Author's Note: hey everyone! here is the final chapter of the sixth episode... sorry it took a moment to get it published for you all. But here it is! So as always, happy reading~
Disclaimer: Mature content, Graphic Sexual Content
THE DRAGON & THE ROSE: EPSIODE SIX/PART FOUR
The Next Day
"Hey!" Elaena jumped back, dodging Daemon's sword with a smile on her face. "That wasn't very fair."
"Since when have I ever played fair, my love?" Daemon asked, swinging Blackfyre towards her again.
Elaena quickly met his sword with her own, using all the strength she had to stave him off. The two were not only practicing together, but they were also celebrating. Earlier that morning Daemon had spoken to his brother about the incident in the courtyard, clearing Harwin's name. At first, the Hand of the King didn't want to accept Daemon's explanation, saying that he and his son needed to both step back from their positions in the court. But Viserys and Daemon refused, insisting that it was just a squabble that wouldn't happen again. So while Harwin was on thin ice, his position at court was safe for now.
Elaena was ecstatic with this news, as was Rhaenyra. They had managed to thwart Alicent's plans once again, ensuring that she wasn't able to cut down Rhaenyra's supporters even more. And while they all knew that Alicent certainly wouldn't stop in her efforts to do this, they wanted to take a moment to celebrate. So Elaena and Daemon put on a show for Rhaenyra and all their children, the two of them sparring with each other in the training grounds.
Rhaenyra sat with her newborn in her arms, while the rest of the children sat around her watching with excited eyes.
"Is that the best you've got?" Daemon asked, a wide smile on his face as he ducked underneath her swing. "I taught you better than that-"
"You certainly did-" Elaena grunted, moving faster now as they dueled. While she wasn't the strongest competitor, she was certainly the quickest. Her agility in not only her movements, but in her planning, was unmatched. For every two steps Daemon made around her, she made three on the ground another in her head.
The two of them laughed as they sparred, the sound of their valyrian steel clanging loudly around them. But what had been a fun moment between them and their family was turning into a bit of a spectacle. Word had spread around the castle that the Rogue Prince and Lost Princess were dueling, and that it was quite the show. Lords and ladies of the court slowly started emerging on the castle ramparts, watching the two of them go at it below. Soon enough, Viserys and Alicent had joined in as well, sitting next to Rhaenyra to watch.
Elaena's eyes flitted to all the people, seeing the mixed reactions. Some of the court, including Rhaenyra and Viserys, seemed to be enjoying the spectacle, watching with smiles and clapping occassionally. But others like Alicent seemed to disapprove, especially of Elaena being a woman wielding a sword.
"Mummy watch out!" Rhaena shouted, her little face lit up with amusement. When Elaena turned back to the Daemon, she quickly jumped out of the way as he swung at her.
"Careful now," he laughed, "Don't get distracted. When I win I want it to earn it."
"When you win?" Elaena asked, walking slowly in a circle around him as they both caught their breath. "I don't think so."
The two of them continued, the duel more intense with each second that passed. Just as Daemon moved to finish it, drawing Blackfyre behind him, Elaena thrusted her sword forward where there had been an opening, stopping just as the tip of Dark Sister touched his chest. The two of them froze in place, knowing that the match was over. She gave him a small smirk as she lifted the sword to his chin, the cool metal resting against his skin.
"I win."
"So you do." Daemon exhaled, a glimmer in his eye as he looked from her sword and then to her.
Everyone watching started to clap as she lowered her sword, the entertainment now over. Daemon gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, then took her hand as they walked towards their watching family.
"Well done, my love," he smiled, giving her hand a small squeeze as they approached the rest of their family.
"That was quite the show," Rhaenyra said with a small laugh.
"Indeed, I'm glad we came when we did," Viserys nodded, looking to Daemon now. "You're become rusty, brother."
"No, no, I'm not rusty," Daemon shook his head, his breathing rough, "She's just that good."
"Yes, she is, shockingly so. I would have never thought a woman with such a small build and stature could fight with such manliness," Alicent interjected. Even though she was smiling at them everyone could tell that her intentions were to stoke the flames.
"Well I've trained for years at the craft," Elaena said, biting her tongue as she forced a smile. She then turned to Daemon, squeezing his hand a little when she spoke. "Both he and I have defeated each other on many separate occassions."
"I'm sure," Alicent nodded, exhaling out of her nose. "It would be unbecoming of a husband to never let his wife win."
"I assure you I didn't let her win today, and I never have," Daemon responded, agitation rising in his voice. "I taught her well-"
"Well it wasn't you who taught her was it?" Alicent asked, tilting her head to the side. "I remember when she first started training with Ser Cley, she could hardly part with her sword at the time. She even took it to train with him at Aegon's second name day."
"He may have taught me how to hold a sword, but my husband taught me how to wield it," Elaena responded coldly, feeling her smile fall from her face. Why couldn't this petulant woman let a single thing rest?
"Then we should put it to the test, see how far you've come in your training," Alicent said, turning over her shoulder to beckon Cley to come to her. She turned back to Elaena once he was standing beside her, her smile returning to her lips. "A duel against Ser Cley would surely be the most unbiased way to see your impressive abilities in combat."
