Author's Note: Hi everyone, here's another chapter to tide you over until the next episode. I'm recovering pretty well from Covid, but still feeling super groggy and slow, so forgive me for it being a bit shorter than usual again. Hopefully by Sunday I will be back to normal energy wise and can start cranking out those longer chapters again.
But until then, this chapter will be a bit of a tease for what's to come with the last three episodes ahead of us... as you all know episode eight will start after the final time jump to when the children are all aged up to adults ... and during this time Elaena, Daemon, Rhaenyra, and the rest of her supporters are at Dragonstone.
So this chapter is set in the few weeks prior to the eighth episode's events, it will showcase what all of the children's teenage relationships are like with each other, and it will also show the relationships that Elaena/Daemon have with the rest of Rhaenyra's supporters...all of it is in preparation for episode eight's events...eek I can't wait! Happy reading ❤️
Disclaimer: Sexual Content
THE DRAGON & THE ROSE - EPISODE SEVEN/PART THREE
Eight Years Later
It was a warm day at Dragstone despite the fact that summer was ending, one warm enough for everyone to be out on the beach without their cloaks. It had been over a year since anyone had felt heat like this, and they were taking advantage of it before winter's cruel frost would start to blow over.
Elaena leaned back in her chair resting in the sand, covering her eyes with her hand to block the sun as she looked to Daemon. His eyes were closed and a small smile rested on his lips as he listened to all of the children fighting.
"That's not fair-" Baella shouted, looking to Rhaena for support. The two had grown incredibly close in their years at Dragonstone being the only girls. They reminded Elaena of herself and Rhaenyra when they were young. Baella and Rhaena were each other's partners in everything, whether it was mischievous or harmless.
"I say we start over, this time with no cheating," Rhaena said with narrowed eyes at her brothers.
"A cripple needs every advantage he can get," Aemon laughed, showcasing his mangled wrist. After the fight eight years ago with his cousins his wrist and hand never healed properly despite the maester's best efforts, the bones had healed stiffly and remained contorted in odd ways.
"You're not a cripple, you can still use your hand," Rhaena refuted, scoffing as she looked to Baella.
"Not very well he can't," Viseryn chuckled, knocking the sword out of his brother's hand with his own. Aemon immediately started chasing his brother down the beach, their long legs and bare feet moving fast in the dark sand.
"Get him Aemon!" Jacaerys shouted, clapping his hands together.
"Run, Vis!" Lucerys called out, looking to his little brother Joffrey with a smile.
Finally Aemon caught up to Viseryn, lunging forward and catching him roughly. The two fell to the ground, the waves washing over them as they playfully brawled. By the end of it the two boys were both laying in the shoreline on their backs, laughing so hard they could hardly breathe. Waves washed over their legs as they laid there, catching their breath.
After a moment the two saw this as their perfect opportunity, then stood to run forward together towards the ones watching. They sprinted across the sand with their arms wide open, threatening to get their sister and cousins as sandy and wet as they were.
"No!" Rhaena shouted, smiling as she backed away from her brother Viseryn.
"Come here, little sis," Viseryn laughed, dancing around her with his arms stretched out. Once Rhaena looked behind her and saw that Jace had joined in, cornering her between them, she made a mad dash to the side to try and escape towards Baella.
But when she looked up her cousin had already been caught by Aemon, Luke, and Joff. Viseryn quickly lifted Rhaena off the ground, carting her off to the ocean behind the rest of their cousins.
"Put me down, Vis!" Rhaena laughed, swatting at his back as he carried her over his shoulder. Once all the boys got to the ocean they tossed the girls in, soaking them from head to toe.
"Now you've done it!" Baella shouted, splashing the sea water at them.
Elaena, Daemon, and Rhaenyra all laughed lightly, watching as all of the children tried to drag each other into the ocean. There wasn't a care in the world in the children's eyes, not a thing that could distract any of them from the pure happiness they were experiencing.
"Gods be good," Rhaenyra chuckled, looking to her cousins with a bright smile, "It seems like a whole lifetime ago since it was us playing around like that."
"That's because it was a lifetime ago," Elaena responded, shaking her head as she looked back at their children.
"Seems like only yesterday for me," Daemon thought out loud.
"I'm glad they get this time with each other, like we did when we were young," Elaena sighed.
"So am I," Rhaenyra agreed. "I only regret they didn't get to live together like this their whole lives."
