Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

There is an old saying. It’s more of a legend than an actual statement.

Fire cannot kill a dragon.

Bullshit if you ask Diane. But that was a curse of being a bastard, no one was ever asking for your opinion. Or almost no one. Her father sometimes did, but she never knew whether he was actually interested or just indulged her because she was valuable enough to keep at his side.

Having a Waters last name - the name that bastards from King’s Landing and Dragonstone usually carried - never really bothered Diane, at least not as much as other people expected her to be bothered by it. It gave her some weird sort of anonymity. Everyone found out she was a bastard and never looked past it, never noticed her white hair or that fierce fire in her eyes only one family in Westeros has. But even if someone noticed that was also okay. Royal men had dozens of bastards all the time, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise for Daemon Targaryen to have one. What Diane thought was more surprising was her being the only one. At least to her knowledge and her father’s. And there was no reason for Daemon to lie about it.

Diane took his side. When push came to shove, and the Blacks and the Greens started a full-blown civil war, she took her father’s side. She didn’t have to , she could have just sat it out, but there was that inherited idea inside of her, the urge to protect her family. Even if her family never recognized her as a part of them.

That was some sort of irony that, out of all the children and allies Daemon had, Diane ended up the one to hold his hand when he died. Gravely injured in the battle with Aemond, with two dragons tearing at each other flesh somewhere in the background, Daemon bled out in the company of his bastard daughter.

‘Go help… help Rhaenyra,’ was his last words. ‘Protect our family.’

It was probably the only time Daemon recognized the family as theirs , not just his. So that was what Diane did. She gave her father a burning he deserved, leaving Aemond’s body to rot, mounted Silverwing, and went to fulfill her father’s last wish. That was what she did, and that was how she died. 

Fire might not kill a dragon, but other dragon’s jaws very well can. 

Did Diane fail in the mission to protect her family? She wasn’t sure. She just knew that Rhaenyra probably followed her to the other side shortly after. She hoped others were smart enough to adapt and not follow them as well.

***

She woke up disoriented, confused and felt too hot to be dead. Of course, she might have ended up in Hell that Faith of Seven loves to preach about, but she was sure they didn't make the beds quite as comfortable for people who were forever doomed.

‘Diane? Is everything alright?’ the female voice asked, and she turned to see a young girl - not older than eighteen - on the other side of the bed. She had dark skin, and her black hair was braided in beautiful braids. She was also naked, covered only by a thin blanket that was almost see-through.

Feigh.

People say you always remember your first love. Diane just wasn't sure you were supposed to remember them after all those years quite that clearly.

‘Um- I’m- bad dream,’ Diane decided to say. It was a safe answer. At least until she figured out what was going on.

Feigh frowned, ‘What about?’

‘Dragons. Mostly,’ Diane mumbled, getting out of bed. She was naked as well which didn't surprise her. But the absence of most of her scars did. What the-

She looked in the mirror and involuntarily took a step back. No, nuh, no freaking way. ‘I am young,’ Diane stated without meaning to say it out loud. Not like she was old before, she died at the ripe age of 34, but still… Now she looked like she was six and ten again. And she didn’t look bad, but she wasn't supposed to be six and ten.

Feigh probably missed the last statement because she sighed, falling back into bed. ‘Yeah, dragons also scare me. I have no idea how Targaryens coexist with them. They will literally eat or burn you the first chance they get! You can never trust a dragon, they are vicious animals!’

Diane tore her gaze from the mirror, and looked at her lover, suddenly reminded why they never worked out. Feigh was a commoner, and her views never sat well with Diane's. Dragons weren't the only topic they used to disagree on. And not like Diane had a prejudice against commoners - she was one of them, after all, her parentage didn't give her any official status - but knowing her father, and being aware of politics gave her a perspective most of the people didn't have.

‘You can trust your dragon, Feigh. Others are a threat, but if you are bonded to one, that is forever,’ Diane answered, looking in the mirror again. She wasn't a dragon rider for all that long: Daemon introduced her to Silverwing when they needed more dragons to fight for the Blacks. And yet, no matter how short-lived their relationship was after that, Diane still felt like Silverwing was hers. That their bond was stronger than death or… or time. Which reminded her.

