The Darkness of Day

by WalkingPotterGirl14

He put a dagger in her heart. She died. End of story. Or was it? The Gods decide that there's more to tell, more to save, and more heartbreak to follow in the story of Daenerys and Jon's lives, starting with new revelations right outside their doors. (Rated T until chapter 26, Fix-it Fic, obvious spoilers for the show)

31. Daenerys and Daemon: The Coronation Pt1

Thank you guys so much for the great response to the last chapter. Thank you to:

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Your lovely reviews kept me going and help me push out this chapter, so thank you so much! Go check out these lovely folks if ya can! And a big old welcome to the new follows and favorites - I hope you enjoy the adventure haha. This chapter was originally, again, going to be longer, but I decided I wanted to split it up into two parts because a lot of information gets revealed in this chapter and a lot gets revealed in the next so yah, it's going to be crazy. Annoyed fanfiction didn't let me put the full word 'part one' but whatever lol I hope you enjoy!

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Daenerys

"I swear to the bloody gods above us, I'm going to murder him."

Daenerys shakes her head as she looks down at the note she was just given by Mae, letting out a deep sigh, but a smile was laced upon her lips. Maelela stands with her hands crossed in front of her, chuckling at Daenerys' reaction.

"Don't hurt me, I'm just the messenger."

Daenerys rolls her eyes before she turns her gaze on the young girl. "I could never be mad at you, Mae. This is just always what he does." She places the note down and walks over to the balcony that overlooked the city, her eyes moving through the crowds beneath her as they went in and out of the castle. "He'll come up with these ideas that'll take a whole day to make and he'll disappear. It's a guessing game whenever he comes back. He'll bring back food or gifts or whatever."

Mae walks over to her, looking down as well. "Isn't that a good thing, though?" Daenerys raises an eyebrow at the young girl, and she continues. "I mean that Jon cares so much about your happiness he wants to keep giving you things."

Daenerys sighs quietly, a tiny smile on her lips. "It is a good thing. I'm not saying I am not grateful – just wish he didn't disappear without telling me sometimes." Her legs move back towards where the desk was in the solar, looking at the variety of letters she had received over the past month. "As long as he comes home safely, I suppose I shouldn't mind."

"He will be," Mae replies. "You know he will."

Daenerys looks up from where she sat and a look of realization overcomes her face. "Oh, right. I wanted you to try something on. Remember when I had a handmaiden taken your measurements?"

Mae nods quietly as Daenerys walks over to a closet in the room. Quietly, she shuffles through dresses and then pulls out one that was meant for a younger woman, and looked to fit Mae perfectly. It was a dark red with black stitching across the sleeves, and little imprints of roses along the lines. She walks over to Mae and smiles gently at her.

"Try this on. I had it custom-made for you for the coronation," she says to her softly.

Mae stares at the dress before her eyes move back to Daenerys as if asking 'is this really mine?' Daenerys pushes the dress gently into the girl's hand, nodding. Mae takes it and goes behind a partition in the room, as Daenerys walks over to the desk, letting her body rest against the structure. She could hear clothes shuffling and falling as Mae tried her hardest to get on the dress as quickly as possible.

Within a minute, she steps out, the dress now around her. It fit her perfectly and hugged at every moment is could flowing down to the bottom. Daenerys smiles brightly as she walks over to where Mae was, bringing her towards a mirror. "There we go. Beautiful."

As soon as Mae saw herself in the mirror, she brings a hand to her mouth in a soft gasp. Daenerys watches as her eyes travel up and down the length of the dress as if studying her in it until she moves her eyes back to where Daenerys stood in the reflection. And then quietly, she sees two tears escape from the girl's eyes, trickling down her cheeks.

"Why are you crying?" Daenerys asks, her voice growing with concern. She kneels down in front of the girl, who was currently sniffling and trying to wipe away the tears that traveled down her cheeks.

"I…I've just…" Mae takes a deep breath and looks at the ground, before letting out a silent huff of air and moving her gaze back to Dany. "I've never had a dress custom made for me before. It was always servant's clothing or…rags, really. And I wanted to thank you…for this. For everything."

Daenerys looks at the girl sadly before taking her into her arms. She feels Mae tuck her head into her neck, a few silent tears finding their way onto her skin. "You don't need to thank me, my child," she whispers softly. "We're here to give you a better life. That's always been the goal." When Mae pulls back, Daenerys smiles softly. "Besides, you look beautiful in these dresses and you deserve to have a million more."

Mae smiles brightly at that statement. Daenerys then stands and watches as the girl goes back behind the partition to change, while she walks back to the desk, taking a seat behind it and writing a few notes down. Mae comes back out a moment later, now back in her normal clothes, the dress in her hands.

"What time is the coronation tonight anyway?" she asks Daenerys softly.

"It should be around dusk. I'm hoping that gives them enough time to prepare everything." Her eyes move back to where Mae stood. "Do you think that'll be enough time for the other children to get ready?"

Mae silently shrugs before a soft smile comes across her cheeks. "I…don't know for sure. I know Dan and Zaevar have been training constantly out in the courtyard, and I've joined them on occasions to watch."

Daenerys rolls her eyes. Her bloody daughter. Always had to be the perfectionist. "Well, if they stay out too late, bring them in. I know you've been training with Dan lately regarding sword work so I'm sure you can help her keep updated with the time."

Mae's cheeks turn red. "I…we-"

"Mae, you don't need to defend yourself," Daenerys chuckles, shaking her head. "Jon isn't going to be offended that you want to train with someone smaller as well. If anything, it'll help you improve. You don't need to hide anything."

Mae rubs the back of her neck. "She's just really good. I feel like I'm getting better."

"And that's the important part." Mae tilts her head quietly.

"How did you know? I could have sworn we were secret enough about it."

Daenerys raises an eyebrow at the girl. "I'm Dan's mother. She can't hide anything from me as much as the little minx tries." She closes a book of names and stands. "But as long as you're safe and having fun, I don't mind where you train. Just make sure that you bring them in and get them dressed. Can't have someone covered in dirt and soot for a festival."

"For sure," Mae replies. "I'll see you later then." Daenerys gives the girl a soft smile as she goes to leave, probably going off to spend the day with Dan and Zaevar. Daenerys sighs as she looks down at the parchment in front of her before leaning back in her chair.

A month had passed since that faithful day on the volcano. Jon and she had started rebuilding the city the day after, going around and making sure that people's homes were safe. From there, both of them really started to pay attention to what the people wanted, and from there, they began to make changes, even if they weren't properly coronated yet.

She had begun changing around the economics a little more so less money went towards the crown and more towards the people, using the marketplace as a reliable source of income. Many of people who were forced to go out into the fields she held back, saying that there needed to be some sort of compromise with the others for different shifts during the day. She had seen what happens to people when they stay out in the sun for too long.

Jon had been helping in regards to a lot of the more secure factors of the kingdom. He had been looking for guardsmen to help protect the castle more, even appointing Magar and Laemon as the heads due to their faithful service from day one. She had seen him gone out and help clean up and rebuild the houses and buildings from the lava damage, while also making sure that the commoners were safe and sound.

She had to admit, she really did love seeing this side of him. Daenerys had grown used to the caring side of Jon, but usually just towards their family and close friends. She had never seen him get so up close and personal with strangers, but what made it better is that they really liked him.

A lot.

She knew it would come eventually. She had heard whispers and talks before they had taken the castle and now even more so, of how kind he was to the less fortunate, how he made sure everyone got their fair share, how handsome he was – obviously – but it was of no new news to Daenerys.

She already knew all this about him. And she was happy to see others start to appreciate it more.

While he was out in the city a lot more often, she had taken to trying to run things as best as she could from the castle, taking in the concerns of the commoners. A lot of the changes she had implemented had been from this very desk, but she wanted to go out again. She wanted it to be like in Meereen, where she could spend hours walking around the town with her child.

But she knew right now, it wasn't the best choice. She tended to stay in this castle not only for political reasons. There was another one, right below her. Two, actually.

Daenerys sighs as she runs a hand through her hair. The two children that were still healing was something that ran through her mind quite often now. Nesara had not woken up yet. At all.

Daenerys wasn't surprised. Dan had been unconscious for three months after she had been stabbed back in Meereen, but Daenerys had known that Dan would make it through – at least she had prayed she would. Dan was a strong girl, and Daenerys never thought a simple stab wound could get rid of her. But Nesara…she was beaten beyond remembrance. Daenerys didn't even think she saw all of the cuts and gashes the girl had.

And when someone was beaten that badly, it concerned her. She hadn't heard a peep from the girl since they had brought her out of the volcano. Daenerys would often check whenever she was sleeping to make sure that she was still alive. And she always would be, but the dragon queen was terrified that one day, she was going to walk into the girl's room and find a small corpse.

The state of Nesara was not the only thing on her mind though. Daemon had been getting better – but she had noticed a change.

He had woken up within a couple of days and had been talking, but his personality was not the same as it had been before. He was much more quiet, introverted. He didn't speak as much and when Daenerys would offer to bring him out of his room to see daylight again, he would refuse, saying he was okay staying inside. Daemon before would do anything to step out and train with his sister and his friends, but this one…it seemed all he wanted to do was stay in.