"Me too," Elaena said a bit more sadly, thinking about the many years they lost being together. It would have been nice for the children to have been raised from infancy through adulthood, sure, but in her heart Elaena knew that she had done the right thing all those years ago by initially raising them separately in Dragonstone.
While Dragonstone was technically Rhaenyra's birthright that she shared with Daemon and Elaena during that time, the couple had made it their family's home more than any other Targaryen ever had.
It was where all the children were born and raised, where they were able to be a family on their own. Because of their history with this place they initially had felt like it was them sharing Dragonstone with Rhaenyra, not the other way around.
But after a few years of the chaos and crowdedness they became used to Dragonstone being a place for their whole family to be. While Corlys and Laenor were off in the Stepstones together, Rhaenyra's children, Rhaenys, and Baella all stayed in the castle.
As well as that an entire legion of guards and servants that worked there also filled the halls. In many ways Dragonstone now felt like King's Landing once did, without Alicent and her supporters looming over them of course.
There was always something happening on the island, there was never a moment of true quiet like there had been before. And Elaena didn't expect any sense of peace to be happening anytime soon, not with all of the children now young adults coming into their own. When they were children she had a much firmer grip on them, but now that they were their own persons they had much more freedom.
Each and every one of them had grown into their own minds and bodies, and with that their opinions and actions had much more weight in the world's eyes.
Though she hadn't wanted it to ever happen, Elaena guiltily hoped that her cousin Viserys would pass away when the children were young, so that the fighting she knew would happen concerning Rhaenyra's ascension would be over before the children could be involved. But he had been hanging onto life for the past eight years just like the rest of them, making it so that when it was time for the war between the Greens and Blacks the children would likely be just as involved as their parents.
This scared Elaena to her core, knowing that with war came casualties. Each day she woke with a fear in her heart that the news would finally come from King's Landing that Viserys had died. She feared that Aegon would take the throne over Rhaenyra, resulting in a bloody and catastrophic fight within the family. She feared her children would fall in this fight.
But Daemon continued to tell her that she couldn't worry about what was to come in the future, all they could do now was appreciate what they had right in front of them. So she tried her best every day to take each moment as they came, including this one.
So she took a deep breath in and then exhaled the worries on her mind, focusing on the life right in front of her. But what she saw she didn't like. It seemed as if all of the children were starting to whisper to each other, each of them laughing here and there as they plotted.
"What do you think they're doing over there?" she asked, turning to her husband.
"I don't know but I think it's about us," Daemon replied, shaking his head a little.
As soon as he said this all of them dunked themselves in the ocean one last time, soaking every inch of their dresses and trousers. Once they had done this they rolled around in the sand, making sure that every grain they could get would stick to them. Once they were properly covered they started to run forward towards their parents, laughing loudly together.
"No!" Rhaenyra laughed, standing from her velvet covered chair on the beach. "Elaena, Daemon- protect me!"
Both Elaena and Daemon withdrew their swords, laughing lightly as the wet teenagers all approached.
"You'll have to beat us in combat if you think you have a chance of getting us all wet and dirty," Daemon laughed, twisting Blackfyre in his hand as he nodded to the pile of their swords nearby.
The children all looked to each other and scrambled back to their former spot on the beach to collect their swords, ready for the challenge. Elaena and Daemon looked to each other with a laugh, knowing that they were about to sorely lose this battle. Not only would it be seven against two, but they knew that they had trained all of their oppenents well.
Upon arriving at Dragonstone, they made it a paramount priority to have all of the children ready to defend themselves should the day come. So all of them, girls included, spent at least four hours a day from there on out training the art of the combat. After lunch they would all go learn with the maester, making sure that there minds were as sharp as their swords.
The husband and wife prepared themselves as the children neared them, roaring as they swung their swords. Elaena took on Jace, Baella, and Viseryn; while Daemon fended off Rhaena, Aemon, Luke, and Joffrey.
Rhaenyra laughed heartily behind them, watching and cheering on her cousins as they tried to defend her from the soaking wet children looking to tackle them.
"El, on your left!" Daemon shouted, laughing as his sword clanged against his daughter's.
Elaena jumped to the right, dodging her son's swing and then meeting Jace's with her own, "There's too many of them!"
All of the kids laughed together, then effectively teamed up to end this small showdown. Once Elaena and Daemon yielded they all swarmed, wrapping their sea-soaked arms around them with smiles.
