"H...how?" Varys sputtered as Daemon's grinning face came into view from his cell.
"I slew the Mountain," Daemon replied, deeply enjoying the look on his eunuch foe's face. "Your scheme with the High Sparrow failed. The man is dead, being torn apart by an angry mob when it came to light that he worshiped demons. Sadly, the guards arrived too late to save him or his followers."
Varys' blue eyes widened more and more with each word Daemon spoke, and his face contorted in anger as he finished.
"That won't…" he went to protest.
"Oh, I'm sure your surviving conspirators will spread the vicious lies you conjured up about Aegon and I, but by then word will have traveled to every corner of the realm that the High Septon accused a prince of deplorable acts only for said prince to win a trial by combat," Daemon smirked. "With it being the people of King's Landing who killed him, no one can credibly accuse the crown of having a hand in it, and soon enough this will all be forgotten. Your king was trapped long ago, Varys, and now you're out of pieces. Game over."
The eunuch's face swiftly turned red as he shook in impotent rage, finally realizing that he was truly out of moves.
"You and your brother will never know peace, Daemon," Varys snarled, grabbing the bars of his cell door and bringing his face as close to the prince as possible. "You may dismiss the rumors for now, but when Rhaenys' and Daenerys' wombs both fail to quicken or they have babes who look nothing at all like your brother, people will ta…"
A thunderous crack echoed through the dungeon as Daemon's fist connected with the eunuch's jaw. Varys cried out in pain and fell back, clutching his face and looking stunned.
"They might, but you won't," Daemon muttered, shaking his hand as pain lanced through his fingers. He clenched his fist a few times, testing to see if he'd broken anything other than Varys' jaw, and was pleased when everything seemed to still be normal.
"My prince," Ser Barristan said warningly.
"I tripped and fell into his face, Ser, I swear," Daemon quipped.
"If I may say, that was unusually clumsy of you," Ser Barristan said dryly.
"I must still be a little banged up from fighting Clegane," Daemon chuckled. "Let us be off. See you at your execution, Varys."
Varys growled at him, unable to do anything more. As Daemon and his ever present guard exited the dungeon, a loud explosion sounded across the keep, and the prince instantly grabbed the hilt of Nightsister.
"Peace, my prince," Ser Barristan murmured. "His grace said earlier that he was going to test a new variety of the dragonpowder bombs, both because he wanted to see how they worked and because he wanted to show them off to the lords."
"As clear a message as what they'll witness later, I imagine," Daemon muttered. "Well, I don't have anything better to do, so why not?"
The two of them made their way towards the source of the noice and found a significant assembly of nobles spread out across the outer wall of the keep itself. There was a small stretch of largely useless land beneath that section of the wall, separating it just a little from the bay. A number of dragonpowder bombs had clearly been lifted up and by ropes, to be let go at his father's order. They're ears would likely ring for hours, but the nobles were a safe distance away from the demonstration site.
His father, Aegon, and Maester Marwyn were standing at the front, the former giving an explanation, it seemed. He was speaking more loudly than strictly necessary, and Daemon wondered if he hadn't been temporarily deafened by the loud explosions.
"...and utterly devastate an enemy army," Rhaegar called out.
"It's almost enough to make one wish that the Golden Company were still around," Tyrion piped up, making several of the lords around him laugh.
"Make way for the prince," Ser Barristan called out, and almost instantly the crowd parted to let him through.
Peering around at them, he saw several men looked perturbed, though whether that had more to do with being in the presence of the mountain slayer, as the singers were already calling him, or his father's new weapon, he couldn't say. Either way, he nodded politely at a few and quickly joined his father.
"Father," he nodded.
"Daemon, come," Rhaegar smiled. "I think we've truly perfected the dragonpowder bombs."
"Oh?" Daemon asked.
"Father had Maester Marwyn look into making them easier to use, and I'd say he's succeeded," Aegon replied.
"One of the greatest drawbacks of the Yitish design is that you had to light them before launching them," Marwyn explained. "This made them require a very competent crew of men to use them and ran the risk of disaster if the mangonel they were loaded into failed for some reason."
"A fair point," Daemon murmured, looking down at the sheer devastation in the distance.
The jagged, rocky land was littered with scorch marks where the bombs had fallen, and there were shards of some sort of projectile scattered everywhere.
"One of the pyromancers serving under the...erm...previous king discovered that by allowing a thin film of wildfire to dry on a wooden stick, you ended up with a very roughly textured thing that could spark from the slightest bit of friction," Marwyn continued. "I figured that by filling the bombs with these as well as the dragonpowder and the intended projectiles, you could get them to light just by dropping them. The real innovation was his grace's, however. Filling them with dragonglass makes them particularly lethal."
"I guess I can see that," Daemon mused. "Dragonglass is hard, brittle, and incredibly sharp. Littering a battlefield with fast-moving shards of that could devastate whole armies."
"Indeed," Rhaegar said oddly pensively as he signaled to the men to drop another bomb.
They did so, and Daemon watched it fall from the wall, exploding the moment it hit the ground. The explosion was larger than those he'd seen during the last demonstration, and the number of projectiles flung from it was greater as well. Despite the use of wildfire, it ceased burning quickly and wasn't the distinct green shade produced by the notoriously dangerous mixture. He figured that it must be because so little was used, and his mind raced with the possible uses of these new weapons.
"My Lords, that concludes our demonstration for today," Rhaegar called out. "We will all be meeting in the courtyard at noon for something that I think you will all find even more interesting."
With that, the various lords began to disperse, and the king, along with his sons, went down to mingle with them. As they did so, they stumbled across the scene an angry-looking Lord Tywin speaking to Sandor Clegane.
"My lord, I'd rather stay where I am," Sandor almost growled. "I hate bloody boats and the sea."
"Hmm, fond of neither fire nor water," Tyrion mused, sounding entertained. "You've always seemed fine with earth, but how are you with air?"
"You could help me find out, imp," Sandor replied menacingly. "I've always wondered how far you'd fly with my help."
"Clegane," Tywin growled.
"Lord Tywin," Rhaegar said as he approached.
"Your grace," Tywin replied. "Allow me to apologize once more for the madness that overtook Ser Gregor."
"The false High Septon lured many under his sway," Rhaegar said dismissively. "Thankfully, we don't need to worry about him anymore. I take it that you're looking for a replacement for Ser Gregor in Pyke?"
