Started this chapter last night, and cranked it out in one day! This one is much lighter and happier than the last chapter. Enjoy!
Author's Note: Light nudity ahead.
144 AC – 146 AC
143 AC was an abysmal one for Princess Laena Velaryon, but thankfully for her, it ended on a happy note after she claimed the majestic and beautiful Silverwing as her mount. The following year of 144 AC would be a better year for both the Targaryen's and Velaryon's. The year began with the birth of Ser Addam Velaryon and Lady Alysanne Blackwood's fourth child. After three sons, the couple finally welcomed a daughter. Addam and Alysanne named their newborn daughter Visenya in honor of Queen Rhaenyra's youngest child, her full name being Lady Visenya Velaryon.
Unlike her older brothers: Phaeton, Aenar, and Ivon, who had their father's silver hair and purple eyes, Visenya had her mother's black hair and dark eyes. Regardless of her looks, the newborn Lady Velaryon's birth was welcomed with much happiness and joy by her family. Ser Addam experienced more good fortune sometime after his daughter's birth. A few months after Visenya was born, the elderly castellan of High Tide, Lord Crispian Velaryon, who was a nephew of the late Sea Snake and the grandfather of Princess Rhaena Targaryen's cousin and companion, Lady Phaedra Velaryon, passed away from natural causes. To fill in the vacancy, Prince Lucerys Velaryon named his older half-brother as the new castellan.
Tears were in Marilda of Hull's eyes when she heard the news of her oldest son's appointment. From being known as the fatherless bastard sons of a shipwright's daughter, the former Hull Brothers had advanced far beyond what anyone had ever imagined they would. Originally the sworn shield of Prince Lucerys Velaryon, Addam was now the castellan of High Tide, was married to a noblewoman from a prominent and powerful family, and was the proud father of four beautiful children. Alyn was the admiral of the Velaryon Fleet, was married to a pleasant noble lady, and was the proud father of six children, although two of them had been born from their father's extramarital affair with Lady Lyra Hayford. Regardless of Alyn's flaws, Marilda could not have been anymore prouder of her two boys, and she had a feeling that her late father, Addam and Alyn's grandfather, was smiling down upon them all from the heavens above.
Sadly, that long dead Hull shipwright would be joined by an ally of House Targaryen. Later that year in 144 AC, Lord Thaddeus Rowan passed away as a result of his health issues at the age of eight and sixty. Thaddeus's death was mourned by his entire family, and Florence wept when she heard the news about her beloved great-grandfather's death. Alyssa comforted her friend as she mourned. Thankfully, Florence was able to move on as the months went by, and she was content that her great-grandfather was in a happy place now and was free of his infirmities.
The following year of 145 AC would prove to be a very big year for House Targaryen. One month before her sixteenth nameday, Princess Visenya Targaryen was sleeping her bed one night when she felt a wave of dull, aching cramps coming from her lower abdomen. Visenya moaned with pain, grabbed her stomach, and laid down flat on it in an attempt sooth the pain she was feeling. The pain ebbed and flowed for some time, causing the princess great discomfort. After what felt like an eternity of suffering, the pain finally went away, and Visenya went back to sleep.
When she woke up the next morning, Visenya discovered that there was blood on her bedsheets. Visenya was initially terrified at the sight of her blood, but the maidservant who had come to help her get ready for the day informed the princess that she had flowered. The maidservant told one of her peers to go immediately inform Queen Rhaenyra that her daughter was now a woman grown. When Visenya entered the Queen's Ballroom, her mother got up from her chair and embraced her.
"My only daughter, my youngest child, you are a woman now." said Rhaenyra as she hugged her daughter. After releasing Visenya, Rhaenyra planted a kiss on her forehead. Princess Visenya having her first period marked not only the beginning of her womanhood, but also the beginning of planning for her long-awaited wedding to Prince Maelor Targaryen. Maelor's mother, Princess Helaena Targaryen, sighed when she heard that her half-niece had flowered.
