The sound of weak moaning and groaning reverberated in the chambers. Princess Rhaenyra was the source of it, sweaty and weak. Beside her sat her husband Daemon Targaryen, holding her hand and whispering comforting words to her. "And push," a woman said. Sucking in a breath Rhaenyra gave one push. "And again," the woman said. She gave another, "another" the woman said.
"A head," another younger woman said. With one more push, Rhaenyra's body slumped, heavy pants falling from her lips. "Praise the mother," the younger woman said as the child began to wail. She reached out for the baby, exhausted but smiling. She took the baby in her arms and held it gently and protectively.
"A girl" Prince Daemon smiled as he looked at his wife and newborn daughter.
"How is she?" the Princess asked.
"Kicking like a goat princess" the younger woman smiled. Rhaenyra's smile only widened, nuzzling and cuddling her child.
The sound of doors opening and closing were heard and after a few second an older man and a much younger woman than he stood there. "What happy news this morning," the King said, striding closer to his daughter. He was all smiling. "Where is my grandchild?"
"Granddaughter, brother" Daemon had taken the child from Rhaenyra's arms with the utmost care and spoke with a smile that not many could claim to have seen on the man's face. "It's a healthy girl."
"A girl!" the King exclaimed, accepting the child from his brother, "there she is. A beautiful Princess. The realm would be smitten by her beauty, not before long" the King walked to the side, rocking the babe gently."
"Does she have a name yet?" the Queen asked.
"Visenya" the mother answered, much to the delight of the King.
"When Aemma was with child, Rhaenyra wanted to name her sister Visenya" he laughed, yet a hint of sadness remained in his eyes. "She has her mother's nose" he looked at his brother and daughter with a smile.
"She does" the father chuckled, his hand and Rhaenyra's holding the other. "But I must insist that we let the Princess rest for now. Your daughter has exerted herself beyond anything either of us could even comprehend."
"Yes, yes of course" the King smiled, allowing the Queen to take the babe from him. He approached his daughter next. "I do hope the labour was easy," he asked gently, holding her hand tightly, almost as if letting her go would mean losing the most precious thing to him in this world.
"I… I think I called the midwife a cunt" the Princess replied, looking between her father and her child who was with the Queen and her husband now.
"Oh," the King's lips curved into a smile, as did Rhaenyra's, both amused by what she had said. The man leaned down and kissed his daughter on the head and embraced her.
A raven as white as snow cawed softly before it took flight, unnoticed by the rest of the room.
It was a while later when the Princess and her husband had returned to their chambers, where three people awaited them. One was a handsome boy with dark purple eyes that looked almost black and silver hair as pale as snow. He was a lean boy of seven, showing signs that he would be a tall man in the future.
The other was a boy of six with silver-gold hair, a striking lad but not as handsome as his older brother. He bore the eyes of his mother, a lighter shade compared to his brother and father.
The third was a handsome, tall and well-built man, similar in age to the Princess if not a year or so older. His long brown hair was tied into a messy bun on his head. His eyes were a startling crimson, though in his youth they were ever brighter.
The man was the first to notice the doors opening, standing straight and welcoming the Princess with a smile. Then the oldest boy moved, rushing to greet his mother, his younger brother not far behind.
"We chose an egg for the baby" the younger boy, Viserys said, while the older one lifted the lid off the cauldron on the table. "I let Egg choose."
"Thank you, Vis," the older boy said.
"It's not every day that an egg leaves the Dragonpit. I thought it best to escort the boys" said Brynden, helping the Princess to sit down. "A girl I heard. The boys were thrilled at the news. More so when they heard you named her after Visenya Targaryen" the Hand of the King smiled, the two boys grinning widely, now at their father's side. He took a peek at the child, whose skin glowed with health.
"Father, might I hold Visenya?" asked Viserys.
"Uh ah, not just yet," Daemon Targaryen said gently.
"Come on boys, I should return you to the Dragon pit before they send a search party for you two" Brynden took them both by the shoulder gently and escorted them both out of the chambers, much to both their disgruntlement. He laid his eyes on the happy couple one last time before shutting the doors to the chambers.
"This one has sixty rings… and two pairs of legs on each. That's two hundred and forty" a girl said softly.
"Yes, it is," the Queen said uneasily.
"It has eyes, though I believe it can't see."
"And why is that so, do you think?"
"It is beyond our understanding."
"These are creatures of the dark, Princess. Creatures of the dark rarely if ever venture in the day. Why would you need eyes for the day if you are not going to use them? Fascinating aren't they? These creatures and how they adapt to survive."
Both mother and daughter turned to look at the door, which stood Brynden, leaning against the door frame with a smile. He pushed himself off of it and made his way to them, immediately being tackled by the girl in pink. The man laughed.