"No!" Elaena cried dramatically, feeling the gritty salt and sand rub on her open arms with Viseryn's embrace. She looked to the side only to see that Rhaena had hopped up on Daemon's back, hugging him from behind as he tried to run away from Aemon and Luke.
By the end of it all, they had all fallen to the soft beach below them, laughing and covered in water and sand.
"Why?" Rhaenyra exclaimed, shaking her head as the youngest child of them all, Joffrey, planted a wet kiss on her cheek. Despite him only being eight years old, all the older children always let him tag along to play, and he loved it more than anything.
"We had to include you in the fun, mother," Joffrey laughed, rolling away in the sand as Rhaenyra sat up to tickle him.
"Oh you just had to include us did you?" Elaena asked, panting as she laid on her back.
"Yes, we did," Rhaena said triumphantly, jumping down off her father's back to give her mother a hand up. Once Elaena was standing Rhaena wrapped her arms around her mother, giving her a warm hug as she spoke. "The water felt too nice not to share it with you all."
"Alright, alright, you had your fun," Daemon chuckled, standing up and giving Aemon a pat on the back. "We should go and get washed up for supper now."
"Look at you being the strict one," Baella commented, a small smirk on her face as she looked to Viseryn.
"Honestly, father, I would have expected something like that from mother or Aunt Rhaenys, but not you," Viseryn commented, shaking his head with a joking dissaproval. "Can't we stay a little longer?"
"I want to go in," Jace said, looking to his mother, "I'm starving now."
"So am I," Aemon agreed.
"Then let's go wash up so we can eat," Elaena laughed, giving her daughter a quick kiss on the cheek before turning to her husband. Their hands immediately found each other, their fingers lacing together as they walked down the beach.
They trailed behind everyone else, watching as the separate groups of people drifted to the side to talk on their way back to the castle.
Rhaena and Baella immediately linked arms, the both of them whispering to each other and then laughing loudly. Aemon, Viseryn, Jace, and Luke all walked together, no doubt arguing about who had been better while dueling earlier. And then Joffrey walked with Rhaenyra, her arm strung over his shoulder.
"We have a beautiful family," Elaena thought out loud, looking up to Daemon.
"That we do," he responded, squeezing her hand gently.
"I wish we could stay here forever," Elaena sighed, looking out over the water now. "I wish we could have more days like this one on repeat."
"We will have more days like today," Daemon assured her, drawing her attention back to him as they walked up the stone stairs. "It may not last forever, but there'll be more, I promise."
"I hope so," Elaena nodded, giving him a small smile before changing the topic of conversation. "Rhaena is getting better with her sword, no?"
"That she is," Daemon affirmed, "She's nearly as good as Viseryn now despite having only started a few years ago."
"She's determined. Like you."
"And you," Daemon added. The two laughed a little together, walking hand in hand through the southern gate of Dragonstone. At this point, each of the children had all split up, taking the paths they needed to get to each of their rooms by themselves.
While Elaena had come to terms with the fact that she couldn't always be with her children for protection, she still felt a twinge of fear in her heart each time they left her sight. But so as not to make them feel smothered she choked down these feelings of fear, allowing them to wander with one of the guards for protection and then eventually on their own.
Over the last eight years Cley and Harwin both had been loyal guards, dedicating their lives to the protection of each Targaryen child. And while there weren't many times that a threat made itself apparent in which the children might need protection, when those times happened they didn't hesitate to do what was expected of them. And when they weren't on guard duty, they were dedicating their mornings to training each child to become even more skilled than they were.
Life was perfect as far as Elaena was concerned, and that's what worried her so much. She knew that the Gods only granted peace and happiness like the one she felt now just before a storm was to happen.
Once inside her and Daemon's chambers, she slowly began to untie the corset behind her, sighing a little to herself as she thought of all of this.
"Need a hand?" Daemon asked, his hands finding her own before she could respond to undress her.
"Thank you," she said softly, waiting for him to finish with the thick chord so she could take off the wet and sandy dress.
But once he was finished he didn't allow her to simply undress, rather, his lips found her neck. He placed soft kisses along the sandy skin on her neck, then traced all the way down across the long scar on her shoulder.
"Daemon, we need to clean up," Elaena laughed gently, closing her eyes as his lips trailed across her skin.
"Then let's clean up," he muttered, his hands finding her waist and squeezing tightly, "Together."
"Together?" Elaena asked, her eyebrows rising up her forehead as he slowly tugged the dress off of her shoudlers.