She didn't blame him, though. He had been whipped beyond repair. She knew he would have scars on his back for the rest of his life. Daenerys would forever love her son just as much as the day she first held him, but she knew that something had changed, and she didn't know how to help him as much.

Jon had been very supportive, though. Whenever Daemon's words would grow concerning to her, Jon would leave to be with their son. She would sometimes listen in to what they talked about, and it was just standard things. How he was feeling, what he dreamed about. It seemed that Daemon talked a lot more to Jon recently, and she wondered why.

It wasn't like she was upset about that. Daemon was Jon's son, and of course, she would want them to be close, but usually, whenever Daemon did have issues of any kind, he always came to her. It was different to see him speaking to Jon so fluently about things. And it wasn't even like it was super interesting either. Jon always went in there to just be with Daemon. She had even seen them reading together at one point. It was for company's sake.

But she felt like her son was drifting away from her, and that was the last thing she wanted.

"Seven hells," she mutters, pinching the bridge of her nose. Her thoughts always overwhelmed her around this time of the day. She needed to learn to take more deep breaths and just relax. But then again, rulers never really did relax, did they?

She sighs softly as she looks down at the parchment once more. While she had wanted to hold off the coronation for as long as she could, there were just certain things that had to get done. Daemon was awake and she knew he could walk, but Nesara was still very much unconscious. And while Daenerys did feel bad for holding the ceremony still, there wasn't much they could do to stop it.

The people wanted it soon, and she knew that she needed to try and keep them happy. So they were going to go through with it and make sure it was great. And hopefully, Nesara wouldn't mind. She was only a child, after all. And after what she went through, Daenerys didn't know if she would want to suddenly be in the light of the public again so quickly.

As she stands, her mind thinks back to Jon. Mae had given her a note that he had written, saying he was going out again today for a 'surprise.' She had to admit, she loved Jon. She really did. But he did this at least once a week, going out and buying something in secret to either gift to her, or to the children. And while it was sweet, she wished he told her more. She wanted to go out too.

She still hadn't said the words to him. After everything they had been through, for some reason, a part of her was still too afraid to admit it out loud. She almost had the night they went searching for the children but had been interrupted. Now, all she wanted was to say it but each time there was an opportunity, there was something that stopped her. She trusted Jon with her whole heart, but something was holding her back, and she wished she knew what.

Was it her mind? The things they had been through? What Kinvara had told her? She didn't know. For now, all she knew was that she needed to somehow get through this day, and face the coronation with an open heart and mind.

And as soon as she could do that, maybe the words would slip out. Maybe.

"What is wrong with me?" she mutters to herself before stepping outside of the solar. A guard stood at her door. "Tell the workers downstairs that I'm going to be visiting the throne room in a bit. I'm seeing my son first."

The guard nods and heads off towards the throne room while Daenerys turned the other direction, heading to where Daemon's chambers were. Talking with her son might take the edge off – at least she hoped.

---

When Daenerys knocked on her son's door, she heard a quiet "come in." Gently, she opens the inside and looks around, brow furrowed before she spots him sitting on the window seat. His chambers looked different from how they had previously appeared. For the past month, he had been in total darkness, but for the first time, he had opened up the curtains to let in some light.

Daenerys smiles softly as she comes in. "Hello, my boy," she says, coming over to him. Daemon looks up from where he sat and she noticed he had a sketchbook in his hands. Her brow furrows. "When did you take up drawing?"

Daemon sighs and shrugs. "A little while ago. I started doing it in between training sessions when me and Nesara…would train," he states quietly, glancing down at the book. "Now it's sort of been a stress reliever…I guess."

Daenerys quietly takes the book from him. "May I?" She had seen hundreds of parents in the past that had no regard for what their children owned - as they were adults, so they had the right to go through everything. But the last thing Daenerys needed was for her son to be distrustful of her. She would never go through his belongings without asking, knowing that this was probably something that had been helping him a lot lately.

And quietly, he nods, letting his head rest back against the wall of the window seat. Daenerys opens up the pages of the book and feels herself smile at the sketches. They were stunning.

It wasn't as if it was a masterful painting, but the quality of the drawings were very life-like. She saw drawings of their dragons, Dan, even the Galeron children. A few sketches reminded her of Jon, and some were of the two of them. Many of them were happy days. "These are great, Daemon. Are you sure this is your first time ever really drawing?"

He nods. "I only started when we came here."

"Well, you have a real talent for it." As she flips through the pages, her eyes stop on a familiar house sigil – their own – but there was something different about it. "What is this?" she asks him softly.

Daemon looks over and he sees his cheeks turn red a bit. "That's, uh – a combination of both your sigil and father's." He points towards the drawing. "I know father thinks of himself as a Targaryen more now but I thought, I don't know…when you do marry in the future, you could have a redo if you wanted to. Represent both houses."

It was a sketch of the direwolf, the house sigil for the Starks. It reminded her briefly of when they were in White Harbor, and Daemon gave that statue to Dan in the inn before they met Jon again. But the direwolf wasn't by itself. It stood in the middle and then surrounding it were the three dragon heads, united as one, with fire in the background.

"This is beautiful, Daemon," she says softly to him, wrapping an arm around him gently. She knew his back was still very brittle, so she had taken extra time to be as careful as possible with him. "I'd have to speak with your father about this if he did want to change it – but I think you did a wonderful job. The sigils look great."

Daemon offers a quiet smile from where he sat, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes. Daenerys sighs inwardly, wondering what she could do to really make her son happy again. She wasn't used to this kind of treatment from him.

As her fingers go through the pages again, her brow furrows while her eyes examine the drawings as they continued. The sketches begin to intensify, and she starts to notice strange shapes. Some seemed to be formed into creatures she had never seen. Some looked familiar, like the wights she had helped Jon kill during the Battle of Winterfell. How he knew what those looked like, she did not know, but either way, the drawings sent a shiver down her spine, all of which were dark in color, with surprisingly bright eyes, almost red and blue.

But the last page is what stood out to her the most. It was just blackness, like Daemon had drawn in a big square, and just colored the whole page black. Her brow furrows as she turns to look at her son, who had his knees up to his chest, his arms surrounding them.

Quietly, she closes the sketchbook and places it gently to the side, before kneeling down in front of him. He looks at her from where he sat, not moving his position, but she rests her hand on his knee. "Daemon, you know you can speak to me about anything, right?"

Daemon doesn't respond, only looks down at his knees. Daenerys sighs before biting her lip. Quietly, she stands back up and walks over to where his training clothes were. He hadn't picked them up once since they had moved into the castle, since before the volcano. She missed those days.

"Did I ever tell you about the time I lost my dragons?"

His brow furrows slightly as he turns his head to her. "No. You did?"

Daenerys nods gently walking back over to him. "When I lost my first husband, the few Dothraki followers that still stayed with me came with me to Qarth, a port city at the edge of the Red Waste. We were desolate, in need of food, a place to stay, and they took us in, but it was all an elaborate ploy to gain my trust. One day, I came back to where I was staying only to see most of my Dothraki guards slain, a friend of mine killed, and my dragons taken."

Daemon was silent, but she could tell by his expression that he was listening intently.

"I spent hours trying to find them. My good friend, Jorah – whom you named a dragon after – spent hours as well, trying to find them. And only later did we see they were in a sorcerer's home. It seemed he wanted to trap me in there with them, to take advantage of the powers that I knew I had – but I didn't let him stop me. When I found my dragons, it was the first time I had ever burned someone."

"But they were so small," Daemon responds quietly.

"Just because something is small doesn't mean it can't be mighty," Daenerys points out, looking to him. "From there, I decided that no matter what, I would always try to find the benefit of the horrible situations that my life was placed into, or the outcomes I would get. From slave masters to evil men, I always strived to find the light at the end of the tunnel. Life isn't easy – it never was for me and it still isn't, but if you let that darkness consume you, then it never gets better. What you have to do is take the bad with the good, and grow from it."

Daemon doesn't respond, glancing out at the window. Daenerys sighs softly as she watches her son, before gently standing, resting her hand on his shoulder. Suddenly, he speaks.

"What if there is no light?"

Daenerys' brow furrows. "What?"

"I mean, what if there is no light?" he repeats, his gaze turning back to her. "What if what you went through…broke you? What if there is no point of return?" He shakes his head and looks at the ground. "I mean, you and father were killed. You both saw nothing. What if there really is no light and we're just…I don't know, walking along until something takes us. We think there's a light but…" His words trail off, and he looks to the ground. "I don't know, mother. I'm just finding it hard to see the good outcome of what happened to me. What happened to Nesara…it…I don't feel the same."

Daenerys feels herself let out a deep breath before she walks back to her son, wrapping her arms around him. He doesn't return the hug, but his eyes look to her, searching for answers. "I know that after that you and Nesara experienced, it's going to be hard to adjust back to normal life. I was like that for a while after what happened in King's Landing. You were my only priority for a long time. But after a while, you start to realize that the world needs you, and you have to move on, for your own mind and for the sake of others. If I hadn't moved on from what happened, there is no way we would be here right now. Your sister would not be with us, and your father would most definitely not be with us."

Daemon nods, looking down at the ground. "If…if you say so, mother."