"Enough, Alicent. This was meant to be fun for the children, you don't have to prove another point to us all," Rhaenyra said, looking to her father. But Viserys avoided all of their eyes, pretending not to hear or notice the tension surrounding them all.
"My apologies if I have offended any of you," Alicent said with wide eyes, feigning a sense of cluelessness. "I only meant for the fun to continue."
"Maybe some other time-" Daemon started.
"I've got the energy for one more round," Elaena interrupted him, looking at Alicent with sharp eyes. While she knew this was all Alicent stirring the pot, Elaena refused to back down. She refused to show any sign of weakness or retreat when it came to the vile woman.
"Wonderful," Alicent responded, seeming a bit annoyed that Elaena had actually accepted.
Just as Elaena was about to walk forward, Daemon gently grabbed her arm, leaning in close so that only she could hear his words, "Be careful. Remember what I taught you."
Elaena nodded, giving him a quick kiss before leaving. Cley stepped forward, following Elaena as the two walked into the center of the training grounds. Elaena could feel Daemon's eyes on her, she could feel his fear. And while she too was scared that this seemingly innocent duel would be a trick to hurt her, she wasn't backing down now. After seeing him and Alicent kiss in the gardens together, after hearing what they said about her, Elaena wanted to prove her strength once and for all to them both.
A nervous round of applause sounded around them, everyone feeling the thick tension of this moment in the air. Elaena tried to control her nerves as she faced him, breathing slowly to prepare herself. It had been over a decade since she had last practiced with him, and while she remembered some things about the way he fought, most of it had faded from her mind over the years.
The one thing she could remember was that while he had a more reserved personality in everyday life, he was rather ferocious while fighting. He didn't waste time when it came to attacking his opponenets. And yet he stood before her with a bit of hesitation in his eyes. Elaena finally started the match, unable to handle the anticpation of the first move any longer. He lunged to the side away from her attack, then swung hard. The small amount of reluctance he had was now completely gone.
Elaena spun around in the dirt, narrowly dodging him. This move alone told her everything she needed to know; he was going to be fighting with force and strength, not intelligence. His resentment towards her was already dictating how he would act, making it easier for her to plan her next move. If she could move fast, and move smart, she would tire him out simply by being on defense. And then she would go in for the last strike.
He kept driving his sword forward, clashing it against her own as he pushed her further and further back from the group of people watching. Elaena breathed in sharply as she tried to avoid his hits, ducking underneath his swings and trying to meet him with the same force he was showing.
What was supposed to be a friendly match between them was growing more aggressive from both parties, the two of them fueling their energy with the anger they felt towards each other. With one swift move, the tip of Cley's sword grazed Elaena's cheek, cutting it open.
Everyone around them gasped a little, holding their hands to their mouths. For a man of Cley's station to draw blood from a Princess would normally mean death, but since she had agreed to spar with him it would easily be named an accident whether he meant to do it or not. The two of them paused for a moment as Elaena reached up to touch the small wound. When she looked up she saw Cley staring at her with wide eyes. If she didn't know any better, she would have said that it seemed like he hadn't intended to do that, but she didn't get the chance to try and figure it out any further, for Daemon caught her eye.
He had jumped up from his seat next to his brother when he saw what happened, watching with fury in his eyes as the two of them paused. But she only held her hand up to him, telling him silently to sit back down and let her finish this.
"Elaena-" he started, not liking where this was going at all.
"I'm fine, Daemon," Elaena responded, holding her sword up to continue.
Everyone watching fell to silence again, waiting for either of them to continue. Elaena made the first move again, swinging at him with a strength even she didn't know she had. Before he had injured her he hadn't been holding anything back, giving her the best of his strength to beat. But now that strength wavered, and Elaena could see in his eyes though that he was nervous now, each move he made more unsteady than the one prior.
In one swift motion, Elaena eluded his sword, spinning around him and laying the flat side of her blade onto the back of his legs. The sheer force to the tender spot of his body made him fall to knees in the dirt, and before he could recover she turned back around, holding the edge of her sword up to his neck. She stood still for a moment, panting as she let the blade ever so slightly graze his skin.
Once she started hearing the clapping behind her, she lowered Dark Sister and took a step back to catch her breath. Cley stood up from his kneeling position in the dirt, then bowed to her once, avoiding her eyes completely. Elaena had no idea what was going through his mind, but deep down she felt like he hadn't wanted to do that. Once he was finished bowing he began to walk away. Elaena could see Alicent beckoning him to her, but he ignored her, walking past everyone to go back inside the castle.
Not knowing what to make of this, Elaena turned to walk back towards Daemon and the rest of their family. As she approached she could see the worry clouding his eyes. He immediately lifted a hand to her face, gently feeling the skin underneath the cut on her cheek.
"Are you alright?" he asked, examining her closely.
"I'm fine," she said with a small smile, "It's barely a scratch."
The worry in his eyes slowly turned to pride, a smile of his own raising on his lips. "You did well."
"I did, didn't I?" she said lightly.
"Well done, cousin," Viserys laughed, happy that the tension of everything seemed to have lifted. "I should name you to be on my Kingsguard with talent like that."
