chapter one                                   the birth
episode one      the heirs of the dragon

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authors note.
since i am too lazy to actually translate things into high valyrian everything spoken in high valyrian will be marked like this if it doesn't look like that it is simply english :)

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RHAEMON SMYTE STANDS IMPATIENTLY outside of his parents chambers, his sister, saenna smyte, right next to him as they await their mother to finish labour. their castle is silent apart from their mother's screeches of labour. rhaemon looks over at saenna, she's almost of age, this will be her as well and he can tell she's worried about it. not only can he tell by the look on her face, he can also tell because she's been picking at her fingers for minutes now. he takes her hand softly squeezing it, his sister gives him a thankful smile.

they hear their mother scream once again, but after that it's silent for a while. saenna and rhaemon look at each other, worried about their mother and sibling. all that worry flows away however when they hear a baby's cry. the door cracks open and the two siblings immediately look at it. it's their father, morsan smyte, he mentions for them to come into the room and they do.

their mother, vhaera smyte, lays there, bloodied sheets beneath her sweat covered body while one of the maids is cleaning their newly born little sibling. rhaemon immediately goes to stand at the side of his mother, he's always been a mother's boy, saenna is quick to follow. "hi darlings." vhaera gives her children a tired smile and holds her arms out as a maid places her newborn into her arms. "you've got a little sister." she whispers, fingers softly tracing over her baby's features.

"traitor." rhaemon says with a smile. "i now owe saenna gold, you were supposed to be on my side." the family laughs. "have you thought of a name yet?" saenna asks, looking at their father as he moves to stand by his wife. "we have. meet little visaera smyte." morsan smiles down at his wife, bending down to press a soft kiss to her temple before standing up straight once again. "come you two. let your mother and sister rest, the maids will take care of them."

the siblings follow their father out of the chambers, saenna looking back at her mother and little sister as she leaves. that will be her one day, if her betrothal goes through that is. "where are you going?" saenna's thoughts are disrupted as she hears her father, she looks towards him, he's talking to rhaemon as always. "i am going to kingslanding, i bet our uncle would love to hear that his niece came to the world." rhaemon shrugs as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. saenna snorts. "so this isn't about a certain alicent?" she asks, walking past her little brother with a teasing smile. "no! besides queen aemma is possibly giving birth soon herself, it'll sooth him knowing visaera was delivered safely." it's a lie, he does want an excuse to see alicent, he knows it, everyone else knows it.

"fine. don't stay there too long, your mother will have my head otherwise." both saenna and rhaemon laugh at their father's words, their mother is the only woman other than is own mother that he is afraid of. "i bet you'd put up a good fight father. now come rhaemon, i'll send you off, i wish to see darkwyng anyway." saenna jerks her head to the side walking ahead as rhaemon starts to follow her out side of their home.

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THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE darkhold and the cave that holds their dragons is not far, a walking distance even to the siblings. they've always been more outdoorsy, although saenna now has more duties as heir so they can't fly on their dragons together like they used to. "darkwyng." saenna calls out to her dragon, the magnificent beast croaking in return. unlike the dragon pit in kingslanding here their dragons live without dragon keepers, it only works because their dragons are terrified of their mother much like the siblings themselves. "frostfyre, we're going to rhaenyra and syrax. you'll like that won't you girl?" rhaemon holds his hand out to his dragon who immediately pushes back against it, frostfyre had always been the more affectionate one of the bunch.

"rhaemon." saenna calls out to her brother, eyes fixed on their mother's dragon bluefyre. "look." rhaemon's eyes follow to where his sister is pointing, his eyes widen. a dragon egg. "did you know mother gave birth? a gift for her child?" rhaemon questions carefully walking towards the dragon. "can we have it bluefyre?" saenna asks softly, the dragon huffs using it snout to push the egg closer to the humans. saenna breaks out in a smile, grabbing the dragon egg and holding it close. "thank you bluefyre." the dragon simply chuffs.

"you should take it home, i'll be off to kingslanding sister." rhaemon places his hand on saenna's shoulder. saenna turns around, facing her brother nodding. "you better come back home quick, erock will visit us remember." rhaemon groans at the reminder. erock greyjoy, a greyjoy betrothed to his sister, the heir of the darkhold. he doesn't trust it. "are you certain he won't try to take your duty as heir?"

"he can try but he knows i'd cut his throat if he did. i do pray he is smarter than his peers."

the siblings laugh and they step outside of the cave, frostfyre following her rider outside after he had opened the chains that kept her inside. rhaemon steps onto frostfyre, sitting comfortably in his saddle and waving goodbye to his sister before he takes off. the wind that comes from frostfyre taking off almost pushes saenna back if she weren't so used to it. she watches as he brother leaves, leaving the cave as well to go home and present the dragon egg to her mother and father.

