her life in this place.
"What are you sinking about, sister ?" Rhaena asked, reaching for her sister's hand.
"Dragonstone." Aemma replied before standing from her bed and walking accros her room, her fingers ran across her many books and drawings but she frowned when she saw that something was missing on her shelf, unsure, she raised her head, looking for her precious Pentoshi paints. "Where," she chuckled nervously. "Where are my paints ?" She asked, turning toward Rhaena. "And, and my brushes are gone as well." She chuckled again, feeling her throat tighten at the sight of her empty shelf.
"Surely, they were not on the boat." She said, as her hands started shaking. And by the way Rhaena was looking at her, she knew they were. "Were they ?" She asked quietly, and Rhaena didn't have the time to reply that Aemma's eyes were filled with tears.
"Aemma.." The Targaryen lady tried, reaching for her cousin but Aemma shook her head.
"Why ? Why would they put them on the boat ?" She was breathing heavily, and felt stupid to cry over stupid paints and brushes "There was a storm why would they—" she started opening every single drawers in her chambers, desperately looking for her paints but she knew that they were not here.
"We thought that you'd want them in the capital.." Rhaena tried but Aemma shook her head again.
No. No.
Her paints were lost forever in the blackwater bay. Her father's gift, lost forever. And she had never used them once, deciding that she would use them when she was skilled enough, she didn't want to spoil this present, the last thing he had ever offered her. Gone.
She had other things from Laenor, many necklaces, shining with various gems, since her birth, the Velaryon lord had showered her with gifts, jewelries, gowns made of the purest dornish silk. But these paints were specials to Aemma. He had gifted it to her on her ninth nameday.
Aemma couldn't contain a sob at the memory of that day, and felt like the stupidest person alive to be that weak. Crying over paints, she was ridiculous.
Two weeks before her nameday, Obella had brought her to her parent's chambers, scolding her because she had preferred drawing than work on her awful handwriting, which was still unreadable six years later.
And Laenor had declared that if she wished to draw, she would draw. She's my daughter, he had declared, and she'll be queen someday, the world will be as she desires. He had then sent back the septa home and told Aemma to not worry, that she could draw as much as she wanted to.
The king had had a tournament held for her nameday as well as Daeron's since they were only borne a few weeks apart, but her father had other things in mind. The day before the beginning of the celebration, he had taken her to the pit, where they had straddled on Seasmoke and flown east. Further east that she had ever been, he had taken her across the narrow sea, he had taken her to Pentos. She had never been so happy, she had never felt so lucky.
Pentoshi were so different from Westerosi people, they were artists, singers, painters, even fighting was an art there, killing was not just ending someone's life, it was a dance, swords were like brushes, painting in the floor with the blood of opponents.
Pentos was nothing like Westeros. It was the first time she had been that far from home, it was her best memory of her father. So when he had taken her to a shop, and had spent hours with the merchant, requiring the best of his products for his daughter, Aemma had never felt happier. She had used many paints, painted her father, and the things she had seen, and she had been happy. Laenor had bought her the rarest, best, and most expensive paints in the city, colors she had never but imagined. She had wanted to buy the whole shop, and her father would have bought it, to make her happy, but they had came on dragonback, and couldn't take it all back to kingslanding.
It needs practice, my princess, the wealthy merchant had told her, just before they left the shop. And she had declared that she would use them when she would be older, and more talented.
When they had landed in the capital, the tournament was over and the feast had just started. Neither of them had bothered with getting rid of the scent of dragon, they had just changed into pretty clothes and joined the celebration. They had not stopped smiling the entire evening. The queen had complained about the scent of dragon on the gowns she had gifted the princess. Even Rhaenyra had not been pleased to find out that her daughter had spent most of her name day in another country, but the smile on Aemma's face had been enough for her to settle down.
Her father had promised her they would, one day, come with the rest of the family, on boat this time, and buy whatever she desired, it's time you board a boat little one, he had told her but they never had the chance to come back to Pentos.
And now he was gone. So we're the paints. Everything she had from him, that truly meant something, was slipping through her fingers. She had already forgotten his voice, his true voice, not the monster behind her shoulder. His smile was fading from her memory, so was the shade of his eyes.
And those paints she had cherished so much, were now gone too. It was as if he had never existed, except for her. She was his legacy. But she didn't feel worthy of it.
Poor little Aemma, crying for her papa. She squeezed her eyes shut when her consciousness started taunting her.
"Aemma." Rhaena took her hand his hers, reaching her before the monster could, and bringing her back from demons she didn't know existed in her sister's mind. "I'm very sorry." She whispered and Aemma shook her head before nodding. She had to be strong.
She could not break, not in front of them. Not in front of her siblings. She was the eldest, she had to be the rock, their rock.
She could not be weak.
"No it's me, I'm sorry." She apologized, not really knowing why. "I'm shouldn't have reacted like that." She wiped her tears and looked at her cousin, who smiled sadly. "They were just paints." She croaked out, and laughed bitterly. "It's okay. I'm okay."
It felt bitter in her mouth, cold in her chest, it felt wrong, so, so wrong. But she didn't let it appear on her face, she could not be weak.
Not in king's landing with all those vipers around, not in Dragonstone where her family needed her strong.
She could not be weak. Not now, not ever.