"She's amazing, isn't she?" Daemon asked, staring at her with a small smile on his lips. The way he was looking at her made Elaena blush, for it felt more intimate than if he were to kiss her in front of everyone. But of course, Alicent had to step in and ruin the moment.
"She really is," Alicent smiled, looking from her husband to Elaena now. "Did you get any pointers from Ser Harwin? I hear he's quite the fighter himself."
The air around them all grew thick and silent again, no one knowing how to respond to this plain and obvious dig. It was no secret that the Queen was upset Harwin didn't get exiled, and that she was upset Cley didn't defeat Elaena. But no one thought she would be this open with these feelings, and before Viserys as well. It was apparent to Elaena that the woman was letting her emotions cloud her judgement.
"Yes, actually, he did," Elaena lied, a small smile of her own forming on her lips as she spoke. "Yesterday morning in the gardens as a matter of fact...right before I heard Rhaenyra was giving birth."
Alicent's smile dropped completely from her face when Elaena said this, knowing exactly what she meant. Without saying it, Elaena told her she knew what had been said and done between her and Cley. And while Elaena's threat went over everyone else's heads, they certainly could feel the tension between the two women.
Before anyone could say anything to diffuse it or ask what it was, a squire approached the King with a solemn look.
"I am sorry to disturb all of Your Graces, but there's urgent news from the Velaryons in Driftmark," he said, his eyes flitting back and forth between all of the Targaryens. They all waited for him to continue, but he seemed too petrified by the tension around him to speak.
"Well what is it?" Viserys finally asked.
"Your Grace, I'm sorry to tell you," he said slowly, looking to Rhaenyra once before turning back to the King. "But Laena Velaryon has died."
"How?" Rhaenyra asked immediately, sitting up in her seat and clutching her baby closer to her chest.
"She was with her husband Ser Tyland Lannister, your master of ships, Your Grace. As you know the two were headed to Driftmark to discuss sending the Velaryon fleet to the Stepstones," the man continued, swallowing roughly. "But it seems before they made it to Driftmark she died. In her sleep, no less."
"She's only twenty-three, how could she have died in her sleep?" Elaena asked, feeling confused more than anything.
"The inn she was sleeping in burned down," the man said with a small voice, "Ser Tyland barely escaped with his own life, he could not save her."
Everyone fell silent, looking to each other with wide eyes at this grave news.
"I must go and write to Lord Corlys and my cousin at once," Viserys said, standing weakly from his chair. Alicent immediately went to help him, giving him her arm. She gave one last glare to Elaena before she left, letting her know that this wasn't over between them.
"I need to speak with my husband," Rhaenyra muttered, also standing up. She turned to her sons with a stern face before leaving behind her father and stepmother. "Go back to your chambers, boys."
Only Elaena, Daemon, and their own children remained behind now. Aemon and Viseryn entertained Rhaena after getting a knowing look from their father, allowing their parents to speak privately. The two of them looked to each other, both of them feeling the same way. Once no one was in hearing range of them, Elaena spoke.
"The inn caught on fire...and she burned in her sleep?" Elaena asked, her eyebrows raised. "Tell me I'm not the only one who thinks this story is suspicious."
"You're not, I don't believe any of it for a second. But what the truth is I don't know."
"It was Alicent," Elaena said quietly. "I know it in my bones."
"Why would she be behind it?" he asked, seeming a bit confused. "She's done terrible things, we know this, but what would she have to gain by killing Laena Velaryon? It doesn't make sense. If anything I would think Tyland was behind it."
"That doesn't make sense either though," Elaena responded, shaking her head. "If the Lannisters wanted to gain something through murder they would have done away with Laenor and Lucerys, making Laena and Tyland the sole heirs to Driftmark. It couldn't have been them."
"Well if you're right, if Alicent was behind it, why would she do it?"
"Don't you see?" Elaena whispered, looking around to make sure no one was listening. "The Velaryons will always support Rhaenyra's claim to the throne because their son is to be her King consort one day. And their grandchildren will inherit the iron throne afterwards."
"And?" Daemon asked, sensing she wasn't done.
"And Laena rode Vhagar, the largest and most powerful dragon since Balerion the Dread," Elaena said softly, though her tone was dark. "Alicent is picking off every threat to her Aegon one by one. She's proven time and time again that she will do anything to eliminate or weaken Rhaenyra's supporters...she'll do anything to see that her son sits the Iron Throne."
Four Days Later
"Come on!" Aemon shouted, pulling his mother's hand with him excitedly. "We're going to miss it!"
"Alright, alright, I'm going as fast as I can," Elaena laughed, running behind the rest of her family towards the dragonpit. It was late at night, and the children had just gone to bed when they got the news that Rhaena's dragon was hatching. So despite it being far past any of their bed times, every Targaryen child and parent left their beds to go witness the event. Even though every Targaryen in King's Landing had seen the hatching of a dragon before, it was still a magical and awe-filling thing to behold.
Ever since Viseryn's dragon Baemex had been born few months ago, Rhaena had been insistent on trying to get her own egg to hatch. And now it was finally happening, she shrieked with excitement in her father's arms as they all ran. Once inside the dragonpit, they gathered the circular stand of hot coals where the egg sat. Everyone slowly surrounded Elaena's family, looking down to see the gentle rattling of the dragon trying to make its way out.
