𝓔𝓵𝓪𝓮𝓷𝓪 𝓣𝓪𝓻𝓰𝓪𝓻𝔂𝓮𝓷
I lean back into the comfort of our bed and a soft moan passes my lips as Aemond digs his thumbs into the curve of my foot.

"That feels marvelous," my words are that of an exhausted pregnant wife, and the moment I'd laid down, my thoughtful husband had taken his seat at the foot of the bed, using his masterful hands to work out any knots or pain that lingered in my muscles.

"If you insist on making those noises, my love, I'll be tempted to move my attention between those pretty thighs." He grins, his sapphire eye twinkling in the dim candlelight with a mischievous grin.

"I believe that's what's gotten us into this mess," I giggle, flipping another page of the book I'd had my nose in all night long. Rhaena almost had to drag Luke away for the night but with one seductive look, he'd been convinced, finally leaving Aemond and I alone for the evening after our long day of reading.

"Mess? Hm, are you implying that you'd only like one child, Elaena?" He asks, sliding his hands expertly up my calves where his strong hands work against my tense muscles.

"Let's have this one first, shall we? I may not even survive this little dragon that grows inside of me," I frown but Aemond freezes, his grip tightening around my legs, and the air is sucked out of the room. It's too late for me to take back my insensitive comment and it's written all over his downturned face.

"Elaena," He sighs, sitting back to lean against the bedpost and I pout back at him, disappointed.

In an effort to bring him closer, I reach out a hand waiting patiently for him to take it until he finally does, joining me at the top of the bed. Tucking me safely away in his warm bare chest I don't feel so... large.

With a deep breath, he snakes his arms around me resting both his palms on my belly.

We'd both had fears about this delivery but if I didn't make it, Aemond would be left to live in this world, alone surrounded by the memory of me.

With or without our newborn baby.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"Have you seen something, Elaena? In your dreams?" He softly asks, resting his chin on my head and my heart sinks. My dreams had been primarily calm except for the random dream of a beach here and there, a dream I'd had since I was a child.

"No, Aemond it's not that it's just... I'm fearful. I've only been playing mother to Jaehaeryn these past months. What if I'm doing terribly and I'll continue doing terribly when Aelyx is born?" I admit, a bit of weight falling from my shoulders and he holds me tighter, chuckling into my ear.

"You're going to be a wonderful mother. I wouldn't say it's solely what you're meant to be but it's certainly on the list. Not a single moment will our children doubt our love for them." His deep voice melts my insides and though I'd like to believe him I know there's more to being a mother than simply loving your child.

"What if love isn't enough?" I ask, my voice small.

Aemond takes a moment to think, absentmindedly twirling a strand of my hair between his fingers.

"I know that your love is something special, Elaena. Something most people don't experience in their lifetime and if our children are anything like me they'll never want to let you go." He assures me, tugging my body flush against his and the warmth that seeps through my shift to my body comforts me in a way only Aemond Targaryen possibly could.

***

"There's Silver Wing, Grey Ghost, Vermithor-"

"You're mad if you think I'm going anywhere near that monster of a dragon. He'll have me for dinner before accepting me as his rider!" 

Jacaerys had been naming all the riderless dragons on the island in hopes one of them would stick out to Luke but he was insisting on stubbornness at every turn, making Jace's job far more complicated.

"Best not to tempt another dragon with your life, Lord Strong." Aemond doesn't look up from his book but continues drawing shapes on my arm with his finger absentmindedly as I sat on the couch beside him.

"Careful, Uncle. Perhaps I'll claim Vermithor or Cannibal. It's about time someone dethroned you and Vhagar." 

It was clear that Lucerys still held some resentment towards Vhagar for killing Arrax but she'd also saved his life, multiple times from what I'd heard. 

"You can certainly try, nephew. I'd like a challenge now that Elaena's been forbidden to ride dragonback," Aemond replies, cocking his head to the side but only to catch my gaze with his handsome grin.

I'd thrown quite the fit when the maesters had insisted I stay on the ground for the remainder of my pregnancy but I suppose it wasn't for much longer though I sorely missed our races in the sky.