"Leave us," Tywin hissed, and both Sandor and Tyrion left immediately. Lowering his voice, the old lion said, "Pyke is a worthless heap of stone, but it was once seat to the lord of the iron islands. It is simultaneously too poor to be anything but an insult to my wealthier bannermen's sons and too symbolically important to give to just anyone. Ser Gregor was happy enough with it, since his primary task there was to be too imposing for anyone to even think of rebelling, but with him dead, I don't have many men suitable for it, and his brother is being...difficult."
"My lord, if I might make a suggestion…" Aegon offered.
"I would welcome one," Tywin sighed.
"Asha Greyjoy yet lives and…" Aegon went to say
"Greyjoy?" Tywin interrupted incredulously.
"In a way that would be symbolically perfect," Daemon piped up, drawing the furious green eyes of the old lord his way. "The last scion of the family who repeatedly struck against the Lannisters brought firmly under the control of Casterly Rock. How the Red Kraken would seethe at the thought."
"Hmm," Tywin mused, scratching at his side-whiskers. "There is a risk that she could rally the others to rise up."
"With respect, my lord, I highly doubt it," Rhaegar smiled. "The Iron Islands are a shell of what they once were. The vast majority of their fighting men are dead, and what remains are mostly freed thralls and women."
"Having Lady Asha under your control would be a symbol of your command of the islands at large," Aegon continued. "As you move more westermen to them to wed their women and further spread your influence, the culture of the islands will change in time."
"Leaving Clegane's keep empty would have been a waste anyway," Tywin allowed. "Very well, if she presents herself to me soon and manages to convince me that she could be loyal, then I'll let her rule Pyke in my name."
"Excellent," Rhaegar smiled. "I trust I'll see you later."
"This is regarding Varys, I assume," Tywin said, changing the subject. When Rhaegar's eyes narrowed, he added, "I was hand for decades, as you well know. I know that a member of the small council couldn't just disappear without a major investigation, and there was no such search. Whatever this is, it must be significant."
"More than you can imagine," Rhaegar admitted.
"Well, I shall see you there," Tywin murmured. "Excuse me."
He departed, leaving the royals alone, and Rhaegar relaxed immediately.
"Let no one say that I don't reward loyal service," the king muttered. "I trust that you'll inform her about this conversation, yes?"
"I doubt she'll be difficult to find," Daemon replied, hoping that his little pirate informant had left some clue at Chataya's.
"Good, then see to it," Rhaegar commanded. "In the meantime, I'm going to go find Jon and make sure that everything's in place for...what happened to your hand?"
"Let's just say that Varys' face might be a bit rounder and more purple than you remember later," Daemon replied, earning an enthusiastic eyeroll from his father.
"Nothing broken?" the king asked.
"No, my bones have always been oddly strong," Daemon replied, glancing down at the bruises on his knuckles.
"Well, so long as he's conscious for his execution, I can't say that I care," Rhaegar chuckled. "Farewell."
"Farewell, Father," Daemon replied, furrowing his brow at Aegon, who seemed to be staring off at nothing. The moment their father left, he turned to his brother and asked, "Are you alright?"
"Hmm?" Aegon asked. "Oh, yes, I...can we speak privately?"
"Of course," Daemon replied, signaling towards the keep.
The two of them went inside, followed by their guards. Aegon led his brother to his quarters, closing the door behind them the moment they were inside, and poured a couple cups of wine.
"The last time we met like this, you had quite the revelation waiting for me," Daemon whispered as he stared down at the arbor gold.
"Do you ever wish you were the heir?" Aegon asked and Daemon froze.
"Are you serious?" he asked, growing tense.
"I'm not accusing you of plotting against me or anything, Daemon," Aegon assured him. "I just...I can't help but wonder if you aren't better suited for the role."
"Where is this coming from?" Daemon asked, setting his wine down on the table.
"When Father enters a room, he is heralded as King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm," Aegon muttered. "King of three peoples, lord of seven united kingdoms, and protector of an entire continent and its thousands of thousands of men, women, and children. It is a great and terrible responsibility, and I've always hoped that I would someday rise to the immense challenge, but...will I?"
"I'm sure that you…" Daemon went to say.
"A king has to be strong enough to protect his people, wise enough to rule them well, and capable of ensuring long term prosperity and stability," Aegon continued. Lowering his voice, he muttered, "I'm a middling warrior at best and cannot even secure my own succession, the most basic role of a king. You, meanwhile, are taking care of that for me and managed to, in less than two moons, uncover a plot against our family that could have seen the whole continent plunged into chaos and crush it utterly. You're as strong as Maekar and as intelligent as Jaehaerys, while I…"
"Aegon, I'd be a terrible king," Daemon chuckled, earning a surprised look from his brother. "I'm an instrument of violence, plain and simple. Point me towards your enemies, and I will reduce them to mulch, but ask me to sit through petitions or council meetings, and I'll be more likely to start sharpening Nightsister than pay attention. There are many, many reasons why I was happy to marry Arianne, half of which wouldn't interest you in the slightest, but the biggest one is that, as her husband, I'll never have to rule anything."
"You're that disinterested in ruling?" Aegon asked.
"I can command men on a battlefield, I can spar with them and train them, but I just don't connect with them as easily as I would need to to be an effective leader," Daemon replied. "It doesn't help that my solution to most problems involves this blade at my hip. You have that ability that I lack. I've seen you with the nobles and seen how well you command their attention and respect. Jaehaerys became beloved during his reign both because he wasn't Maegor and because he was able to connect with people as you can. Let's not forget that my solution in this matter wouldn't have occurred to me if you hadn't told me so much about Clegane."
"You speak like you see yourself as Maegor," Aegon chuckled.
"The main difference between us is that I'm wise enough to know that I want nothing to do with the iron throne," Daemon replied. "I will support you fully during your reign and will even serve as your hand if you wish, but just know that I will be more Vermithor to your Jaehaerys than Barth."
Aegon laughed at that, and Daemon drank his wine, sighing in relief that he'd managed to assuage his brother's concerns at least a bit. The last thing he needed was his brother thinking that he'd make a better king. It wasn't like he expected Aegon to take the black or anything, but this seemingly sudden burst of insecurity caught him entirely off guard, and he just hoped that he'd helped him deal with it. He might have exaggerated his own shortcomings a bit, but he truly did believe that Aegon was better suited to the role than him and, more to the point, didn't want to be king. Given his particular lifestyle, he was best off remaining in Dorne.