"Yes...together," he murmured, turning her around so that her lips found his own. She slowly intertwined her hands around his neck, holding him closer to her.
Their lips parted and closed onto each other gently, the two of them moving backwards towards the large washtub in the center of their room.
"We don't have much time-" Elaena exhaled, quickly grabbing the bottom of his shirt to pull over his head.
"So we'll be quick-" he responded, smirking as he tore the rest of the dress off of her body.
Elaena giggled lightly as she pressed her naked body against his, kissing him with a youthfull joy. She couldn't believe that she had ever hesitated to be with him in the past, that she had ever been scared to be with him.
When she was young one of her greatest reservations when it came to Daemon was that he might grow tired of her, that his eyes might wander from her to others who looked more appealing. But for the past eighteen years that they had been married the fire between them had never died, their lust for each other had never faded. If anything, each day that they spent together only made their love grow.
Both Elaena and Daemon slowly walked into the tub, sinking down into the hot water together. The steam from the water rose up around them, clouding their vision as they looked at each other.
"What are you smiling at?" she asked, shaking her head at him.
"You," he responded, his eyes wandering down her body and resting on her breasts. His eyes flicked back to hers, a glimmer of hunger for her behind them. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her through the water so that she was sitting right on top of him.
After reaching under herself to position him, she slowly sat further down on him, allowing his cock to go inside her. She slowly moved up and down on him, the water from the tub gently sloshing over the sides and onto the floor around them. His fingers dug into her hips inside the bath, while her own connected with each other around his neck.
Sweat started to drip off of her forehead as she slowly grinded against him, the heat from his body and the bath warming all of her skin. Elaena breathed him in deeply, her nose brushing against his own.
"That's it, my love," he muttered, encouraging her hips to keep doing as they were. Elaena moaned lightly, the sound of it and the water lapping against the sides of the tub filling Daemon's ears. He pressed his lips against hers, his tongue dancing gently with her own inside her mouth.
Elaena's hands rested on either side of his face, each kiss he gave her encouraging her to keep moving just as she was. It felt like he was breathing every inch of her soul into his own, his lips gently devouring her bit by bit.
"Fuck-" she groaned against his lips, feeling him deep inside of her. She continued moving slowly, rocking back and forth against him in a way that satisfied them both.
While their sexual activities certainly weren't as rambunctious as they used to be when they were younger, there was something more fulfilling about this kind of tender intimacy. The fire between them used to be a wild one, dangerous and enticing. The fire that burned now was a gentler one, but dependable and warming to the core.
Elaena kissed her husband deeply as she felt him come inside of her, tasting the sweat and sea on his lips. He groaned against her mouth, thrusting gently a few more times before wrapping his arms tighter around her waist.
"Let's just stay here," he murmured, slowly rubbing his hands up and down her slick and bare back.
"We can't miss supper, you know that," Elaena smiled, twisting the ends of his hair in her fingers.
"Why not? I'm not even hungry anymore...well...not for food that is," he responded, softly biting at her bottom lip. Elaena chuckled in his arms as he slowly started biting further down, his teeth grazing her neck.
"Even if you're not hungry, I am," Elaena laughed, pushing him off of her, "We can have plenty more fun here after we eat."
"Promise?" he asked, raising his brows at her.
"I promise."
"Fine," he grumbled, grabbing the soap bar, "Then let's finish washing so we can get it over with and get back here."
"Alright," she laughed, scooching herself back off of him. The two faced each other with their backs resting on either side of the iron tub, both of them watching their spouse with small smiles and wanting eyes.
Once she was done washing the sand off of her, Elaena stood up, the water running off of her naked body in front of him. She slowly stepped out, walking across their room to open the tall wardrobe containing her clothes.
"Seven hells," Daemon groaned, watching her from the tub, "Put a robe on we'll never make it down for supper."
"Have you no self-control?" Elaena laughed, grabbing one of the folded dresses to wear.
"No," he admitted, standing up to join her. "I don't."
"Stop it-" she giggled, pushing him off of her when he tried to go in for another kiss, "Go get dressed-"
"One more," he pleaded, standing tall above her as if to pin her in place.
"Just one," she responded, suppressing her smile as she kissed him again. While she had tried to make it a quick peck, he took advantage of the moment, kissing her in a way that made her slightly weak at the knees. She knew he was trying to sway her into staying, but she couldn't so easily be won over.
