DAEMON IV
110 AC
Daemon walks fast through the hallways of the Red Keep after a day of work dealing with a new arrival of merchant ships from Essos that came without much advice.
The entire day he had to talk to a bunch of merchants that barely knew his language or even High Valyrian.
It was a tedious mess.
And when he thought he was free to go back to eat and get some sleep, he was told by a messenger that his wife had started her labor.
After Helaena, Daemon thought that they would take more time before going for their next child.
Instead, not much time after the whole fiasco in the council room, the maester once again confirmed that Alicent was pregnant after just a few moons of giving birth to Helaena.
That pregnancy was very troublesome.
Alicent was in constant pain and always tired later on in the pregnancy.
That took a toll on him as well, because in the last moons she did not sleep with him, making him resort to other ways of seeking satisfaction.
Grunting with that thought, The Rogue Prince finally arrives in the front of the chamber where Alicent is giving birth.
In front of the door, Rhaenyra is there with her father and Otto.
She looks at him once he arrives and smiles.
“Uncle!
I was worried that you would not come…” The Princess proclaims before hugging him.
Daemon accepts it for a moment before moving her away from him.
“How long has she been in labor?” The Rogue Prince asked his brother and his father-in-law, looking to the door.
He can hear Alicent’s screams through it.
Viserys sighs.
“Two hours.
The maester said that she is struggling to get strength to deliver the child.
He says that it can go either way.” The King proclaims with a sad tone.
Daemon frowns.
“Either way?”
“It means that she can either safely deliver the child or she can die trying.
It is all up to the gods.” The Hand of the King says with a frown of his own.
Daemon looks at him.
“You don’t look worried about your only daughter’s life, Otto.
I thought you loved her.” The Rogue Prince mocks.
Otto gets angry.
“How I react to things is not of your interest.
I have faith in the gods and in Alicent.
She is strong.
Everything will turn out well.
I am sure of it.” The Hand proclaims with confidence.
Daemon smirks.
Viserys is still looking at the door with sadness.
He sighs.
“How much our family will still have to suffer with our woman struggling in childbirth, brother?
The gods took my mother first and then my dear Aemma, and finally they almost took Laena too last year when she lost our child.
I am tired of that sick joke coming from above.” The King proclaims, bitter.
Daemon looks away, Rhaenyra looks down with a sad expression and Otto looks at his liege with compassion, landing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“Hard times, your grace.
At least, Queen Laena is still alive and doing better.
She might be able to have another child soon.” The Hand says with a gentle tone.
Viserys snorts.
“I am not interested in that risk.
I will wait some years.
She needs to mature even more.
She is not quite ready for motherhood yet.
Rhaenys was devastated at her condition.
Laena is not even in a good condition now to be here, after all.” The King proclaims.
Otto nods his head and Daemon grunts.
“She has not recovered?
It happened a moon ago.” The Rogue Prince asks, uncertain.
Viserys looks at his brother with a serious expression.
“She lost a lot of blood and she still feels pain, both in her body and her mind.
She is still a young woman, Daemon.
I refuse to fall into the same mistakes that I did with Aemma.
I will wait.
You and Alicent have already expanded our house, so I don’t need to rush things.
I have time.” The King proclaims.
Daemon smirks.
“I don’t think that Corlys will like that idea.
He seems quite urgent about Laena producing a new child for you.” The Rogue Prince mocks.
Viserys frowns.
“And I don’t care what the Sea Snake likes.
I am the King and will do as I want with my family.
She is not known as the Sea Snake’s daughter anymore.
She is known as the King’s wife.
My queen.
He should remember that.” The King says before snorting.
Daemon opens a malicious smile.
“You are right about that, brother.” The prince says, giving Otto a look.
The Hand frowns at his implication.
Before the Rogue Prince and the Hand are able to continue their discussion, the door is opened and Grand Maester Runciter comes out.
Otto is the one to take action.
“Maester, what is the situation?
How is Alicent and the child?” The Hand asks, worried.
The old Maester frowns and takes a deep breath.
“It is a very tough situation.
Similar to the one with Queen Laena.
But, at least, I can say that she will be able to recover better.
She is more mature and more used to giving birth, after all.” Runciter proclaims.
Daemon grunts.
