chapter six,
blood of my blood — 128:131 AC

In the quiet year that followed the Strong and Velayron deaths, Valyria found herself to be changed.

The witnessed words of Aerion Targaryen rang true. The fall of Laenor, who met his end in flames, was followed by the marriage of Rhaenyra and Daemon, their souls bound together by blood. Valyria, she struggled with the simple prospect of facing her father again. It would happen, many times over. She knew this. With each passing day, her dreams grew stronger; the flashing images and voices more frequent.

She witnessed faces she recognized. She saw those she didn't. Past and present, more events she could not prevent.

Months after the Royal Courts return to Kings Landing, Prince Aegon II was wed to his two betrothed. The reaction of the realm was split between acceptance and reluctance. The bridge meant to mend this division was structured out of the small folks love for the princess Valyria Targaryen. After her marriage, she became rather fond of the city. Traversing its cobbled and crowded streets worked when she needed to distract herself from her persistent dreams.

She spoke to the people, and more importantly, she allowed them to speak to her. The Smallfolks Delight, they dubbed her. A mock of Rhaenyra, but Valyria accepted the name nonetheless. They saw the princess as kind, giving. Many commented that she would grow to be a sweet mother who would show her children nothing but love. Love she had never been given herself. Love she only ever dreamed of.

It did not take long for her to be with child. Even with two wives, Aegon Targaryens appetite was a ravenous one that could never be tamed. He was a sulky boy, the Maesters noted, one who longed for the love of his mother and the attention of his second wife. Whereas she was becoming a distant memory in the wind, one that desperately tried to cling to the present.

Since the funeral of Laena Velayron and departure from Driftmark, it was said that Valyria became lost within herself. None knew why.

Helaena, on the other hand, was content with their circumstances. Not three days after her sister wife, it was discovered that she too was to birth a babe of her own.

During their pregnancies, the constant nagging of Valyria's dreams calmed to white noise in the shadows. Temperance was taught to her, by one Aerion Targaryen. She did not know if he was aware of her presence on the balcony that fateful day, but the princess had a feeling that he was no fool. King Viserys grew frail, his body weakened. This, she believed, was the purpose of Aerion's return to King's Landing.

Though he did not stay long.

A healthy, violet eyed boy was birthed by Valyria after several grueling hours of labor. The young princess screamed until her throat ran raw, so much so that nearly all of Kings Landing learned the wrath of her voice. To the shock of the midwives and Maesters, Aegon stayed glued to the girls bedside. Helaena endured the same process as she, the very same night. Yet their husband remained where he was.

"Helaena has our mother," He said. "You have only me."

His words were true. Daemon did not write to his daughter, let alone visit her in the year that had passed since Driftmark and his marriage to Rhaenyra. He did not congratulate her or offer any words of comfort. She had no one. Aerion was but a confidant to the young princess, he taught her well. But it was not his place to raise her.

That role had been abandoned. Valyria knew she was to raise herself- and now her baby with her.

Jaehaerys was his name. He was born curious and bawling to his hearts content, wailing until the moment he was placed into his mother's arms. On each foot, he was given an extra toe by the Gods. "He will either never fall, or stumble often." The Maesters concluded, but they were hushed quiet by Prince Aegon, who instantly adored his son.

An hour later, Helaena gave birth to tiny girl. Jaehaera. She was oddly quiet, she did not cry, she did not smile. Much like her mother. Upon being delivered this news, with the help of the midwives, Aegon swaddled his son in his royal blanket and proudly carried him off to the room across the hall. Despite the swatting hands of Queen Alicent, who tended to her daughter, the prince introduced Jaehaerys to a Jaehaera, who was still attached to her umbilical cord.

Though the babes were formed in different wombs, they had been planted by the same seed. They shared the same violet eyes, the same striking, silver hair. Instead of extra toes like her brother, Jaehaera was given two extra fingers on each small hand. Helaena named them twins, a mirror of one another. Two parts of the same soul. Valyria agreed.

An emerald scaled dragon egg was chosen for her son's cradle. Valyria Targaryen made sure of it. Unlike his mother, Jaehaerys would not go without the sacred right of their heritage. Though it is to be reminded that Valyria never sought out a dragon for herself, it's instead known that she believed one day, one would choose her. This is noted in her journals, in one of the few books that were not lost to flames.

Maester Orwyle once stated,

"The princess is a fierce soul. Restless, much like her father. But she searches for a place in this world. As if she does not know where she belongs."

In an ink stained page of her journal, Valyria recalls an evening shared with her husband- a few months after the births of the twins.

The sun had begun its slumber for the night and she sat in her bed, carefully refilling the ink pots for her writing quills. It was then when Aegon burst in, causing the parchment in her lap to become dotted with the black liquid. Valyria scolded him, as she always did, and hushed him to be quiet, for their son slept soundly in his cradle just a few feet away.

The prince feigned innocence and made himself comfortable. At that time of the night, I expected him to be unconscious somewhere on a tavern floor- the princess would later write in the very page she had stained. It is said that Valyria never tried to guide Aegon away from these misdoings, some would later say this was her preparing him for failure- just as her father had asked.