"You're right, of course, and it's not like I was going to suggest that you actually succeed Father in my place," Aegon sighed. "I guess that I just felt sort of useless through the whole ordeal."
"Like I said, you were helpful," Daemon smiled, "and said ordeal is nearly over. We just have to execute Varys, and the last of his schemes should hopefully die with him."
"My prince," Ser Barristan called out.
"Yes?" Daemon asked, figuring that he meant him.
"Your wife would apparently like a word," Ser Barristan replied through the door.
"Any idea what that might be about?" Aegon asked.
"Nothing definitive," Daemon replied, furrowing his brow. "Excuse me."
"Of course," Aegon smiled, "and thank you."
"Any time," Daemon smiled back.
He made his way from Aegon's chambers to his own, finding Arianne and the rest of their lovers there along with Oberyn and Maester Aemon.
"...a few more weeks before we can say for certain, of course, but I would say it is likely true for all three of you," Maester Aemon smiled.
"What's going on?" Daemon asked, though his lips twitched as he figured that he knew the answer already.
Sure enough, Obara, looking paler than he'd ever seen her, had a hand over her abdomen.
"It seems you have done something that even I never managed," Oberyn chuckled. "I have slept with the sisters of some of my other lovers in the past, but I never managed to put babes in multiple ones and certainly not at the same time."
"It's true then?" Daemon asked, excited.
"As I said, Daemon, we won't know for sure for some time yet, but the early signs are there," Maester Aemon smiled. "I somehow suspect that even if I hadn't spent most of my life at the Wall, this would still be the first time that I ever informed a man and his wife together that he had put a babe in another woman."
Arianne laughed at that and embraced both Tyene and Nymeria, exclaiming, "I'm so happy for you all."
"It really happened," Tyene sniffled, smiling beatifically.
"It was bound to sooner or later, given how often we try," Nymeria chuckled.
"A babe," Obara murmured, her strong hand still on her naval.
"You okay, Bara?" Daemon asked.
"Part of me kind of thought I'd never be a mother," Obara replied. "Even after I started fu...after we started spending time together, I just sort of figured that it wouldn't happen."
"I served the Night's Watch for decades, Obara; you don't need censor yourself on my account," Maester Aemon chuckled. "I'll be on my way. Congratulations again."
His blackthorn cane in hand, he left the room, being escorted by two of the guards from there.
"Thank you," Obara whispered as Daemon sat next to her on the bed.
"You hardly need to thank me for something I enjoyed so thoroughly," Daemon whispered back, wrapping an arm around her.
"You know what I mean," Obara grunted, punching him in the shoulder. "I had given up on men entirely before we met. Without you, I really wouldn't have...this."
"You will have to stop training, of course," Oberyn piped up.
"We both will," Nymeria sighed. "I'm just glad we learned of this after the eunuch was defeated. I wouldn't have wanted the stress of the last few weeks later in my pregnancy."
"I guess we'll go to the Water Gardens," Tyene smiled. "It'll be peaceful there."
"With the changes to Dorne, the gardens have grown even more beautiful," Oberyn commented. "I'm sure it will be the perfect place to spend the next several moons."
"We will," Arianne said definitively. Turning to the others, she asked, "Have any of you not bled in a while?"
"I did two weeks ago, so I know I'm not with child," Missandei replied.
"I'm a few days late, but that isn't unusual," Bellegere replied.
"I still can't believe you're willing to let us all have Daemon's children," Falia sighed happily.
"I want Maekar to grow up with plenty of siblings, but I don't want to live like Queen Alysanne," Arianne replied, wincing at the thought of so many pregnancies.
"The gods forbid," Obara shuddered. Grinning at Daemon, she added, "A couple more wouldn't be too bad, though."
"Well, I will leave you all to enjoy the good news," Oberyn smiled. "Congratulations again. I almost cannot believe that I'm going to be a grandfather. I'll go tell Ellaria the good news."
"I somehow doubt your father is going to be so excited," Tyene muttered.
"He's well aware of our...unique relationship," Daemon replied. "Let's just say that he's very glad that I'm in Dorne."
"As are we all," Arianne grinned, climbing into his lap.
"You know, we haven't gotten a chance to celebrate your victory over Clegane and the sparrows yet either," Nymeria pointed out.
"Someone kept you all to herself last night," Tyene pouted.
"I hadn't felt him inside me in moons," Arianne replied petulantly. "We had much to make up for."
"I know," Tyene laughed, shaking her head, "but we still missed you two."
"You know, we have a few hours left before the execution," Daemon murmured, looking around the room at his many lovers. "I can think of a few ways that we could spend the time."
"I'm still sore from last night, but I'll happily watch," Arianne purred, climbing out of his lap. "Take advantage of him while you can, you three. There will come a time when you can't fuck him anymore until your babes are born, and then it's six long weeks after that."
"You heard the woman," Obara growled, taking Arianne's place and kissing him deeply.
Daemon returned the kiss eager, sucking on her tongue the moment it passed through his lips and brushing his own along it. All around him, the sound of women undressing filled the room, and soon moans joined as well. He broke the kiss for air and buried his face in the crook of Obara's neck, licking the salty sweat from her skin and looking around.
Arianne had dragged a half-undressed Falia onto the bed and buried her face between the other woman's incredible tits. Nymeria and Bellegere were kissing passionately while Tyene had Missandei pressed against a wall, fingering the Naathi woman through her gown while kissing her neck.
"Oh gods!" Missandei cried.
"We each took turns sitting on Falia's face the other night," Obara whispered in his ear, making him groan at the visual. "I don't know how you two keep finding such beautiful, talented cunt eaters, but I for one hope you never stop."
"We'll probably have to at some point," Daemon chuckled. "Even I have limits, I assume."
"Haven't found them yet, stud," Obara purred. Leaning in, she whispered, "You know we're going to want a piece of your latest conquests when they visit Dorne, right?"
"You just want a bed full of royalty, don't you?" Daemon murmured quietly.
"Well, if Arianne's taught me anything, it's that princess cunt is delicious," Obara whispered, reaching down to cup him through his breeches.