"Mummy she's hatching!" Rhaena said gleefully, not taking her eyes off of the egg before her. Rhaena lifted the burning hot and pitch black egg into her hands, the short flames surrounding the coals underneath dancing in her eyes as she watched her dragon slowly emerge.
"I can see that," Elaena smiled, looking to Daemon as he wrapped his arm around her waist.
Everyone gasped a little as the dragon broke through the egg, it's small and oil colored wing stretched upwards. Rhaena giggled as the dragon continued making its way out, revealing it's face to them all. Small traces of red peered through from under the dark scales of its body as it moved, immediately crawling up Rhaena's arm. Everyone watched in complete awe as Rhaena stroked the creature, the instant bond between the two apparent to them all.
"All three of my children with their own dragons," Daemon said quietly, pride beaming from his eyes. "All three true Targaryens."
While when he said this he hadn't meant anything other than his own expression of happiness, he received a few glares from Alicent and their children. Her second son Aemond's egg still hadn't hatched. It was a sore subject, and while Daemon didn't like Alicent one bit he had never intended to hurt the small boy. Before he could say anything to remedy the awkward situation, the child turned to his mother with anger in his eyes.
"How come she gets a dragon and all I get is a pig with wings?" he shouted, sounding exasperated.
"Aemond," Viserys said sharply, trying to keep the boy in check.
"Just because your egg hasn't hatched yet doesn't mean it won't, it doesn't mean you aren't a true Targaryen," Alicent said, hugging the boy gently as she stared daggers into Daemon.
"I'm older than her," Aemond continued, unable to help himself as he looked to Rhaena. "Onyx should be mine."
The young boy lunged forward, trying to take the baby dragon out of Rhaena's hands for himself. Rhaena immediately started to cry, the little girl not understanding what was going on, not understanding why everyone wasn't as happy as she was.
"Onyx isn't yours!" Viseryn said angrily, stepping in to protect his sister. Both he and Aemon moved to retrieve the dragon from their cousin's hands, and before all the parents knew it each and every one of the children were wrestling with each other for the small creature. Rhaenyra's children tried to help Elaena's in getting the dragon back, but Aegon was much stronger than them all, pushing them away to protect his little brother with ease.
Elaena scooped up her crying daughter, trying to console her as Daemon stepped towards the children. She looked to Rhaenyra who was holding Joffrey, the two of them exchanging a glance before turning back to watch the fight with wide eyes. Daemon, as well as Viserys and Alicent, tried breaking it up but they were too far outnumbered by the six boys all going at it, each of them slipping through their fingers like sand.
Before anything else could happen Onyx defended herself, screeching loudly before blowing a small puff of fire onto Aemond's hand. Aemond shouted with fear, dropping the dragon onto the floor and taking a step back with betrayal in his eyes.
"Onyx!" Rhaena cried, watching as her dragon landed on the floor.
"What is the matter with you?" Viserys asked with bewilderment, shaking his head as he turned to his youngest son. "Look at what you've done to your youngest cousin, a little girl of only five years!"
Aemond's face turned red as Viserys scolded him, his eyes welling with tears. Alicent stood silently with her hand on Aemond's shoulder, knowing that anything she would say wouldn't help her or her son's case. Daemon gently grabbed both of his sons now, pulling them back and away from the scene as Rhaenyra called her own to her. Once the chaos had been disbanded, Viserys slowly bent down, picking up the dragon in his hand with a small and frustrated sigh. But once he was standing up straight he had a smile on his face, walking towards Rhaena to give Onyx back to her.
"There you are, sweet girl," Viserys said gently. Once Rhaena had grabbed the dragon from him, he looked to Elaena with worried eyes. It was clear to them all in this moment that the fighting between the parents had been passed onto their children. Each of them had taken sides within less than a second of fighting breaking out, the lines drawn in the sand between the family members with no question as to who stood on which side.
"Do you think she's hurt?" Rhaena asked, her voice small and filled with tears.
"No, my darling," Elaena said, holding tighter onto her daughter. She let the small dragon in Rhaena's hands draw her attention as Viserys turned back to his wife and sons.
"Dragons are strong beasts," Daemon started, giving his daughter a small kiss on her head. "It'll take a lot more than a family squabble to hurt them."
Despite both her parents meaning well Rhaena didn't seem to believe them, gently petting Onyx's head as she sniffled.
"Up to your rooms, now." Elaena heard Viserys say quietly. She looked up to see Alicent and her two sons leaving the dragonpit, Viserys trailing slowly behind them. What was supposed to be an exciting and happy moment had turned so sour.
Once they were gone, Rhaenyra walked over to them, her face grim as she looked to Daemon. "May I speak to Elaena for a moment...alone?"
Daemon looked at Rhaenyra silently, then back to his wife with a small nod. He quickly put a happy face on for his daughter, taking her from her mother's arms and setting her down. "Come on, my darling, let's go introduce Onyx to your brothers, as well as Jace and Luke before we have to go back to bed."
"Okay," Rhaena said softly, walking slowly with the dragon in her tiny clutch towards her brothers and trusted cousins.