"We can go after lunch, brother. I'll help you claim a dragon I promise." Jace clasps Luke on the shoulders as they share a look of gratification and without another word, they leave the great hall for the afternoon to eat, something I would much rather be doing.

 Aemond and I wait patiently for the small council to arrive and one by one they file in, offering my husband and me curt nods as we came to sit at the table. The room is already tense before my mother enters the room but when she sits to divulge today's news, a familiar pit in my stomach grows.

"In light of these threats, I've come to a difficult but necessary decision." My mother avoids my eyes from the other end of the table and my suspicion is mirrored by Aemond, who tilts his head in question.

Both he and I had come to the assumption that besides Lord Corlys, Aemond and I were my mother's closest confidants but it seemed we were wrong.

"With safety paramount I've made the necessary arrangements for Rhaena and Luke to accompany Joffrey to the Vale where they'll remain under the protection of Lady Jeyne Arryn," My mother's words are ever the elegant command but it doesn't stop my mouth from dropping open at what it is she's planned.

I'd just gotten my little brother back and she wanted to send both him and my sister away?

"Mother-"

"And both Aegon and Viserys will board a ship in a few weeks' time to spend the remainder of the war in Essos. Daemon has found a safe place for them to stay until the throne is secured-"

"Mother!" I shout, demanding the Queen's attention. Aemond takes hold of my thigh beneath the table but I ignore him along with the other wide eyes around the painted table.

"You don't truly mean to separate us, do you? Our numbers are what's kept The Greens at bay all this time!" I shouldn't be questioning her before an audience but I couldn't let her ship them away. We'd all become a close-knit unit since our grandmother died but if we were on all different ends of the Realm, how could I protect them?

"Elaena, you were almost kidnapped within these very walls. If Aegon plans to attack Dragonstone then we must plan for all outcomes." Lord Corlys intervenes, doing his best to help me understand but with his tense tone, I sense his words hold more meaning.

"All outcomes? Such as?" Aemond asks, his sharp jaw clenching as he ground his teeth daring my grandsire to say the unfathomable.

Lord Bartimus and Maester Orwyle share a glance between one another, well aware of what this conflict could look like but keep their mouths shut waiting for the Sea Snakes' reply.

"In dire situations such as these, it's necessary our Queen make arrangements for everything. Even something as terrible as the Queen's death or... her heirs." Lord Corlys' aged face drops and saying it himself makes him uncomfortable, chilling me to the bone.

Of course.

If The Greens attacked Dragonstone and succeeded in killing both me and my mother there would still be hope for our cause and I had faith that if Aemond was left, he would burn down all that was left to protect Jacaerys and Luke.

"Do they know about this? Luke and Rhaena?" I ask and to my surprise my mother nods, offering me a sympathetic smile. "It was your little brother who offered to escort Joffrey and Rhaena in the first place. He didn't wish to part from his betrothed."

Puffing out an exasperated breath I look to Aemond whose already wearing his handsome smirk, leaning back to wrap an arm around the back of my chair as if he's some proud older brother.

Lucerys had come back from the dead and now it seemed he thought he was invincible.

But that left my two youngest brothers. Their dragon eggs hadn't even hatched yet, and Jaehaeryn would miss them immensely. He had only just begun to settle into life on Dragonstone with his cousins.

"What of Jacaerys and Baela?" I ask in resigned acceptance, realizing there's nothing I can do about the matter.

"They'll be staying here to ensure our numbers." She replies, offering me a bit of comfort with this fact though this whole plan of hers has me on edge.

It was no wonder Jacaerys was so insistent on Luke claiming another dragon.

Once our meeting is concluded Aemond and I return to our chambers in silence, my unease festering beneath my skin.

"You can't blame him you know. Lucerys, I mean." He begins, crossing his arms behind his back as his steps fell slower. "If your mother had sent you away before we were wed I would've followed you until the ends of the world. I always would,"

I can't help but roll my eyes at Aemond, not at all surprised he'd stick up for my younger brother.