"You seem to know a lot about these creatures, Lord Brynden," the Queen said, sedately walking to the man with a soft smile on his face.
"Fascinating creatures they are, my Queen. You'll learn so much if you study on them."
"I think I'd pass on that" the woman muttered, making the man laugh while he ran his fingers through the Princess' hair. Something she likes but only lets three people do it to her.
"Your Grace" one of the Kingsguard had come in, and with him was Prince Aemond covered in soot.
"Aemond" the Queen walked away from the Hand and her daughter to her son. "What have you done?"
"He did it again" Princess Helaena muttered, her eyes on her brother now.
"After how many times you've been warned," the Queen muttered gently, "must I have you confined to your chambers?!" she said this part louder.
"They made me do it!" the Prince argued.
"Did they?" Brynden asked, moving towards the Prince. "Prince Aemond, speak the truth. Did they?" he asked gently.
"They gave me a pig" he exclaimed gently, head lowered and voice shaky.
"A what?" the Queen asked while the Hand knelt before him.
"Look at me my Prince," the man said, gently lifting the boy's chin. "You're lucky Dreamfyre only fired at you as a warning."
"They told me they had a dragon for me" the Prince whispered, looking into Brynden's eyes voice still shaky. "But it was a pig."
"You, my Prince will ride a dragon one day" the Hand of the King assured him, "and when you do you'll be on the top of the world, more majestic than any other Dragon Rider in history."
"The Raven promised it. And so it shall be" the Princess mumbled softly, "he will not have to close an eye anymore, not when the raven protects him."
"What does she mean by that?" Prince Aemond asked, "is she having one of her weird moments again?"
"Your sister has special abilities" Brynden informed him with a smile, stepping back so the Queen could clean her son's face. "Though she is young to decipher them still, she is very special for it" he smiled at Helaena, ruffling her hair affectionately.
"I'll have a strong word with Aegon" the Queen promised her son.
"I'll speak to the Princess about Aegor and Viserys" Brynden assured the younger boy.
"Sometimes I wonder where I went wrong with Aegon, Lord Brynden" the Queen sighed. "The more I seem to want him to behave, the more unruly he becomes. This stunt that he's pulled, I have no bouts that it was him who led the circus, it could have gotten Aemond hurt, or worse!"
"Prince Aegon is still young, my Queen. A boy of three and ten. He lacks the maturity of understanding the consequences of his actions. I am sure as he ages, he will learn to manage his wits and actions."
But even as he said those words, he knew the reality of it. Helaena was not someone he needed to worry about. She was a sweet girl and all he had to do was build a relationship with her, something he accomplished and now she trusted him deeply.
Aemond was a wildcard, bullied and ridiculed when young. Brynden knew the kind of man he would turn out to be, and he was trying to prevent it. So far he had built trust with the boy and was trying his best to make sure he stuck to the right side. But the other three were making it quite difficult for him to do that. But as long as he didn't lose an eye, it wouldn't matter much. Aemond would be loyal to his family. That was the kind of man he was being raised as by the Queen and influenced in that manner by the Hand.
There would have been another son, Daeron Targaryen who would have been known as Daeron the Daring. But there had been a mishap during his birth and the boy died moments after he entered the world.
Aegon on the other hand was a different matter altogether. He was quick to anger and slow to forgive, a lazy young man and sulky. He was inclined to gluttony and swilling ale and strong wine. He was a pervert, prone to pinching or fondling serving girls that got too close to him. He had no bastards luckily, for Brynden would always find ways to interrupt him should he even think about raping a woman.
Brynden had hoped that with Otto Hightower out of the picture and Alicent Hightower not dancing to the tunes he had sung to her, he would have an easier time molding Aegon into a better man. But the more he tried to help, the more he saw the boy becoming the man Brynden did not want him to be. He had failed in this regard, and now he needed to make sure he dealt with his mistakes.
The Queen and the Hand arrived at Prince Aegon's room. She did not knock, opening the door and entering the room. Brynden followed after him. She froze for only a second before regaining her composure. She was used to this sight from the looks of it.
Brynden on the other hand saw an opportunity before him. He reached into the boy's mind, finding it easy to take hold of. He was drunk, or at the very least tipsy.
"Whose idea was it?" the Queen asked.
Jump!
The Prince turned around for only a second before he fell back, the sound of his mother's scream following his fall after a moment.
For the sake of making it easier on me, I'm renaming Aegon the younger to Aegor. Since Rhaenyra and Daemon marry right away, Aegor is the age Jace would be, while Viserys is the age Luke should be. Visenya is the age Joffrey should be. Since Rhaenyra did not have an affair this time around, the 'Strong Boys' sadly do not make it into this story.