"Thank you," Elaena said quietly, reaching to give his hand a small squeeze before he left. Once Daemon and Rhaena were with the other children and could no longer hear them, Elaena turned to Rhaenyra. "What is it?"
"I wanted to ask if your offer still stood," Rhaenyra started, her face serious. "For me and my family to go to Dragonstone with you?"
"Of course it does," Elaena exhaled, feeling such relief at these words. "Why wouldn't it?"
"I wasn't sure if Daemon was aware of this offer," Rhaenyra whispered, glancing at him. "And even if he did I wasn't sure if either of you'd be willing to have me after I so blatantly shut the idea down."
"We're always here for you, Nyra," Elaena responded, shaking her head, "Can I ask what made you change your mind?"
"What hasn't changed my mind?" Rhaenyra asked, looking to their children with concern. "The incident with Harwin may have resulted in our favor this time, but it won't always. Alicent will stop at nothing to see my boys disinherited, to see me disinherited. And now Laena is dead no doubt by her hand too... The dangers and threats are piling up faster than I can deal with them...I won't let my children remain in danger here any longer, or yours either, not for my sake."
"Then make sure you and your family have everything you need ready to go," Elaena said gravely, "After we attend Laena's funeral in Driftmark we'll go straight to Dragonstone together. So bring everything you can, including all the men you have that you can trust. We'll go to Dragonstone, and we'll prepare ourselves for what we know is to come. We'll gain our strength together, where all of our children are safe."
"They'll never be safe," Rhaenyra whispered, her eyes filling with dread. "Not truly. But I suppose this is the best option we have."
Elaena nodded, then looked to Daemon. He was watching the two of them speak, his eyes narrowed and ears sharp to pick up on anything. "I should go tell Daemon, before he thinks we're plotting something with out him."
"I assure you, El, he's already thinking that," Rhaenyra laughed lightly, placing her hand on Elaena's arm. She then walked away from her, moving to fetch her sons and leave Elaena alone with her family.
Elaena silently beckoned Daemon to her now, waiting as he quickly told the children to go give Onyx to the dragonkeepers. He then walked towards his wife, a wary look in his eye.
"What was that all about?" he asked, watching her closely.
"I made Rhaenyra an offer a few weeks ago, one that would help us all, and she just agreed to take it," Elaena said quietly, unable to keep from smiling a little.
"You're going to have be a bit less vague than that my love," Daemon said, having no idea what she was talking about.
"Rhaenyra's decided to go with us back to Dragonstone, where we can all make our next move in this war safely," Elaena responded.
"Really?" he asked, his eyebrows lifting a little.
Elaena could hardly speak, feeling relief seep into every inch of body. "We're going home, Daemon."
"And you both just decided that right now?" he asked, laughing a little in disbelief.
"Yes and no, like I said I offered our home to her weeks ago and she rejected it," Elaena started, "I didn't want to tell you about it until she agreed to it, which she just has."
"Why didn't you want to tell me?"
"I knew how badly you wanted to go home. I wanted her to make the decision to come with us on her own...rather than have you kidnap her in the night and bring her with us whether she liked it or not," Elaena laughed lightly.
Daemon's smile widened as he nodded, knowing that this was something he likely would have done to get his wife and children back home to safety. "So when do we leave?"
"After we go to Laena's funeral in Driftmark," she responded, her smile fading a little.
"We need them on our side, Elaena," he said quietly, the gears in his mind turning. "We have to get the Velaryons to not only be Rhaenyra's allies, but to be our allies as well."
"How are we going to do that after what we did to their son?" she asked, shaking her head. "Time heals lots of things, but they all made it very clear to me the last time we spoke that they would never forgive me for jilting Lucerys to marry you."
"None of that matters now," Daemon responded, his jaw clenching a bit. "You'd be surprised what a common enemy can do to bring people together...Alicent was behind their daughter's death, we know that. We just have to get them to see it too."
"And how do we do that without any proof? All we know is that she died in a fire-"
"A fire in which Tyland Lannister survived," Daemon interrupted, an idea glistening in his eye. "And surely he'll be at Driftmark as well to attend his late wife's funeral."
"What are you saying, Daemon?" she asked, feeling nervous as she picked up on the underlying threat.
"I'm saying I'll get him to talk."
"Well you can't bloody torture him," Elaena exhaled, "Even though we're Targaryens, he's still a Lannister. We can't afford to make more enemies."
"He's already an enemy, all of the Lannisters are if they were in on this for Alicent," Daemon said firmly, taking her hands into his own. "War is brewing between us all, you know that. By the end of it all every great house and small house alike will have chosen a side to fight for-"
"Mummy," Rhaena called, interrupting their conversation. The two immediately stopped talking as they saw their daughter approaching them, her arms held up in the air for one of them to carry her.
"Come here, my darling," Elaena said sweetly, immediately putting on a small smile as she bent down to pick her up. Once Rhaena was hoisted up into her arms she laid her head on her mother's shoulder, sniffling lightly.
"They had to take Onyx away," she mumbled into Elaena's neck.
"I know, we'll come back first thing in the morning to visit her, I promise," Elaena said soothingly, looking at Daemon with a sad smile.