Daenerys looks at her son, trying to figure out what was going on inside this boy's head. She knew he was going through a dark moment in this life, especially after what had happened, but she had no idea it was that intense that he didn't think he could come back from it. And that…that scared her. A lot.

But she needed to put on a brave face for now, and hug her son. She would go looking for Jon later and tell him of what he spoke about.

Daenerys leans in closely and gives her son a soft kiss on the forehead, before running her hands through his hair. "We're having the coronation tonight. I'm sure Mae has told you that." Daemon quietly nods, glancing back outside. "I know that your back is still hurting so you don't need to come if you don't feel up to it."

Daemon quietly shakes his head. "No, no, I'll…I'll make an appearance. No guarantee's that I'll stay the whole time…I want to be there for you and father." He manages a quiet smile. "It's what you two were meant to do."

Daenerys nods softly. "I'll have some clothes sent here for you then." She presses her lips to her son's forehead once more before standing. "Get some rest…and keep sketching those sigils. I think you're doing an amazing job." Daemon offers one last small smile before turning his head back to the window.

With that, Daenerys closes the door to his chambers, and once she does, she feels a few tears she had held back slip down her cheeks, swallowing the fear that built up within her. Daemon was going through something serious and she had no idea how to handle it. Had he talked about his to Dan? To Jon? She didn't know.

She had to find answers. Now. And she had an idea of where to start.

---

When Daenerys arrived in the throne room, her eyes quickly surveyed the work that they were doing. She had requested to Jon when they first moved into the castle that she wanted to change around how it looked and had hired people from in the city to get the job done. Now, they were nearing completion.

The colors had been all but changed to a simple marble, much like a design that reminded her of home. The floors were polished clean and she had made the room allow more light by adding windows, something that wasn't allowed before. Maybe it was to add more ambiance or whatever – she didn't really care. All that mattered right now was here being able to find the person she needed to speak to.

As she walked towards the throne, she felt herself sigh slightly. While she should be happy that they were taking the thrones tonight and that they had even changed the way they looked to an extent – they were no longer the bright yellow she had seen when they first came in here, now a dark red with gold embellishing – a part of her couldn't feel excited thinking of how Daemon was.

She wanted to see her boy smile again.

"My queen." Daenerys turns her eyes to see Taevar approaching her, and she smiles gratefully to him.

He had proved to be a good help to them ever since they had taken a role here. Taevar was one of the few nobles around here who really spoke to everyone and made sure to tell them what the people wanted. A lot of the decisions she and Jon had come to had been through the information that Taevar had gotten for them.

"Is everything alright?" she asks him, her brow furrowed.

"Yes. The palace room is all coming together. I've actually come to speak with you on another topic." He gestures for her to follow him and she does, looking around at the progress while they walked. Once they were to the side in another hallway, he turns to her. "There's been some…discourse among the dragonlords."

Her brow furrows as she looks at him. "Discourse? What kind?"

"The…interesting kind," he states quietly. "I've heard many that are very much on board for you and the king's plans to move some of the Valyrian's a bit at a time to Yunkai and Astapor, but some are expressing other concerns. Some want to go straight to the Free Cities."

Daenerys sighs quietly. She knew this would be brought up. The Free Cities had started because of Valyria. It was only a matter of time before the Valyrian's that were here wanted to conquer what they made again.

"While I do see where they're coming from, the Free Cities are in no way ready for something like this. Astapor and Yunkai have already experienced a Valyrian at this point – myself. If Valyrian's were to suddenly appear out of nowhere and take over the Free Cities again…there would be uproar and a lot of death."

"That's what I've tried to tell them," Taevar responds. "I don't think they'll go against your word, or the king's, but I wanted to bring it up – just in case something happened."

Daenerys nods, letting the information sink in. "Thank you, Taevar…I expect to see you at the coronation tonight."

Taevar smiles and nods. "Of course, my queen."

"Gods, please," she chuckles a bit, causing the man's brow to furrow. "You know you don't have to call me that, or Jon. You're close enough to us."

"While I thank you for the sentiment, I must insist. You're the only queen I'd be willing to call that."

Daenerys smiles gently. Taevar had been a good friend to her and Jon as well. She found out he was quite the joker and enjoyed watching Jon's reaction whenever he would tell him of some of the pranks he used to play on his friends. It was moments like that Daenerys was thankful Daemon was in his room – it would give the boy new ideas. But at the same time, she wished she could see that version of him again. Just once.

"How is your family?" she asks him. "Your wife was sick the last time you mentioned her."

"Ah yes, Lysandra," he murmurs, and Daenerys felt herself smile a bit. She saw the hint of pride that appeared in his eyes when he spoke of her. It was the same sparkle Jon got when he talked about his family. That's how she knew it was true love. "She's doing better, my queen. We thought it might have been more serious but she's a fighter. Got better within a couple of days. She'll be there tonight, as well."

"Lovely. I'm happy she's okay. How did you two meet, anyway?"

"At a coronation, surprisingly," he chuckles a bit, causing her brow to raise in question. "It was Aenar's coronation years ago, when his father finally died and he became king. It was before he really turned into – well, you know. But the festival was so much fun, and I found her dancing with her sisters. I knew from the moment I laid my eyes on her I was going to marry her. So, I went up, trying to act all suave, and tripped on my own laces – and spilled wine all over her dress."

"Oh gods," Daenerys laughs, and Taevar only nods.

"It was the most humiliating moment of my life. I said sorry a million times and rushed her out to help her get clean before more people saw, and when I did, I tried to ease the tension with a joke, so I turned to her and said 'I'm sorry I make pour decisions – the wine just spilled out of me.'"

Daenerys snorts, shaking her head, which caused Taevar to chuckle.

"From then, she was hooked. I still thank the Gods above and below that she stayed with me."

Daenerys chuckles a bit, shaking her head. "That sounds like something you would do." She watches the commoners work for a moment, letting out a soft sigh of relaxation before a question comes to mind. "You don't have arranged marriages here?"

"We used to, but after a while, it seemed sort of unnecessary. Those times of arranged marriages were once used to make bonds between houses for political reasons, but because there were never any political conflicts here, more houses just started to marry for love."

Daenerys smiles. "That's sweet…I wish I could have lived that life."

Taevar's brow furrowed. "But…aren't you married to Jon for love?"

Daenerys' insides twitch at the words 'marriage' and 'love.' She still felt bad for not saying the words, and for lying to these people about her and Jon. It wasn't like they didn't act like a husband and wife but it didn't make her feel any better about the lie. "I did," she states softly. "But before I met Jon, my life was full of political marriages and gain. I was lucky to find him." She looks up at him. "And how is your son? Is he doing well after what happened in the volcano?"

"He's okay now. At first, it was scary. Didn't really talk to us that much, but after a while, he opened up more. He's back to himself now."

Daenerys manages a quiet smile for him. She was happy someone's child was doing well. "That's great. Truly. I hope to see him tonight." She perks up as soon as the person she was originally looking for walked into the room. "I'll see you later, Taevar. I have to go speak with someone."

"As you wish." Taevar bows his head and then leaves around the corner. Once he was gone, Daenerys steps back into the throne room and walks up to the woman she was aiming for, pulling quietly on her robe. She turns her head and smiles.

"My queen."

"Kinvara," Daenerys starts, letting out a deep breath. "I have to speak with you regarding something. Can you come with me?"

Kinvara nods and follows after her while they head around another corner, away from prying eyes and ears. Once they were hidden, she turns to her, her hands intertwining in front of her.

"First off, how have you been feeling?" she asks softly. "I feel like ever since we came here I haven't seen you as much."

Kinvara chuckles a bit and nods. "Better, your grace. It was much worse at first but I think resting in bed helped me heal a little better than I thought I would. I've been helping around the castle for the last week in preparation for the coronation."

"That's good," Daenerys breathes out, smiling. "I was nervous you wouldn't recover after what happened."

"I told you not to worry, my queen. My life has been full of surprises. This is the least of them." She lets her hands fall to her sides, her brow furrowed. "What is it that you had to speak of to me?"

Daenerys bites her lip, trying to find the right words before she turns back to the red priestess. "In the volcano, when you were trapped…how long were you awake to witness what was happening to my son and Nesara?"

"Not for very long," Kinvara answers quietly. "They beat me rather quickly, but I was able to see bits and pieces of what they did after."

"Do you know if they…did anything to him, other than beating?" she asks.

Kinvara's brow furrows again. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…performed sorcery on him or something like that?"

Kinvara was silent, looking at the queen as if trying to think of what happened before she slowly shakes her head. "I remember sorcery, but I don't recall if it was on him or not. It could have been on anyone – my mind was not in me when that happened. All I could focus on was the pain."

Daenerys nods, letting out a soft sigh once more. "Alright…I've just been noticing some sort of…change in Daemon."

"A change?" Her tone held a form of questioning. "What change?"

"He's…just not like himself," she states quietly, rubbing the back of her neck. "I obviously understand what he went through was tragic and no child should ever have to go through that, but at the same time, I'm seeing others heal from what happened, and he's…he seems stuck. I feel like he keeps reliving that day and it doesn't feel like it's getting any better because he's always going to have those scars on his back. He just feels…darker."

"Darker?" Kinvara repeats, to which Daenerys nods. "What do you mean darker?"