She knew full well that her youngest child was due to be married in the coming years, and she could not believe how quickly time had gone by. Helaena helped her older half-sister with planning their children's wedding. Rhaenyra I sent out ravens throughout Westeros and Essos to summon the finest artisans to the royal court to see who would be worthy of being contracted into providing goods and services for the future nuptials, which soon gained the name of "the Black and Green Wedding". The Red Keep soon became a glorified guildhall as artisans streamed into King's Landing to gain the queen's favor and secure place in helping with her daughter and half-nephew's wedding. Competition was rife, and the artisans brought their finest wares with them to present before Queen Rhaenyra I Targaryen.
Goldsmiths and silversmiths from Lannisport brought magnificent jewelry like necklaces, rings, chains, and brooches. Jewelers from the Summer Islands showed off the quality of the gemstones they had cut like amethysts, diamonds, and sapphires, and pearls that had been collected off the shores of their tropical homeland. Perfumers employed at Highgarden competed with their Lyseni counterparts, and they both brought bottles of their headiest perfumes that smelled of roses, fruit tree blossoms, spices and spiceflowers, lotuses, and sandalwood. Seamstresses, tailors, cordwainers, and shoemakers from both continents showed off the beautiful garments and footwear that they had made. Rhaenyra's favorite lacemaker from Myr received a royal warrant to provide lace for the wedding without having to compete at all.
As for the other artisans, there were so many choices to make when only a few would make the cut. Aided by her younger half-sister, Visenya, Mysaria, and her daughters-in-law, and Rhaenys, Rhaenyra I made her selections and issued their royal warrants to those who would provide their services for the Black and Green Wedding. The queen's half-brother, husband, sons, and Maelor, meanwhile, observed the women from a careful distance as they discussed the wedding and made their choices. They were fearful of getting dragged into it, of being asked about their opinions regarding the shade of color of a bolt of silk, the strength of a perfume's fragrance, or which piece of jewelry looked better - a silver chain that was dripping with pearls, or a gold brooch that was studded with rubies?
Rhaenyra soon found herself surrounded by women and artisans, leading people to say that she had two small councils – one that dealt with the day-to-day governance of the realm, and one that dealt with planning and outfitting Maelor and Visenya's wedding. And speaking of weddings, Prince Jacaerys Velaryon and Princess Baela Targaryen soon found themselves planning a wedding of their own. Their niece and ward, Alysanne, had also flowered that same year as well, and the queen decided that her eldest two grandchildren were to be married on their fifteenth birthday on the fourteenth day of the eleventh moon. As if that were not enough, the regency of Lord Lyonel Tyrell ended in 145 AC too after he turned six and ten. With Lyonel now ruling the Reach on his own, Jace and Baela knew that the time for their daughter Alyssa to marry Lord Tyrell was due to take place in the coming years.
Thoughts of weddings were temporarily blotted out after Ser Roger Beesbury of the Queensguard passed away from natural causes in 145 AC. Lady Nell Beesbury mourned for her dear uncle by wearing black for three months after his death. Roger was well-liked by his nephew-in-law, Prince Joffrey Velaryon, and his two grandnephews, Princes Aeric and Daemion Targaryen, and the three princes were sorrowful over the knight's death a well. After the proper period of mourning had passed, Queen Rhaenyra sought out a replacement for the late Ser Beesbury. Her choice would not be well regarded by King Daemon Targaryen, however.
The man whom Daemon's niece-wife had chosen was twenty year old Ser Victor Royce. What made Daemon less than thrilled about Victor was that, not only was he a member of House Royce of Runestone, he was also the youngest son of the late Lord Gunthor Royce, the Bronze Giant. Victor had been present at the Trial by Seven at Gulltown eleven years ago in 134 AC with his Royce kinsmen, and he saw his father and cousin, Willam, die on the cobblestones in a frenzy of blood and steel. Choosing Ser Royce was Rhaenyra's way of mending the rift between the Iron Throne and the Royce's over a decade after the Trial had taken place. Regardless of past tensions, Victor was nevertheless grateful to have been chosen by the queen to serve in her Queensguard.