"What if she gets lonely tonight without me?" Rhaena whispered, gently grabbing the valyrian steel necklace around her mother's neck. Her tiny fingers toyed with it, waiting for an answer.
"She's going to be with your brother's dragons, she won't get lonely," Daemon assured her.
"Okay," Rhaena exhaled sadly, the breath warm against her mother's skin. She closed her eyes as Elaena rubbed small circles on her back, the cool metal of the rings on her fingers soothing to the small girl.
"Let's get her upstairs for bed, alright? We can talk more once they're asleep," Daemon said softly, looking at his daughter as he spoke to Elaena. He then turned around and called the boys back to him. So tired from being up late, the only child who wasn't asleep and being carried up the stairs to their tower was eight-year old Aemon. He held onto his mother's hand as they walked, swaying with heavy eyes. Towards the top of the stairs Elaena looked back over her shoulder at Daemon, who was carrying Viseryn.
"This might be one of the last times I can do something like this," Elaena whispered, smiling a little at him as she continued up. "They're getting too heavy for it."
"I know, and it doesn't help that they become dead weight when they're asleep," Dameon said, chuckling lightly.
The two of them continued to laugh as quietly as they could, the soft sound echoing in the empty halls as they approached their door. But the sound of their happiness quickly faded, seeing that Cley was stationed outside their door for the night. The air around the three adults was suddenly stiff, each of them silent as they all neared each other.
"What are you doing here?" Elaena asked quietly, standing in front of Cley with narrow eyes.
"This is where I was posted for the night, Your Grace," he said callously, obviously not wanting to be here as much as she didn't him to be.
"Daemon, could I have a moment alone to speak with Ser Cley?" Elaena asked, but both of the men could tell that she wasn't looking for permission so much as telling him. Cley stood with a bitter look on his face, knowing he wasn't going to like where their conversation went.
"Let me take her in then," Daemon said, looking to Rhaena.
Elaena slowly handed him their sleeping daughter, careful not to wake her up. Once he had both of his youngest in either arm he gave his a wife a small kiss on the cheek.
"I'll be there in a moment," Elaena smiled, rustling the hair on Aemon's head lightly as he followed his father into their living quarters. Once the door was closed, Elaena's smile fell completely off her face.
"What is it you'd like to speak to me about, Your Grace?" Cley asked coldly.
"I don't want you near my family, I'd like for you to go," she immediately said, not hesitating for a second. "We don't need you here to protect us."
"No, I suppose you don't," Cley exhaled through his nose passively aggressively, "You did a fine job defending yourself in the training guards the other day, you certainly don't need anyone to do it for you."
"Do you want me to apologize for that?" Elaena scoffed. "Is your ego truly so easily wounded?"
"I don't care that you beat me in a duel, I don't need an apology for that," he responded more angrily, forgetting the decorum he was supposed to carry while speaking to her.
"Of course not... what you really want is an apology for what happened over a decade ago," Elaena laughed dryly, shaking her head at him. "You always knew how I felt about Daemon, you knew I wouldn't choose anyone else besides him. But even if you hadn't known that, how is it that after all these years you're still hanging on to to this grudge?"
"You've been known to hang on to grudges as well from what I've heard over the years," he said hostily, shaking his head at her.
"Then you've also heard that those I hold the grudges against don't fare well. Tell me, how did the Starks take the news of what I did to Lynara once you were back in Winterfell?"
"I wasn't talking about Lynara," he said slowly, his eyes moving to her stomach. "I was talking about what you blame the Queen for."
"Don't you dare bring what happened to my daughter into this, it's not any of your business," she whispered, feeling herself start to tremble. "Leave, now. I don't want you anywhere near me or my family-"
"Do you think I'd do anything to hurt your children?" he asked with exasperation, almost seeming offended by her words. "When have I ever given you any reason not to trust me? In our years together I only ever protected you-"
"I don't have to explain myself to you, I am a princess with Valyrian blood in my veins-"
"Don't play that card with me," he scoffed, not caring that he was speaking out of turn. "After everything I did for you, after spending years of my life in service to you, I think you owe me more than that."
"You want to know why I don't trust you?" she asked, feeling tears start to spill from her eyes. Her voice turned from fiery anger to a freezing outrage within a split second. She knew she shouldn't say what she was about to, but she felt too overcome with emotions to hold herself back. "I saw you with Alicent in the gardens last week, I heard what you two said about me."
Cley stood completely still, his bitter silence enough of an answer for her.
"You told her that you felt nothing for me anymore, that your allegiances lied with her. And when she told you there would come a time for you to prove that allegiance by acting against me, you promised you would do it no matter what it was," Elaena said, her teeth grinding on each other roughly. "So now that you understand why I don't trust you, I want you to leave."
"I'm not your enemy Elaena," he said quietly, his eyes turning softer.
"But you are!" she said angrily. "You have been since the moment I saw you with her."
"Elaena-"
"Just go!" she shouted, her tears falling faster now. Her voice weakened as she looked at him, "If you have even the smallest amount of respect for the friendship we once had, you'll leave me and my family alone."
The door behind her opened, Daemon finally interrupting after hearing her shout. Elaena stood silently, staring at Cley through her tear-filled eyes. Daemon looked to him with a much more severe hatred and strength than Elaena was capable of in this moment.