"I mean the way he's looking at the world right now is bleak," Daenerys answers. "I took a look in a sketchbook of his and I saw some of the regular drawings he had done, but when I got to the back, it was filled with nothing but creatures and monsters that I had never seen before, and some sketches that looked like the wights Jon and I went against during the Long Night. But…there was one page that was just nothing. It was colored in black, like a dark space. And I was looking at it and just thinking…what if that's really how he sees the world now? I…I don't know how to even approach that."

She runs a hand through her hair, letting out a soft sigh.

"I thought maybe sorcery might have had something to do with it, but I'll never know unless Daemon tells me, or someone else does. Maybe the red priests, but I don't know." She looks over at Kinvara, biting her lip. "What do you think I should do?"

"I think you should definitely go to the red priests," was Kinvara's instant answer, her eyes showing some sort of warning. Before Daenerys asks, Kinvara continues. "Daenerys, your son is showing signs of serious inner turmoil. Something else is going on. I'm not entirely sure what it was but I have a feeling it has something to do with the volcano and the priests there. You need to speak to them." Kinvara sighs and glances at the ground. "I'm sorry that I could not be of more help."

Daenerys reaches out and grabs the woman's hand. "You don't need to apologize. It's not your fault that they nearly beat the life out of you. You couldn't see that much…but you're saying that the red priests might know something?"

"For sure…" Kinvara hmms and sighs softly again. "I'm sorry for worrying you…I wouldn't put it past someone to stay in their chambers for most of their days after something like that, but what concerns me are the drawings. It sounds like a boy having nightmares but I…I fear that there is something else going on. You should speak to someone."

Daenerys nods softly. "Then I'll head off as soon as I can."

"Don't go alone." At Daenerys' raised brow, Kinvara continues. "Bring Jon with you. He should have the right to know what's happening with his son as well."

"I don't know where he's gone," Daenerys answers quietly. "Mae gave me a note this morning saying he went off to go do some surprise or something like that."

Kinvara rolls her eyes. "He went to the blacksmith. He should still be there. Don't ask how I know." Daenerys shakes her head and chuckles a bit.

"Of course you would. Thank you." She hugs the red priest tightly before pulling back. "Take it easy and I'll see you tonight. It'll hopefully be a little brighter than the conversation we just had."

Kinvara chuckles a bit. "I can only hope…now go!" She ushers Daenerys out of the room before heading back to the court, leaving her line of sight. Daenerys feels herself sigh as she looks over at where the others stood, helping each other, all trying to make sure this night went as well as possible.

But all she could think about was what Kinvara said. Inner turmoil? Did that mean madness was coming onto her son? No, no she didn't think that was happening. Daemon wasn't sadistic or cruel – he just looked lost, like he needed answers. And maybe, Daenerys could be the one to find some.

Whatever the case, she had to help her son, and maybe seeing the red priests was the solution to that.

---

After changing into some common clothes, Daenerys had snuck into Daemon's room, looking at him while he was sleeping. He slept for a good portion of the day to heal, which is something she had recommended to him due to the severity of the marks on his back, but today, it would be for her advantage.

Quietly, she slipped into his chambers and looked around, before finding his sketchbook near the window seat they had sat at earlier. Gently she picks the book up and holds it close to her, before looking over at her son. He was still sleeping.

Daenerys sighs as she moves as stealthily as she could, before going right outside the door, closing it silently. When she pulls back, she looks down at the book. "Only for a little bit," she murmurs to herself. She needed to at least show Jon and the red priests what he was drawing, that she wasn't making this up.

And then she would return it back to his room like it never happened. He was concerning her, and she knew she had to deal with it somehow.

As she walked back down the stairs towards the courtyard, she spots Dan down below with Zaevar and Mae in the little training pit the castle had. Daenerys smiles softly as she watches them train for a few moments, hidden by the shadows of the castle. Dan knocks Zaevar onto his back with her sword, and he glares up at her.

"You cheated!"

"Cheated? Nope, I'm just that good." She lowers her sword to the ground and helps Zaevar stand, who was still pouting. "Oh, cheer up. You've beaten me at fire matches plenty of times. Me beating you in sparring isn't that big of a deal."

"It's a big deal when he gets beaten by a girl," Mae adds from the sideline.

"Shut up, Mae!" Zaevar exclaims while Dan laughs, shaking her head. The girl walks up to where Mae was, grabbing a training sword for her to use. Mae takes it with stride and stands as Zaevar walks begrudgingly over to the stands to sit, watching them.

Daenerys chuckles as she watches them. It was sweet, how they were getting along so well and yet still behaved like siblings. She hadn't proposed the idea of taking the Galeron children to their family yet, as Nesara was still lying unconscious, but even if they did say no, at least she knew they would remain friends.

She just wished Daemon and Nesara could be a part of this, too.

The dragon queen sighs and goes to leave, knowing she should just let the children play and train, but Dan's words that she speaks to Mae suddenly stop her in her tracks. "Have you noticed anything with Daemon?"

She turns her head and sees Mae's brow furrowed as she lowers her training sword to the ground. "What do you mean?"

"Why would she even know anything?" Zaevar asks from where he sat.

"Because Mae has been visiting Daemon an awful lot lately," Dan teases, and Daenerys sees the girl's cheek turn a dark red. She raises an eyebrow from the shadows. Did Mae have a crush on her son? That was interesting, but thinking of that wasn't her biggest concern.

"Oh has she?" Zaevar continues, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Shove off," she mutters, her eyes turning to slits at him before sighing. "I've only gone in to help him with his bandages a couple of times. With the kind of wounds he has, it's needed." She turns her head to Dan again. "But why do you ask that? Have you seen anything?"

"I…I don't really know," Dan states quietly. "He's…different. And I don't know if it's a good different."

Daenerys knew it wasn't just her who saw it. Thank the Gods for her child.

"He's been really depressed lately," Dan continues, her arms crossing across her chest. "I've stayed with him a lot to take care of him but he's not the same…we used to read books of the past all the time together, travel through time because of my visions I would have, but he…he's not showing interest in any of that anymore. Any time I would mention training, he would jump at the chance, and I know he's still injured but he…he's just not into it. I feel like I'm…losing my brother."

Mae comes over to her, resting her hands gently on hers. "Losing him? He's not dead."

"I know that. I know," Dan continues, frustration growing in her voice. "It's just…he's not the same. I feel like every time I talk to him, it's a stranger. He talks about his drawings a lot and I'm…I'm scared that something happened to him in that volcano. Something-"

"Bad."

Daenerys couldn't hold herself back. Dan snaps her head up at her mother's voice and stills once she sees her standing there with her son's sketchbook. Zaevar and Mae turn their heads as well, surprised at seeing her.

"Were you spying on us?" Dan asks, her eyes narrowing.

Daenerys chuckles a little as she descends down the steps to where they were training. "Not at first. I was watching my daughter beat you," she points out, her gaze turning to Zaevar. He rolls his eyes and stands.

"Everyone's a critic," he grumbles, grabbing his own sword.

Daenerys smiles at his reaction before resting her free hand on his shoulder. "I'm only teasing. If you want to train with my husband and with her, you're welcome to do so at any time." Zaevar quietly nods, but she sees a hint of a smile appear on his lips. She knew he liked Jon a lot because he was a good fighter, and she hoped that one day he would take her up on their offer of training. "But that's not the reason I decided to come out of the shadows. I overheard what you said, and I believe something is wrong with Daemon as well."

"So it's true?" Zaevar asks from where he stood. "That she's been seeing a change in Daemon?"

"It is," Daenerys says softly before turning to where Dan stood. "He's talked about his drawings to you?" Dan quietly nods, affirming her suspicions. "And he's shown them?" She nods again. "He's only just shown them to me…has he shown them to you?"

She turns her gaze to where Mae stood, who quietly shook her head. "I've only ever really gone to change his bandages. Sometimes I've stayed to talk with him, but he doesn't really like to speak that much. It's like she said – he's gotten really distant."

"But you think something happened to him?" Dan asks her mother. "I'm not mad in thinking that?"

"No, you're not." She walks over to her daughter, the sketchbook still held tightly in her hands. "I'm going to go find your father, and then go to the red priests to speak with them about what happened in that cave…you're welcome to come with us, but if you'd rather train or get ready for tonight, you're welcome to."

Dan takes a glance at where Mae and Zaevar stood. The boy turns to her. "It's alright if you go. I'll train with Mae."

"Are you sure?" she asks the two of them.

"He's your brother," Mae says softly. "We're not going to stop you from finding out what happened all because I want to learn to hold a sword properly."

"Besides, might help me," Zaevar answers before turning to Dan. "Go. You're more needed there than here."

Dan looks to them and smiles quietly. "Thank you, you two," she says, before turning to her mother. "I think we should go…I want to know what happened too."

Daenerys nods, biting her lip. "Then we'll go together."

---

When they reach the streets of Valyria, Daenerys had realized she had forgotten to ask Kinvara one very important question – which bloody blacksmith it was that Jon had gone to. And now, she was a bit lost.

Okay, maybe not a bit. A lot.

She knew that there were a couple in the city that did a great job with their craft but knowing Jon he probably went to the best one, but because she had been so in tune with the castle and everything happening there lately, she hadn't even begun to think which one that could be. Looking down at her daughter, who had gotten a cloak and placed it over herself to stay warm in the chilly wind, Daenerys could see a smile on her face.