"I only wished they wouldn't keep things from us. I would've never agreed to spread our family across the Realm. We're stronger together,"

"Though I agree, I don't think it was our decision to make, my song." He sighs and I know he's right but that only put things further out of my control.

I could only hope that I would be proven wrong.

***

A month had passed and it's only been days since Aegon and Viserys set sail for Essos. Jaehaeryn was inconsolable at their departure, just as uneasy at their leave as I.

Aemond however had been paying close attention to his nephew taking him under his wing in a way a Uncle or Father should.

This afternoon when Aemond had offered to take him to the market he'd finally smiled in a way he hadn't for days. It wasn't often that they spent alone time together. If there was an adventure to be had I'd always wanted to join but today I thought better of it, heeding my mother's advice to stay resting.

I was nearly at the end of my pregnancy and I could barely contain the excitement and nerves that drummed at my fingertips.

I'd spent practically all afternoon with my nose stuck in the book my mother had so graciously returned, reading through every page over and over again as if something will stick out to me now that I've grown older.

Growing tired of the stuffy air of the libraries I find my thoughts drifting to Helaena and our walks through the gardens. I wondered if she's even left the safety of the Red Keep after all that's happened.

My poor Aunt Helaena. Her sweet innocence had been caught in this crossfire between the two sides of our families.

Aemond had written to her a handful of times but he was only granted a response once and it had scarcely resembled her own hand... but perhaps we try again.

The breeze of the late afternoon blows through my long blonde hair and I close my eyes, taking a deep breath of the saltwater air. Gazing over the balcony my eyes scan what I can of the harbor in search of even a glimpse of my husband and our little dragon but I'm much too far.

"There you are," Luke chirps up from behind me and I about jump out of my skin. "I'm sorry! I came looking for you in the libraries but all that was left behind was your trail of books," He jokes, holding up his hands in surrender.

I roll my eyes at him, turning back to look out over the sea and he chuckles, joining me.

Remaining in our awkward silence the tension between us is minuscule but it's there just below the surface. I wasn't sure how to take it that all this planning had been happening behind Aemond and I's back and it seemed to me our place on my mother's council meant nothing. Even my own siblings had kept it to themselves, only doing as our mother the Queen commanded.

"I've been thinking of different ways I should apologize but truth be told I've been scared shitless, El." Luke's small voice reminds me of when we were younger not at all reflecting the man he'd grown into and I can't help but smile up at him.

"Scared shitless? Of a pregnant lady? In a few months, I'll be far more threatening I promise you," I tease, bumping shoulders in a way to ease the tension and thankfully he cracks a smile.

"You know what I mean sister. I never wanted to keep it from you, none of us did. I just couldn't let Rhaena go without me."

The way he speaks of Rhaena makes my heart flutter, his brown eyes twinkling in a similar way to Aemond's when we looked at one another.

"I could never blame you for wanting to protect who you love, Lucerys. It's honorable that you wish to escort her."

Luke arches an eyebrow, chuckling to himself as he looks out over the sea where our brothers had sailed off not two days prior.

"Truth be told it's your own husband you should blame. Daemon has always done his best as our father but it was Aemond who showed me what it means to be a proper husband." He confesses and my chest warms with pride, my mouth going dry.

My little brother had been looking up to more than just Jacaerys.

Aemond was a fierce protector, by my side at all times even in our anguish and I couldn't have asked for a better partner. My faith in him was unwavering and Lucerys had noticed this, following suit with Rhaena. They'd been joined at the hip since our arrival home all those months ago.

"Have you thought about asking Mother to be married sooner rather than later?" I ask, imagining what our children would one day look like running about under the sun as their dragons soared in the sky above them.

"Mother's promised once the war is over we'll get married. When we're all together again,"

The both of us fall into a comfortable silence as we look out on the harbor, enjoying the time we had left together but the peace doesn't last for long.

"Do you see that?" Luke asks, pointing towards a crowd growing near the ships. There's a big commotion and something is pulled out from the sea, but we're too far to see exactly what. I strain my eyes to figure out what's going on but I can't be sure, the mob of people growing larger by the second.

Aemond and Jaehaeryn are in the market

What if something happened?

