Apparently the message that his wife was giving birth made it to Sir Laenor at some point, because he burst into her birthing chambers shortly after the newborn was handed over.
The message had also reached Alicent, because she had sent a midwife to retrieve the new baby and bring him for inspection to the queen.
Daenys scowled at the woman attempting to take her newest brother from her mother's arms.
"I'll take him myself." Rhaenyra was obviously angry at the queen's demand.
"You should remain abed Mother!" Daenys protested.
Rhaenyra nodded. "Yes, I should."
After her attendants helped Rhaenyra dress, and cut the umbilical cord still anchoring the baby in her arms to her, she struggled out of the room and down the hall, her daughter supporting her on one side and her husband on the other.
The made their way through the keep slowly making progress towards the queen's suite.
Daenys glared at the gawking bystanders as they walked, daring anyone to comment on the state of her mother, or the trail of blood following her every step.
How dare Queen Alicent subject her mother to this kind of humiliation, how dare she make her suffer in this way!
Anger burned in both Rhaenyra and her daughter's eyes at the audacity of the queen.
Daenys understood that her mother was putting on this torturous show of struggling across the castle to simultaneously remind her subjects of the queen's cruelty, and more importantly, the princess's strength. It was fortunate too that Laenor was by her side.
Sir Laenor grumbled "What could she possibly want? I thought we were past this."
Both mother and daughter gave him a look that said "Obviously not."
The queen was being fitted for a new gown when they entered, obviously unbothered by Rhaenyra's struggling steps.
She waved at a lady's maid to fetch a cushion for the princess in a feigned attempt at concern.
Viserys on the other hand practically beamed at his daughter and her newest son.
He swooped in to congratulate her and ask about the baby's name.
"We'll be calling him Joffrey." Sir Laenor spoke before Rhaenyra could answer the king.
"Not a very Velaryon name?" Commented Alicent challenging the princess to contest her husband.
"Never mind," spoke Viserys "I hope your labor was easy?"
"I think I called the mid-wife a cunt."
"Oh." Viserys chuckled and quickly covered his granddaughter's ears. Daenys giggled at his attempt.
He smiled down at her and told Rhaenyra once again how proud he was for her.
"Are you happy to be a big sister again Daenys?" He asked. "Will you look after little Joffrey here?"
She nodded, "Of course grandfather!"
"Ah! Wonderful! Come with me little one, keep this old man company while you mother has some well deserved rest."
He leant down and kissed both his daughter and grandson's foreheads again before grabbing Daenys's hand and leading her into his sitting room.
Daenys gently reached out and brushed the wings of one of Viserys's dragon figurines where it rested on his model of Valyria.
"Grandfather?" She asked.
He looked up at her from his armchair by the fire. "Yes my heart?"
"Why do you let Queen Alicent be so mean to Mother?"
"What do you mean Daenys?"
"Well today, Mother had only just had Joffrey, and the queen wanted to look at him right away. As if something might be wrong with him and she wanted to prove it. Mother was in so much pain walking through the castle."
Viserys sighed. "Yes, it does seem rather unfair doesn't it."
Daenys nodded, and waited for him to answer her question.
"I had a black mare once," he said. "One day she escaped her paddock, and a silver stallion sired a foal on her. When the foal was born, it was the most unremarkable chestnut. Nature is a thing of mysterious works."
Daenys looked at him, still questioning.
"You my dear heart, are the blood of the dragon. As are your brothers. Whether your hair is silver, black, or even chestnut, the blood of the dragon is all that matters.
Your mother knows this, as does your father.
Do not entertain the whispers Daenys, as I do not. It only gives people the confidence to speak more loudly."
Meanwhile:
Aemond rolled his eyes at Jacaerys attempts to instruct his dragon.
Vermax was obviously confused by the orders his rider was giving him.
Considering how atrocious the boy's Valyrian pronunciations were it was hardly surprising.
Why was it, Aemond wondered, that those who were actually worthy of a dragon, himself and Daenys who actually put some effort into learning their Valyrian history and language, were the ones who struggled to even bond with a dragon in the first place.
He had tried bonding with many dragons, young and grown, and none seemed to have any interest in him beyond maybe lunch.
Daenys, her dragon had shared cradle with her while still an egg, but until a couple of months ago everyone believed that her egg might never hatch.
"Dracarys Vermax!"
Finally he got it right! The young dragon spouted flames at a goat, cooking it and devouring it quickly.
Still, Aemond was bored. He had been dragged along today by his elder brother Aegon, for seemingly no reason other than to watch Aegon show off, and his younger nephews struggle at something that would have been so easy for Aemond.
All it did was make him angry. Resentful.
Why couldn't they be like their sister, and at least show some appreciation for their heritage?
He chuckled to himself.
Heritage, ha! He was surprised their eggs even hatched at all considering how much they resembled the Lord Commander Harwin Strong.
Daenys looked like a Targaryen. These boys looked like pugs.
But she was their sister, and she at least seemed to understand what it means to be a dragon.
