VALAENA FELT A heavy weight against her chest as her eyes fluttered open to the dark-lit ceiling above her. She tried to pull her hand up to wipe the sweat on her face only to find it stopped by something heavy. Her head rolled to the side, surprised to find her father half-asleep in a chair as he gripped her hand.

Her movement appeared to have woken him up as he raised his head to find her awake, a look of relief crossing his face as he smiled at her.

"You've been lying to me," Daemon had a bittersweet smile on his face as he raised her hand to his lips. "You have been going down to the village."

"You knew I couldn't resist it," Valaena teased back, grimacing as a pain shot up her chest.

"I know," Daemon nodded as he placed her hand back on the bed but refused to release his grip. "You and I have that in common, I fear."

Valaena could sense Daemon was trying to ease his own mind and that their conversation was sidetracking from the serious topic at hand. 

"What is it?" she frowned, pushing herself up into a sitting position only to stop as she released a coughing fit. 

"Don't push yourself," Daemon released her hand as he reached up to stopped her movement. "The maesters don't want you to exert yourself."

"The maesters?" Valaena questioned with furrowed eyebrows as her eyes landed on the table in her room, littered with herbs and medicines that she was used to seeing in her uncle's chambers.

"What's wrong?" she questioned as she glanced at Daemon, who was refusing to look at her. "What is it?"

Daemon pushed himself up from the chair, his head in his hands as paced away from her. Valaena felt her heart drop in her chest as she watched him turn to face her, tears in his eyes.

"Tell me," Valaena demanded, although she wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer.

"They think it's greywater fever," Daemon finally told her. "There's been an epidemic in the village the past few days. It's the only way you could have caught it."

Valaena barely heard what he said as she felt the ringing in her hears drown him out. 

Greywater fever.

"Oh god," Valaena mumbled as she felt her stomach hurl, grabbing the pot beside her as she began hurling her stomach's contents into it.  

She felt a pair of warm arms on her back as her father tried to soothe her.

"We have the best maesters in Westeros here to help you recover," Daemon assured her as she leaned back into her pillow.

"There won't be any recovering," Valaena sighed as she closed her eyes. "You and I both know that."

"Don't say that," Daemon's voice was rough as she opened her eyes to look at him. All it did was make her want to cry more, but she had to stay strong for him. If she fell apart then they were both doomed.

"Where are the others?" Valaena questioned as she tried to change the subject.

"Moping around the castle," Daemon joked, the false smile dropping from his face when she didn't find it quite as amusing. "They wanted to come but the maesters don't want them to catch it."

"That's good," Valaena nodded as if trying to convince herself. "They shouldn't be here. Neither should you."

"As if I would be anywhere else," Daemon shook his head as he took her hand again. "It's you and I against the world, remember? My littlest dragon and I."

"You haven't called me that since I was a little girl," Valaena smiled fondly at the nickname.

"You'll always be my little girl," Daemon mumbled as he reached up to stroke her hair, blinking back the tears in his eyes. "No matter how old or rebellious you get."

Valaena opened her mouth for a snarky reply but was cut off by her own coughs as blood splattered across her sheets. Daemon's face dropped as he stood up for the bed, calling for the maesters as Valaena felt her head spin. The voices around her drowned out as she felt the darkness creep into her vision until she passed out again.

♔          ♛          ♔

Daemon released a yell as he threw the vase to the ground, watching it shatter next to the other pieces he had already destroyed. 

No known cure, the maesters voice rang in his hears as he paced the room, his hands trembling in clenched fists. It was a cruel fate for the daughter of a prince. If only she hadn't been so stubborn on going down to the village. 

Another yell escaped his lips as he yanked on the curtains, ripping them from the windows onto the ground.

"Daemon," Rhaenrya interrupted softly, having watched her husband destroy their room. "You need to stop this."

He didn't answer, but had stopped raging havoc for the moment as he breathed heavily. Rhaenrya stepped forward, her hands finding his arms as she tried to give him comfort.