Grabbing Luke's hand I lead us back through the library but he looks around confused by my urgency. "What are you-?"

"Something's wrong, Luke. I know it, I feel it in my gut." I tell him, a wave of nausea coming over me but I push it away.

"Are you sure that's not just the contractions?!" He teases but I know when to trust my intuition, ignoring his comment and yanking him through the corridors.

When we break through the doors of the great hall my mother is in the middle of a meeting with our Grandsire and I should be embarrassed of our entrance but I'm not, making a beeline straight for them.

"Elaena? My love, What is it?" My mother asks cocking her head to the side when she notices the fear in my eyes and despite my audience I break down, "There's something terribly wrong, Mother. There was a crowd by the docks, knights, and shouting. I-I-I don't know what happened but Aemond and Jaehaeryn are in town-"

"Elaena,"

At the sound of Aemond's voice, I spin around to see him rushing through the door with Jaehaeryn snug around his chest and I can breathe properly again, but the cramping in my stomach persists.

"Aemond, seven hells." Luke sighs in relief but I close the distance between us wrapping my family into a smothering embrace. "We thought something happened-"

Aemond sets Jaehaeryn back on the floor and motions for a handmaiden. "See to it he's fed," He tells her curtly, waiting to say anything before our little dragon is out of earshot.

"It's Aegon, he's washed ashore with his dragon egg. The fleet must've been attacked-"

"What?! Where is he? Where have they taken him?" My mother stands panicked and everything begins to fall into place.

The crowd by the docks... my poor baby brothers.

The darkness that I'd grown familiar with grows deeper within my heart at the thought of losing both of my baby brothers. I put a hand to my chest while the other struggles to hold myself up on the table as the voices go on around us but I can hardly focus.

We were supposed to be sending them off to safety, not to their deaths.

"The maesters have him, but there's no word of Viserys," Aemond tells her and the more he says the more painful my cramps become. Digging my fingernails into the stone they all speak of the possibilities of an ambush but the ringing in my ears reaches a fever pitch until a rush of liquid trickles down my legs and onto the floor below.

My face drains of color and as I go to speak nothing comes out, my voice was frail and broken with the tears I'd been holding in my throat.

Not now, no.

"A-Aemond..." My eyes are wide with panic, my vision blurred but my husband turns to look at me as I'm reaching beneath my skirts to confirm the wetness between my thighs.

Holding up my wet hand in shock Aemond is by my side in an instant, "It's time, Aelyx is coming. Now," I tell him and despite any fear he might have, he pushes it away, his jaw working as he studied me.

"Elaena?"

"Call the maesters!" My mother and grandfather's voices are a distant force and though everyone moves frantically around me it all feels as though it's in slow motion.

Aemond asks me something but I can't be sure what, my gaze lost in the chaos.

My baby brother needed the maesters, not me.

"But Aegon-" I start to object but Aemond moves swiftly sweeping me up into his arms as a cramp that could only be a contraction almost immobilizes me.

"Let them worry about him, and let me worry about you and our son." He assures me, tucking my head beneath his chin as he carefully carried me to the privacy of our chambers, the wet nurses and maesters not far behind.

This time I feel the contractions coming but there's nothing I can do to stop them, the aching pain becoming unbearable, shooting up my back as I groaned out in pain, "It hurts, Aemond please-" I beg in vain, knowing full well there wasn't anything he could do but hold me as the maesters and handmaidens spoke as if I wasn't there.

"I know, my love, I'm right here. I'm not leaving your side, I promise." He whispers, kissing the top of my head, and interlocking our fingers in a tight hold.

"My Prince it's not traditional the father stay-"

"Then it's tradition no longer! I stay by my wife's side is that understood?!" My dragon prince's voice is unrecognizable, that of a protective husband and father and my heart swells with pride.

He'll be such a wonderful father.

But I must have this baby first...

I open my mouth to stop his tirade against the people who came to help us but there's another wave of debilitating pain, knocking the air from my lungs.

"It's a month early,"

"We have to disrobe her,"

My eyes may be squeezed shut but I know the hands that reach for me are unfamiliar.

"No, no-" I squirm, jerking away from them and I turn into Aemond's chest instead.