Thankfully two births would distract the royal court from Daemon and Victor's mutual dislike for each other. Unfortunately, the first birth was not too well-received. One morning, as Prince Aegon the Elder and Princess Helaena Targaryen were getting ready for the day after waking up, their eldest son's manservant visited them in their bedchamber to inform them that Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen had welcomed twins of his own with his mistress, Lady Falena Stokeworth, just before dawn. The twins were a boy and girl each, and they were given the names Maegon and Maegelle Waters. Aegon and Helaena received the news about their newborn grandchildren bittersweetly. Poor Jaehaera became crestfallen when she heard the news, and she was in a dark mood for the rest of the day afterwards.
Her twin brother-husband, meanwhile, who had snuck away from the Red Keep to be with Falena after he heard that she had gone into labor that night, did not return until later that afternoon. News of the birth of Maegon and Maegelle spread quickly throughout the Red Keep. Joff and Nell were quite displeased with the name that Jaehaerys had given his daughter since their own daughter had borne Maegelle as her own name for the three short months that she was alive. Needless to say, Joff and Nell found Jaehaerys's choice of name to be quite insensitive. Jaehaerys, on the other hand, despite everyone's misgivings about his illegitimate issue, was happy that he had a new son and daughter, as were his three trueborn children, who were too young to understand the nature of their younger half-siblings' birth.
Maegon and Maegelle were both healthy and strong, and they had a combination of their parents looks: light brown hair and purple eyes. Thankfully, the second birth would make everyone forget about Jaehaerys and his twin bastards. Having become pregnant again during the second half of 144 AC, Lady Myrine Darklyn gave birth to her third child on a clear and beautiful afternoon on the seventh day of the sixth moon. From Myrine's womb came forth her and Prince Viserys Targaryen's second born son. Handsome and healthy and born with every Valyrian feature, Viserys proudly named his newest son Daemon in honor of his father.
The birth of a second Prince Daemon Targaryen was welcomed joyfully by everyone at the Red Keep. His birth also stirred more hope for his uncle, Prince Aegon the Younger and his wife, Lady Thea Celtigar. Raising Oswyn was a joy for both Aegon and Thea, but it also kept them from conceiving a child of their own since they wanted to wait until their foster son was a little older before trying for another baby. Thea became inspired to try again the year before after Myrine welcomed a new nephew by her older brother Wyllis named Lord Raynor Darklyn. Raynor's mother was Thea's second cousin, Lady Eris Rosby, and since it had taken her and Wyllis seven years to conceive him, Raynor's birth made Thea hopeful that a child would finally be born to her after nearly ten years of marriage.
Nearly a year later, Aegon the Younger also became hopeful following the birth of his own nephew, Daemon. Uttering a silent prayer to the Mother before they laid together, Aegon and Thea resumed their efforts to conceive a child together. Their efforts paid off, for Thea discovered that she was pregnant for the sixth time during the following month of the seventh moon. Thea told her husband the news, and they both prayed that this child would stay. They counted down the days of the month, and quietly girded themselves for any tragedy that could occur.
The seventh moon soon passed, and then the eighth began and also passed. Before the couple knew it, Thea's first month of pregnancy passed without incident. Their hopes gradually rose as the Thea slowly went through her second month, and then her third. When Thea reached the end of her first trimester, both she and her husband, well, their whole family, was excited. Thea's excitement increased when she noticed her baby bump for the first time one morning as she was getting dressed.
It was small, but it was great with promise. Everyone was happy for Aegon and Thea. However, despite the couple's joy, caution and fear haunted them. A stillbirth could still occur, and something could happen to Thea that could also affect the child like a sickness or an accident. Prince Aegon was not taking any risks, and he began implementing measures to protect both Thea and their unborn child. He had food tasters sample all of his wife's meals and drinks to make sure that they were not poisoned, and he assigned his cousin-in-law, Ser Dorian Celtigar, to become Thea's sworn shield, and Aegon ordered Dorian to chaperone Thea as her pregnancy progressed when he could not so that she could be helped up and down stairs.