The prince would then drone on, quietly so, about the events of his day. He complained to Valyria, in search of validation that he forever yearned for from her.

There were several speculations as to why this was.

The most relevant one was that of the training yard incident.

The day the princess stepped in during his match with the young prince Jacaerys. The boy was down and without any means of defense, yet Criston Cole urged Aegon to fight, so he did. He listened to his mentor and in return was met with a sharp wack to his ribcage- right below the padded armor he wore. Dealt by the hands of his sweet betrothed who, on that day, acted to protect the vulnerable.

Aegon took note of this. Many witnesses of the event said he seemed more jealous than angry when he stepped to attack Valyria. His strike would have merely smacked the sword out of her palm, had Harwin Strong allowed it to fall.

The prince was attached to her side after that. Most days, through every turn in Maegor's Holdfast, every venture she took out into the city- Aegon Targaryen would be there. Following her as if he were a lost pup. A young pup that liked to claim his territory. It is to be known that his mother, the Queen, was quite grateful for this. It distracted Aegon.

The Red Keep, with its grandeur and history, felt like a gilded cage. Each day, Valyria played her part as a dutiful wife and silent observer. When Jaehaerys was born, she became confined to the castle. It took the remainder of the year for her body to grow strong again, a majority of her hours spent resting in her chambers. This was when the needs of her shared husband grew stronger, his desire for attention and validation running deep. Helaena did not know how to give him what he wanted, he would say.

Aegon did not like to see Valyria weakened. He wished to sneak her out to taverns in the dead of night, to show her the wonders of the Street of Silk. He even asked to take her flying on Sunfyre. But the princess would refuse, and he would begrudgingly go to drown himself in Red Arbor to make her feel guilty for saying no. Communication was never taught to him, this was clear to his second wife.

He believed that because she did not have dragon, her heart would never feel full.

"You could claim Vermithor, the Bronze Fury." Aegon would suggest, a cup of wine in his hand. "Or Silverwing. Either would suit you well. You need a big dragon. I think that bit is rather necessary."

"I do not wish to go to Dragonstone." Valyria would say in return, her tired violet eyes fixated on her books. Her father was there. Her father killed her mother. "I will be a dragon rider. When the floors shatter and the beasts rise."

"What does that mean? How do you know this?"

Her husband's questions were never answered. Valyria said many things, even Aegon picked up on how his wife could speak of an event one day only for it to happen months later. But no one saw it clearer than Viserys the Peaceful. As his body betrayed him and rotted from within, he would tell Otto Hightower, his Hand, to speak with the princess.

"Her words ring true, you will see. My brother did not. Daemon fails to see the gift that has been given to us."

Otto did as his King requested, though he took his sickly words as folly. Perhaps even a jest. It wasn't until he sat down with Valyria, late in the hours of the evening to play a round of chess, that he realized Viserys was not on another ill tangent. She saw things, there was a voice in the back of her mind that told her all she needed to know.

The Hand of the King, an experienced player of chess, lost his first round in weeks to the young princess. Who had never played before. There was a smile on her face, when she saw his brows furrow and eyes scatter over the board. A smirk eerily reminiscent of Daemon Targaryens.

In a letter written to his older brother, Hobert, Otto states that Valyria would be- 'useful in the days to come.' The Hightower man did not know how truthful his words would be.

After the birth of her son, when she regained her strength, Valyria spent many of her days with Helaena and their children. In the hours of the sun, Aegon would busy himself with wine and his adventurous friends.

The year after, Maelor was born. His hair was not silver alike his siblings, but a dark blonde. He had light blue eyes and was a quiet babe, instead of toys he took to books and tomes. Valyria was fifteen with two children on her hips. She loved both of her sons dearly, raising them with kindness and a gentle touch. Which was nothing she had ever experienced before. But she dreamed of it.

In the third year, Aerion and his dragon took their leave from Kings Landing and returned to the North. He said his goodbyes to only two souls: Jaehaerys and the little Maelor. He did not need to tell the princess why he was going, nor did he have to. Valyria told him goodbye before he even decided that he was to leave. This did not come as a shock to him, for she was the very reason why he was there.

Not to see that the King would be well taken care of. But to make sure that she knew who she was.

With so many early mornings spent studying books of detailed histories, even the own personal journal of Daenys- the dreamer who saved their line from the Doom of Valyria, the princess learned what she could be capable of. Valyria herself never voiced her thoughts on the subject, so to say she believed in this fate would be an assumption.

But she knew now, they were not just dreams. Everything shown to her was information, moments captured in time.

Alike his grandsire, it is observed that Aemond Targaryen grew a liking for Valyria. Most believe this to be a consequence of her actions during that night at Driftmark, the very night he lost his eye. When she came to his defense, and in return received a broken nose.