"Prince Aemond, we need to prepare the Princess for birth, the baby is coming. Let the maids change her-" One of the maesters urges from my left but Aemond rears his head like the dragon he is, his nostrils flaring with their insistent nagging.

"I and I alone will be the one to disrobe her." He commands, motioning the old men to turn away.

Once he's satisfied they aren't watching, Aemond is gentle but quick in working off my dress, taking a cloth from the nearby basin to wipe at my sweat-drenched face.

I don't know how long I'm doted over. The contractions become unbearable after what's been hours of pain, but Aemond stays by my side to reassure me with every instruction given by the midwives.

Between contractions, an exhausted fog drifts over me and my head sinks to the side into the pillow.

Surely I can sleep for just one moment?

My eyes flutter shut and when I think I might have a moment of peace there are flashes of lightning behind my eyelids but what follows isn't deep rolling thunder it's instead screams and cries from not only people but a dragon.

Reaching into the darkness I long for answers to the riddles I hear but a deep voice breaks through the lapping waves.

"Elaena, please."

I could recognize Aemond's voice in a crowded banquet hall much less in my own nightmares, and he needs me.

"You have to push, princess. It's the only way." A woman's voice joins him and the concern in her voice is not missed by either me as I come to.

Smoothing back the wild hair from my face Aemond presses his forehead to my temple to whisper sweet words in my ear, his voice being the only thing I hold onto as I fight the urge to scream out once more in agony.

"My love, do you hear them? It's time to push, it's time to meet our son." Aemond smiles in a way that's only reserved for me and I find myself smiling back, wondering if our son would have a similar smirk to that of his fathers.

You'll have to push to find out, they've said the worst pain is the pushing.

As I look at him for a moment longer I realize that my husband is exhausted himself with bags under both his sapphire and lavender eyes worrying himself sick... about me, about our baby.

Our Aelyx.

At the thought of my unborn son's smile, I do as I'm told and push.

"That's it, Princess. Push!" The midwife exclaims, this time hopeful, enthusing me with new energy to end this pain, to find my resolve.

With a strong push, I use any and all muscles to do as the body demands and though my grip on Aemond's hand is unrelenting his face lights up at the progress I'm making, "You're doing wonderfully, Elaena. Keep going, push once more for me."

His praises ever having the effect on me warrants me another rush of adrenaline and I do as I'm told, pushing once more.

Gritting my teeth I cry out in exasperated pain and if I wasn't looking at my legs I would assume they'd fallen off with the numb tingling feeling shooting up them.

"We can see the head! The baby is almost here, princess!" The midwife smiles as another wipes the sweat from my brow but Aemond grabs the cloth from her taking it upon himself to wipe the tears I hadn't realized fallen.

"Do you hear that, my song? Not long now," His perfectly shaped lips tip up in a smile and his gaze holds me, unshed tears flooding his eye and I push. I push until the screams that fill the room weren't only mine but that of a child's first cry.

"It's a boy, princess! A beautiful baby boy." One of the midwives exclaims and I could almost burst into tears once more at the sound.

The moment I lay eyes on our healthy baby boy, joy and relief flood my insides. Suddenly every sleepless night, all the tears and mind-numbing pain had been worth it.

He was here, our son

But they were taking him away, cutting the umbilical cord.

I panic, reaching for my baby but Aemond is by my side in an instant to calm me, "Aemond, what are they-"

"I'm here, sweet girl it's fine, I promise you. Look, they're only giving him a wash. I won't let either of you out of my sight, hm?" He assures me, pressing his lips to my forehead only turning away to come back to my bedside with our baby boy, our Aelyx wrapped in a blanket safe in my husband's arms.

As he looks at his son Aemond's never looked more proud. He was meant to be a father and now, he was.

We would all be a family, together.

At some point, we're left alone but I cease to pay attention to anything else but this bundle of joy I held in my arms. For what feels like an eternity Aemond and I sit close together on the bed admiring our son and I've never felt so complete, holding my purpose in my very hands.