"The maesters are doing all they can," she told him. "This won't help Valaena, and it certainly won't help you."

"They've done nothing," Daemon yanked his arm away from Rhaenrya. "They've failed her. I failed her."

"You haven't failed her," Rhaenrya contradicted as she reached out, hesitating before taking his hand. "She's still here, Daemon, and she needs you. She needs her father."

He stared down at her hand, his entire body trembling. For a moment, it seemed as though Rhaenrya's words might reach him, but then he pulled away.

"She doesn't even call me that," Daemon released a humorless laugh. "All these years and she still can't say those words."

Rhaenrya sighed at his words, glancing out the window at the storm that raged on.

"You are her father, Daemon," Rhaenrya's gentle voice carried over to him. "She won't allow herself to say it but she loves you as her father."

Daemon didn't respond. He didn't even move. 

"Daemon, please," Rhaenyra pleaded. "Don't let your grief destroy what little time you have left with her."

"Get out," the words came out so quiet that Rhaenyra barely heard him.

"Daemon-"

"Get out!" he roared, taking Rhaenrya off guard as she flinched back. "Leave! Now!"

Rhaenrya stared at him for a long moment, his heavy breaths filling the silence of the room as he turned his back to her. She wanted to say something, anything, but she knew he was too filled with grief to listen. With a soft sigh, Rhaenrya retreated to the door, pausing as her hand wrapped around the handle as she glanced once more to her husband. 

The moment the door shut behind her, she could hear the rage begin again as another shatter could be heard beyond the door. 

"Is Valaena going to be okay?" Rhaenrya jumped at the sound of her son's voice, glancing to find a Lucerys with tears in his eyes. She wasn't sure how long he had been standing out there, or what he had heard through the door.

"Where is your brother?" Rhaenrya reached forward and grabbed her son's hand, leading him away from the room with an angry expression. "I told him to watch you."

"Jace wouldn't tell me anything," Lucerys told her as he yanked his hand from hers. "And neither will you. Is she going to die?"

Rhaenrya paused at his words, the maesters words echoing through her mind as she blinked back the tears before stepping before him. She knelt down to meet Lucerys's gaze, her heart breaking at the sight of his tear-streaked face as she reached up to cup his face. 

"The maesters are doing everything they can, my sweet boy," she said as she forced a soft smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Your sister is going to be just fine."

She pulled him in for a hug, ignoring his protests as she held him tight. Her eyes traveled up to find Jacaerys had found them standing at the end of the corridor. His face was solemn as he stared upon them, tears in his eyes as he knew the truth just as the rest of them did. 

Rhaenyra motioned for him to join them, something he happily obliged as he reached them. She pulled him down into the hug, holding both her boys tightly as she held back the tears that threatened to pour from her eyes.

♔          ♛          ♔

When Valaena woke again, she felt worse than before. She released a groan as opened her eyes, pain shooting through her body as she felt the grogginess hold her mind captive. 

"Don't overexert yourself, my lady," one of the maesters stood over her as he placed a wet rag on her forehead.

"Where's Daemon?" Valaena asked as she glanced around the room, releasing a cough as she felt her lungs suffocating.

"Call for the prince," the maester ordered over his shoulder before turning back to her. "Please, it's best if you don't speak."

Valaena didn't have enough strength to muster a response as she felt the darkness take over again.

♔          ♛          ♔

"She's going to die," Jacaerys broke the silence first, ignoring the angry glares and sad faces that responded as he glanced up from his food that remained untouched. He couldn't eat, not while his sister was dying.

"She's going to die," Jacaerys repeated again, his voice breaking as he looked down the table. The family sat in the dimly lit dining hall, the once vibrant conversations replaced by a suffocating silence. All their food remined untouched on their plates as they refused to accept the reality.

"We mustn't think like that," Rhaenrya reprimanded, although her voice shook as she spoke.

"It's true and we all know it," Jacaerys  stated, receiving a kick in the leg from Baela as she glared at him. 

"She's going to be fine," Baela repeated like a broken record.