What year was it supposed to be? Everything felt too fucking real to be some sort of afterlife, and Diane felt very much alive. But she was young… too young, she looked barely an adult. So did it mean she died and went back in time? It sounded like an unrealistic and very bullshit explanation but she didn’t really have any other. So she decided to go with it and wait to be proved either right or wrong. 

So Diane turned back to Feigh and said, ‘Stepstones.’

The girl raised her head, ‘What?’

‘Stepstones. What do you know about them?’

Feigh frowned, ‘Well, that’s a place…’

‘No, I know that. Is there a war for them?’

‘Are you alright?’ Feigh said instead of an answer, moving herself to a sitting position.

‘Just answer the damn question,’ Diane demanded. It wasn’t very nice of her, but Feigh also wasn't nice when she dumped her to get married to some man who ended up drinking himself to death and left her with four kids to take care of. So yeah, it felt justified. This Feigh didn't do any of that yet - obviously, if they were naked in bed together - but she would. And Diane had more pressing matters to attend to than suffer over her first breakup all over again.

Feigh huffed, ‘Of course, there is. Has been for a few years now. Reckless Prince Daemon thinks he can win it without the King’s help. Huh, he wishes!’

Diane let out a sigh. ‘I always knew you weren’t that bright but come on,’ she then grabbed her Dragon Claw (a dagger, Daemon’s present for her 12th birthday) and started to cut off her hair. She used to wear it long when she was young, but the years proved that shoulder-length was more than enough to show it off on occasion while not getting distracted by it during fights and battles. Also, it didn’t get in the eyes that way when she flew on Silverwing.

‘Are you insulting me?!’ Feigh exclaimed.

‘No,’ Diane cut the right side somewhat evenly. She wasn’t aiming for beauty, more for convenience, but didn’t want it to look awful either. ‘Just stating the fact, Feigh.’

‘What fact?!’

Diane looked at her lover - soon to be ex-lover, apparently - through the mirror. ‘That it’s not wise to insult a member of a royal family in the presence of someone with a particular hair color.’

Even though Targaryens didn’t own white hair color, it was only found in people who were somehow linked to the families that came from Old Valyria. Diane believed it to be common knowledge, even though she noticed a lot of people very conveniently forgot about it when they met her. Surely Waters last name scared them away.

It took a while for Feigh to piece everything together, but when she did, her eyes widened. ‘No, you can’t be…’

Diane smiled, showing her teeth, ‘Of course, I can’t,’ she said, cutting the right half of her hair. Ha, ended up almost even. If she ruffled it around, no one would even notice the imperfection. ‘And even if I can, no one will believe you.’

Feigh huffed, offended, ‘And why is that?’

‘Because it would be your word over mine. And I have a dagger.’

It wasn’t precisely a threat but… oh, who was she kidding? Of course, it was a threat. She might be in the body of a sixteen-year-old - approximately, she would know for sure when she found out what year it actually was - but she was a grown woman who fought in a war and died. A daughter of a blacksmith was no threat to her.

‘Whatever, I’m leaving,’ Feigh spat, putting on her dress and running out of the room, banging the door hard on her way out.

Diane paid her no mind. Instead, she walked to the window to get a picture of where exactly she was. By Feigh being here she guessed it was Dragonstone, but she would love to know her exact position anyway. The castle was towering over the village on a nearby hill. Considering its position, she was probably in some inn in Stoneville. Well, that would be an hour max if she found herself a horse to get to the castle. Would the guards let her pass without her father present? Probably not. Would it stop her? Of course, not.

***

Stealing a horse from a drunk man wasn’t hard, and in half an hour Diane was already on her way to the castle, thinking over the plan for the foreseeable future. She needed to let Daemon and Rhaenyra know about everything as soon as possible. If she was lucky, they would be also sent back in time to their younger bodies, but she wasn’t that lucky as a rule. So she had to operate on the belief that she was the only one who knew what was going to happen, and the only one who could do something about it.