Thea felt that husband was being a tad bit overprotective, especially with the food tasters since she was pretty sure that she was the unlikeliest candidate for a poisoning. But Thea understood that Aegon meant well, and that he was looking out for both her and their baby, so she did not say anything against his measures. She did say something to Aegon though when she started to notice a listlessness in Oswyn. The couple spoke to their five year old foster son in their bedchamber one day late into the tenth moon.
"Oswyn, have you been feeling alright?" asked Aegon.
Oswyn nodded with a mumbled "uh-huh".
"I wanted to ask because your mother says that you have been acting aloof lately." Over the years, Oswyn had come to call Prince Aegon the Younger and Lady Thea Celtigar as his father and mother with the full knowledge that they were not his real parents.
"Is it about the baby, sweetling?" asked Thea.
Oswyn looked down at his feet as he sat on his chair. Aegon and Thea looked at each other with a look of mutual understanding.
"Have you been feeling jealous?" asked Thea.
Oswyn shook his head. "No."
"Sad?" added Thea, to which she got a nod from her foster son. "Why?"
"Because you will like the baby more than me." answered Oswyn with his head still down. "I know that I am not yours."
"Oswyn..." Thea then got up from the couch she had been sitting on with some assistance from Aegon, and she walked over towards Oswyn. Leaning over the boy, Thea gently lifted up Oswyn's chin with her finger before cupping both of his cheeks into her hands. With her thumbs gently rubbing the boy's cheeks, Thea tried to reassure him.
"Just because I am expecting does not mean that Aegon or I will love you any less. You are like a son to us. Never, ever think that we would discard you just because you were not born to us. You will be a wonderful big brother for this child, I know you will."
Thea kissed the top of Oswyn's head and hugged him, causing the little boy to hug her back. Aegon got up to embrace both his wife and foster son.
"Just remember that you will always be loved, Oswyn." said Aegon. "No matter what..."
Oswyn's mood improved after this warm talk with his foster parents. When he attended the wedding of Prince Baelor Targaryen and Princess Alysanne Velaryon on their fifteenth birthday the following month, Oswyn had bright eyes and a sweet smile on his face. Aegon and Thea looked happy as well, and Thea was seen to be gently rubbing her growing belly throughout the ceremony. Tears of joy were in the eyes of Queen Rhaenyra I Targaryen and twins Baela and Rhaena (Daemon, Jacaerys, and Lucerys were emotional, but they did not show it) as they watched Baelor and Alysanne become man and wife. Rhaenyra could not believe how quickly time had gone by, and she could still remember the day her eldest grandson and granddaughter were born, and how she held them when they were swaddled babes.
Baelor and Alysanne were smiling at the altar too. The two cousins were fond of each other, and many believed that they had a bright future ahead of them. Their dragons Palefyre and Galewing roared in triumph and flew around King's Landing when their newlywed riders exited the sept. The day after their daughter's wedding, Prince Lucerys Velaryon and Princess Rhaena Targaryen received a letter from Daenaera announcing that, after four years of marriage, Aemond had finally gotten around to consummating their marriage, and that she was now expecting their first child together. Luke and Rhaena had an uneasy feeling about the nature of the consummation of their former ward's marriage, but they nevertheless wrote back to her expressing their congratulations that she was going to be a mother.
Looking back on Daenaera's letter, Luke and Rhaena noticed that she made no mention of Alys and Lydus's reaction to her pregnancy. From what she wrote, Aemond sounded happy that he was having another child, but who knows? The couple's uneasiness over Daenaera and Aemond's marriage was soon overshadowed by great joy when, in the first moon of 146 AC, they learned from Jace and Baela that Baelor and Alysanne had announced that they were expecting their first child together. Rhaenyra squealed with delight when she heard the news, and she wept happy tears as she embraced and kissed her grandson and granddaughter. Even Daemon had a tear in his eye when he learned that both he and Rhaenyra were going to become great-grandparents.