“What about my child?” The Rogue Prince asks, impatient.
The Maester looks at him with his serious expression.
“The child looks healthy, as far as I can see, but we will only know for sure soon.
It is almost there.
I am here to ask if anyone wants to give her some emotional support.
She might need it to have strength to do the final pushes.” Runciter explains.
Daemon frowns, but Otto nods.
“I will.
You will do the same, my prince?” The Hand asks.
His gaze is a demanding one, one that dares the prince to deny.
Viserys looks at him with a more mild version of the same gaze.
By his lack of interest in being in that room, Daemon would refuse, but the two men gazing at him forced him to rethink that.
With a long grunt, Daemon nods and follows Otto inside the room.
Viserys, still disturbed by the recent events, stays out of the room with Rhaenyra, who is too hesitant about getting in or not.
Daemon and Otto enter the bedroom to find Alicent taking short and very desperate breaths.
She is mostly red in the upper part of her body and sweat covers her and her blanket.
Downside, her legs are open and the maids are dealing with the child and the bloody mess there.
Otto goes to her head and goes to his knees to look at his daughter with worry.
Alicent opens a weakened smile upon seeing him.
Otto lands his hand on her cheek with tenderness.
“Be strong, Alicent.
You will pass through it safely.
I am sure of it.
You did it two times already.
Why not one more?” The Hand asks with a gentle smile on his face.
Alicent laughs a bit.
“Oh, father…
I don’t know.
I am hoping here, but it looks difficult.
More difficult than Aegon’s birth.” The princess proclaims with a weak tone of voice.
Daemon snorts and looks at her, still standing up. Find the original chapter at novelping.com.
“I know you well enough Alicent.
Take hold of your will and push that kid out of you.
Don’t you dare die in childbirth.
Women have died like that in that house.” The Prince proclaims, giving her a severe gaze.
Alicent looks back at him, unsure.
“Daemon…
but…” She says, but she is interrupted by a scream that forces through her with a contraction.
Daemon keeps gazing at her from above.
“No buts.
Be strong and push.” The Rogue Prince Demands, finally taking her hand from Otto and holding it tightly.
Alicent takes a deep breath and screams once again while pushing.
Maester Runciter is back at his position.
“One more!
Almost there!” The Maester proclaims.
Alicent gasps for air.
“Do it, Alicent.” Daemon demands, holding her hand with more strength.
Alicent holds her tears of pain and takes a deep breath before holding his hand with all her strength and also the blanket.
The sound of a crying babe takes the whole room like a sudden thunder.
The weight in the air almost completely disappears.
Runciter takes the child in his arms.
“It is a boy!
A prince!” The Grand Maester proclaims before cutting his cord and giving to the maids so they can clean it.
Daemon sighs and looks at Alicent, who gasps for air and then faints in the bed.
Otto gets up quickly and checks her pulse and heart.
He sighs.
“She is alive.
Probably only fainted out of stress, pain and lack of energy.” The Hand proclaims, mostly to himself.
Daemon grunts before moving to his target of interest.
Runciter sees Daemon get closer to him and the maids who are taking care of the babe.
“Ladies, let the prince hold his new son.” The Maester demands.
The maids quickly obey and give the child to Daemon.
Runciter goes out of the room to call the King and the Princess.
The babe is still crying loud, moving his tiny limbs around with vigor.
Daemon smirks.
“A healthy boy.
Will be a great warrior like his father.” The Prince proclaims proudly.
He is also more than happy to notice the small amount of silver-gold hair in the babe’s head.
The gods apparently decided to bless him with more children with the Valyrian look.
The babe soon stops crying and opens his deep purple eyes.
Daemon smiles.
Perfect.
Viserys and Rhaenyra eagerly enter the room.
Rhaenyra looks at the babe with curiosity.
The King walks to his brother and lays a gentle arm on his back to do some kind of a hug.
“The gods finally opened their doors to us, brother!
Another nephew for me.
What is his name?” The King asks, holding the babe’s tiny hand.
Daemon frowns.
“I don’t know.
I will wait for Alicent to wake up so she can give me some ideas.” The Rogue Prince proclaims with a neutral tone.
The King nods.
“Can I hold him?” Rhaenyra asks her uncle.
Daemon smirks.
“Why not?” The Prince says before giving her the babe.