"There," she said lightly, forcing herself to step away. "Now get some clothes on."
"You're enjoying torturing me like this, admit it," he exhaled, grabbing a towel to dry off.
Elaena only smiled to herself, glad that after eighteen years of marriage she could still leave him wanting for more. After pulling on clean clothes he helped fix her hair, tucking in any of the flyaways behind the thick braids. To finish off her look, she clasped the valyrian steel necklace Daemon had given her so many years ago around her neck.
The two walked hand in hand to the dining hall once they were fully dressed, where everyone was already seated and waiting for them.
"About time you two got here," Rhaenys commented, taking a small sip of her wine. "The food is going cold, we were about to start without you."
"Sorry, cousin," Elaena said, giving her a kiss on the cheek before sitting down between Daemon and her daughter. "We got held up, but thank you for waiting."
"Let's dig in," Rhaenyra nodded, reaching across the table to grab a small roll of bread.
"Thank the gods, we've been starving down here," Viseryn said, stabbing a piece of duck off of the plate before him.
"Baella will you pass me the roasted potatoes?" Rhaena asked, sitting up in her chair as she looked at them.
"Here you are," Baella responded, passing the dish before eyeing up everything else on the table that she could choose from.
"I hear you all had fun on the beach today," Rhaenys said, turning to all of the children as she chewed.
All of the teenagers started to laugh quietly together, nodding in agreement as Jace spoke, "Oh yes, we even beat Uncle Daemon and Aunt Elaena in a sword fight."
"It was seven to two," Daemon scoffed, shaking his head at his nephew, "Hardly a fair fight."
"Fair or not," Viseryn smiled triumphantly, "We still won."
"Besides it's you who's always telling us that fighting is never fair," Aemon said, raising his eyebrows at his father.
"I agree," Rhaena smirked, looking to her brothers with knowing eyes and a deep voice as she began to quote their father's words, "'You either win or you lose, how you get in either position has never and will never matter'."
"I don't sound like that, do I?" Daemon chuckled, looking to his wife for backup. But she only smiled, taking another bite of her food in response.
The children all laughed together, knowing that Rhaena's impression of her father had been spot on. Daemon shook his head at them with a joking disapproval, then continued to eat.
"So, we know that all of your sword trainings are going well, but what about your work with the maester?" Rhaenyra asked, raising her eyebrows at them all. "I hear you've all been a bit lax in your studies as of late."
"He's making us study the Faith Militant Uprising after Aegon the Conqueror's death," Luke sighed, as if this was the worst thing he'd ever had to do. "It's bloody boring."
"Watch your language, young man," Daemon commented mindlessly, as if this was an everyday correction he was trying to fix.
"Sorry, Uncle Daemon," he responded, knowing that his uncle was right. Because all of these families had been living together for so long, it had become normal for all the adults to parent all of the children even if they weren't techically their own.
"Luke is right, though," Baella said frustratedly, defending her cousin, "It's hard to focus with Maester Barneby when the material is so boring."
"Boring as it may be it's important for you all to understand and know," Elaena told them, pausing her meal to say this, "You'll all be Kings or Queens or important Lords and Ladies some day. You all have to understand our history in order to rule well."
"Well what exactly would I be ruling?" Aemon asked, scoffing a little. "It's not like our family has it's own castle or title to be passed onto us."
"Well that's something I actually wanted to bring up tonight," Rhaenyra interjected, sitting up in her chair to turn to Elaena and Daemon. "I know that as the heir to the iron throne that Dragonstone is mine by right, but it has been you and Daemon's home more than it has ever been mine."
Everyone fell silent at the table, listening closely to what Rhaenyra had to say.
"One day I'll be living in King's Landing again, as Queen, and with my sons in line for the crown. I'd like to gift Dragonstone to you both permanently."
"Rhaenyra what do you mean?" Elaena asked, feeling confused.
"This is your home. And it will be in name now as well, with the title to pass down to your children and their own one day," Rhaenyra said with a small smile. "You will no longer just be Princess Elaena and Prince Daemon of house Targaryen. You'll forever be Prince and Princess of Dragonstone from here on out. If you'd like to be, that is."
Elaena looked to her husband with a wide smile, nodding before turning back to Rhaenyra with a joyous laugh, "Of course we would like that."
Elaena stood, walking over to Rhaenyra to give her a tight hug.
"Thank you, sister."