"You'll be a fierce dragon rider one day. They'll write songs about you and your bravery, just as they have your mother." Aemond tells him softly, slipping one of his fingers into Aelyx's tiny hand to hold onto. Melting into my husband's chest at the sight Aemond presses a soft kiss to the top of my head as he hums in contentment. 

"You should get your rest, my love. They'll be filing into our chambers any moment now to meet him," He chuckles, brushing the stray wet hairs from my face. I couldn't begin to imagine how terrible I looked, drenched in my own sweat and blood but none of that mattered now.

"You'll stay with me?" I ask, my small voice frail from all the screaming I'd done. Noticing my exhaustion Aemond holds me tighter, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Until you send me away, ñuha vāedar."
*my song

Though I only rest for an hour or so, I feel like a brand new woman when I awake to a sunlit room, filled with the familiar faces of some of my siblings.

Aemond is hovering by my bedside watching over Lucerys like a hawk as he rocked our son with Rhaena at his side.

My eyes take time to adjust to the sunlight but I'm smiling at the heart-warming picture laid out before me. I'd dreamed about this day and there were often times I wondered if it would ever arrive.

"Well, he's certainly your child. He's about to take my finger off with his grip," Luke jokes, teasing Aemond but he huffs something of irritation, "Did you have your doubts about his parentage, Lord Strong?"

"Of course not, but I was hoping he'd have a sapphire for an eye." 

Rhaena gives Luke's arm a smack but I chuckle from behind them speaking up for myself, "I think we have a thing or two to teach you about how children are made before we wed you to poor Rhaena." 

All three of them about snap their necks to look at me and my cheeks blush deeply under their stares.

"Seven hells, I told you not to wake her." Aemond rolls his eye at my little brother but he shrugs his shoulders unwilling to take the blame. "How are you feeling? You hardly slept," Aemond frowns, quickly grabbing a cup of water to hand to me.

"I'm fine, Aemond, truly." I smile, taking the goblet and downing its contents as Rhaena approached with our baby boy swaddled in her arms.

It was no dream. 

He was truly here.

"They say you did wonderfully, sister. I think he already has your nose," Rhaena beams, handing him back to me while Aemond hovered over the both of us like the protective dragon he was, "I'd have to agree. But he has our Valryian eyes that's most certain."

"Where's Mother? It's time she meets her grandson," I smile, my world a bit brighter.

Smiling down at my newborn baby boy I look up to notice Aemond, Luke, and Rhaena sharing a look over my head.

For a moment that lasts for an eternity, none of them answer me. Aemond's mouth is frozen in a tight thin line, afraid to say the wrong thing but I only grow more anxious at his silence.

"Aemond? Where is she?" I stutter, my mouth going dry. He cringes at the brokenness of my voice and takes a seat next to me, the bed dipping beneath his weight.

"Elaena... your little brother-" my husband can't even finish, his broken gaze lingering on Aelyx in my arms until he turns to Luke whose eyes I now notice are bloodshot.

Not from happy tears no... but from being upset.

The both of them don't have to say anything for me to guess correctly what it was they were so afraid to tell me, but until the very last moment, I hold out hope that I'm wrong.

"Aegon was gone the moment he washed ashore, Elaena. It's a wonder his body made it home." Aemond's voice is softer than I've ever heard it, bracing me for the worst of it but a faint whisper in my mind tells me I've seen it already...

The flashes of battle, of a dragon crashing into the waves while ships that flew our banners were in flames.

"Jacaerys went after Viserys but he never came back... Mother thinks it was a trap." Luke finally speaks up but his arms remained crossed as his usually warm brown eyes darkened with a hidden rage. "Perhaps it's why Ser Arryk refused to tell us of Aegon's attack on Dragonstone. Because there was never meant to be one." He continues, shifting from foot to foot.

"Never came b-back? Luke, w-what do you mean? We should be going to help-"

"Elaena, there's been ravens," Aemond grabs my hand, forcing me to stay calm and look directly at him but I knew what would be there if I looked.

As he does Aemond takes my chin between his fingers and turns me to face him and already I begin to crumble, begging him not to say what it is he's about to say.

"Jacaerys is dead, Elaena."

***