Rhaenyra smiles at the cousin in her arms.
The boy looks at her and then shakes his body around a bit.
Viserys laughs.
“He looks very stubborn.
A son of Daemon, indeed.” The King proclaims.
The Rogue Prince snorts, but says nothing.
The Targaryens are interrupted by a feminine grunt coming from behind.
They look back to see Alicent waking up with a tired and a bit painful expression.
Otto helps her to sit in the bed.
“Where…
where is my babe?” Alicent asks, still beaten.
Rhaenyra walks to her and gently gives the babe to his mother.
Alicent smiles at him.
“My sweet boy…
you look healthy.
I am so happy with that…” She almost whispers when a single tear runs down her cheek.
The babe looks at her, confused about everything that happened in his first minutes of life.
Otto smiles at his daughter and grandson.
“The gods be praised, because they let both of you live.
Do you have a name for him already?” The Hand gently asks.
Alicent looks to her father and then to Daemon, who approaches them with an almost curious expression.
“I wanted to name him Jaehaerys, after the Conciliator.
I took care of him in his final years, and I created a great appreciation for him, both as a king and as a person, even in the end of his life.” The Princess proclaims with a melancholic tone.
Viserys smiles.
“That is a fantastic name.
Don’t you think, brother?” The King asks.
Daemon frowns while looking at his wife and son.
“No.” He directly answers, surprising the others around him.
“No?
Why not?” Alicent asks her husband.
Daemon snorts.
“He is a second son of a second son.
While I always wanted to name a child of mine Aegon, I don’t think he should have a King’s name.
He should bear a name of his own and search for his own glory.
Like I did.” The Rogue Prince proclaims.
Alicent frowns.
“Well, if you want him to be more like you, why don’t we just call him Daemon as well?” The princess asks with an ironic tone.
Daemon smirks.
“There can be only one Prince Daemon Targaryen around.” The Rogue Prince proclaims, proudly.
Alicent frowns, thoughtful.
“What about…”
While Alicent is taking care of the child and trying to recover, the others leave her alone with the maids in the room.
As soon as they are out, a Lord Commander Harrold Westerling appears in his white armor, looking at Viserys.
“Your grace, Lord Darklyn is here to talk about a recent problem in Duskendale.” The white knight proclaims.
The King sighs.
“My duties call me, sadly.
Daemon, Otto, I wish you two and Alicent luck.
Rhaenyra, I think you should find Ser Criston Cole so he can take you to the Dragonpit.
You have not taken Syrax for a ride for some time, right?” Viserys says.
Rhaenyra opens a large smile and nods.
“Yes, thank you!” The Princess proclaims before kissing her father in the cheek and then running away.
Viserys laughs before nodding to his brother and Hand and walking out with the Lord Commander.
Now, the two enemies are alone in the same place.
Otto quickly looks at Daemon.
“You have been evading me.” The Hand points out.
Daemon snorts.
“To do that I would need to notice you first, Hightower.” The Rogue Prince mocks.
Otto frowns.
“Your lack of temperance took away our best chance of getting our blood in the throne.
It would make sense that you would want to avoid solid criticism.” The Hand mocks back.
Daemon grunts.
“I am not avoiding criticism, cunt.
I am avoiding your annoying presence when I am out of the council.
And who said that we want the same thing?
Otto snorts.
“You can’t fool me Daemon.
I know you.
I know what you want.
We want the same thing.
Our legacy in the throne.
Why do we need to be enemies if we have common objectives?” The Hand asks in a fabricated soft tone.
Daemon smirks once again.
“I did not want my blood in the throne, like a simpleton from a lesser house would.
I want my own throne.
I want my name to be remembered by all of Westeros.
We are not the same.
You lost your daughter, Otto.
She is mine now.
My wife.
Mother of my children.
If you think you can use her to use me, you are very wrong.” The Rogue Prince proclaims with arrogance.
Otto frowns once again, but keeps his temper in check.
He laughs a bit.
“You will understand things in the future, Daemon.
I can see it coming.
Hard times are coming faster than you can imagine.
Laena is struggling to have children and Rhaenyra is still the heir.
Things can get out of hand fast.
We need to be ready to adapt to the situations.
Do you understand that?” The Hand asks, being enigmatic.