"Thank you, Rhaenyra," Daemon nodded, holding his cup of wine up to her in gratitude.
"You're both very welcome," Rhaenyra smiled, squeezing her tightly before pulling away. She lifted her goblet up in the air, turning to the rest of the table of warm smiles, "A toast, to the Prince and Princess of Dragonstone, and the ones to follow after them."
"Cheers!" Everyone chorused, clinking their cups together merrily before drinking. Elaena sat back down, looking to Daemon as she laughed with disbelief. He leaned forward, giving her soft kiss in celebration. The two took another long drink from their cup, then turned back to the rest of the table.
"There," Elaena sighed, smiling widely as she looked at her sons, "There's your reason to pay attention in lessons with maester Barneby, my future Princes of Dragonstone."
The two boys chuckled as they looked to each other, also in disbelief over what just happened. Not only were their honorary titles made true ones, they knew now that their home would forever be theirs. They would no longer technically be considered guests at Dragonstone, it was their home to pass onto the generations after them now. Everyone was happy with this news except for one: their little sister.
"Why do you look so glum, Rhaena?" Aemon teased, looking to her with a small laugh.
"Well it's all very nice that you two get to stay here, but I'll still be married off soon and forced to leave," Rhaena mumbled, stabbing a piece of duck with her fork.
"That won't be for a long time yet, my darling," Elaena assured her, rubbing her daughter's shoulder lightly for comfort.
"I'm nearly fourteen, it'll be expected of me soon will it not?" Rhaena asked with dread, making her stance on marriage clear to them all: she didn't want it.
"Well I didn't marry your father until I was twenty, you still have plenty of time before you're expected to," Elaena replied, looking to her husband with a small laugh, "Besides, we won't let you be stolen away from us quite yet."
"You won't?" Rhaena asked, her eyebrows furrowing a little. She was too much like her mother was at that age, disliking even the idea of marriage full-heartedly.
"Of course not, my darling," Elaena laughed lightly, giving her daughter a kiss on the cheek.
"And if anyone tries they'll have to go through me and your mother first," Daemon added, leaning forward to look across his wife to Rhaena. She smiled warmly at the both of them, glad to have this assurance that she wasn't to be shipped off with a stranger far away from them all.
Being so removed from the rest of world on Dragonstone, topics of this nature rarely came up within the family, everyone more focused on the day to day living before them. But now that conversation about titles and marriage and homes was in the air, every child became curious as to how it might affect them.
"Will I get to marry soon?" Baella asked now, turning to her grandmother with narrowed eyes. "I'm sixteen in just three moons."
Rhaenys looked to Rhaenyra now, clearing her throat a little before she spoke. "Shall we tell them now?"
"I don't see why not," Rhaenyra shrugged, smiling wider now. "We might as well to accompany the other good news of the evening."
"What is it?" Baella asked, her eyes lighting up a little. Unlike her best friend and cousin, Baella was excited about the prospect of being married and having her own family.
"Well," Rhaenys started, wiping her mouth with a napkin before continuing. "Rhaenyra and us have agreed on a match for you, one that will make you and your husband Lord and Lady of Driftmark."
"With who?" Baella asked, leaning forward impatiently.
"With Luke," Rhaenyra responded, looking to her son for his reaction. "Since Jace will be King one day, Luke's place will be at Driftmark."
"We can't think of any better way to honor your mother by having you rule the tides by his side," Rhaenys agreed, smiling through the tears in her eyes at her grand-daughter.
"What do you two think?" Rhaenyra asked, looking at the two teenagers with raised brows.
"I'd be honored to have you at my side in Driftmark, Baella," Luke said with a small smile.
"As would I," she said softly, her cheeks flushing pinker as she looked down. Everyone had always known that Luke and Baella were close, it seemed a match made by the gods. "When will the wedding happen?"
"Within the next few months, we think."
All of the children looked to each other, then laughed happily, an uproar of conversation between them beginning in the blink of an eye. All the adults turned to each other with smiles as well, happy that this had gone over so well.
"To Lucerys and Baella," Elaena announced, laughing lightly as she held her cup up for another toast. "The future keepers of the Velaryon ancestral seat of Driftmark, Lord and Lady of the Tides."
"Hear, hear," Daemon agreed, lifting his cup high in the air.
Everyone drank deep and plenty from their cups of wine, celebrating all of the good news that this night had brung. The rest of dinner seemed to draw itself out in the most enjoyable way, each person not wanting to be the first to leave and part from the happy occasion.
