Chapter Eleven: Waters of Driftmark
A/N: Another update! I will be covering some of the events in the time skip between episodes 5 & 6, so stay tuned.
"Mama, look!"
Elyana proudly sat on the floor with a floral arrangement she had done up for her own amusement. Demelza eased herself up, with some difficulty due to the large swell of her stomach, to examine what her three-year-old daughter had done. She smiled and reached out to caress Elyana's black hair, so similar to her own.
"That's beautiful, darling."
It had been some months since Demelza had travelled to Driftmark to serve as one of Princess Rhaenys's ladies, an arrangement made with the intention of keeping the scandal of her latest pregnancy far from court. Rhaenys was a shrewd woman, and had deduced early on that Daemon was the father of Demelza's child. She and Corlys had been kind enough to allow Demelza to have Elyana with her in Driftmark, for which she was immensely grateful.
The little girl in question was growing up fast, and Demelza swelled with pride in her daughter. Elyana had an interest in flowers and musical instruments. She could already read and write some words. Elyana charmed everyone she met, and Rhaenys had been no different, doting on the little girl despite her parentage.
Demelza had not written to either Alicent or Rhaenyra. They had not bothered to write to her either, which she found herself rather relieved about. She was still angry with Rhaenyra, and suspected that Alicent was shocked and embarrassed once she had learned of Demelza's condition.
Driftmark had been a welcome respite from the prying eyes of court, and despite the whispers that must have circulated, Rhaenys had been nothing but cordial toward Demelza. Corlys had expressed his own judgement on the matter, which Demelza had accepted in cool silence. Men would always be the first to condemn women for their supposedly wanton behaviour, even if men had little problem with it in the passion of the moment.
A loud rap on the door made Elyana get to her feet, running over to pull the door open. Demelza pushed herself unsteadily up from the couch upon seeing Rhaenys, intending a curtsy but stopping once she saw Rhaenys's raised hand. Elyana walked back over to her mother, Demelza's fingers moving instinctively to her daughter's hair.
"Demelza. I wanted to come and see how you are. You don't have long until you will be in childbirth."
"Perhaps a week, at my count." Demelza's smile was tired, though she supposed almost everything made her exhausted these days. The pregnancy was more arduous than her last, though she knew her mother and sister had always said every pregnancy was different.
"Please, sit." Rhaenys gestured for Demelza to go back to sitting on the couch, perching herself across from the young woman. "Since you are close to having the babe now, I have written to my cousin Daemon to inform him."
"What?" Demelza's heart hammered in her chest. She had gone to great effort to ensure that Daemon, now recently married to Laena Velaryon, was not aware that he was the reason for her condition. She had no wish to face Laena's wrath either, though of course the incident had occurred before their marriage.
"Don't be alarmed, girl." Rhaenys rested a hand on Demelza's arm placatingly. "I know you have your reasons for not making the father of this baby, as with Elyana's father, public knowledge. But Daemon does have the right to know. He plans to visit Driftmark."
"I have nothing I want from Daemon," Demelza blurted out. She worried that perhaps Rhaenys would think she had done this deliberately, in an attempt to secure herself money or land from bearing a Prince's child.
"He just wants to meet his child, that is all." Rhaenys's voice was calm. "Certainly if you had intentions toward him, you would have expressed them before he wed my daughter. You do not need to accept anything from Daemon, though you may find he wants you and the baby to be comfortable."
Elyana's birth had not been easy for Demelza. She had been sixteen at the time, and everyone always said the first one was often the hardest. Unfortunately, that was not the case. The moment Demelza went into labour with her second baby, she could feel that something was different. The long duration and difficulty made her panic, certain that she was going to die bringing this babe into the world. Rhaenys had calmed her, assured her that she would survive the ordeal.
So it was that almost two days after she had first gone into labour, Demelza finally delivered her second baby. Another little girl, this one with the unmistakable silver-blonde hair of House Targaryen. If Rhaenys and Corlys had ever doubted her word on her baby's father, the child's appearance spoke volumes in itself.
Demelza slept fitfully, waking to be bathed by the servants. Elyana joined her on the bed, staring in wonder down at her younger half-sister. If Demelza wondered why the servants were so attentive, determined to brush her dark hair until it was glossy, then her confusion was dispelled by Daemon's entrance.
Demelza bit her lip and held the baby close. The child was a result of one night between her and the Prince, and she did not wish to incur Daemon's wrath in presuming that it, or their daughter, meant anything more to him than that. Elyana remained quiet beside her mother, small hands fisting in the blankets as she examined Daemon.
"Funny," Daemon mused, "When Rhaenys wrote to me and said it was my child you bore, I thought you might have lied. But I see now that is not the case. The babe truly does have the look of House Targaryen."
"A girl," Demelza said, her voice hoarse from hours spent screaming in agony, "Her name is Rhyanon Waters."
"May I?" Daemon asked, holding out his arms. Demelza nodded, wincing as she sat up to hand the baby to him. Rhyanon barely stirred, and Daemon looked down at her with a curious expression on his face, assessing her.