"Fuck," Daemon groaned. "You are terribly overdressed."
"Who's fault is that?" Obara smirked, challenging him openly.
"Oh gods, just like that," Falia sighed as Arianne sucked on her nipples. "Fuck, I wish we'd met years ago!"
"So do I," the princess replied. "I would have whisked you away to Sunspear long ago had I known that such a beautiful flower wasted away on the shield islands."
"Let me drink from you, please," Falia whimpered as Arianne kneaded her sensitive mounds.
"If you insist," Arianne grinned, pulling her golden dress aside and freeing her large olive tits.
Falia wasted no time capturing one of her hard, brown nipples with her lips and sucking milk into her eager mouth. Arianne sighed and looked over to see Bellegere on her back, completely naked, while Nymeria worked what looked like three fingers in and out of her sopping cunt.
"Ahh, ahh!" Bellegere cried. "Fuck, that's so good!"
"You're taking me so well," Nymeria cooed, delighting in stretching the brown-skinned woman's cunt. "Do you want a fourth?"
"Please," Bellegere whimpered, crying out as the pale brunette added her pinkie finger to her dripping slit. "Fuck!"
"You're actually trying fisting?" Daemon asked as he finished pulling down Obara's breeches and buried his face between her thighs.
"Fuck yes!" Obara cried.
"Nymeria's always...oh gods...made it look so fun," Bellegere moaned.
"Nothing beats that stretch," Nymeria purred, twisting her fingers around as she worked to drive Bellegere mad. Looking down at Tyene and Missandei, who were lying on the floor licking each other's cunts, she saw that Tyene was on top and couldn't help remarking, "Careful not to suffocate the poor girl, sweet sister."
"Fuck you," Tyene bit out as quickly as she could before returning to the other woman's dripping slit.
Nymeria laughed and kept working her fingers in and out of the other brunette.
"Oh gods, don't stop, don't stop," Obara moaned, digging her fingers into Daemon's scalp as he continued to worship her cunt. "You're so fucking good at that."
"I should be with all the practice I get," Daemon chuckled.
"Definitely," Arianne grinned as she and Falia joined them. "I doubt there's a man alive who feasts on as much cunt as you. Sit on Obara's face, Falia."
"You don't mind?" Falia asked, still not entirely sure of herself in this bizarre relationship.
"A woman as beautiful as you? Hardly," Obara chuckled, and Falia scrambled into position, straddling her face and lowering herself down, holding onto the headboard for support.
"Oh, fuck yes!" she cried.
"She's getting close, Daemon," Arianne purred, massaging his shoulders. "You can always tell from the flush her chest gets."
She dug her thumbs gently into the base of his skull, and Daemon groaned in pleasure. Kissing his way along to Obara' left thigh, he asked, "Not that I mind, but what's this for?"
"I asked you to grow our family, and you did," Arianne replied. Reaching down, she wrapped her hand around his turgid cock and said, "I think Obara's just about ready to cum all over your perfect cock, but I should get it wet first."
Obara grumbled impatiently, but her voice was muffled by Falia, whose moans were growing louder as the older woman continued to lap at her slit.
"Fuck," Daemon groaned as Arianne wrapped her lips around his cock and started bobbing her head up and down.
"Oh gods, oh gods, oh, fuck!" Bellegere cried as she soared towards her peak.
"That's it, babe," Nymeria purred. "Do you want to cum?"
"Please!" the former courtesan whimpered.
"I'm going to add my thumb," Nymeria grinned. "You're to take it easily, because you're so very wet and such a good girl, and then, with whole fucking hand inside your cunt, you're going to cum so hard."
"Gah!" Bellegere screamed, clawing at the bedding on either side of her.
"Holy shit, Nym," Tyene laughed.
"Stop teasing me and fuck me," Obara demanded, lifting Falia just long enough to get the words out before bringing her down.
"I guess we've made her wait enough," Arianne grinned, sitting down next to Obara, her eyes locked onto Bellegere's cunt. "Fuck her, Daemon."
"Well, since you both asked so nicely," Daemon chuckled, lining himself up with Obara before pushing forward. He popped inside her with ease and swiftly sank to the hilt in her hot, tight cunt.
She screamed against Falia's cunt, but even if she hadn't been so muffled, it still would have been drowned out by the squeal Bellegere let out.
"FUCK!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs as she came, her back arching off the bed.
Daemon, who had grabbed onto Obara's hips and began fucking her hard, laughed at the sight, thinking that, with Nymeria's hand inside Bellegere and most of her body off of the bed, she looked oddly like a puppet. The dark-skinned beauty gushed all over the bed as she collapsed back onto it, writhing and convulsing in ecstasy. Nymeria didn't let up for a moment, continuing to fist her through her orgasm.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Tyene screamed as she came undone, sitting up and grabbing the bed for support as pleasure thundered through her.
Missandei continued to lap at her slick cunt, swallowing her fluids happily. She'd been close, and was a little frustrated, but knew that either Tyene or one of the others would help once the blonde's climax ended.
"Oh gods!" Falia cried. "I can't believe you all just live like this."
"As I said," Arianne grinned, kissing the other woman's back affectionately. "I should have found you and taken you away long ago."
She looked over at Daemon, feeling a familiar shudder go through her at the sight of him fucking one of their lovers, and let her gaze fall down to where he and Obara were joined. She'd always been a little envious of the hard, flat belly that her cousin had, as she liked the look of it, but she'd never been willing to put in the kind of effort it would have taken to develop. That belly wouldn't be flat for long now, she knew, and she truly did wonder just how pregnancy would affect the strongest of the Sand Snakes. However it happened, they'd discover in a few moons, and for now, she had more immediate things to focus on.
"Mmm!" Obara cried as Arianne reached down and started stroking her throbbing little pearl, burying her fingers in the other woman's thick brown curls.
"I know you were close," Arianne grinned, backing away for a moment. "Make Falia cum and Daemon and I will make you scream."
"Gods!" Falia cried as Obara immediately shifted her down and started sucking on her clit.
"Oh fuck, oh gods, oh I love you all...AHH!" Falia shrieked as she came, grabbing the headboard in front of her so tightly that her knuckles grew white.