"You have two seconds to get out before I take your head clean off your shoulders," Daemon said, his voice sharp like a thousand blades.
Cley swallowed roughly, looking down with reddened cheeks as he bowed. He then turned around, walking down the stairs with his head hanging low. Once he was out of sight Elaena felt her tears continue, a small cry escaping her lips.
"Elaena, what happened?" he asked quickly, putting his hands on her shoulders to look at her. "Did he hurt you?"
"No, I'm fine-"
"You're not fine," he interrupted, shaking his head. "So tell me what happened."
After going inside, the two of them sat by the blazing fire, talking for what seemed like hours. Elaena finally told him everything that she had learned on her own since being in King's Landing, feeling the weight of the secrecy lift off her shoulders as she spoke. She expected Daemon to react angrily, to be livid that she kept all of this from him knowing that the dangers were worse than either of them thought them to be. But he only listened silently, letting her fully explain herself before showing even the slightest of reactions.
When she had finished talking, she waited, examining his face for even one small clue as to what he was thinking. But he wasn't giving anything away, just sitting silently and thinking.
"Daemon say something," she whispered, fearing what was to come next.
He exhaled a little, looking at the floor as he collected his words. "I understand why you wanted to stay, why you wanted to help Rhaenyra."
"You do?"
"But I don't understand not telling me," he said more angrily, finally showing something other than stoicness. "First you kept the fact that you offered Dragonstone to Rhaenyra from me, then you go and say that you've hiding what you heard Alicent say in the gardens-"
"The only reason I didn't tell you any of this is because I knew you would want to immediately go back," Elaena said, tears resting in her eyelashes.
"That doesn't matter, Elaena, we've already talked about this," he said frustratedly, standing from his seat on the armchair. He walked over to the fireplace, leaning on the mantle as he composed himself again. "Before we left Dragonstone you promised me that we were walking into this as a team. That we would make these decisions together. And here you've gone again and made them all by yourself."
"Daemon, I'm sorry," she said sotly, her lip trembling. This was what she was afraid of.
"What if something had happened to the children? To Rhaena?" he asked, looking to her over his shoulder from his position in front of the fire.
"Nothing did happen-"
"But what if something had?" he asked louder now, gripping the stone mantle. "You just don't get to make these decisions by yourself Elaena, we married each other for a reason! We're partners, we're meant to face these things together!"
"I'm sorry," she said quietly, her voice cracking as she spoke. She stood up, slowly walking towards him until she stood right underneath him. He closed his eyes as she placed her hands on his face, his jaw clenched tightly. "Please- just- just look at me-"
He slowly opened his eyes, the whites around them red with frustration, but he didn't say anything.
"I know I should have told you," she whispered, keeping her hands on his face. "But I'm only human and I was afraid. Please don't shut me out, please."
She lifted herself up on her toes, kissing him softly through her tears. She then planted her lips on either cheek, "Please, Daemon."
She put her mouth on his once more, pouring her apologies into him. She felt his hands slowly move to hold her waist, pulling her closer to his body. She breathed out of her nose with relief as she wrapped her arms around his neck, not letting him change his mind.
"We won't survive this war unless we fight it together, Elaena," he muttered against her lips.
"I know," she whispered, nodding a little, "I won't ever hide anything from you again, I promise."
This time it was him to press his lips on hers, kissing her in a way that sealed this promise forever. His lips moved slowly against hers, drawing out every last inch of breath from her lungs before he pulled back. When she opened her eyes she saw him already looking at her.
"It's not fair," he said to himself, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.
"What isn't?"
"You," he muttered after taking a deep breath in.
"Me?" she asked, feeling her brows furrow with worry. But as soon as she said this a small smile lifted on his lips, replacing the anger that had been there before.
"One kiss and you make me forget why I'm angry with you," he continued, brushing his fingers along the smooth skin of her cheek now. "Are you sure you're not a witch, or a siren maybe?"
"What?" she laughed, standing in his arms with a bit of disbelief. "A siren?"
"Yes... a beautiful creature using her powers of seduction to make a man forget his own mind."
"You think I'm trying to seduce you right now?" she asked, her eyebrows raising as her smile widened.
"No, but it's working all the same," he responded, gently kissing her once more.
Elaena felt her body melt into his as he pulled her closer, only able to think about one thing. If anyone had seduced someone in their relationship, it had been him seducing her. With every touch his body made against her skin she could feel herself falling into him, completely under the spell he had put on her. Neither one of them easily backed down from anyone, they never allowed for anyone to hold power over them, except with each other. When the two were alone they both finally caved from having to be the strongest versions of themselves, no longer having to pretend not to have any weaknesses... for their weaknesses were each other.
Daemon moved to push the sleeve of her dress off of her shoulder, his lips gently pressing against her skin.
"Daemon, we should go to our room-" Elaena said, but her words were quickly cut off by the shivers down her spine after he kissed just behind her ear. "What if the kids come out and see us-"
"They won't, they're fast asleep," he murmured against her skin.
"Even so-" she shuddered, tightening her hand around the base of his neck. "We should get our things packed-"
"It can wait," he continued, walking in a small circle until he stood behind her. He slowly tore the back of her dress open, exposing her bare skin to his touch.
