Chapter 48: Rohanne

Sometimes in her dreams, Rohanne could still see Daemon as he had been when they'd first married. Strong, tall, handsome even as a boy of fourteen. She'd loved him from the off, from the first moment they'd spoken at a ball. And he had loved her as well, despite what Aegor and Fireball had wanted the world to believe. He'd told her so over the years, when she'd heard the rumours of him and Daenerys. Had told her again after they'd heard the story Aegor had put about. He'd never stopped telling her he loved her and she missed him. She hated Aegor more than anything, hated him for making Daemon rebel, when all he'd wanted to be was a good lord and knight, and hated him for taking her children through the grinder. Especially Calla.

She had never understood why Daemon had agreed to betroth their daughter to Aegor, the man was in short a monster, but Daemon had always been fond of his younger brother. And now, as Rohanne looked at her daughter, now a woman she wondered what might have changed had she put her foot down. "You know that Aegor is doing this to get to Bloodraven, he does not truly care about the throne or about your brothers." Rohanne said, they were in Tyrosh, waiting desperately for news to come. Calla stood before her, tall, defiant, so much like Daemon.

"That is a lie, Mother. We both know that is a lie. Aegor has done everything in his power to ensure that we are provided for, looked after and that we want for nothing." Calla replied. With her silver hair, purple eyes and pretty almost god like looks, she was Daemon writ female. And she had his stubbornness as well.

"Then why does he insist on waging wars that bring nothing but death and cost nothing more than hundreds of thousands of dragons? We have more loans than we have credit, and that is doing nothing for any of us!" Rohanne replied. She knew that it was because of her connection with the ruling family of Tyrosh that they hadn't been thrown out again. Their debts were growing was this war continued.

"Aegor has assured the Archon that the loans shall be repaid and Aegor has never defaulted on a single payment." Calla retorted. "Honestly Mother, I think this is simply because he listens more to me than he does to you."

Rohanne bit back a retort, this was her daughter she was speaking to, not her brother's wife. She took a deep breath and then said. "Calla, dear, you know Aegor, you've been married to him for a long time. Tell me, do you think he truly cares about anything other than returning to Westeros to finish off what he started with Brynden Rivers?" She had heard about Brynden's marriage to Shiera Seastar, and she had seen Calla's tears, and she had been angry for her daughter. Daemon had long believed that if there were a war, it would be because of Bloodraven and Bittersteel, no one else wanted war.

"I believe that he wants to ensure that we get what is rightfully ours, as father intended!" Calla replied. Her daughter truly believed that the throne was their family's birth right. Daemon had once told her that he had never been sure what his father had meant by giving him Blackfyre, and that he had offered it back to Daeron three times, only to be denied each time. "I also believe that you are scared, and that fear is turning you into an extra appendage that we do not need."

Rohanne was offended by that, deeply offended. "If that is the case, then perhaps I should write to Aerys the pretender and ask him to accept me and your younger siblings back into his care. For I will not allow them to be slain for a needless war."

The look on Calla's face suggested that if Rohanne had been any other woman she would have been slapped there and then. "You will do no such thing. You are a member of the House Blackfyre. I remember you swore an oath to Father when he became King and again to Daemon, when we arrived in Tyrosh. Daemon might be a prisoner now, that does not always mean he will be!"

Rohanne stared at her daughter, wondering how she had allowed her eldest girl to become so far gone. She cursed Aegor, and she cursed Daemon the only man she had ever loved. "You wish to see your brother die on the altar of your husband's ambition." She kept her voice calm though anger was flowing through her. "I cannot be a party to that. I will not be a party to that."

"Then you are a traitor and I shall order the household guards to arrest you." Calla replied.

At that moment, the door opened and her youngest son Baelon entered, he was smaller than his brothers, with a streak of gold in his dark hair. He looked at them both and then asked. "What's happening here?"

Rohanne said nothing, but Calla said. "Mother has said she wishes to take you and Rhaenyra and Viserys back to King's Landing and betray our brother."

Baelon laughed. "Come off it, Calla. We all know you'd never let that happen. So, why is there such hostility here?" Baelon was always the perceptive one, he was just over the age for manhood and as such had developed into a confident charming young man, she did not want to see him die in a field somewhere far from home.

Calla snorted, and said. "I shall leave you now, Mother, before we say things we'd both regret." With that she nodded and left.

Baelon looked at her then and asked. "Are you okay, Mother?"

Rohanne smiled weakly, she did not feel okay, but she couldn't tell her son that. He needed her to be strong, they all did. "I am, sweetling. And you?"

Baelon grinned. "Never better. Never better." Rohanne knew he was lying but she let it be for now. A little lie wouldn't hurt.