The problem was that she didn’t know much about Rhaenyra’s life before she married Daemon. Diane could assume that the young princess should be in King’s Landing at the moment but that was basically the extent of her knowledge. With Daemon it was somewhat easier. His father made a rule of checking in on her once in a while so she was somewhat updated. Now he was supposed to be at the Stepstones, three or four months away from winning the war. Diane wondered if she would be able to expedite this process. And to do that she needed to get to her father and tell him what happened.

The castle was getting closer, and she had to ditch the horse and cross the last part of the distance on foot. She decided against sneaking into the castle itself so as not to take an unnecessary risk. There was nothing valuable for her there at that time anyway. Dragonmont was what she was after. Diane remembered the way quite well and hoped she would be able to find it now, almost 15 years before she walked it for the first time.

Silverwing had been riderless since Queen Alysanne died, and Diane hoped that enough time passed and she would be able to successfully bond with her dragon again, earlier this time. She didn’t want to rush the process, but a dragon seemed like the only way for her to get to Stepstones in the middle of the war without immediately being killed by either of the sides. And she needed to talk to Daemon. If she wanted to change anything, she needed her father informed and ready to act. Diane didn’t fool herself: she might be the messenger, but the fate of their family was mostly in Daemon’s and Rhaenyra’s hands.

The sun started to rise when Diane reached the cave that seemed vaguely familiar. ‘Please, please, be here,’ the woman pleaded quietly. She had neither time nor enough skill to try and bond with another dragon, except Silverwing. Plus, she really, really wanted to get her girl back.

There was a shuffling inside the cave, and then Silverwing stepped out of it. She looked down at the human at the entrance of her cave and let out a roar. But it wasn't the roar of threat, more like…

‘My favorite girl, do you remember me?’ Diane asked, her eyes widened in disbelief. She wasn’t proficient in High Valyrian, knew only the basics Rhaenyra taught her in a hurry, but she could get a few sentences out if she really tried.

Silverwing shuffled closer to Diane, letting out a content huff when the woman reached out to stroke her scales. ‘My love, you do,’ Diane couldn't believe her luck. ‘You do remember me. Oh, how I missed you.’

She didn’t know whether her weird sort of time travel didn’t affect the dragons, or maybe her bond with Silverwing stretched beyond time and death, or maybe it was something else, but now it didn’t matter. It was a win, and she would take it.

The realization suddenly dawned on her. ‘Wait, you don't have a saddle here, do you? I know some dragon riders can fly without them but I do believe I will fall off you at the first sharp turn,’ Diane bit her lip and turned to look down at a castle. Silverwing huffed as if she thought it was funny. ‘Okay, I do need to break into my father’s castle after all. And then we will fly right to the Stepstones, how does it sound?’

Silverwing made a sound of agreement. She was ready to fly wherever her human wanted. Diane smiled, ‘Oh, it’s gonna be so much fun.’

Chapter Text

Daemon was sitting inside his tent, his heart heavy. It had been more than two years since they started the war on the Stepstones, and they were losing. They started having problems with provisions, and it was obvious that the soldiers were getting tired and restless, but they couldn't give up now! There had to be something he could do. Something to trick the Crabfeeder and his people, force them to leave their caves so he could burn them all down.

Daemon was so deep in his thoughts, that he didn’t notice the noise outside, right until a soldier ran into his tent. ‘There is a- a- a dragon!’ was the only thing the man managed to explain.

‘Of course, there is a dragon. There are two, actually. What are you, new?’ Daemon frowned, rising to his feet.

‘No, no, there is a new one! It is advancing on us!’ the man articulated, pointing at the sky.

Daemon immediately pushed past him, exiting his tent. There was indeed a dragon flying towards them, they had a few minutes max to prepare in case of an attack. That would be a sensible thing to do, but then Daemon recognized the dragon.

Silverwing.

What was she doing here? She was riderless for the last 15 years! Did someone have the audacity to claim her?! Who would be bold enough to do that? It was no secret that Silverwing was extremely loyal to the late Queen and ignored (read slightly burned) all the opportunists who tried to claim her.

‘Do not shoot!’ he commanded the soldiers just as Corlys approached him.

‘Do you know who that is?’ Corlys asked.

‘Not the faintest idea.’

When Silverwing landed (without burning anyone, which was a good sign), Daemon had soldiers and Caraxes on standby, ready to fight off the intruder if need be. Caraxes seemed to be eager in a weird way, which threw Daemon’s confidence off balance a little, but he ignored it for now.