"I don't want you to acknowledge her." Demelza put an arm around Elyana, scooping her oldest child close against her.
Surprise flickered in Daemon's expression as he looked up. "Why not? Do you not think it will be obvious?"
"As with Elyana's father," Demelza admitted, drawing Daemon's attention briefly to the dark-haired little girl, "But I would know more peace if my daughters were mine alone. I have no desire to cause complications within your marriage, or your family."
Daemon smiled wryly. "I might have married you, had I known that the child was mine from the beginning. As you would recall, I had tragically lost my first wife."
Demelza remembered that with unease, the rumours circulating that Daemon had killed his first wife persistent through court. Many women may have felt differently, but the thought of marrying Daemon filled Demelza with nothing but dread.
"I had no desire to be your wife."
"Yes, I can tell." Daemon handed Rhyanon back to Demelza. "Nonetheless, should you need any help in raising the child, you need only ask."
Demelza smiled coolly. "I think I will be fine on my own, but I appreciate your generosity."
"You are a strange woman." Daemon's brow creased as he examined her, and Demelza wondered if she had offended him in saying she had not wished to marry him and by declining his offer of help. "Many others would have jumped on the opportunity to convince me to wed, or even to ask for lands and title. Yet you don't want any of that. Why?"
"Because I have no need of the complications that come with all of that," Demelza admitted, gently rocking Rhyanon when she stirred, "I wish to raise my daughter without the concern that someone might harm her simply because of who her father is. That is what marrying you or having you acknowledge her would do."
There were a few moments of silence where Demelza wondered if perhaps she had said too much and forgotten her place. Daemon's expression was thoughtful, and he nodded slowly. Maybe he appreciated the fact that she did not want to complicate matters. He had privately recognised Rhyanon as his daughter, which was more than most men did with their bastards. She did not wish to ask more from him than he was willing to give.
"If Rhyanon needs something that I cannot provide, I shall write to you." Demelza fixed the blanket around the baby. "Other than that, I have no expectations from you."
When Demelza glanced at Elyana, she noted that her oldest daughter was still quietly observing the pair of them, before turning her attention back to her baby sister. Elyana was prone to watching and listening, and Demelza often thought her eldest was more clever than even she suspected.
Daemon nodded curtly and strode from the room, and relief washed over Demelza at his exit, the tension leaving her limbs. She had absolved Daemon of any parental responsibility, and hoped that being left in peace would make it easier for her to raise Elyana and Rhyanon. Now that her second daughter was born, Demelza needed to focus on what her future held, for she certainly did not intend to remain in Driftmark forever.
Fortunately, it seemed that the gods were in Demelza's favour, for she was summoned to speak with Corlys and Rhaenys not two months after Rhyanon's birth. She was acutely aware that she had been brought to Driftmark more on Daemon's account than her own, and that the day would one day come when she was released from the Velaryons' service. To avoid the contemptuous looks that Corlys was prone to throw at her children, Demelza left Elyana and Rhyanon with a nursemaid.
"How are your daughters, Lady Demelza?" Rhaenys smiled warmly. Demelza was still unsure whether the older woman actually liked her, or was just very good at seeming as though she did.
"They are well, Princess." Demelza clasped her hands in front of her. "Rhyanon seems to have grown so much already."
"Babies do that." Rhaenys looked at Corlys. "I remember when Laenor and Laena were little. One moment they were at the breast and the next, they had found their feet and were all around the shores of Driftmark."
"It is for our son's sake that you are here." Corlys sprang up from the chair that he had been seated in. The Lord of Driftmark had a way of making Demelza feel small that she absolutely despised. "As you are aware, Laenor and Rhaenyra have been married close to a year now. They have spent their time in the public eye in King's Landing, always under scrutiny."
Demelza nodded slowly, a bit uncertain as to where this conversation was going. She had not, after all, kept in contact with the Princess since she had left for Driftmark. Rhaenyra was likely aware she had given birth to Daemon's child, but other than that, probably knew little of Demelza's life in Driftmark.
"Laenor is…" Corlys paused, looking at his wife. Apparently, he was not sure how to proceed with whatever he wanted to say, but Rhaenys took over on his behalf.
"You would have heard the rumours. About Laenor's interest in men. It didn't trouble us when he was here, but as the consort to the future Queen…it is concerning. Especially as Queen Alicent has recently delivered her third child, and Rhaenyra is yet to fall pregnant."
Demelza had heard of that. Another boy, Aemond. She did not envy the scrutiny that Rhaenyra faced. Wed only a year and already, the court was looking to her with hope of a pregnancy announcement. The pressure that she faced as heir to the realm was not something Demelza could ever have wished for.
"You want me to play a role." Demelza's eyes flicked between Rhaenys and Corlys. They would not have summoned her and told her this unless it was relevant to her. "To spare your son the humiliation, and to spare Rhaenyra the questioning about her condition. What role, I wonder, is that?"
"The role of the fallen woman," Corlys responded, folding his arms over his chest, "The scandalous Dornish girl. Is that not the role the court of King's Landing have given you?"