Pleasure coursed through her in waves, making her see stars. She'd gone through too many years of her life not knowing such exquisite ecstasy, and now that she had, she knew that she couldn't go back. She'd have followed the prince and princess to Dorne even if they were cruel to experience such bliss, and the fact that they weren't only made things even better. As her climax ended, she slumped forward, panting for breath, and climbed off of Obara's face.
"Make me cum!" Obara cried. "Damn it, I'm so close!"
Daemon grinned down at her and moved her legs up onto his shoulder. He fucked her long, deep thrusts, reaching deep each time, and as he felt her tight inner walls start to flutter around his length, he changed his angle slightly, moving to hit a spot he could find with ease at this point.
"Gods!" Obara screamed as he struck the spot at the very back of her cunt that never failed to drive her wild.
"You're always so beautiful when you've been driven to the edge of madness," Arianne cooed, rubbing the other woman's clit and craning her head down to capture one of her nipples with her lips.
"Yes, yes, YES!" Obara screamed, cumming hard.
"Gods," Daemon groaned as he felt her tight cunt spasm around him.
He continued fucking her through it, knowing that she was quite capable of enjoying multiple orgasms back to back once he got her off once. Her screams echoed through the room and beyond, and the others, most of whom were recovering from their own climaxes, gathered around to watch. Eventually, as her eyes rolled back and she seemed completely exhausted, he pulled out, giving her a rest.
"A...fucking...god," the warrior woman panted.
Seeing Missandei quivering with need as Tyene cupped her breasts from behind, he cocked an eyebrow at her, and she moaned.
"Missy here made me cum first and was too entranced by the show you put on with Obara to ask me to return the favor," Tyene replied. "Now she's so desperate for it, she's shaking."
"Please," Missandei whined pitifully.
"Nym, you didn't cum either, right?" Daemon asked.
"No," Nymeria replied. "Belle was a little out of it by the time I was done with her."
"So good," Bellegere sighed, lying on her back and looking dazed, a sheen of sweat covering her beautiful body.
"Sit on my face while Missandei rides me," Daemon said, and Nymeria grinned.
Lying down between Obara and Bellegere, Daemon curled a finger, beckoning them over, and both women rushed over to him eagerly. Nymeria didn't hesitate for a moment to straddle his face and lower her dripping slit down onto his eager mouth. Missandei was slightly slower, but as desperate as she was, she quickly picked up his cock, lined herself up, and sank down in one long, slow movement.
"Gods!" the former slave cried. "Gods, I need this so much!"
"Mmm, that's it," Nymeria sighed as Daemon started licking her taut, slick folds. "Oh, fuck, I love the way you eat cunt."
"So how was your first time having a whole hand inside you?" Arianne asked as she cuddled up with Bellegere.
"Amazing," Bellegere sighed, wrapping an arm around the princess. "You should try it."
"Perhaps I will," Arianne chuckled. "It wouldn't be the largest thing that ever passed through here."
"You look so wonderfully wet," Tyene purred. "Want some help with that?"
"If you're offering," Arianne grinned, rolling onto her back next to Bellegere and opening her legs for her cousin.
Tyene quickly buried her face between her thick thighs, and Arianne cried out as she felt her skilled tongue on her sensitive flesh.
"I already had some earlier, but I think I could use another drink of your milk," Falia smirked as she joined them. "Want to join me, Bellegere?"
"Hmm, that sounds like fun," Bellegere replied.
"More, more, more!" Missandei cried, her hips a blur as she rode him hard and fast. "I love your cock so much!"
"Wherever did that...oh fuck, right there...shy, reserved girl we picked up in Astapor go?" Nymeria chuckled.
"She learned that getting fucked can actually be fun and never...never looked...back...ahh, DAEMON!" Missandei screamed as she came.
"You haven't put a babe in her yet," Nymeria cried, grinding her slick cunt on his mouth harder as she soared towards her peak. "Finish inside her, Daemon. I want to see a silver-haired babe with golden eyes."
"YES!" Missandei shrieked, falling forward as her pleasure consumed her.
Nymeria caught her and laughed before gasping as Daemon started licking her clit. Arianne, meanwhile, was in heaven. Tyene always had been immensely talented at pleasuring her, and having the gorgeous blonde between her legs while Bellegere and Falia suckled from her breasts was one of the most erotic experiences of her life. Her thighs tightened around Tyene's head as the other women sucked her clit into her mouth. She pushed two fingers inside her, curling them upward to stroke one of her most sensitive spots.
"Oh gods," Nymeria cried, holding onto Missandei for support as the pressure inside her built rapidly.
Daemon, feeling himself getting close, knew that he could hold back if he wanted to, but Nymeria's words had inflamed his desire to finish inside Missandei, and he knew that he could harden again quickly. He alternated between firmly licking on Nymeria's clit in a way that he knew she loved and sucking on the nub, not wanting to finish before he'd gotten her off, even as he felt Missandei start riding him again.
"Gods, I needed that," she sighed, clenching her inner muscles as she pulled upward on his cock and releasing them as she took him back inside her. She looked over at Arianne, who was beginning to quiver and shake with need, and smiled at the woman who had allowed her to know such joy.
"Don't stop," Arianne ordered, holding Tyene's head as her orgasm fast approached. "Gods, Tyene, just like that, just like that, just...FUCK!"
"OH GODS!" Nymeria shrieked, coming undone almost at the same moment as her cousin.
Daemon grinned as he felt the pale beauty begin to shudder on top of him and let go with a muffled groan, painting Missandei's insides white with his seed. The sounds of orgasmic pleasure filled the room, rousing Obara, who sat up and looked over at them all, feeling her heart swell with affection. They had spent so long moving about, having adventures in Essos, and then ending up stuck in this shit-smelling city for what felt like ages, dealing with Varys' plots. The news that she was with child added to the joy she'd already felt at the thought that they'd all soon be returning to Dorne, hopefully to stay for quite a while.
Missandei and Nymeria climbed off of him and curled up together on the bed once the latter came down from her high, leaving Daemon to lie peacefully, enjoying the afterglow of his climax. He was soon joined by Tyene, who kissed him softly. She tasted like Arianne's cunt and he deepened the kiss immediately.
"Do you think you've got one more in you?" Tyene asked, almost managing to keep a straight face. Several of the others laughed out loud at the absurdity of the question.
"Hmm, I don't know," Daemon grinned. "It might take a talented mouth to coax me."
"Well, if that's what it'll take," Tyene giggled, crawling down until she was eye level with already rehardening length.