Daemon frowns.
“I am a man of action, Otto.
A warrior without adaptation can’t last a single day on the battlefield.” The Rogue Prince proclaims.
Otto laughs a bit more.
“I know.
Take care of her.
I have things to deal with.” The Hand proclaims before walking away.
Daemon grunts.
Like a snake, Otto Hightower is always moving around without him noticing it.
But his words…
He really…?
Daemon decides that it doesn’t matter for now.
He sighs and lays his back in the door, trying to assimilate things in his head.
After Alicent managed to regain more strength, Daemon walked with her towards the chamber of their children.
As soon as the door opens, a very young boy with silver-golden hair runs to them, smiling with his tiny teeth that are still growing.
In his hands, Aegon brings his favorite wooden dragon.
“Muna!” The young Targaryen screams happily, running to his mother and hugging her leg.
Alicent laughs while trying to keep standing.
“Aegon!
You will make me fall!” The Princess proclaims trying to make her son leave her leg.
Aegon laughs and lets go.
The boy of three looks up to his father, smiling.
Daemon smirks and strokes his hair with a hand.
“Be good, kid.” The Prince proclaims.
Aegon nods his head eagerly.
On the other side of the room, Helaena gets up in her cradle, holding her hands in the wood while looking at them in silence.
Daemon laughs a bit upon seeing it, making his way to her.
“You should keep your mouth closed, little one.” The Prince proclaims with a soft tone before stroking the face of his one year old daughter.
Helaena smiles a bit and then sits in her cradle to play with her feet.
Daemon snorts.
The Rogue Prince turns around to see Aegon going to him and grabbing his pants.
“Kepa!
I wanna see Sunny!” The young prince demands, making a pout.
Daemon sighs.
“How many times I have to tell you, Aegon?
You will not call your dragon Sunny.”
“Sunny!”
“No.”
“Why no?”
“Because it is not a good name for a dragon.”
“But I like Sunny!”
Alicent laughs at the seriousness arguing that the Rogue Prince is having with his infant son.
Daemon grunts.
“You are seriously arguing with a child of three, dear.
Let him call the dragon the way he wants.
He will see that it is a silly name when he gets older.” The Hightower princess proclaims.
Daemon snorts.
“I hope so.
But for now, boy, we have someone to show you.” The Rogue Prince tells his son.
Aegon looks at him, confused.
Alicent approaches them and Aegon finally notices that his mother is holding something in her arms.
“Muna, what is that?” The young prince asks, curious.
Alicent opens a large smile, but then frowns when her legs tremble.
She looks at Daemon.
“I don’t think I can get on my knees.
Can you do it for me?” The Princess asks.
Daemon sighs, but approaches her.
The Rogue Prince takes the babe from her arms and then gets on his knees.
Aegon looks at the babe with curious eyes.
“This, my child, is your babe brother.
He will be with us from now on.
As an older brother, you have to take care of him as well.” The Prince whispers to his son.
Aegon looks at his new brother, surprised.
“He is so tiny!
Can I play with him?” The young boy asks.
Alicent laughs harder and Daemon snorts.
“He is not a toy, Aegon.
You can play alongside him when he gets bigger.
Just like your sister, she is getting bigger, right?” The Rogue Prince asks, annoyed with the fact that he has to explain to a child what a newborn sibling is.
Aegon looks to Helaena in her cradle and then back at his father.
“Lena can’t talk or walk like me!
She is boring!” The young boy proclaims with another pout.
Daemon smirks at him.
“Not for much time, kid.
You will be able to play with both soon.
Just wait.
For now, take a look at your brother.” Says the Rogue Prince, losing his patience.
Aegon looks at his brother once again for a few seconds.
Alicent smiles observing them.
“You want to hold him, Egg?” The Hightower princess asks.
Aegon looks at her and then nods.
Daemon grunts.
“Here…
be careful…” The Rogue Prince says while trying to make Aegon hold the babe, which turns out to be basically a hug for the little boy.
Aegon laughs while the babe looks around, bothered.
“Hey!
What is your name?” Aegon asks, but the babe only moves his hand to weakly hit his face, making Aegon do another pout.
Alicent laughs and Daemon smirks before answering the question.
“Aemond.
His name is Aemond.”