Daemon and Viserys were startled by the door that opened abruptly, unannounced. Daemon instinctively jumped before his brother and drew his blade to protect him.
But once Daemon took a look at the intruder, his blade immediately slipped from his hand.
Daemon Targaryen felt like he had been kicked over the head by a horse as he stared at the Valyrian-looking-girl that stood at the door. His whole body froze, his mind turned foggy, and his heart raced.
God Be good...How could such a beautiful girl exist in this world?
Daemon had a sudden, possessive need to go there and ask her name, touch her hand, have her smile at him and not at anyone else.
When their eyes met, his racing heart skipped a beat, his foggy mind went blank, and it took him a while to be able to have another rational thought. He felt confused by his own reaction, he had seen many beautiful girls, but none of them liked her.
Daemon thinks he should beg Viserys to declare it a crime for that girl to wear her silver-gold hair in a long braid in the manner of Queen Visenya Targaryen because it only emphasizes her beauty tenfold.
"Rhaenyra?" Viserys said over Daemon's shoulder.
Hearing Viserys, Daemon snapped from his daydream,
That girl was Rhaenyra?! Viserys' Rhaenyra? His Niece?!
The girl gasped, "Gods above! So it's true?" The girl approached him, touched his face without his permission, lifted his arm, patted his body, checked his finger, and ran through her slender finger upon his hair while Daemon could only stand frozen there.
"This really you, Uncle Daemon?!" Rhaenyra asked.
"Yes?" Daemon didn't know why he sounded unsure.
"Uncle you shrunk!"
Daemon gasped at the audacity of his Niece, "Hell, I'm not!" Daemon spat, forgetting his awkwardness in an instant, "How you could say that when I'm taller than you!?"
"You were a lot taller before!"
Daemon rolled his eyes. Like father like daughter, Gods!
"I will in fifteen years!"
"So you truly twelve now?"
"More or less, I guess?" Daemon shrugged.
Rhaenyra squealed in delight, "I can't believe this! Uncle Daemon and me on same age!!" she hugged Daemon tightly; the warmth and softness of her figure made Daemon's heart race once more, and he felt his cheek start burning. "Father, can Uncle Daemon and I share the Nameday ceremony this year?" Rhaenyra Asks over Daemon's shoulder without letting him go.
"If you want, Sure," Viserys answered without hesitation.
"You heard that, uncle?! It's going to be so much fun!"
Daemon could only give Rhaenyra an awkward smile.
Seeing that, Rhaenyra frowned at him, yet before she could say anything, Viserys said, "Wait a moment..."
"Huh?" Both Daemon and Rhaenyra asked.
"Why are you here, Rhaenyra? You are not supposed to be back until the beginning of autumn!"
Rhaenyra quickly turns Daemon around and uses him as a human shield, "Well... I heard what happened to Uncle Daemon, and I decided to sail back..."
"Rhaenyra! That is so irresponsible for a princess of Dragonstone to abandon her own tour!"
Daemon's breath hitched at the base of his throat when Rhaenyra's arm circled his waist, and her hand brushed his hips.
"I'm worried for Uncle Daemon!"
"Daemon is fine! Mellos said he was perfectly healthy."
"Mellos don't know shit!" Rhaenyra spat venom.
"Rhaenyra..." Viserys turned sad, "I thought we were already over this...."
"Over what exactly!? You think I would forgive someone that cut my mother open?"
"Wait! What?!" Daemon asked in disbelief.
Viserys turned pale again, "Rhaenyra... the birth was difficult you know that."
"Yes and you choose your son over my mother! You let Mellos to cut my mother stomach open so he could take out your son who barely survived the night!"
Daemon was flabbergasted, "For fuck sake Vis!" he groaned; how much exactly stupid decision that his brother made?!
Viserys lowered his head in shame.
At the same time, Daemon fell behind him, and Rhaenyra started trembling. He took a deep breath; the last thing he wanted was to be in the middle of two crying people, "let's call a day, okay," he patted Rhaenyra's hand, "come, Rhaenyra, I'll walk you to your chamber."
Rhaenyra let Daemon go only to cling to his arm; he led Rhaenyra to leave Viserys' chamber.
Outside, Daemon met a young Kingsguard that immediately stared at him in a hostile manner. "The fuck is your problem?" Daemon spat to the Kingsguard.
"Let me escort you back to your chamber, princess." The Kingsguard said, Ignoring Daemon completely.
HA! The audacity of this Dog!