The dynasty was continuing well into the next generation. Excitement over the imminent arrival of two new Targaryen's and the upcoming Black and Green Wedding charged the air at the Red Keep with much felicity. As Thea's pregnancy progressed, Rhaenyra decreed that the Black and Green Wedding would be held the month after her daughter-in-law had given birth so that she could have enough to recover and attend the wedding. Thea was soon put-on bedrest after she entered her second trimester, and she was attended to by her mother, Myrine, Jaehaera, and even Visenya, who had become curious about motherhood since her wedding was coming up and she wanted to observe her sister-in-law's pregnancy. Thea was startled when she felt movement inside her womb for the first time, and Adela gently reassured her daughter that it was only the baby moving about.
Thea would later invite her husband and son to her bedchamber to feel the baby move. It was a wonderous feeling for Aegon the Younger to feel his child as he or she moved around inside their mother's womb. It was one thing for Thea to finally feel a child move inside of her, it would be another for her to finally hold them in her arms. She had already made up her mind that she was going to nurse her child herself instead hiring a wet nurse to do that. Thea's decision to breastfeed surprised her family since noblewomen were taught that nursing your own child was something that only peasants did.
Of course, there were some noblewoman who nursed their own children, but that was rare. However, this is what Thea wanted, and no one was going to deny her wish. As the pregnancy continued, Aegon and Thea thought of some names to give their child. If the baby was a boy, they planned on naming him Prince Baelon Targaryen in honor of both the queen's grandfather, Baelon the Brave, and her baby brother, the Heir for a Day. If the baby was a girl, Aegon and Thea planned on naming her Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen in honor of her grandmother the queen.
The big day came on the twelfth day of the fourth moon, the day after Princess Visenya turned seventeen years old. It was a warm and sunny afternoon. Women were gathered in Thea's room to hear Princess Valaena Targaryen recite a poem she had written. At six years of age, Valaena was a budding poetess, and her parents saw promise in her poetry. After the recital was done, everyone clapped and praised Valaena and her poem. Thea felt her water break as she was clapping.
A flurry of excited activity occurred in that room after Thea's water broke. Lady Adela Bolling immediately rushed to her daughter's bedside to hold her hand and to offer support. Lady Myrine Darklyn quickly ushered her daughter out of the room and placed both Valaena and her younger brothers under the care of their grandaunt, Lady Elinda Massey. Princess Jaehaera Targaryen went over to Thea's beside opposite of Adela and held her dear friend's hand while Princess Visenya Targaryen ordered two maidservants to fetch Grand Maester Gerardys and some midwives and to inform her older brother that his child was coming. Prince Aegon the Younger was in the training yard watching Oswyn learn swordplay from Daemion when one of the maidservants found him and told him that his child was on his or her way.
Without a moment to lose, Aegon collected Oswyn and rushed up to his wife's bedchamber. News of Thea's labor beginning spread throughout the Red Keep like wildfire. Aegon and Oswyn reached the hallway outside of Thea's bedchamber just in time to witness Grand Maester Gerardys and three midwives enter the room. More people soon entered the hall. Lord Bartimos and Ser Dorian Celtigar and Prince Viserys Targaryen were waiting for Aegon and Oswyn in the hall.
"There you two are." said Viserys. He then gestured towards the bench that was sitting across from Thea's bedchamber door. "Have a seat."
As father and son sat down, more people arrived into the hall. Queen Rhaenyra arrived next and she sat next to Oswyn and reached out to touch her son's shoulder.
"How are you feeling, Aegon?"
"Nervous."
Rhaenyra gave her son's shoulder a sympathetic squeeze. "Don't be nervous. Everything will be fine. Have faith."
"Thea and I have had faith before and look how that turned out..." thought Aegon, but he nodded in response to his mother's words.
King Daemon stood on his oldest son's right and placed a hand on his shoulder too. Aegon thought that he felt his father's hand trembling. Jacaerys and Joffrey soon arrived with Baela and Nell. As the hallway filled up, Thea felt her first contraction and her cry was loud enough to be heard by everyone who was gathered outside. Aegon's concerned eyes widened and he stared at his wife's door after he heard her pained cry.
"There, there, Aegon." Rhaenyra said soothingly as she rubbed her son's back. "It's just labor pains. Thea's cries are normal."