She raises an eyebrow at her. "What are you laughing about?" Dan doesn't reply, but she sees her demeanor begin to break. Daenerys rolls her eyes. "Daughter, do you know where your father is?" she asks.

The girl bites her lower lip as if stopping herself from speaking. Daenerys suddenly leans down and tickles the girl's sides, causing her to laugh. Within a few seconds, she reaches out.

"Okay, I yield! I yield," she snickers as Daenerys pulls her hands back. "I'll tell you. Father usually goes to a blacksmith that's near the ocean, but he makes sure that it's never in the shopper's chambers."

Daenerys' brow furrows. "What do you mean?"

"Well, he likes to stay hidden just in case you would go looking for him. Usually, you never do because you're busy in the castle half the time, but now I can tell you he stays up in the building with the blacksmith and watches him make whatever he wants so you couldn't see."

"Seven hells," Daenerys mutters, shaking her head. Why is it that Jon did these things? He already had her affection. He didn't need to keep showering her with gifts.

But she supposed that was what he did.

"I swear to the gods he needs to stop doing these things…he doesn't need to waste his time on me," Daenerys states quietly as they change their direction towards the water down below. "He spends ages doing these things…the first was a cloak for me, the second a necklace, the third a dress, but he won't let me see any of it, just tells me what it is."

Dan smiles a bit, and Daenerys looks down at her with a raised brow. She was hiding something.

"Dan, do you know anything about this?"

"I might have an inkling of what father is planning, but it's not my place to tell."

Daenerys stops short and stares down at her daughter, a smile riding on her lips. "I'm your mother – you have to tell me."

"Hmm, I don't think I will." Daenerys gapes at her daughter as she steps aside, running down the path towards the blacksmith. Daenerys curses quietly but feels herself chuckle. Her daughter was becoming more like her, and she didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

After a moment, she follows after Dan, looking around the area quietly. Many people recognized her even if she was in common clothes and she would say hello and thank you, talk for a few minutes, but her main priority was following her daughter. Dan would speak as well, but Daenerys could tell that she wanted her mother to do all the talking. Royal life was still sort of new for the girl, and would probably have the grow more into it.

But by the time they did reach the sea, Daenerys watched as Dan walked into an older building that looked like it had seen better days, but on the inside, all she saw were beautiful pieces of weaponry, with swords that seemed to be molded from gold and silver to hatchets that could break even the toughest of wood. There were knives all around the area, some that looked sharper than others, as well as iron bows and arrows that screamed the word 'dangerous.' Whoever this man was, he was skillful at his craft.

Daenerys wondered what the hell Jon could be doing that would involve a blacksmith again. There was no way he was making another sword for her. She already had Dark Sister and she was very, very grateful to have that. She didn't need another one. But what in the name of the seven hells could he even be doing here if not for a weapon?

It didn't really matter to her at this point. All she needed to do was see Jon and talk about their son. Her opinion about what he was planning – and the impishness of Dan – could wait for a later time.

"Up here," Dan states to her, gesturing towards stairs. Daenerys moves her feet behind her daughter, following her up the floors to wherever she was taking her mother until they landed outside a door that seemed to be on the highest floor. Dan turns to her and places a finger to her mouth, telling her to be quiet, before moving back to the door and opening it slowly.

Daenerys watches as the door swings open and she sees two fingers standing at a table, one of which she recognized very well and the other, not so much. He must have been the blacksmith. And the other was obviously Jon.

She watches as Dan creeps through the door, probably attempting to scare her father. Daenerys watches with a small smile, but her ears listen in to what he was saying. "This is beautiful…it's exactly what she wanted. She's going to love it."

Her brow furrows quietly as she wonders what in the world it could be that he is referring to, knowing Jon was talking about her, but before she could let that thought linger, Dan suddenly jumps on Jon from behind.

She watches as he and the blacksmith both flinch back and Dan laughs when she sees the shocked look on Jon's face before it changes to one of amusement. "Oh, you think you're so funny."

"I don't, but I think mother does." Jon's brow furrows as Dan gestured to where Daenerys hid. As soon as Jon's eyes land to where she stood, leaving the shadows from the stairs, he instantly steps in front of whatever he was looking at before.

"Dany," he says, but she hears his voice crack, which makes her chuckle. He clears his throat and glares down at Dan. "Why did you bring her here?!"

"I'm sorry," Dan chuckles, shaking her head. "I wouldn't have brought her if it wasn't important."

Jon's brow furrows once more as he looks over at Daenerys. "What is it? Is something wrong at the castle?"

"Something…could be." She walks over to him and he hides the object again. Daenerys rolls her eyes. "Look, if you don't want me to see whatever it is, please tell your smith to hide it so you can stop acting like this and listen."

Her words had bite, but she was getting sick of the games. She needed to find out what happened to her son and she needed Jon to know as well.

Jon turns to the blacksmith and mumbles something so low Daenerys couldn't hear, but the smith nods and bows his head. He turns to the queen. "I'm going to hide my product from your eyes, so he requests that you close them."

Daenerys sighs but nods, closing her eyes and listening to his needs. She hears footsteps, a door closing, and then a sigh of relief. "Alright, you can open them now."

It was Jon's voice. She raises an eyebrow as she does, looking down at Dan who had the biggest shit-eating grin on her face, and the relieved look from Jon. "You two are schemers," she murmurs. "I don't know how I feel about that."

Jon shakes his head. "It's just…a lot has gone into what I've been doing. I don't want to ruin it." He looks over at her and continues. "But you said that there was something wrong, so my little endeavors can wait. What's going on?"

Dan turns to Daenerys. "You've seen the sketchbook more than me."

Her brow furrows. "I thought you said he showed you the pictures?"

"He's talked about them but I've only ever seen them once or twice."

Jon looks between the two of them, a clearly confused expression crossing his face. "What are you two talking about?"

Daenerys turns to him. "You're telling me Daemon has never shown you his sketchbook?"

"Sketchbook?" Jon asks. "I didn't even know he drew. When did he start to draw?"

"When he first got here," Dan answers quietly. "He told me it was a stress reliever after everything we had gone through. He's actually really good at it." She turns to Daenerys again. "Show him some of the drawings."

Daenerys hands him over the sketchbook and Jon opens up the pages. She watches as his eyes glance over the sketches, a smile spreading across his lips at some of them, a few chuckles escaping here and there. "This is amazing…he's really done all these?"

"He's a natural," Daenerys responds quietly, crossing her across against her chest. "But, uh…there's more."

Jon looks up at her with a raised brow and she only nods towards the book, encouraging him to keep flipping through the pages. He turns his gaze back to the pad, his thumbs moving the drawings quickly before he starts to land on the ones she had seen this morning. Of the creatures, the wights, the nightmarish monsters, and the completely black page.

When he was done, the look of concern that was on his face before only grew, but this time, it seemed settled deep into his face. His fingers flipped back to the picture of the wights, the blackness of the figure contrasting with the blue that Daemon had put in the eyes, and then he turns to the other creatures, scanning as quickly as he could. Within a minute or two, he slams the book shut and looks at the two. "Where the hell did you find this?"

"Daemon has been drawing for a while. He only just showed it to me today," Daenerys answers. "I…I had a conversation with him today. He seemed down on what happened and I told him a story of my youth and he…he wasn't right, Jon. He told me he thinks there might not be a bright side to anything. He's looking at the world so…bleakly."

Jon was quiet, letting her speak. Dan pipes up.

"I know what he went through was awful," Dan states from where she stood. "But it just doesn't make sense. Daemon is always one to bounce back from things like this. Even when he had hurt himself in the past by training or doing something, he would be okay. But the way he's acting…it sounds like he wants to do something…bad. And it's scaring me."

Jon turns his gaze back to Daenerys as if trying to find the right words, and after a moment, he opens his mouth, his voice barely above a whisper. "He's never told me any of this."

Daenerys' brow furrows. "But he's been seeing you this whole time. You're telling me in all your talks he's never told you these feelings?"

Jon shakes his head. "No…no we've never…never talked about that." He starts to move, his feet pacing slowly across the ground. "Daemon's talked to me about his dreams recently, what he sees when he falls asleep as I've told you…but never something like this. And he's just talked to you about this?"

"Yes," Daenerys answers. "Dan says he's told her about the drawings and talked a little to her but he only just told me."

"We think something might have happened to him," Dan states quietly, looking up at him. "When Aenar and Saeresa took him."

Jon looks between the two of them before slowly closing the book. "You two do know that he was nearly beaten within an inch of death? That's going to have some negative effects on someone."

"Come on, Jon, we're not idiots," Daenerys states, her voice growing in anger slightly. "If someone would know anything about tragic instances, it's us, but with Daemon it's different…I feel like there's something else going on. Something else he's not telling us about. And we need to find out what it is. We have this whole coronation tonight but I don't even know if I would be able to focus on something like that."

Jon turns his gaze back to the book, letting out a low sigh. "But what could it be?" he asks quietly, looking back at them. "I mean…he was alive when we found him. He was just quiet."