"Then why isn't Daemon here?" Jacaerys questioned. "He knows more than anyone that she's not going to survive the fever."

The conversation was interrupted by the scraping of a chair as Rhaena abruptly stood up with an angry expression and stormed off before anyone could say anything. Baela shot Jacaerys a sharp glare as she stood up from her seat.

"You're making it worse," she snapped before turning to follow her sister out of the room, leaving the rest in an uneasy silence.

"Enough, Jace," Rhaenrya reprimanded. "This isn't helping anyone."

"I'm just saying what everyone else is too afraid to," Jacaerys muttered, though his tone lacked its earlier defiance. His hands clenched into fists on the table, his knuckles white. "It's not fair. None of this is fair."

"I don't want her to die," Lucerys whispered as he stared down at his uneaten plate.

"She's not going to die," Rhaenrya repeated, ignoring the eye roll Jacaerys gave as he leaned heavily back into his seat. "She is still fighting, as we too must fight."

"And how do we do that, mother?" Jacaerys asked as he pushed back his chair and stood. "By sitting here, pretending like everything will magically fix itself?"

Rhaenrya narrowed her eyes as she stood up, her clam demeanor finally breaking.

"By standing together as a family," she told him. "By not tearing each other apart when we need each other most."

Jacaerys scoffed as he glanced away, knowing there was nothing else to say as he pushed away from the table and stormed off. The doors slammed shut beside him as Rhaenrya released a sigh, sitting back in her chair as she put her head in her hands.

A heavy silence clung to the room as she tried to control her emotions.

"I'm not hungry," Lucerys whispered as Rhaenrya glanced up at his words, heart dropping in her chest at the sight of him.

"I know," Rhaenrya muttered as she reached out and grabbed his hand tightly. "I know."

♔          ♛          ♔

Valaena could feel that she was going to die the next time she awoke. The pain was almost completely gone, filled with a sense of nothingness as she stared up at the ceiling. She couldn't even find the strength to move as she wondered if this was truly the end.

"Hey, stay with me," her father's voice was soft as he stroked her head.

Valaena shifted her gaze, her eyes finding Daemon's pale face filled with the kind of worry that scared her. She wasn't the only one that knew she was going to die. 

"I'm here, my little dragon," Daemon whispered, his trembling voice betraying his words. He gently brushed the damp strands of hair from  her face, his fingers lingering as though afraid she might vanish if he let go.

As he retracted his hand, Valaena found what little strength she had left to reach up and grab it. 

"I-" her voice cracked, the effort of speaking almost unbearable. "Am I going to die?"

"Of course not," Daemon responded immediately, shaking his head so fiercely that Valaena knew he was in denial.

She felt the tears glisten her eyes as she tried to blink them away.

"I don't want to die," Valaena whispered, as if it was a secret she had been keeping close to her chest.

"I know," Daemon repeated as he stared back at her with the same heart stricken face. "I know."

"Don't leave me," Valaena pleaded as she gripped his hand with the little strength she had as the Valyrian dripped from her mouth without her thinking. "Please, father."

A tear dropped from his eyes as he nodded his head furiously, wiping it away to no avail as another one took its place. Daemon leaned in closer, his forehead almost brushing hers as he clasped her frail hand in both of his. 

"I will never leave you," he vowed, his voice cracking as he spoke. "Not now, not ever. I swear this to you."

There was no response. Sleep had found her again.

And so Daemon was left only with his dying daughter and own thoughts.

♔          ♛          ♔

"This is her?" Daemon questioned, glancing over to the knight who hesitated before nodding. "Good."

Daemon turned back to the woman as she stepped forward, her presence unsettling. She wore a tattered cloak that did a bad job at hiding her striking red hair and sharp features. Daemon's jaw tightened as he looked her over, knowing she was his only hope.

"You're the witch?" He asked as her brown eyes snapped up to meet his.

"I'm a healer," she corrected.

"I don't care what you call yourself," Daemon responded as he stared down at her. "Can you save my daughter?"

"I would have to see her first," the woman responded, pausing when the knight instinctively reached for the hilt of his sword.