She licked up along the underside of it, making him hiss, and took him into her mouth, swallowing him to root. As Daemon quickly grew fully hard again inside her warm, wet mouth, he hoped that they'd be finished and bathed in time for the spectacle that awaited them.
"They've already begun," Ser Mandon said flatly as Daemon and his lovers left his quarters.
Daemon looked over at the kingsguard and resisted the urge to make some sort of quip. Mandon Moore was one of the most dangerous members of his father's elite guard, having been brought in to replace Ser Jaime after the blonde was released from the order not long after the Baratheon Uprising was put down. He was also among the most joyless men the prince had ever met. He'd never seen him once laugh, joke, or even crack a smile, and if there was anything in life the man took joy in, he'd yet to learn of it. He was an exceedingly capable warrior, however, and seemingly quite loyal, and Daemon could appreciate that much.
"We lost track of time," the prince replied, gesturing for the older man to lead on.
Ser Mandon and Ser Barristan did so, and Daemon allowed himself to be led out of the keep and into the carriages that awaited to bring them to the Sept of Baelor. He was still tired from the hours-long marathon fuck he'd finished about an hour earlier. Arianne walked next to him, looking as happy as could be. She was limping slightly, but less than the others, who trailed after him, looking tired but incredibly satisfied. He'd managed to seed all of them, save for his wife, who was still sore, and a greedy part of him hoped that he'd managed to put babes in his remaining lovers, even if a more logical part of him realized that having that many women pregnant at the same time would be taxing.
"I'm just glad we managed to eat and bathe," Arianne murmured, "even if I think we might regret eating."
"Varys' punishment will be brutal, but you've seen battlefields before," Daemon said. "Nothing quite compares to a killing field in the aftermath of a battle."
"The prince speaks true, Princess," Ser Barristan piped up. "No single execution compares to such mass death."
"I'm just glad he's finally going to die," Nymeria yawned. "We'll all be safer when he's finally in the ground, so to speak."
She knew as well as he that Varys' head would rot on a spike by the main gate of the city, while his quartered remains would be carted out throughout the kingdoms to show the fate of the worst traitors. Such a display would probably make some smarter disloyal men think twice about inviting such a fate upon themselves, but Daemon knew that some cunts would always think that gambling their lives was worth it.
They entered the barricaded space that had been prepared in front of the sept, pushing through the vast crowd that had formed outside it, and saw what looked like every lord in the city assembled inside. Rhaegar and the rest of the family were seated in a cordoned off area, surrounded by guards, while Varys was bound in the center. The eunuch looked dreadful, and from the various scrapes and scuffs on his face and clothes, Daemon figured that he had been dragged here behind a horse.
"...and finally, attempting to murder Prince Daemon, the king's son, along with his wife Princess Arianne, the heir to Sunspear," Maester Marwyn concluded as Daemon and the others joined their family.
Rhaegar glared at him for a moment but said nothing.
"The maester was just listing the many charges against Varys," Rhaenys explained.
"I would have done so in my capacity as Grand Maester, but my voice isn't as strong as it once was and charges of this magnitude should be heard by all," Maester Aemon explained.
"Viserys Blackfyre," Rhaegar called out, drawing, "you stand accused of the gravest of treasons. Do you have anything at all to say in your defense?"
The question drew a few laughs from the gallery, as they were all well aware of the fact that this was barely a trial, but most stayed silent. Looking around, Daemon noticed that quite a few of them looked utterly shocked and most of them furious. His father and the council had tried to keep the full extent of Varys' crimes quiet, wanting to inform the lords of the realm all at once, and it seemed that they had mostly succeeded. There wasn't a man or woman here who had lived through the Baratheon Uprising and wasn't affected by it. To know that it had been sparked in large part because of the eunuch's manipulations was infuriating, to be sure, and he doubted that there was one among them who wouldn't happily tear him to pieces if they could.
"Yuh ah no kingomi!" Varys spat, barely able to speak with his broken, terribly swollen jaw.
"You'll find that I am," Rhaegar replied coldly. "The gravest of crimes require the gravest of punishments. For your treason, I hereby sentence you to death. You will be hanged to the point of death, dismembered, and beheaded. We can only hope that your fate will serve as a warning to others. Ser Aron, begin."
Ser Aron Santagar had been brought in on the queen's recommendation when the previous King's Justice died to replace him. Loyal and capable, he might have been somewhat wasted in his role as the king's headsman, but he seemed happy with it.
"I had hoped to have you by my side from the beginning of this," Rhaegar chided him.
"Sorry, Father, we just lost track of time celebrating the good news we got," Daemon apologized. "Did Oberyn tell you?"
"He did," Rhaegar replied. Looking at Arianne, he asked, "You're truly alright with this?"
"More than alright," Arianne replied, smiling.
"Thank the gods you live in Dorne," Rhaegar muttered.
"No argument here," Daemon chuckled. "Not that I haven't enjoyed the opportunity to spend more time with all of you, but I am looking forward to returning there at last."
Rhaegar's face fell at that, but before Daemon could comment, their attention was drawn to the suddenly flailing Varys. Ser Aron had forced the noose around his neck while they were talking, and he was pulled upward by a pair of guards. He grasped desperately at the rope, his most basic instincts demanding that he fight against his fate despite how hopeless it was. Care was taken not to break his neck, as was often the hope with hangings, since it was not to be the noose itself that would take his life.
As Varys' struggles slowly diminished, Ser Aron lit a brazier in front of the platform the eunuch was hanging from and signaled for the guards to let him down. He gasped for breath and tried to fight against the men as they grabbed him, but he was weak from both his moons of captivity and near-fatal asphyxiation and was easily overpowered. The two men held him down as Ser Aron drew a long, curved, exceedingly sharp knife.
"Kill the cockless cunt!" one of the smallfolk in the greater crowd called out loudly enough to be heard over the commotion.
"Kill the traitor!" another screamed, his voice full of excitement.
"The public got both food and entertainment from this wedding," Rhaegar murmured. "I'm glad to see them enjoying themselves.
"I'm glad that executions of this manner aren't required often," Aegon muttered.
"The truly brutal ones have never appealed much to me," Elia winced.
"You know what would have become of our family if this creature had succeeded," Rhaegar argued, palpable rage still clear in his voice.