Demelza wanted to be affronted, and yet, was it not the truth? She could connect the dots and see what Corlys was insinuating. If she was to arrive in King's Landing, with her toddler daughter and a newborn baby with hair the colour of the Targaryen family, it would certainly cause a stir. No one would be looking at Rhaenyra and Laenor with prying eyes if the temptress Demelza Dayne was back at court with yet another bastard on her hip.
Once, when she had been younger and more naive, she would have been offended and upset. Now, at nineteen years old, she could see the benefit in it. Demelza would be ridiculed and spoken ill of, but she would be free to do as she pleased. It was what she had always valued the most: her own freedom. The scandal kept her at arm's length from the rest of the court.
Demelza lifted her chin. "What do I get out of this?"
"Insolent girl!" Corlys barked, eyes sparking with anger. "You should show more gratitude. We kept you here out of the goodness of our hearts, despite your condition…"
"Corlys." Rhaenys glanced at him, shaking her head. When she looked at Demelza, there was something like pride in her pale eyes. "Lady Demelza understands that this could be a mutually beneficial transaction. Tell me, what is it that you want?"
"Freedom, for myself and my daughters." Demelza planted her hands on her hips. Perhaps Corlys was right and she was overreaching herself, but if she did not ask, she would not get. "I have no desire to be banished from court at a whim. I will go to King's Landing as you ask, but if I do, I am making a place for myself there. Gossip aside."
"Our son is the Prince Consort," Rhaenys reminded Demelza with a hint of smugness, "We can certainly give you that."
"Then I will gladly take on the role of the Dornish whore." A wicked smile curved Demelza's lips. She had hoped to put another few years between her and Rhaenyra, wait a little longer before returning to court, but even in a year, she had grown. Stronger, more self-assured, more certain of her footing in the world.
Rhaenyra Targaryen would see the return of a close friend. Demelza Dayne would see an opportunity.
As predicted, Demelza's return caused a stir in the capital. Valko rolled his eyes at the fuss, and quickly settled into making sure their rooms were prepared. As Demelza strode through the familiar corridors, Elyana's small hand in hers and Rhyanon resting in the crook of her free arm, she paused upon seeing a rather unwelcome face. Criston Cole's hand rested on the hilt of his sword as he turned to face her, his jaw slackening as he took in not only her, but the tiny dark-haired girl by her knee.
"Ah." A wry smile curved Demelza's lips. "Ser Criston Craven."
He flinched at the words as if she had slapped him, an irony which was not lost on her since he had been the one to deliver a blow the last time they had seen one another. Criston recovered quickly, sneering at her.
"The Slut of Starfall returns to court."
Demelza tilted her head to the side. "Careful. Should you not have more of a care what you say in front of your daughter?"
Elyana stood by her mother's side, wide-eyed. Criston's expression was close to horror as he stared down at the little girl, a child who there was no doubt in saying resembled him. Elyana's complexion was darker than her mother's, more similar to Criston's. A satisfied smile tugged at her lips at Criston's surprise.
"May I…?"
"No," Demelza responded cheerfully. She did not know what the question would have been and quite frankly did not care to hear it. She had given Criston every chance to have a paternal role with Elyana, and he had squandered all of them. Rhyanon stirred in her arm and she looked down at the baby, kissing the top of her head and rocking her gently.
Criston looked at the child in her arms, and his jaw clenched. "Not Harwin Strong's then."
"It appears not, no," Demelza said coolly. She did not owe Criston any more answers on Rhyanon's parentage than she had given at Rhaenyra's wedding. The baby was her daughter, just as Elyana was.
"Demelza, I…what happened between Rhaenyra and I…"
"I hear you hate her almost as much as you hate me now." Demelza arched an eyebrow. How things had changed. Where once she would have given anything to have Criston struggle for words before her, now she delighted in it. The years had given her two daughters, and an unmistakable cruelty.
She was no longer the young girl who was upset at the slightest snide remark. She had weathered her share of acrimony over the years, and now she held her head high in spite of it all. Criston Cole could not deter her.
"I have made my share of mistakes, as have you."
"You can simper all you want, Criston. You are not having any kind of relationship with Elyana, I will ensure it."
Criston's jaw clenched, his dark eyes sparkling with anger.
"When did you become such a vicious bitch?"
"Why do you still want me?" When Criston remained silent and did not answer her question Demelza realised her hunch had been right. Criston's loathing for her was based on the fact that he was tortured by his own feelings for her. No matter what had happened between them, he had not gotten over her. It was oddly satisfying.
"Perhaps we will both have questions that remain unanswered." Demelza reached down to stroke Elyana's hair. "Come, Elyana. We have much to do."
Demelza did not miss the way Elyana looked back at Criston and waved to him as they departed. While the girl remained small, things would be simple. Once she grew older, the truth would be more difficult to conceal. Elyana was naturally curious, and would no doubt want to know who her father was.
Fortunately, Demelza had years to come up with an answer, for she still did not know what she would tell her.