"Kinvara told me there was sorcery involved," Daenerys says quietly, causing Jon to snap his head back to hers. "She said she couldn't remember if it was directed at him or someone else, but she knew there was sorcery from the red priests. We wanted to go there and ask them directly what they did…I know it's probably Aenar and Saeresa's fault if anything did happen to him considering they forced the red priests to do things, but it's worth a shot. Just to see."

Jon nods, letting out a quiet breath again. "Then we should go now. See what's happening…maybe they might have some say."

He looks over at Dan and his brow furrows, before kneeling down to her height.

"What is it?" he asks at the worried expression on her face.

"I'm…nervous for what they might say. What if he's never the same again?" Dan asks, her voice small and filled with fear.

"Then it's something we're going to need to help him with as a family," Daenerys says gently to her. "We've told you before. In order to get through the things life throws at us, we need to stick together, and that includes the good times and the bad."

Dan swallows but nods, agreeing. "You're right…we should go." She heads down the stairs first, and as soon as she was out of sight, Daenerys lets out a soft sigh, her shoulders dropping.

"I'm nervous too," she admits quietly to Jon.

He reaches over and takes her hand in his. "I am as well, but it's like you said…we have to find this out. This isn't only some phase or mental state…from these drawings, I have a feeling there's something else going on as well. You're in the right here, Dany."

Daenerys looks over to him, the sincerity ridden in his eyes. She had been so nervous that she had only been seeing this change in her son, but she was so thankful the other people saw it as well.

"Then let's get out of here," Daenerys responds, her body heading towards the stairs to go back out to the street.

---

While the city of Valyria was quite large in size, Daenerys had grown accustomed to locations of where certain things are, so finding the temple where the red priests worshipped their God wasn't hard. Getting there, however, proved to be a more difficult task, as everyone wanted to speak to them.

On a normal day, Daenerys would be happy to talk with the villagers and the lord and ladies but this wasn't a normal day and her head wasn't in its normal place, and she had a feeling that if she was forced to stand and talk to people for more than a minute she would snap. Jon, however, seemed to notice this and would cut the conversations off pretty quickly for her, before they would move on their way. And for that, she was grateful.

As they walked, however, Daenerys looked over at her daughter, making sure she was up ahead at least a little bit so she didn't hear this. Then, she turns back to Jon. "You know, I understand that you want to gift me things or whatever…but these constant outings are starting to get to me, Jon," she admits quietly.

His brow furrows as his eyes glance towards Dan before looking back at her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean always going out in the middle of the day to do whatever it is you were doing with that blacksmith," she replies, her voice low. "I don't know what you're doing and you refuse to tell me, saying it's some sort of 'surprise,' but when it's happening all the time…it's starting to concern me a little, Jon. It makes me think you don't want to be in the castle to help me."

Jon stops suddenly, looking at her incredulously before turning his head back to where Dan was still walking. "Dan!" The girl stops and turns her head, seemingly annoyed they had to stop again. "Wait for us for a moment, we need to speak with someone."

"I swear to the bloody gods," he sword he would hear Dan mumble, but she turns around and nods, leaning against a wall to wait for them.

Jon then turns back to Daenerys, his arms resting at his sides. "Is that what you really think I'm doing? Avoiding my role? Because I can assure you I have been out multiple days helping the people in these streets, rebuilding their homes and everything else involved."

Daenerys sighs and rubs the back of her neck. She didn't want to fight with Jon – it wasn't like she was seriously angry about it – but she didn't know how to properly get the words out. "It's not like that, Jon."

"Then what is it then?"

She could hear the slight aggravation in his voice. Daenerys bites her lip and sighs before she turns back to him. "Jon, I think you're doing a great job with helping the people around here. I never said you weren't. I can't think of a better person than you that could bring their homes back to what they were before and make sure people are getting what they need. But I'm talking about…these trips to the market for things you're getting for me. I know that we agreed to rule together and do these things together but when you're going out and getting all these gifts, it makes me think you don't want to be in the castle with me. I can't tell you how many meetings I've gone to where I've had to tell them you've gone off."

There, that didn't sound too bad, right? At his silent response, she continues.

"I appreciate what you're doing for me, Jon. Truly. I don't think I've ever met a man who has given me so much…but you don't need to keep trying. You truly do not. All these gifts…they're great and all, but the best gift I can be given is the one that I have standing right in front of me."

His gaze turns back to her at her words and she sees something shift in his eyes. Quietly, he sighs and comes over to her. "I'm sorry if I've been missing lately…truly, what I've been working on for you aren't random gifts that I thought of. It's something I've been planning for you for months. I only waited until we took the throne for me to really show it to you."

Her brow furrows. "Then what is it?"

"I can't tell you that yet. All I can say is that it's for tonight. That's it." Before she could ask any more questions, he leans down and presses a soft kiss to her lips, silencing her thoughts. When he pulls back, he brings a hand up to stroke her cheek. "I know I've been absent from the castle a lot. I feel horrible about it. It's partly the reason I've been trying to visit Daemon as much as I can – to make sure he's been okay. But I promise you that the moment this coronation is done, I won't be disappearing for hours on end or anything like that. I will be right at your side, making these decisions and ruling with you. I promise you that."

"You swear?" she asks, her voice quiet.

"I swear." He presses another kiss to her forehead before pulling back. "I didn't know you looked at it as a big deal."

She shrugs softly before sighing. "It's been on my mind a lot recently…but I needed to just get it out before we find out…whatever it is that happened to Daemon. There are many more important things we need to look at."

Jon nods before turning his gaze back to Dan, who was patiently waiting. He nods at her to continue walking and the girl speeds up once more, heading in the direction of the temple. Daenerys walks close to Jon as they maneuver their way through the people, saying hi as they did but making sure to be quick.

Once they do reach the outside of the temple, Daenerys looks around quietly, her eyes surveying the construction they had been doing. The temple had been in the crossfire of the lava the day the volcano erupted but thanks to the fire mages, it didn't get as damaged as it could have. Jon had been talking with the red priests on redoing their floors, which they had recently completed. Now that she thought about it, this was the first time she had ever stepped foot in the temple in Valyria.

But as she did, her mind had flashbacks to when they went to the temple in Volantis. It looked practically identical, with high ceilings and walls that were dark, but had lights of torches along the sides. There were paintings and sculptures depicting their moments in their religion, as well as figures that they worshipped. She could mindlessly see a resemblance between her and Jon with one of the depictions on the wall, but she kept that to herself.

These predictions and prophecies needed to stay off of her mind. She needed to figure out what happened to her son.

As they walked inside, one of the red priests walks over to her, one that she recognized from the cave. The others that were around them began to bow at their presence. "Queen Daenerys and King Jon. Welcome to our temple. I believe this is the first time you've visited us here. What do we owe this pleasure?"

"Thank you…" Jon starts, his brow furrowed. The red priest smiles.

"Vamon," the man states.

"Vamon," Jon responds, using the man's name. "We've been meaning to visit for a while but it's been hectic in the castle and the city. But we're here today for a reason." He looks at the other red priests quietly. "You all should listen to this as well."

They look up at his voice, clearly surprised to see him addressing all of them. Daenerys nods to confirm what he was saying, and all of them stood straight, curious looks on their faces. Vamon's brow furrows.

"What is the reason, my king?" the man asks.

Jon looks to Daenerys, who was holding Daemon's sketchbook close in her hands. "I…I've been seeing something strange with my son, and I want to know if any of you have had anything to do with it."

Instantly, she sees looks of concern spread across the red priests in the temple, but Vamon steps in front of her to stop the questions from developing quickly. "In our years, we-"

"Don't try and bullshit us," Jon says from where he stood. Vamon looks over at him in surprise, but Jon doesn't budge. "You may have been able to do that with the former king and queen but we don't fall for that. Tell us the truth or we will find out a harder way."

Daenerys visibly sees Vamon gulp before he steps back, and she quietly smiles a little to herself. She had never heard Jon put out a threat so easily like that to someone, but it was refreshing to see he would be willing to do anything to find answers. And that's exactly what they needed.

Vamon turns to the other red priests and says something in Ancient Valyrian – Daenerys really needed to learn that – and then all at once they file out into different rooms of the temple before it was just them and Vamon. Once they were gone, Daenerys turns to Vamon with a questioning look.

"What I'm going to tell you…should only be between us. Follow me."

Jon and Daenerys share a glance before looking down at Dan, who was quiet. "You don't need to come with us if you've changed your mind," she says to her softly.

Dan shakes her head. "No. I want to come."

Daenerys nods quietly, accepting the girl's answer, before turning back to Vamon. "Alright. Then tell us."

---

Vamon guided them through the hallways of the temple, down staircases and chambers, before they arrived at a room that had only paintings in them. "I call this the quiet chambers," Vamon states to them as they walked in. "Sort of a place to reflect and meditate…but it's also far from anyone who could hear this."

Once he closes the door, Jon turns to him. "What's the big deal with this? Why can't you tell us?"

"I will and I am," Vamon answers, his body facing Jon's again. "But it's…complicated. I need you to listen to me, and before you ask any questions, you must know the full story. Can you at least promise me that?"

"I'm not promising shit if it meant you hurt our son," Jon growls.