Out of everyone, he had taken Varys' betrayal the worst, likely because he felt guilty enough over the rebellion as it was, and learning that his family had been manipulated as they were was infuriating.
"He needs to die," Daenerys allowed, looking to Elia, "but I agree."
Whatever the queen would have said next was cut off by a bloodcurdling scream from Varys as Ser Aron sliced into his soft belly.
"Oh, thank the gods," Obara muttered as the King's Justice started pulling out the condemned eunuch's intestines.
"Hmm?" Daemon asked.
"I feared that the babe would weaken my stomach to things like this," Obara replied. "That would have been embarrassing."
Daemon snorted at that and noticed Falia looking rather green. She hadn't been to Essos like the others and had clearly never seen anything this brutal either. Poking Tyene, he pointed to the buxom brunette, and she quickly went to comfort her.
"I'm glad I avoided eating as you suggested," Daenerys muttered, giving Viserys a grateful look.
Varys' innards were burned in the brazier, and Ser Aron has handed his axe. He made short work of the eunuch from there, removing his limbs one by one before taking his head. One of the guards picked up the bald head and paraded it around the crowd, drawing cheers from the witnesses. There wasn't a single person there who didn't want him dead, and they'd all gotten their wish.
"It's finally over," Daemon murmured to himself.
"Varys and hopefully that entire wretched line," Rhaegar agreed.
"Mopatis tried to track down others, as I said, and found no one," Daemon said. "If there are other whorespawn out there who have their blood in their veins, we'll just have to hope that they never learn of it."
"That will have to be enough, I suppose," Rhaegar sighed. "Come back to the keep with me. We can go straight to my solar."
"Is this regarding something that I've done?" Daemon asked.
"No," Rhaegar replied. "You've given me more than a few headaches in recent years, but this isn't about that. We'll speak more in private."
Daemon furrowed his brow in confusion and concern, wondering just what it could be that his father needed to speak to him about that was so serious.
"Strongwine?" Daemon asked Rhaegar as he set the cup in front of him. "Did something happen to my kin in Winterfell?"
"The Starks are alright, last I heard," Rhaegar replied, sitting down with his own cup, "but this does relate to them. Aegon told you why the North didn't send any representatives to the wedding?"
"He did," Daemon replied. "Did you write to my uncle and inform him of Varys' treachery and fate? The Starks more than most deserve to know of that."
"I did," Rhaegar replied. "Son, the reason I needed to speak to you relates to both the problems that the Northerners are experiencing right now and the cause of the rebellion."
"Varys was the cause of the rebellion," Daemon said, confused.
"Varys poisoned my father, both with words and potions, and Baelish's treachery was what prevented the letter your mother wrote to Lord Rickard from reaching him, but my actions were still at the root of the catastrophe that followed," Rhaegar sighed. "The singers would have you believe that Lya and I were swept up in a passion that transcended all sense, and that was true, but it's not the entire story. I did love your mother, but I would never have looked twice at her, beautiful as she was, if I wasn't certain that I needed another child."
"I've always wondered about that," Daemon admitted. "You had Aegon and Rhaenys, and could have wed her to Viserys if you were desperate."
As far as he would have known back then, anyway.
"Daemon, your brother has an incredible destiny in store for him," Rhaegar said proudly, confusing him further. "There is a prophecy that has been known to our family for generations, foretelling a coming struggle against a great and terrible evil."
"You didn't have a bottle of this hidden on you earlier, did you?" Daemon quipped, gesturing to his wine.
"This is no jest, Daemon," Rhaegar said flatly. "The coming shadow will test us all, and it will fall upon Aegon, as the prince that was promised, to lead our people to victory."
"Prince that was promised?" Daemon asked.
"The prince who the prophecy says will save us all," Rhaegar replied. "Born amidst salt and smoke and heralded by a bleeding star, it will be he who wields a sword of flame and wakes dragons from stone."
"Well, anyone born on Dragonstone was born amidst salt and smoke, so that doesn't mean much," Daemon mused. "What's this bleeding star?"
"To be honest, for years I thought that it referred to Arthur," Rhaegar replied. When Daemon cocked an eyebrow, he explained, saying, "When Elia went into labor with Aegon, it was...difficult. She barely survived the long, terrible ordeal, and, to get my mind off of it, Arthur suggested that we spar. I had never landed a single blow on the man in all the years I'd known him..."
"Doing so is a pain in the arse, I assure you," Daemon cut in, earning a smile.
"That day, as we fought, he tripped on an errant rock, and I accidentally sliced his left cheek as his visor rose," Rhaegar continued. "It turned out to have happened at just about the very moment that Aegon was finally born, and with the Daynes' heraldry featuring a star…"
"You've since changed your mind?" Daemon asked.
"There was a bright red star racing across the sky about a year ago," Rhaegar replied. "I don't know if you saw it, but it was clear as day here, and I happened to be watching Aegon in the training yard as it did. He was sparring with Ser Jonothor and managed to knock him on his back just as the star was zooming overhead. Seeing him there, standing victorious at the very moment a blood-red star was in the sky, I knew that was the sign."
It sounded like horse shit to him, but Daemon was willing to let it go for now.
"Aegon did actually mention the prophecy a few weeks ago," he murmured. "What does this have to do with you and Mother?"
"Elia nearly died having Aegon, and the maesters made it clear that if we were to try again…" Rhaegar trailed off. "The dragon must have three heads, however. That's something we've known ever since Aerys I discovered a long-lost scroll in the library at Dragonstone, and I decided that my son, if he were to be this promised prince, must have two brides, like the conqueror before him."
"I...was to be Visenya to him and Rhaenys?" Daemon asked, his eyes widening.
"When I met Lyanna and we were so instantly taken with each other, I saw a solution to the conundrum," Rhaegar explained. "I would not set Elia aside, and she herself had suggested that I turn to another woman. She suggested Ashara, but then I met Lya and…"
Rhaegar trailed off, his eyes growing misty as he looked pained, and Daemon sympathized with him. To him, his mother was an abstract concept. He longed for her as a boy, and he still deeply hoped that Arianne managed to someday repair her relationship with her own mother because he knew well the pain of not having one, but he had never met her and would never know her. His father had, though, and loved her deeply. Turning to her because he wanted another child and wasn't willing to risk his wife's life, only to lose her in the process...he couldn't imagine it.