"No need to do that Sir Criston, Uncle Daemon will escort me." Rhenyra said.
"But... princess..."
"Are you deaf, Crispin?" Daemon snarl.
The Kingsguard immediately clenched his jaw and shot a glare at Daemon.
"You need to teach your dog better Rhaenyra," Daemon scoffed.
"Uncle!"
"What? You give the command and your dog talks back to you, isn't One of Kingsguard's oaths was to obey his liege commands, am I right, Steffon?"
"That's correct, my prince." Steffon answered.
"Either you start training this dog, or I will have no choice other than put him down," Daemon shot a glare at Criston before looking at his Niece, "There's no benefit in raising a disobedient dog, Rhaenyra; it will only bite you back later."
"You truly didn't remember anything, don't you uncle?" Rhaenyra asks.
"What that supposed to mean?"
"This was the opposite way to my chamber." She said with an ear-to-ear smile.
Daemon halted, once again heat creeping into his cheekbones.
Rhaenyra cupped both of Daemon's cheeks, "You blushing! Oh my god! I have never seen you blushing before!"
"M' not!" Daemon grumbled.
"You are!" Rhaenyra snickered.
Daemon groaned. "Fine! I'm blushing!"
"You're so adorable, Uncle!!" Rhaenyra squealed as she kneaded Daemon's cheek.
Daemon's heart skips beating again; he is afraid if this keeps happening, he won't be able to reach his coming-of-age ceremony.
Then, Daemon's eyes caught the necklace on Rhaenyra's neck, "Is that necklace made of Valyrian steel?" He asked while running his finger on the steel.
Rhaenyra immediately releases him, and her expression turns solemn.
"Heyy, what with that face?" Daemon asks in confusion.
Without warning, Rhaenyra started tearing up and burst into tears; Daemon gasped, "Rhaenyra, why are you crying?" Daemon quickly searched for his handkerchief but immediately realised that he already used that for his crybaby brother before.
"Here my prince." Steffon said as he offered his handkerchief.
"Thanks, Steffon," Daemon said before wiping away Rhaenyra's tears,
Daemon waits patiently till Rhaenyra calms down; he always finds crying people annoying, especially a child, but Rhaenyra? She's the prettiest crying girl Daemon has ever seen; in fact, seeing her crying like this kind stirred something inside him.
Daemon carefully wipes her tears as if her tears would turn into a pearl.
Once she calmed down, Daemon looked straight at her puffy eyes,
Daemon chuckled silently. Yep, prettiest crybaby ever,
"Take a deep breath Rhaenyra...yes, like that." Daemon smiled, "better?"
Rhaenyra nodded.
Daemon ran his thumb over her soft cheek, "now, care to tell me why you suddenly cry like that?"
"...because...I just realise...Uncle Daemon didn't remember a single thing about me."
Daemon felt his heat start to ache as someone poked it with a thousand needles.
"This necklace was your gift for me, uncle..."
Ah... no wonder... "....I'm sorry, Rhaenyra..."
Rhaenyra shook her head, "It's not your fault that you lost your memories."
Daemon smiles wryly at her. "Well, we can always create new memories, can't we?"
Rhaenyra gasped, "You want to create new memories with me?!" She asks in disbelief.
Daemon shrugs, "Why not?"
Rhaenyra's eyes turn glassy again,
Daemon sighs; he pulls Rhaenyra into his embrace, letting his crybaby cry her heart out safely in his arms.
Two crybaby. Daemon mused. At least one is not annoying as the other one.
"Uncle, can I train too?" Rhaenyra asks after she watches Daemon training with Steffon for a while.
"Sure, why not." Daemon answered, his eyes still focused on Steffon.
"I don't think it's a good idea, princess; you're a woman." Criston immediately stopped Rhaenyra from taking a wooden training sword.
Daemon rolled his eyes; the audacity of this green knight really pissed Daemon off; he signalling Steffon to take a break and then approached Rhaenyra and her dog, "Yes, Rhaenyra is a woman, so does queen Visenya, do you think Queen Visenya was less than any knight because she's a woman?"
Criston drew a sharp breath; Daemon noticed that the bastard hand was steady on his sword handle.
Daemon glared at the insolent guard; how dare he try to draw a sword in front of the Royal Family; he drew his Dark Sister and pressed the tip into Criston's breastplate, "Listen carefully Dog. If I hear you once more forbid my Niece to do anything she wants to do, I'll cut your fucking tongue myself!"