More cries of pain followed suit along with long, deep moans as Thea weathered through painful contractions. Aegon felt his son lean his head into him, and he wrapped an arm around Oswyn as they waited. The prince rested his face into the palm of his right hand and silently prayed to the Mother to protect his wife and their unborn child. As everyone waited in silence outside of Lady Celtigar's bedroom, her room was active and noisy. Gerardys was preparing sweetsleep as the midwives worked on Thea.
Adela was holding her daughter's right hand, while Jaehaera held Thea's left. Myrine stood next to Jaehaera with both her hands on the mattress. All three women were offering words of encouragement and support to Thea as she cried out and moaned in pain. Visenya sat next to Lady Adela Bolling with both her hands firmly grasping the armrests of her chair. She observed her sister-in-law's labor with a mixture of trepidation and interest.
Thea began to sweat, and Jaehaera noticed one of the midwives pouring warm water from a pitcher into a basin. There were some dry rolls of cloth lying next to the basin. Rather than order the midwife to bring them, Jaehaera quickly apologized to Thea before letting go of her hand to fetch a cloth to dab Thea's glistening forehead. Myrine took the princess's place and held Thea's hand in hers.
"I'm scared..." whimpered Thea. "I'm scared..."
"There, there, sweetling..." said Adela as she comforted her daughter.
Myrine responded to her friend's fearful words by gently squeezing her hand.
"I was scared when I was having Valaena and she was born a fortnight early. Your child is arriving on time, Thea. Remember how you took my hand when we were first presented before Rhaenyra all those years ago when we were children? I was petrified of meeting the queen, but you guided me to the Iron Throne even though Rhaenyra had told us to come before her on our own. I will never forget that for as long as I live.
Now, the time has come for me to return the favor." Myrine's grip on Thea's hand increased. "I will guide you through your fears, Thea, just as you did with me."
Thea returned her friend's grip with a squeeze of her own. Jaehaera felt a pang of jealousy when she saw how Myrine had taken her place by Thea. However, she had a new role to play, and she eased her way around Myrine's chair to dab Thea's forehead. Hours passed, and Thea continued to labor, and her mother and friends continued to support her. It was late in the afternoon when the baby finally crowned, and Thea began pushing.
The cacophony of women chanting the word 'push' over and over again could be heard outside. Aegon squeezed his hands together and he began to tap his feet on the ground. It was only a matter of time before Thea brought forth her child. Both her and her husband's hearts nearly stopped when the first cries of a newborn rang out. The baby's cries were loud and strong, a good sign indeed.
The sound of a door being rapidly swung open soon resounded in the room after Aegon had burst through with his mother and brother behind him looking wide eyed. The teary eyes of the women were on Aegon along with those of Grand Maester Gerardys and the midwives. He could not see his newborn child, who was being held in the arms of the midwife, whose back was facing the door. The midwife looked away from the prince and back at the baby in her arms to announce the sex of the child.
"It's a girl, your grace. A healthy and lovely little girl."
Aegon sharply inhaled, tears starting to well up in his eyes. Thea saw her husband's glistening eyes, and joyful tears began to run down her cheeks.
"Can I see her?" said Aegon with a trembling voice.
Before Gerardys or the midwife could respond, the queen spoke up.
"Let them clean the baby first, Aegon. She needs to wiped off and swaddled."
"But-"
"Aegon, go be by Thea's side. Let Gerardys perform his duties."
Heeding his mother's advice, Aegon walked over towards Thea's bedside. Myrine got up out of her chair to let her brother-in-law sit down. Aegon took Thea's hand into his and they both squeezed each other's hands. Wrought with emotion, Aegon and Thea said nothing at first, but their soft smiles and tearful eyes spoke for them. They could hear their daughter cooing as the midwife cleaned her.
After Gerardys examined the newborn princess, he swaddled her, and brought her to her mother. Thea outstretched her hands to take her swaddled child into her arms. Ten years of marriage. Six pregnancies. Five miscarriages.