"Stand down," Daemon ordered, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade. The knight reluctantly released his grip, though his watchful eyes stayed locked on the woman.

Daemon turned on his heel, leading the way as the others followed silently behind him. They made it through the castle uninterrupted, all to Daemon's doing as he had ordered the guards away before she arrived. They reached Valaena's chambers easily, the door creaking open to reveal the dimly lit room where she lay motionless on the bed. The sight of her pale, fragile frame made Daemon hesitate for the briefest moment before he stepped aside, allowing the witch to approach as the door shut closed behind them. 

The woman approached the bed slowly, reaching down as touching Valaena's forearm as she lay unconscious on the bed. Daemon followed to the other side of the bed, his eyes wary as she watched the woman observe his daughter. 

"She's been touched by death," the woman murmured as she pulled her hand away. "Greywater fever."

"So you can save her?" Daemon asked, his voice hopeful as he knelt down next to Valeana and took her hand in his.

"It will cost you," the woman warned as she pushed back the hood of her cloak.

"Name your price," Daemon responded. "Whatever you want."

"Not me," the woman warned. "Magic like this demands payment."

"Enough with the riddles," Daemon snapped. "Speak plainly."

"Life cannot be given without taking life first," the woman told him. "A daughter for a daughter."

"I don't care," Daemon told her. "Do it. Whatever it takes."

The witch raised an eyebrow at his stubborness.

"You speak with certainty now, but understand there is no undoing such magic," the woman gave her final warning. "The price must be paid."

"Just save her," Daemon's voice was desperate, his eyes pleading as the woman released a sigh.

"There is nothing more dangerous than a father's love for his daughter," the woman responded. "Very well. Let's begin."

♔          ♛          ♔

There was only darkness at first, the cold kind that left nothing but loneliness that made her want to cry. And then there was a distant warmth and a bright flame that she could make out beyond the darkness. A gentle voice called out to her, urging her towards the flame.

Valaena reached out, her feet moving towards the flame as it grew brighter with each step. It licked her skin, providing a warmth that was comforting. Her hand outstretched as if to try and touch it, although she knew instinctively it wasn't something she could hold. The flame soon became so bright that she was no longer shivering.

Just as her fingertips brushed the edge of the flame, something cold and sharp clamped around her wrist. Valaena froze, her breath hitching in her throat as she tried to shake it off. From the shadows, more pale hands emerged with each one more desperate as their icy grip sent jolts through her body. They clawed at her arms, her legs, her waist as they tried to drag her back to the darkness.

She felt the scream rip from her body as she clawed against their grip, thrashing wildly to escape. The warmth of the flame began to fade, retreating as the darkness surged forward like a rising tide. There was nothing to be done as she was dragged back until the flame disappeared completely as she was left with nothing.

A gasp escaped Valaena's lips as she shot up from bed, her lungs burning as if she had been underwater for too long. She clutched at her chest as she gasped for air. The room spun wildly around her as a pair of warm arms surrounded her. 

"It's okay," Daemon's voice filled her ears as she glanced around the familiar room that she had called her own for years. It all seemed foreign to her as she began to panic, something that she couldn't place her finger on was wrong. 

She shouldn't be there, she wasn't supposed to be there.

"I'm right here, just like I promised," Her eyes snapped over to her father, who was staring at her in pure relief as he held her in his arms.

Valaena's breathing steadied as she forced herself to focus on the warmth of her father's embrace. Slowly, her trembling hands reached up to wrap around him, holding him tightly. The comfort of his presence grounded her in the reality of the moment.

Yet there was still something bothering her. The room felt too still, the air too heavy as if trying to suffocate her. She wanted to ask Daemon if he felt it too, but she couldn't bring herself to speak. A strange emptiness lingered in the back of her mind, as if a part of her had been left behind somewhere she couldn't reach.

"Everything's alright," Daemon whispered into her ears. "You're alright."

Valaena felt herself nodding faintly against his chest, but she still felt something was wrong.

She just didn't know what.