"Jon," Daenerys whispers to him, her voice fierce. He looks to her and she could see the fire in his eyes, but watches as it extinguishes quickly at her serious expression. "Let's listen to what the man has to say before we make any rash decisions."

Jon stared for a moment or two before dropping his shoulders and then leans against the wall. "Fine…talk."

Vamon nods, looking between the two of them, before starting to speak. "Alright, well…I suppose I should start at the beginning. My name is Vamon, as you know. I'm the highest priest of the Temple of the Lord of Light here in Valyria. I am also one of the few priests who are still around from the time of the Doom, as is Kinvara. She is an old friend of mine. We were both here when we placed the shield around this area, and have followed what the Valyrian's have said for years, for we believed them to be bringers of light. The men and women who mount the dragons that could bring a new age to this world. And for a while, we truly thought that the Galeron's and the Valgyreon's were the chosen ones."

Daenerys' brow furrows. "You mean 'unburnt?'"

"Yes, but we never put it to the test to see if it was true or not. We didn't want to anger the Gods even more, for the sake of the mind of the Valyrian's. But it was only when we saw Aenar openly burn himself while practicing his sorcery a long time ago that we realized they were not. Ever since then…we have been praying that the true chosen ones would show – and you have."

Daenerys could see Jon roll his eyes out of the corner of her own. "We understand – but that's not why we're here."

"It's important to the story," Vamon answers. Jon lets out a low, aggravating breath, but nods at the red priest to continue. "When we saw you come here, we knew that we were meant to worship you, but the king and queen wanted none of that. They wanted us to keep pushing the idea that their families were meant to bring back Valyria, meant to bring the light and defeat the monsters that dwell beneath us, but after a while, we could not anymore. They stole Kinvara away and locked her down in the castle without even a mention, and were threatening to do it more to people if they didn't agree to their plan, or who they were. We didn't agree still. So they took us and all the other sorcerers in the area away in the night, stealing them and locking them up in the volcano for their plan, so we would have no choice but to follow them after they made the volcano erupt – including your son and Nesara."

He walks over to a table that was filled with books, something Daenerys did not notice before and opens up to a page regarding the fire mages. After a moment, he turns his head and looks back to the family.

"I'm sure you've been told that there are two types of sorcery here, and only people who are extremely rare can possess both – healing and fire, which is what red priests and priestesses are capable of."

Dan's brow furrows this time. "Are you saying Daemon has both now?"

"No," the man states quietly, looking at the girl now. "As I said, it's very rare, but that's the reason why the king and queen took all of us – not only could we help them in their 'plan,' but we could also help them if something went wrong…and something did go wrong."

Daenerys and Jon straighten up at hearing this, their brows furrowed in confusion. Vamon turns to them and sighs, letting out a low breath.

"Your son and Nesara were showing signs of being some of the best healers we have seen in Valyria in a long time, even better than the queen. The red priests had no choice but to help with the lava due to them threatening to kill us, but as we would use our sorcery to force the volcano to erupt, we would be burnt, or hurt, or severely injured. It wasn't an easy process. Each time that would happen, Saeresa would try to heal us as quickly as possible, but her powers were nowhere near where they used to be. So, because healers are in rare quantity now due to most being adults, she would turn to the children. Most, however, were too young to perform the same rituals that Saeresa did to heal their wounds, and because we were consistently helping with the lava, we could not do healing either. Only Daemon and Nesara could perform the correct incantations and actually be able to do it."

Daenerys crosses her arms against her chest. "If there were other healers who were adults, why didn't they just kidnap them instead of the children?"

"Because children are easier to convince of new world order," Vamon responds. "Most of the people here want to leave Valyria. They don't want to feel trapped by the old pressures of society, and would never bow to the world that Saeresa was planning. When using a child, it's easier to influence. Plus, kidnapping children is also easier than trying to steal an adult in general."

"Well that makes sense," Dan states from where she sat. "But what does Daemon and Nesara have to do with healing? They refused to."

"Exactly. They refused to." Vamon lets out a solid sigh and looks at the two adults. "At first, it was Nesara they asked, and when she said no, they began to beat her. Daemon stepped in front to protect her. They then commanded him, and he refused. Each time they demanded, he refused. Again, and again, and again. And each time, they would whip him, harder, and harder…until it didn't turn into whips anymore. Aenar took him out of the cage for stepping in front of Nesara, for protecting her. He beat him to a bloody pulp, taking his rage out, and he…he…"

He was quiet, his eyes looking back and forth at the ground as if looking for the right words to say before he finally speaks.

"Aenar…ended Daemon."

The silence was deafening. Daenerys stares at him, her brow furrowed, while Dan's head was tilted. "But…but he's okay now?" Dan questions, clearly confused.

"He is because he was in a room surrounded by red priests and priestesses."

Daenerys swallows and slowly steps forward. "Let me get this correct." Her voice was deadly low. "You're telling me that Aenar…killed my son."

Vamon nods quietly. "Yes. When he saw he was dead, Aenar began to panic but Saeresa made the red priests try and bring him back. But our power wasn't enough. He was truly gone. It even arrived at the point where they had red priests step out and do blood magic on him, opening his wounds and trying to heal from the inside, but nothing worked…not until Nesara tried."

"Nesara?" Dan asks. "But she's younger than Daemon…years younger. You're saying she brought him back?"

Vamon nods. "You underestimate her. I told you – she and Daemon were the best healers out of any of them there – even the queen due to her power-loss. Nesara didn't use the common ways that red priests do though…she performed a ritual that's laced in blood and Valyrian magic, one that hasn't been used for years because barely anyone has had success with it."

"When Jon died," Daenerys whispers.

Vamon's brow raises. "Come again?"

"Jon was killed a while ago by an old friend of mine," Daenerys states, her eyes finally turning back to Vamon. "Daemon…he said some old incantation that Kinvara said only the most skilled healers could use, and it brought Jon back, even after he went through sorcery and blood magic from Kinvara…the same thing that happened to Daemon."

Vamon's brow furrows at her explanation. "What was the incantation?"

"Um…may the shore wash away your wounds, may the light guide you towards life...may the good mother feed you back to health. May the good father ignite your strength once more-"

"The Lord of Light calls on your name - rise, and you shall be born again," Vamon whispers. "That was what Nesara chanted as well."

Daenerys feels her body lean against the wall. It all made sense now. Why Daemon was talking about death, about there being no light, about how he feels that there's nothing to look forward to.

Her son had fucking died.

"Why did no one tell us about this?!" she hisses suddenly, glaring at the man. "Don't you think this would be, I don't know, a good source of information for us to know?!"

Vamon raises his hands in defense. "We are sorry for not informing you sooner, my queen, but we thought it would best if we didn't. Nesara had fallen unconscious due to the amount of sorcery she needed to use tied in with her injuries, while Daemon was still reeling from being brought back. He couldn't even understand it himself. If we had told you what had happened right out of the gate-"

"We are the king and queen of this fucking city!" Daenerys snaps angrily. "We deserve to know if our son has died!"

Vamon suddenly falls to his knees, his hands above his head. "Please…we're so sorry…"

Daenerys stares down at him, feeling her anger start to subside only slightly. She didn't want to scare the man. She didn't want to scare anyone. But this was her family. Her son. And they didn't even feel the need to tell her until they had to come prying for answers. Who just did that?

"Get up," she mutters. Vamon slowly stands. "Look at me in the eye." He turns to her. "I understand why you did it. The city was healing after a traumatic incident. But don't ever hold this type of information away from us ever again. We took up ruling to help people – but we can't do that if we don't know the full story. And you keeping that from us will never be allowed."

Vamon nods his head and steps back. "I'm sorry, my queen…we promise we will be better. We will help you instead. We were so used to the former rulers that keeping secrets…it was almost normal to us. We know we need to break it."

Daenerys nods, before turning her head to her daughter, who had fallen silent. "Are you alright, sweetling?"

Dan slowly nods, her eyes looking up into Daenerys'. "I'm…okay. Not alright. Okay. It…it makes sense. Why Nesara has been unconscious for so long. She's mentally and physically healing from saving Daemon…and he…that's why he's been this way. Didn't you or father say that when you die but are brought back, you lose a piece of yourself? What…what if he's just lost…himself?"

Daenerys could sense the fear in the child's voice, but she tries to pull her close to her. "I think we just need to speak to him on what happened. I promise…we will get through this."

Dan's brow furrows before she looks around the room. "Um…I just realized something. Father is gone."

Daenerys spins around at what her daughter says and realizes with a start that he was indeed absent. She turns her gaze to Vamon. "Did you see when he left?"

"As soon as we said Aenar killed Daemon. I thought he needed air."

"Fuck," she mutters, stepping aside quickly. "Vamon, get my daughter safely back to the castle. I need to run." Vamon nods instantly, following what she ordered. Before Dan could ask questions, Daenerys squeezes her shoulder and takes several steps back. "Sweetling, I'll see you tonight!"

"Where are you going?!" Dan yells at her as she runs out of the room.

"Trying to stop your father!" she exclaims until she was out of sight, her footsteps echoing off the stone walls.

---

Daenerys didn't think she had run so fast in her life. For someone who had spent a good portion of his life standing at the edge of a wall, Jon could move at a quick pace and she genuinely did not know if she would have caught him at first.