So they all kept talking, and they all kept drinking, each of them laughing loudly here and there as they enjoyed each other's company. Elaena had never seen any of the children drunk before, in fact she had never seen them had more than two cups of wine in one sitting. But here they all sat with red cheeks and wide smiles, lifting their cups up to be refilled as often as she was.
By the time they had all finished eating and drinking, the moon was high in the sky, the stars shining brightly down through the open windows of the dining hall. Everyone leaned lazily into the back of their seats, all of them tired and faces sore from laughing so much. Light conversation continued in small groups of people, and Elaena watched them all with a small smile on her lips.
It warmed her heart so much to see her family like this, so happy and carefree. She suddenly felt the fear of all of this being taken away rise in her chest, her smile slowly falling as she watched her children talk. All she wanted for them were days like this; days where they were free of danger and heartbreak.
"Are you alright, my love?" Daemon asked quietly, taking her hand into his own as he watched her.
She slowly turned to look at him, forcing a small and sad smile, "I'm alright. Just tired."
"Hmm," he nodded, then tilted his head to the side. "And what's really bothering you?"
Elaena exhaled softly through her nose, then closed her eyes, "I know it's silly, but sometimes being this happy makes me sad."
"Why is that?" he asked, his whole entire being focused on her and her words.
"Because I know it won't last forever," she whispered, opening her eyes to look at him again. "Feeling happy is a fleeting thing."
"The feeling itself might be fleeting," he agreed, "But the memory of it lasts."
"Yes," she smiled a little more, squeezing his hand gently. "The memory does last, doesn't it?"
He slowly lifted her hand to his lips, giving it a kiss.
"We should get them to bed," Elaena sighed, looking to the side at their children. "If we let them drink anymore we'll likely wake up in the morning only to find them passed out on the roof."
Daemon chuckled at this image in his head, then nodded, "You're probably right. We shouldn't have let any of them drink that much tonight."
"No," Elaena laughed, shaking her head, "We shouldn't have. That was bad of us as parents, wasn't it?"
"Well it's too late to change now...I'll make sure Rhaena gets to her room safely," Daemon smiled, "You just go on up to bed."
The both of them slowly stood from their spots, and Daemon moved towards Rhaena to give her a hand up. "Time for bed, my dear."
"No," Rhaena giggled, clutching onto her mother's arm for protection, "We should stay, just one more cup!"
"I don't think so, darling," Elaena laughed, shrugging her off. "You've had quite enough."
"Boo," Rhaena grumbled, allowing her father to guide her to the door. The both of them laughed as Rhaena tripped a little on her own feet. Once this happened everyone rose from the table with a smile, saying goodnight before heading off to their rooms to sleep the drink away.
Elaena walked slowly, trying not to stumble as she made her way back to her room. But she had drank more than she thought she did, so she walked more dizzily than she would have liked. Standing outside the dining hall was Cley, who watched her stumble with a smile.
"Do you need a hand?" Cley asked, laughing a little as he held his arm out for her.
"Yes, please," Elaena sighed, gratefully taking it as they went up the stairs.
"Congratulations on your new title," he then said, watching her steps carefully to make sure she didn't fall.
"Why thank you," Elaena replied, looking at her friend with a smile. After saying this she hiccuped loudly, making them both laugh even harder.
Over the past eight years they had mended all of the pain between them. While she thought that it may have been awkward to have him at Dragonstone, she found that his presence was calming to her. He was a shield of safety for both herself and her family, and things between them felt as they once did so many years ago.
Once they recovered from their laughter Elaena exhaled, turning to Cley for a more serious topic of conversation.
"I was thinking," Elaena started, "Now that Dragonstone is me and Daemon's by right, we will need a household of people that remain here once Rhaenyra takes the throne. I assume Ser Harwin will follow Rhaenyra to King's Landing to be the Commander of her Queensguard, so I was hoping you'd like to be the Commander of the Guard here when the time comes...I'm sure Rhaenyra will grant you leave from the gold cloaks to do it."
"I would be my honor to, Elaena," Cley nodded bashfully, "But I must ask, would your husband be alright with that choice? He's already been gracious in having me here so many years."
"It was actually him who suggested it over supper," Elaena said with raised brows.
"He did?" Cley laughed a little, seeming shocked by this.
"Yes, he's quite impressed with how you've protected and served our family over the last eight years," Elaena continued, breathing in with relief to see they were almost at the top of the stairs and at her room. She was more tired than she thought she was.