Criston ghanased his teeth; he truly looks like a rabid dog now.
"No one, I repeat, No one, especially a half-breed Rhoynar dog like you, can dictate a Valyrian Woman what she could or couldn't do," the tip of Dark Sister now pierced Cirston's breastplate through his shoulder; everyone on the training yard gasped when they see blood start dripping from Criston's hand onto his sword.
"Uncle Daemon..." Daemon heard Rhaenyra calling him, hearing her sweet voice strangely melt Daemon's anger away.
"Arryk, Erryk! Take this dog away before I chop his head off!" Daemon shouted.
The twin Kingsguard obeyed as a Kingsguard should do; they took Criston in each hand and dragged Criston away from the training yard.
"My prince, I think you need to be more careful..." Steffon said.
"I'm aware, Steffon."
"I'm sorry but you're not, my prince."
"What's the hell that supposed to mean?"
"Criston became Kingsguard after he beat you at the tourney... I mean older you, my prince."
Daemon was floored; he lost? To a fucking dog? He?
Then, Steffon explained how Criston won by striking Daemon's back with a morning star when Daemon turned his back on him.
Daemon scoffed, "How typical of a dog, fighting without honour." He said while making a mental note, adding his older self's mistake on the not-to-do-list so he wouldn't make the same mistake again.
"Uncle..."
"What? You want to nag me now for hurting your dog?"
"Not that.. but..."
"What did you see in him anyway? I heard you personally hired him."
"That's...."
"That's?"
Rhaenyra blushed.
Daemon groaned, "Oh for fuck sake Rhaenyra, his look was just a bit above average; there's a lot more handsome knight than him, I'm more handsome than him!"
Rhaenyra gasped, "Uncle Daemon!" She protested, her face turned completely red now.
"I'm aware of your fondness in collecting pretty things, but that dog, he may be pretty on the outside, but on the inside, he is not more than that rotten piece of shit, didn't you notice he almost drew his sword at me?"
"I noticed... but..."
"There's no but, Nyra." Daemon grabs Rhaenyra's chin with his thumb and forefinger, forcing her to look at him, "Now, be a good girl and dismiss him."
Rhaenyra blushed; she unconsciously bit her lower lips, then nodded.
Daemon smirked as he brushed Rhaenyra's chin with his thumb, "good girl," he praised her.
He turns to Steffon next, "Steffon, tell Ser Harold to assign one of Cargyll to Rhaenyra, tell him I prefer Erryk. And for the dog, assign him to my brother, hours standing guard outside my brother's chamber would teach him some patience."
"Right away, My prince,"
"He's not good for Rhaenyra, Brother, I caught him disobeying her like three times already, who know how many he already disobeying Rhaenyra, already," Daemon explained to Viserys when his brother asked why Criston was dismissed from the Rhaenyra guards.
"I think Ser Criston just act for Rhaenyra's own good... you know sometimes.. Rhaenyra... she..."
Daemon gritted his teeth; he knew too well that the Cunttower's Daughter let her sentence hang on purpose to fill Viserys' head with unnecessary thoughts.
Like a father, like a daughter, a manipulative little bitch.
"She what?" Daemon challenges the little Queen.
"She..."
"Yes, she what? Come on spill it, did the cat get your tongue?"
The plain girl started plucking skin around her finger, Disgusting, then she raised her head and said, "She is not acting like a proper woman should act."
There it is.
"And why should my niece act like an Andal woman?"
She gasped.
"My niece is a proud Targaryen Princess, a Princess of Dragonstone on top of that, she not common woman that need to behave and obeying someone bellow her, especially a disobedient dog like Crispin,"
"Yet she's a princess!"
Daemon rolled his eyes; at least she was not that smart, which was good,
"There you said it; she's a princess, A monarch, just like Queen Rhaenys and Queen Visenya. Did you think both of them ever take orders from lesser people?"
The plain girl's lips turn into a thin line,
"Did you think Queen Visenya even bothered to listen to a septa, doing embroidery, and gossiping over tea? No Queen Alicent, she is not that kind of Queen, she's The Queen, she rule her people alongside King Aegon, and that was the strong Queen I expected my Niece would be, don't you agree, Brother?"
"Yes! That is exactly what I want! To see my Rhaenyra become a proud queen like Queen Visenya."
Daemon chuckles when the plain girl turns completely white as the tablecloth. If this stupid girl's father can make Viserys dance on his palm, Daemon knows he could do better than that.