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RHAENYRA WATCHES AS HER FRIEND goes to sit in their carriage, a disappointed look on her face because she does not want to ride dragon back with her. she takes one step to enter the carriage before she hears a dragon roar, she frowns it doesn't sound like syrax and from her knowledge no one else had gone dragon riding. she takes a step back and looks up to the sky, it takes her a few seconds before she spots the dragon. a dragon white as snow whose wings were almost see through, there's only one dragon that she knows of that looks like that. "frostfyre." she whispers, a grin breaking out on her face.

"alicent, come quick!" rhaenyra tells her dear friend as she watches her cousin descend to the ground. "what is it rhaenyra?" alicent asks standing in the carriage's door, she looks at rhaenyra only to see her focused on something so she follows her line of sight. "rhaemon." alicent whispers, a slight smile on her face. "come." rhaenyra says holding out her hand for alicent to take, and she does. the two almost run to where rhaemon is now getting off his dragon.

"go to syrax girl, she must've missed you terribly." rhaemon pressed his forehead to the side of frostfyre's before he nods to the dragon keepers who take his dragon to the dragon pit. "rhaemon!" he hears his dear cousin call out, he turns around only to be met with what others would call a tackle. "hello cousin." he chuckles picking rhaenyra up into a hug as she laughs in delight. "my lord." alicent speaks up, a bright smile on her face as she walks towards the two cousins. rhaemon releases his hold on rhaenyra, stepping towards alicent and pressing a kiss onto the back of her hand "my lady alicent." he winks.

"oh i've missed you terribly, but why are you here?" rhaenyra asks, holding onto rhaemons arm as she and alicent, who is now holding onto his other arm, guides him to their carriage. "i've come with news. my mother has given birth to another girl. i thought maybe the news of that would lessen the worry uncle has for your mother."

"how very kind of you rhaemon." alicent softly squeezes his bicep, a kind smile on her face. "i agree, what is my little cousins name?" rhaenyra asks, a bright smile on her face. "i shall tell you when i tell the king."

"well let's get home then! as quickly as possible." rhaenyra immediately gets seated in the carriage, alicent following her and rhaemon getting in last. he sits down next to his cousin, they chat about many things although mostly about riding dragon back. "alicent still won't let me bring her on a ride, maybe you could convince her." rhaemon looks over at alicent, who is trying to come up with excuses for not riding. "you needn't be afraid, it is quite fun up there alicent. you know frostfyre adores you." he shrugs. "adores? she looks like she wants to eat me up every time she sees me."

"much like her rider." rhaenyra coughs which quickly turns into laughter when rhaemon elbows her in her stomach. she playfully gasps. "i am your princess! i could have your head for that." she points her finger at him, giggling once again when she pulls back after he tries to bite said finger. alicent watches the two cousins with a smile, they act like brother and sister in the non-targaryen way. "either way. are you sure you don't want to ride a dragon alicent?" rhaemon asks, a genuine question even when rhaenyra makes it not.

"you call yourself dragon now cousin?" rhaenyra snorts. "shut it." rhaemon says, wrapping his arm around rhaenyra's head and putting his hand on her mouth. "well?" he once again looks at alicent, whose cheeks are flushed in a light pink. "i am flattered my lord, but i much prefer being on the ground."

"so be it, do tell me if you change your mind." alicent nods and rhaemon gives her a smile. "ow!" he hisses, a frown on his face in place of the smile alicent is so fond of as he pulls his hand back from rhaenyra's face. she bit him, how childish. "i thought only starks bit, you are full of surprises aren't you cousin?" rhaemon wipes his hand on his trousers, wiping away the spit that came from rhaenyra biting his hand. "i had to do something to get you to stop flirting with my friend." she shrugs, rhaemon only shakes his head in laughter. "if anything you have been flirting with her for me cousin."

alicent watches the two with intrigue, she always wondered of what they were speaking of whenever they spoke in high valyrian. sometimes she had dreamt that if she were to marry rhaemon he'd teach her, let her into their little world, but her father would never allow that. maybe if rhaemon was heir to the darkhold, but now when he is just a lord alicent has no doubt her father would rather commit treason than have her marry for love.

"we'll be home soon, will you come visit my mother with us rhaemon?" rhaenyra watches the city of kingslanding as they ride through the roads. "if you wish me to." rhaemon replies. "of course i wish you to, i wouldn't have asked other wise." alicent stifles a laugh at that, even more so when rhaemon gives her a look of playful betrayal. she clears her throat, sitting up straighter in her seat. "i apologise for laughing my lord." she whispers.

"don't be." rhaemon places his hand on hers, taking hold of it as he did his sisters when she was anxious. "i do enjoy hearing you laugh. my lady."

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authors note
very short first chapter i apologise but i didn't want to write the whole episode in one chapter like i normally do for my stranger things books since house of the dragon has much more things packed into its episodes so yeah, but i hope you enjoyed this chapter !!! love tate <3