In the private pages of her journal, she wrote that she often found his eye lurking on her from the shadows of court, ever observant. Aemond has grown attached to the sight of striking fear within others, Valyria noted. She felt as if he constantly suspected her of something, whereas nobles would whisper that he held a certain fondness for his brothers ladywife.

A fortnight into the year of 130, it was discovered that Valyria, yet again, was with child. This time, the Maesters kept a close eye on the young princess. She carried the babe for four months before she awoke, alone, with blood soaked sheets. The child did not survive.Valyria could not stop from feeling as if a part of her soul had died that night.

For weeks, Aegon catered to the needs of his wife. Half of the time, he was so taken by wine he could not stand straight. Helaena spent many hours by Valyria's bedside, continuing the blanket she had started for the unborn baby, then giving it to the mourning mother once she was finished.

Aegon became dedicated to livening her spirits. 'His most cherished,' he named, without ever taking into account how that made his first wife feel. Some nights, the handmaidens would find Jaehaerys out of place, sleeping soundly in Helaenas room whereas his mother was nowhere to be found.

The princes chambers would be vacant as well.

He took Valyria to taverns, introducing her to the more lively spirits of Kings Landing. Seeing her, the beloved princess, losing herself in wine and ale, seemingly putting on another face, this only enforced her title as the Smallfolks' Delight. Instead of being perceived as a snotty nosed princess with no regard for the less fortunate, Valyria was seen as human. Someone with flaws, just like them.

But when back at the castle, Valyria, she did not speak- she barely ate. The only people graced with the comfort of her voice was Jaehaerys and Maelor, the small boys still in need of her constant attention. Her handmaidens offered to take her sons off her hands, and that was the first time the castle walls witnessed her fury. That day, four women were sent to work at taverns in the Street of Silk, and four others replaced them within the hour.

"They are mine. A stranger will not raise them." Was her reasoning when Alicent came knocking at her chamber. "With all due respect, Queen Regent, you can raise your children however you wish. But I will do as I please when it comes to my own."

This was said one year before the Hightower girl began to rule in the place of her sick husband, the King.

Valyria was no longer seen as the obedient, dutiful wife she once was. Some whispered that she lost her mind with the passing of her unborn babe. During this same year, the formidable Aegerys escaped from the depths of the dragon pits. The smallfolk spotted the beast above various villages across the Seven Kingdoms, studying from the skies.

He returned several months later to slumber in the ravine he once claimed, back beneath the dragon pits.

For four years, Athens Strong withered away in the charred ruins of Harrenhal. Only to return anew to Kings Landing for one sole purpose: to swear fealty to the Princess Valyria. There was no information as to why the young Lord chose to do this, most assumed the loss of his brother and father tore his soul away, leaving him a hollow man. Either way, Valyria accepted him- taking him in as her personal guard.

The sworn shield watched children raise children around him, yet he had never seen a form of love so pure as the one Valyria held for her sons. Jaehaerys, her heart, she was known to call him. She read stories before bed, she held his little hand as he fell asleep- tiny fingers wrapped around hers.

She would smile, laugh. It was through him, her first boy, that she finally learned what love was. Most evenings, the family would be found in the Godswood, sitting on a blanket beneath the Weirwood tree with Athens standing vigilantly. Helaena and Jaehaera would join them, both the 'twins'  and the wives becoming more connected with each passing year. Maelor, he stayed quiet, watching the clouds float by.

He wished to fly one day. Yet his dragon never hatched.

When Viserys fell so ill that he could no longer rise from bed, milk of the poppy constantly forced down his throat, Alicent Hightower was named Regent. She ruled in his place, her father pulling the strings forever attached to her body. Otto took this chance to return Valyria's presence to the Small Council, believing that Princess had yet to reach her 'full potential'.

The Hand gave her a role of her own. One that consisted of sitting in a corner with a quill and parchment, writing down each word spoken and move made by the men around her. She was the silent watcher, forever listening- waiting for a mistake to be made. They overlooked the quiet words of the Queen Regent, the missing presence of their King giving them a taste of the power they all desired. Valyria saw this.

She saw their weaknesses, learning each one she spotted from the shadows she sat within. These she did not document, solely keeping that information to herself.

It continued this way for the next two years.

Their planet had rotated around the scorching sun a total of six times, Valyria birthed two sons, she lost another- and not one time did her father send a letter. Daemon did not visit, she wondered if he even thought of her. And she hated herself for that. The blood of her mother coated his hands, and still yet she yearned for something from him. Anything.

She felt like a loyal dog. No matter how hard she was kicked or lashed at, she would stay there, waiting for her next command. Valyria was certain this realm did not deserve animals or their loyalty. They surely did not deserve dragons, they were beautiful creatures, yet turned into toys for a mans' war.

Would it be the same for her?

-
3132

OK oh my GOD when i tell u i have never struggled so much writing a chapter 😭😭 i wanted to attempt an unreliable narrators perspective, so i sincerely apologize
if this is all over the place. basically this is just a run down
of what happened in the six year time skip, so now we can get back to the show!

ps. once again unedited, please excuse any mistakes!!