At long last, Aegon and Thea finally welcomed a child of their own together. And once more, the halls of the Red Keep resounded with the name Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen. The little princess was held close to her mother's chest, and both her parents got a good look at her. Rhaenyra was beautiful. She had silver-gold hair that was a shade more golden like her mother's, and she had deep purple eyes similar to her father's.
Adela carefully leaned over to get a good look at her firstborn grandchild's face. Tears welled up in her eyes when she saw Rhaenyra's face. Visenya stood next to Adela, and a gasp of awe escaped from her lips when she saw her newborn niece. Jaehaera and Myrine hovered around Aegon to get a good look at the baby princess. All was quiet, except for baby Rhaenyra's cooing, as they all observed the newborn.
"She's beautiful." whispered Aegon as he reached over to hold his baby daughter's small hand. The tip of his index finger fit in the palm of the baby's hand, and she gripped her father's fingertip.
"She's perfect." replied Thea. "And we made her, Aegon."
This knowledge warmed Aegon's heart. In front of everyone, the prince and his wife leaned in for a kiss. Rhaenyra began to cry in her mother's arms. It was time for her first feeding. Adela, Jaehaera, and Myrine left the room with Queen Rhaenyra and Viserys to give Thea and Aegon privacy.
One of the midwives guided Thea on how to nurse her child, and Aegon watched as his wife fed their daughter for the first time. The newborn princess drank heartily from her mother's breast, and little Rhaenyra let out a cute burp after she was done. Oswyn was brought in to see his second cousin/foster sister after Thea had made herself presentable. Oswyn climbed up next to his mother and he looked at Rhaenyra. The little boy smiled when he saw the baby, and he gently touched the top of her head; he even got to hold Rhaenyra.
The birth of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen was celebrated at both the Red Keep and at Claw Isle. Lord Bartimos Celtigar was ecstatic that he finally got a Targaryen grandchild. Not only did his granddaughter bear the dynasty's name, the blood of all three of Westeros's surviving Valyrian families flowed through her veins; a descendant of the Lords Celtigar, Targaryen, and Velaryon of old. Two feasts were held in little Rhaenyra's honor by both the Targaryen's and the Celtigar's. The High Septon himself even wrote to Aegon and Thea congratulating them on finally having a child together, and he said that their daughter was a gift from the gods.
And speaking of gifts, Visenya told her brother and sister-in-law that her niece was the best (late) birthday gift she ever got. Three days after his daughter's birth, Prince Aegon the Younger took her to the royal sept to be anointed and officially named. Both his mother and mother-in-law hovered over him as he walked up to the septon with a swaddled Rhaenyra in his arms. The sept glowed with a rainbow of colors as the sun shined through the stained-glass windows and the crystals that adorned the room. Aegon gently rocked Rhaenyra in his arms as she fussed when the septon anointed her with the seven sacred oils.
Thea waited anxiously in her bedchamber for her husband to return with their daughter. She could not bear being far from Rhaenyra. When Aegon returned, he gently placed Rhaenyra back into her mother's arms as Oswyn climbed up next to Thea to see his sister. True to their word, Aegon and Thea did not love Oswyn any less after Rhaenyra's birth. Lord Corbray was happy to be a big brother, and he loved his little sister.
Following the birth of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, people at the Red Keep began counting down the days before the Black and Green Wedding was set to take place the following month. People hoped and prayed that just as it was possible for Prince Aegon the Younger and Lady Thea Celtigar to finally have a child of their own, that a full reconciliation between the Blacks and Greens would be too. Until then, they would wait...
Aww, Aegon and Thea finally got the child that they had been yearning for for so long. The rainbow colors in the royal sept can represent the fact that Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen is a rainbow baby, or a child that has been born after a stillbirth, miscarriage, or lost a sibling in infancy. Both her mother and maternal grandmother are rainbow babies themselves. Other than that, a lot has happened in this chapter. Next up is the Black and Green Wedding.
See you guys later, and thanks you for reading and please review! :)
PS: Blake and Brent Parsons. Thank you for your suggestions and for providing such lovely reviews alongside Shockeye7665. Your guy's feedback is highly appreciated. Thank you!