"Nothing turned out as we planned," Rhaegar rasped, downing the rest of his cup of strongwine. "I wish you'd been able to know her, son."
"So do I," Daemon replied, swallowing thickly. "Gods, what would you have done had Daenerys not been born?"
"Concluded that I was wrong," Rhaegar replied. "She was born, though, and to me, that was further proof that Aegon was the prince. I tried to force fate and wrought only death and destruction while the three heads of the dragon came together anyway. I can't truly regret what happened between Lyanna and I, not when it gave me you, but I learned my lesson about trying to interfere in such things."
"So what is this great evil?" Daemon asked, eager to change the topic.
"The hint to that lies in another part of the prophecy," Rhaegar replied. "The prince that was promised is said to have a song already written by fate for him: the song of ice and fire."
"Ice and fire?" Daemon asked, furrowing his brow.
"The fire of life struggling against icy death," Rhaegar replied. "The coming enemy will rise in the north, in the lands beyond the Wall. In your years at Winterfell, did you hear stories of some of the creatures said to reside in that frozen land?"
"Old Nan, a servant woman about as old as Maester Aemon, used to tell us all sorts of stories about them," Daemon replied. "Used to frighten us terribly."
"As old as Aemon?" Rhaegar asked.
"She claims to have been brought to Winterfell to nurse a boy named Brandon Stark whose mother died birthing him," Daemon replied. "Not only did my grandmother obviously survive my uncle's birth, but Old Nan would have been far too old by the time he was born to nurse him. We figure she meant my great-grandfather Edwyle's uncle, who died as a boy."
"Gods," Rhaegar chuckled, shaking his head. "Anyway, Aemon and I have researched the matter extensively, using what hints we could find in the writings about the prophecy, and we think we know what this coming darkness will be. There are various accounts passed down through the millennia of creatures called the Others."
"The white walkers," Daemon piped up. "Old Nan mentioned them. They were rampant during the Long Night."
"They were, and they will be again," Rhaegar said. "We believe that this coming darkness is a return of the Long Night of legend, when the sun will be blotted out and these creatures of ice and darkness will rise. A foreign priestess came here some time ago, saying that she had seen as much in the flames. I knew that her presence would not be appreciated by our people and, after meeting with her, assured her that I was aware of the coming threat and advised that she return closer to the time."
"So you actually believe that these...Others are returning?" Daemon asked.
"I do, and that is why I had Maester Marwyn focus on improving the dragonpowder bombs," Rhaegar replied. "According to scroll he found in the citadel, one of the others few weaknesses is what the scroll called frozen fire.' He believes, and Aemon agrees with him, that this refers to dragonglass."
"I suppose I could see that, given the name," Daemon murmured.
"I also think that the rise of the Others is what's driven the wildlings to move on the south," Rhaegar replied.
"Just how bad is the situation there?" Daemon asked, tensing.
"At first, we thought it was just a sizable incursion," Rhaegar replied, "and so did your uncle, but his last letter made it clear that the situation is far worse than that. Lomas Estermont, the Lord Commmander of the Night's Watch, has said the same thing. It looks like they're facing a greater force than the wildlings have managed to muster since Raymun Redbeard's attempt to invade during Maekar's reign."
"Old Lord Jeor died then?" Daemon asked.
"Some moons ago," Rhaegar replied.
"How many wildlings are we talking about?" Daemon asked, his stomach sinking.
"If I could hazard a guess, I would say all of them," Rhaegar replied. "I think they've all banded together to try and flee south of the Wall to escape the Others."
"Then we need to reinforce the North!" Daemon exclaimed, rising to his feet. "We have all the lords in the realm here, let's make use of them."
"I am already working on gathering together a force, but it will take time, and in the meantime, we already have an army here," Rhaegar said. "You called all of your Unsullied here from Dorne, and I am glad that you did so. They will be going north to reinforce the Night's Watch alongside the Northern host, and you will be going with them."
"Right," Daemon sighed, deflating and sitting down as he recalled just how awkward his father had looked when he mentioned wanting to return to Dorne earlier.
"I know you'd like to be with Maekar, Arianne, and the others, especially since half of them are with child…" Rhaegar went to say.
"No, the North is in danger, my Stark kin are in danger; what I want is irrelevant," Daemon sighed. "I'll take Ser Barristan and my army and deal with these savages by any me..."
"Daemon, the wildlings aren't the only reason why I'm sending you north," Rhaegar interrupted. "I am naming you my adjutant, my personal representative for the duration of this crisis. You will speak with my voice, sign documents with my authority, and assess the situation in its entirety. If this is the moment when Aegon will be called to fulfill his destiny, defeat the coming darkness, and bring the dawn, I want to know everything. Capture and question the wildlings and find out just what's going on beyond the Wall."
"Father, I…" Daemon stammered.
"I trust you not to abuse this power," Rhaegar said flatly as he stood up and walked over to his desk. Opening a drawer in it, he pulled out an official writ wrapped around the royal seal. Handing it to Daemon, he added, "This will be all that you need to make it clear that you act in my place. Save the North from their current threat and learn all that you can about the coming one."
"I will," Daemon promised, accepting the seal reverently. "I'll go speak with Red Flea about assembling the men and...let the others know of my change of plans."
"You're not taking any of them with you," Rhaegar murmured, not questioning that at all.
"The only warriors among them are both with child, and Arianne needs to be there for Maekar if I can't be," Daemon sighed.
"I agree," Rhaegar said. "At least you'll know they're safe in Dorne."
"Aye," Daemon muttered, not looking forward to that conversation at all. "Unless there was anything else, I'll be on my way."
"No, that's everything," Rhaegar murmured.
Daemon left in a daze, feeling the weight of the royal seal in his pocket. This was more power and authority than he expected to wield in his life, unless Aegon truly did name him his hand down the line, and he found himself more stunned than anything else. That feeling of shock soon gave way to apprehension as he processed everything he'd just learned.
He didn't know about this prophecy nonsense or the stuff about the Others, but the wildlings were a threat he could comprehend, and he would bathe the frozen plains of the North with their blood if that's what it took to let him return to Dorne. He would question them too, just to be thorough, but he doubted that there was much more to this than there had been with every other wildling invasion.
Either way, that wasn't what he had to deal with immediately. His first concern was doing something that he had very little experience with: disappointing his lovers.