Her heart was practically pounding out of her chest and she was finding it hard to breathe, but as soon as she ran into the castle, she crashed into one of the handmaidens. Before the girl said her sorry's, Daenerys grabs her shoulders roughly. She didn't mean to be like this, but it was quite literally a matter of life and death.

"Where did Jon go?!" she asks, her voice growing. "Where did the king go?!"

"To the passage to the dungeons, my queen!" the girl says, her voice filled with fear. Daenerys steps back and runs towards that, saying sorry to the woman as she did. The last thing she wanted was to be pushy to the people who served her, but if she didn't get to Jon…

She couldn't believe she had let him leave like that. She knew what Jon was like in situations like this. But she had been so caught up in what Vamon had said, she wouldn't have noticed if Drogon bloody appeared over her. Everything had turned into a blur and she could barely hear her own thoughts, just a constant ringing until she forced herself to ask the question that had been lingering in her head.

Her poor son…that fucking bastard.

But that would have to wait for another time. Now, she needed to stop Jon. And finally, after probably running the longest amount of time she had ever done, her eyes spot him just as he's about to descend into the dungeon. And she could see his hand resting on the edge of Longclaw.

"Jon!" she exclaims, running over and slamming the door to the dungeons closed. "Stop!"

"Daenerys. Step out of my way." The tone his voice took almost made her shake. She had never heard him become so dark in one moment. His eyes looked like they were going to turn full-on black.

"No," she responds. "I know that you're angry-"

"Angry?" he whispers before his gaze turns to her once again. "Angry doesn't even begin to describe what I am feeling right now." His voice grew, filled with hatred and rage. "Angry doesn't even reach into the depths of the pain I want to inflict on that evil man, who killed our son!" he snaps. He almost pushes her away, but she holds still where she stood.

"I know," she whispers, her voice viciously low. She pulls at his arm, finally yanking him away from the door. "I know. I know that this is awful. I want to go down there and kill him too. But you know we can't. We have to do what we planned to do. I promise you, he will pay for what he has done. No matter what."

Jon doesn't tear his eyes away from the door. His hands were turned into fists and they were so tightly wrung up that they were shaking. He was shaking. He looked about ready to explode. And that scared her.

"Jon," she continues, trying to keep her voice soft. "You can't do this. You can't just kill him. We need to make him confess. We need to make sure that the people know what he did. What he and his wife did. And then we can make him suffer."

He still doesn't say anything, his eyes mounted to the door. But after a moment, he finally turns his gaze back to her, the anger strong in his eyes. "I want to tear that man apart, piece by piece, until there is nothing fucking left of him," Jon hisses.

"And we will," she reassures, trying to keep his composure. They didn't need their commoners seeing their king lose his shit. "Tonight, we speak with Daemon. We have fun. We become the king and queen officially. And then tomorrow, we bring justice upon them. We rain down hellfire. And I promise you, both of them will pay for what they have done."

Jon's eyes don't break from her glance, looking into her own, trying to see if she was speaking the truth. She wanted nothing more than to hurt Aenar. She wanted to watch him scream. But they needed to show they wouldn't just kill their enemies. They needed to admit to what they had done, and then and only then would they execute them, as much as her mind was thinking otherwise.

And suddenly, Jon closes his eyes, and he drops his head. "How could we not notice this?" His whisper was pained, filled with regret. "How could we not see he was…our son…he…"

She sees tears start to leave his eyes, his lip quivering. She pulls him close and embraces him tightly, feeling him start to shake, only this time in grief. She had been forcing herself not to cry in front of him, needing to be strong. If she cried, it would only fuel Jon's anger and need to kill Aenar, but now, she allowed a few tears to escape, before quickly wiping them away.

"It's not our fault," she reassures him softly, trying to calm him down as he shook in her arms. "We had no idea something like this had happened. You have to know that. We were still looking for him and the others when he was killed…there was no way we could have known…Jon, please…"

He shakes his head, pulling back from her shoulder. His hand comes up and wipes at his eyes, but his gaze does not meet hers. "He…he's been suffering. It all makes sense. The drawings, his dreams…Gods, what did he see when he died? That made him draw those…those monsters…we both died and yet we couldn't…couldn't tell…"

"Jon, you can't really tell when someone's been brought back," she tries to speak to him. "We were not there. No one told us. Remember, I didn't know you were brought back until you were near death at the wall and I saw those scars on your chest. There was no way I truly would have known unless I asked. What happened…was not our fault. You can't blame yourself for this…the only people we can blame are those fucking bastards down below us. And we will get out revenge. Until then, we have to talk to Daemon. We need to."

Jon was still shaking, but he slowly nods. Quietly, his eyes finally meet her own. "And Nesara…she brought our boy back. Not even the priests…what if she never wakes up because of this? What if she…she…fuck," he whispers, running his hands through his hair. "Why does this always happen to us? Why is it that everyone is out to kill the people that we love the most?"

"Because we're powerful," she speaks softly to him, resting her hands on his cheeks. "We're a powerful family. We're strong, we're brave. We don't let these situations or disasters break us…because we know we are stronger than that. And you need to believe that too. You can't let this break you. We won't. And that's what makes us better than the others. Please, Jon. Believe me. Trust me."

Jon's eyes search her own for a moment before he brings a hand up to where hers cupped his cheek, intertwining their fingers. Then, quietly, he lets out a deep breath and holds her hand close to him. "We…we should go talk with Daemon."

Daenerys nods, standing. "I think that's a great idea."

Jon follows after her, taking her hand tightly. As they walk away, he looks down at her. "I'm sorry for walking off again."

"I know. I understand. Dan was more confused than me. But she'll be alright." She stops him in the hallway and presses her lips to his, feeling him let out a quiet sigh. When she pulls back, she brings a hand up and strokes his cheek. "We're going to be okay. We just need to take this…one step at a time."

He swallows, nodding. "One step at a time," he repeats, his voice low. Daenerys pulls back and nods down the hallway.

"The first step…talking with our son."

---

Daemon

Daemon cringes as he takes off his shirt, feeling the blood start to seep through. This was the umpteenth time that his gashes on his back had reopened in the last month. It seemed that they were almost impossible to heal. And every single time they tried to, it didn't stick.

He throws the shirt to the side, glaring at the ground. Quietly, he walks over to the mirror and faces his back to it, staring at the angry, bleeding red marks on his back, the ones that would almost remain no matter how old he grew. The ugliest things that would sit with him for the rest of his life.

He looked like a monster.

He feels tears break through his eyes but he shakes them away, staring at the ground. No. He didn't cry. He couldn't cry. Not after what happened. Not after what Nesara did for him. He didn't deserve to cry. She did.

He swallows and moves his eyes back to the mirror. Even so gently, something started to whisper into his head, a soft voice. 'Use your power,' it urges, the tone almost alluring. 'Use it…use it…'

What, his healing powers? He didn't think they even worked anymore. He could barely feel enough energy within him to sustain that.

But the voice continues.

'The blood…the blood…'

His brow furrows as he watches the beads of blood drip down his skin. The blood? What did that mean? His healing hadn't worked since the volcano – it was one of the reasons he felt he was fucking useless now. But what was he supposed to do with the blood?

His eyes follow the droplet, a curious thought entering his mind. And then, ever so gently, he lifts up his hand, and focuses his mind on the blood, trying to speak Ancient Valyrian, whispering lowly. Nothing happens for a moment. Nothing moves.

And then…the droplet begins to drip upwards.

He watches in shock. As he raises his hand, the blood begins to move closer and closer back to the wound. More droplets begin to move, joining in with the original until they settled deep within the gash. He could feel the blood gushing around in him, trying to find its spot until there was nothing but dried streaks against his skin.

He moves his hand and suddenly, a drop of blood comes out but does not drip onto the ground. He slowly moves it towards his own eyes, until the droplet is hovering right in front of him. Not on his skin. Not on the ground. But right there.

He tilts his head in confusion, staring at the dark substance, his brow furrowed. His…his healing hadn't been working. But this…this was new.

His sister was able to summon fire, manipulate it to her will, burn her enemies easily. Although he had been jealous at first, being able to heal was a gift he had learned to appreciate, especially after meeting Nesy and becoming her friend.

After that volcano, however, he hadn't even felt the urge to heal. His energy, his sorcery, had felt that it had left him. But this…this was different. This…this was powerful.

His sister could control fire. But now…was…was he able to control…

…blood?

---

Fire and blood, baby.

So there's part one for ya. This sudden power Daemon has is going to be a hugeeee gamchanger and it's going to be intense so just wait until next chapter haha. Again, I didn't want this to suddenly turn into a "everyone is bending" and everything so don't expect like Avatar shit but because blood is so commonly used in stories like this (I mean, it's GOT we're talking about here) I thought the use of blood sorcery would be a good addition. And you'll see the craziness that comes from it. Oh boy, it's gonna get crazy.

As always, love it? Hate it? Want to burn me down like Daenerys did to those soldiers? Let me know in the reviews, as they always keep me writing and pushing out these chapters quickly for you guys. You've been so great letting me know what you think and I really appreciate it with my whole heart - you are all amazingly awesome! Dont forget to follow or favorite if you want to join us on our adventure, and I will see you all in the next chapter. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you have an awesome day! Wash your hands and stay healthy! :)