"I'm glad to see that he trusts me as much as you do now," he said with a small smile, stopping in front of Elaena's bedroom door.
"So am I," she agreed, standing still in front of him to say goodnight.
Cley nodded, smiling a bit more softly now, "Well...now that you're back in one piece, I should go send the night guards out and head off to sleep as well."
"Yes, just make sure that they keep an eye on Viseryn's room, please," Elaena sighed, "He's adventurous and rebellious enough as is when he's sober. He'll surely cook something up to get himself into trouble if he gets out of his room."
"Will do," Cley nodded, slightly bowing his head to say goodbye, "Rest well, Elaena."
"Goodnight, Cley," she responded, opening her door. Once inside she began to take off all her jewelry, then she kicked off her shoes with a tired sigh. Sleep seemed so wonderful now that she saw her bed, every muscle in her body weakening as she changed into her nightdress.
Daemon came in shortly after she crawled into bed, smiling to himself as he started to undress.
"What is it?" Elaena asked, laying her head on the soft pillow as she watched him.
"I'm just happy," Daemon said quietly, throwing on a loose tunic. "Tonight was a good night."
"That it was," Elaena agreed, smiling at him as he walked towards her and into the bed. He landed heavily onto the mattress with a deep exhale, then turned on his side to face her. His eyes were beaming as he looked at her, his smile not fading in the slightest. So she turned on her side to face him as well.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, laughing a little now as he continued to stare at her.
"I'm just appreciating this moment with my beautiful wife, Princess Elaena, Lady of Dragonstone," he said softly, his smile widening even more at this title as he traced the skin on her chest with his hands. "It sounds good doesn't it?"
"Hmm," Elaena mused, thinking about it with a smile. "Almost as good as Prince Daemon, Lord of Dragonstone."
The two of them laughed for a minute, looking at each other lovingly as they laid in bed together. After a moment Daemon's smile faded, his eyes turning more serious.
"Can I tell you something?"
"Anything, my love," she said softly, rubbing her thumb across his cheek.
"I just want you to know that you're the greatest gift I could have ever received in this world," he began, speaking slowly and quietly. "Not only have you loved me in a way no one else ever has, you've also given me our children... I can hardly believe they're growing up so fast."
"Neither can I," Elaena whispered, her cheeks becoming more rosy as she smiled. "It feels like yesterday that we were still able to carry them all on our own up the stairs to sleep. Aemon and Viseryn both are taller than me now. I have a feeling Rhaena will be as well."
"Seventeen, sixteen, and nearly fourteen," Daemon sighed, "Where has the time gone?"
"Who knows?" she exhaled, shrugging herself closer to him so that her head rested on his chest. She breathed him slowly in as he wrapped his arms around her, the two of them holding each other close as they drifted into sleep.
Daemon kissed her forehead, then spoke tenderly as he closed his eyes, "Wherever all that time has gone, I'm just glad that it was spent with you."
Author's Note: Now I know that there is obviously a family dinner back in King's Landing in the next episode's preview...so you might be wondering why I included one in this chapter too. Well to answer that potential question, I wanted to show the difference in relationship and mood between the two scenes. The one here is merry and loving, it truly is just a big family that loves each other and enjoys the time they spend together. When back in King's Landing in the next episode, you're going to see how different it is with Alicent and her children thrown into the mix. Things will be more tense, more dangerous, and ultimately more unsettling.
I also wanted to establish in this chapter Elaena & Daemon's new titles. Before now they were just royal family members that lived wherever they did by the grace of Viserys or Rhaenyra... but now they have a right to their own home and title... which is of course going to make Alicent very upset. With her plans to have Aegon be the King, Dragonstone would have been the place for her other son or Aegon's children to have as the next heirs to the throne...
And while Rhaenyra wanted to give Elaena & Daemon this title and castle because she truly loves them and feels they deserve it, she's also staking her and her supporter's claim over Westeros. She knows this will make it harder for Aegon to ascend instead of her, making tensions with the Greens even higher.
All in all I hope you enjoyed this very light and fluffy chapter, for it might be the last one for a long time to come. Can't wait to hear what you all thought about it...What do you think of all the children grown up? What do you think of their relationships with each other? Who would you like to see more of in the chapters to come?
Tune in next week after the episode (likely on Monday) for the next chapter! Thank you for reading -J❤️