Unable to come up with any more excuses, she turned around to kiss him, allowing her desires to take over any reason. The two of them slowly started to undress each other, not allowing their lips to part from each other as they did so unless absolutely necessary. Once they were both undressed, they took a small step back to admire each other's naked bodies under the warm glow of the fire.
"Seven hells, you're beautiful. More beautiful than I deserve," he said with smirk on his lips, slowly lowering his wife to the ground to lay her on the fur rug before the fire.
"You don't have to try and flatter me, Daemon, you know I already married you, right?" she asked, the sound of her laugh sweet like honey to his ears.
"I know I don't have to, but I want to," he said a bit more seriously, looking down at her face as he laid on top of her. "I want you to know how much I love you."
"I already know," she whispered, smiling up at him.
He leaned down to kiss her again, his naked body resting flush against her. To give him the permission to continue she spread her legs out to the side and pulled him down closer to her by the neck. But rather than fuck her he slid down her body, his hands grabbing her breasts as he positioned his mouth at her cunt. Elaena choked on the air in her lungs as he pressed his lips to her, licking her wet folds so delicately it made her whole body tremble.
"Fuck, you taste so good," he groaned, moving her legs so that they rested over his shoulders. He gripped her thighs tightly, holding her in place as she breathed in sharply. He continued until she couldn't possibly be more wet, then trailed his mouth up from cunt to her chest. He took one of her breasts into his mouth, his teeth gently grazing the tender skin.
She watched him taste her with a satisfied smile on her lips, working her hands through the mess of hair atop his head. Once he had enough he greedily kissed her lips, wanting for more of her. Before she had the chance to satisfy him in any way on her own, he thrusted his hips forward into her. A large smile spread across his face as his cock moved slowly back and forth inside her, and it spread even further when he heard her deep moan in reaction to it. His greatest pleasure in being with her had always been to see her every desire filled, and even more than that to see that he was the only one who could fill it.
Elaena could feel sweat from both the heat of the fire and his body on hers rising on her skin. Her cheeks and chest flushed red with warmth as she felt her walls burn, making her breathing harder to control. Their tongues tangled together as he fucked her, the only sounds in the room being that of their bodies meeting over and over again.
"Fuck-" she cried, digging her nails into the skin on his back. "Please, Daemon-"
"Shh," he hushed her, his sweaty hand slowly wrapping itself around her neck as he smiled. "The children might hear you if you get too loud."
Only seconds after saying this he started moving quicker inside her, forgetting his own warnings as he grunted in her ear. His cock throbbed inside her, only making her own pleasure uncontrollable.
"Fuck I'm coming-"
"Seven hells," he grunted, the feeling of her walls closing in around him making it unbearable to hold himself back any longer. Both of their bodies collapsed into each other as they came, feeling every inch of their partner's skin on their own.
Elaena brought his face into her hands to kiss him again, tasting him as he poured himself into her. They both laid in each other's arms before the fire for while, sweating as they tried to catch their breath. Daemon had closed his eyes, resting his head against her chest. She slowly intertwined her fingers in his hair, holding his head against her as she watched his fingers graze her breasts.
"Daemon," she said quietly, looking at his peaceful face resting on her.
He kept his eyes closed, breathing gently as he spoke, "Yes, my love?"
"I want you to know I trust you, more than anyone," she whispered, feeling the words catch in her throat. "I'm sorry if my keeping things from you made it feel like I don't."
He slowly opened his eyes, looking back at her with soft eyes, "It's all in the past now, darling. At the end of the day we came here together, and we're leaving together. And we can go home knowing that we accomplished what we set out to do."
"You don't wish we never came? That we had just stayed home?" she asked, unable to help but think about the what ifs.
"No, I don't," he said after a moment of pondering, "I know I was adamant about not leaving but I'm glad we did. If we hadn't come we'd still be two steps behind in the war to come. It's because we came back that we'll be ready for it."
"I suppose you're right," Elaena nodded, smiling sadly.
"As well as all that, I got to see my beautiful wife beat that fucking twat they call a member of the Kingsguard in a duel," he said with amusement, making her laugh loudly now.
"Daemon!" she giggled, swatting at him a little.
"Oh come on, you know it's true," he said, smiling as he saw her eyes light up a little. The two remained laying together, smiling in each other's arms and unable to move. They both knew that it was late, that they should pack the rest of their things and head off to bed before the impending trip to Driftmark, but all they wanted was for this moment of peace and happiness to be prolonged. Moments like these were not so easily found at King's Landing as they were in Dragonstone, and with Rhaenyra and her army moving back with them they knew they would only become scarcer.
"I love you, Daemon."
"And I, you."
Author's Note: Ok so I know this chapter was a bit all over the place with different things happening, and 99.99% of the content was completely of my own making. But I had a lot of different scenes I wanted to include to prepare ourselves for the next epsidode. As I'm sure you all know, we will be going to Driftmark in the next episode/chapter, and following that we'll see them all go to Dragonstone as the final culmination of events leading up to the civil war.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and would love to know what y'all think! The next chapter will most likely be relased Sunday night after the ariing of the episode around midnight. So check back in around then or the next morning to continue reading... until then!