So for her sake, he thought, I just won't bother with them. She's the heir after all, the only one who actually matters.
Maybe it was because Aegon seemed to like the dark haired boys more than he liked his own little brother.
Maybe if Aegon wasn't such a prick.
Maybe then he wouldn't feel the anger towards his nephews.
"Aemond, we have a surprise for you." Aegon broke him from his thoughts.
"What is it?"
"Something very special!" Piped Lucerys
"You're the only one of us without a dragon," Aegon led "and we felt badly about it."
"So we found one, for you."
"A dragon?" Aemond was hesitant. He hadn't heard news of any new dragons being hatched since Nagga, nor of any wild dragons being caught and brought to the pit. "How?"
Aegon smirked, "The gods provide."
Jacaerys rose from the dragon pit tunnel, dragging behind him a massively fat sow dressed in crude makeshift wings.
"Behold!" Jacaerys cried "the Pink Dread!"
The three boys laughed, and snorted at Aemond, imitating the pig.
"Be sure to mount her carefully, the first ride is always rough." Aegon shoved him into the dirty pig, causing him to fall to the ground.
Aemond scrambled to his feet, livid, as the other three walked away cackling to themselves and snorting occasionally.
Gods, he was fuming! He would show them. The Pink Dread.
He would mount the biggest dragon in the world someday, and put them all to shame.
Vhagar was out of the question, she was in Pentos somewhere with Lana Velaryon and Daemon Targaryen. Vermithor hadn't been seen since the old King Jaehaerys had died. He didn't care really, which dragon he mounted, as long as they were bigger, faster, and more vicious than all the others his brother and nephews rode.
He stumbled into the caves below the dragon pit, near crying from rage.
The Pink Dread scampered in front of him, just trying to escape the unfamiliar surroundings.
She shuffled off into the darkness, only for her grunts to be cut short.
Aemond lifted his light, trying to see what had happened to the pig.
Out of the darkness, Dreamfyre, his sister Helaena's dragon lifted her regal head, opened her maw, and breathed hot flames towards him.
He fell back, now even filthier and more humiliated than before, struggling to get his feet back under him and running out of the caves.
Alicent was having a bad day.
She was sitting with her second child, Helaena, trying to figure out what the hell the girl was talking about.
Alicent cursed her lot in life.
She was married to an ugly old man, who clearly loved his first daughter more than his wife.
He had practically admitted to her that he knew Rhaenyra's children were bastards, and to get over it and shut up about it.
All if her children were nuts, in their own way.
Except maybe Daeron, but he was practically still a toddler when they sent him away to Old Town, so it didn't really help her a whole lot if he was sane or not.
Aegon was a teenager who had discovered a love for alcohol and sex, two things that Alicent did not particularly approve of, not that she had ever gotten the opportunity to enjoy them much as a teenager herself.
Helaena spoke like the didn't know what was real and what was happening in her own head.
She was sweet enough but Alicent never knew what the fuck she was talking about. Also, the bugs, the bugs where fucking weird.
And then there was Aemond.
He was quiet, he was angry, he only seemed to like his sister Helaena and his niece Daenys, and he was the only Targaryen blood child in the keep who didn't have a gods—damned dragon.
How was it that all of Rhaenyra's children where clearly bastards (because Alicent was convinced that Daenys was Daemon's) and yet it was her son who didn't have anything to show for his bloodline.
She loved them, really, she did. But did they have to be so fucking weird?
Being queen was supposed to be the answer to all her problems.
She was supposed to marry the king, live the rest of her life in silks, and birth beautiful babies, one of which would one day inherit the iron throne. At least that is what her father had convinced her of, all those years ago when he sent her with a fairytale in her head to comfort a grieving king.
But instead she had to sleep with a rotting old man in the name of duty, almost die having his babies, and then be told that despite delivering the long awaited son, Rhaenyra and hers would inherit.
Doesn't seem fucking worth it.
But she loved her children. Really, she did. It wasn't their fault her father sold her a lie.
It wasn't even Viserys's fault. He couldn't help being disgusting, and he had never promised her children the throne. She had a certain affection for him, he was kind, and he did love their children.
Despite them being fucking weirdos.
She couldn't really even blame Rhaenyra. They had been close once.
And the other girl's husband was clearly more interested in goose than duck.
She provided him children to carry his name anyways, and with a man she maybe even loved.
Maybe that was why Alicent hated it so much. She didn't get love, only duty. And duty sucked.
The door cracked open.
"He did it again." Helaena whispered.
"What have you done?" Alicent stood and rushed to a filthy sooty Aemond and the guard who had brought him in.
"They gave me a pig!" Cried Aemond.
"They what?"
"They told me they had a dragon for me but it was a pig!"
"You will have a dragon one day." Alicent assured her son. Gods she hoped so. How embarrassing to be the only one who's son didn't have a dragon.
"He'll have to close an eye…"
Helaena was ignored.
Alicent assured both herself and her son.
"I know it."