Silverwing dramatically stretched her wings before folding them, and only then could they see the dragon rider. The young woman slid off the dragon's back, and Daemon’s eyes widened with recognition.

No. Fucking. Way.

‘I’m here to see Daemon Targaryen,’ Diane declared loudly, looking unbothered by the weapons that were pointed at her. ‘My dragon will play nice as long as you all play nice too, so do not do anything rash. She might retaliate out of spite.’

‘Who do you think you are?’ Vaemond Velaryon exclaimed. ‘Coming here and threatening us! You should be-’

‘Lower your weapons!’ Daemon commanded and sighed, moving closer to the guest. ‘I know her,’ he added, hoping it would be enough for now, and he would be able to speak to Diane before Velaryons jumped on him with all sorts of questions he had no answers to. At least, not yet.

She smiled at him when he approached, which was not unusual for her. She was always happy to see him, but something in her eyes… they were different. They weren’t the same as the eyes of a 14-year-old girl that he had seen before he went to war. ‘This war is going on for too long, don’t you think, father?’ she asked when he was close enough so only he would be able to hear her.

‘I hope - for your own good - that you didn’t steal a dragon and fly all the way here just to reprimand me for it,’ Daemon warned in his best fatherly tone which only made Diane’s smile wider. Apparently, disrespect for authority was an inherited thing, Gods damn him.

‘I didn’t steal her. She is mine . I stole a saddle though,’ the woman answered, and Silverwing gave a roar in agreement. ‘We need to talk. In private. That’s important,’ Diane then added, her voice serious, and Daemon knew that something must have happened. 

‘My tent,’ he nodded then, leading her away.

‘You can play with Caraxes now,’ Diane suddenly turned, speaking to her dragon. Silverwing all but bounced off the ground, sending a few of the nearby soldiers flying with a wave of her wings. Caraxes shuffled down some rocks and followed Silverwing with so much enthusiasm as if he had known her better than he was supposed to in this timeline.

Huh, Diane thought, if I came back in time with all the dragons and no humans to actually help me out that would be the top of irony.

‘Did you just send my dragon away?’ Daemon asked her, bewildered.

‘Not really. When was the last time he was free to play?’ Diane asked in ordinary language. She was still not proficient enough to hold a whole conversation in High Valyrian, but her father seemed to be so shocked he forgot she wasn’t supposed to know High Valyrian at all.

Daemon raised an eyebrow at her, making Diane smile. ‘Let the old dragon have some fun, father. They will both come back for dinner.’

Daemon looked at her in silence for a few seconds, ‘You owe me so much explanation.’

‘Then lead the way.’

***

It was a hard conversation to put it lightly. And even though Daemon appeared to be a patient listener, it was hard to remember everything in the right order or mention all the important details. The last few years of Diane's life were a complete mess, things didn’t make sense half of the time, and people kept betraying and turning on them. 

‘You gave me a funeral?’ Daemon asked quietly when they reached that particular part of the story. ‘In the tradition of our house?’

‘Yes. I couldn’t take you back to Rhaenyra so I did the next best thing that came to mind,’ Diane took a sip of a wine Daemon offered her. ‘I wouldn’t be able to look her in the eyes otherwise.’

‘Thank you.’

Diane honestly thought that her relationship with Rhaenyra was the best the illegitimate daughter could ever have with her father’s new wife. Rhaenyra never held her parentage against her and easily welcomed her into their family when Daemon introduced Diane to them. Diane knew she wasn’t exactly a part of the family but they gave a fuck about her which was nice. That was precisely the reason she stuck by Rhaenyra’s side right until the end. That, and her father’s dying wish, of course.

When Diane finished her story, Daemon looked like he was hit in the head with something heavy. ‘Are you…’ he took a deep breath. ‘Are you absolutely certain all of this happened?’

‘Yes. As certain as the person can be,’ the woman said, getting up. ‘I lived through it, I suffered through it, I grieved through it. I know I’m not six and ten, I'm twice as old. And Silverwing-’ she made a wavy gesture. ‘She knows me. She recognized me.’

‘Caraxes recognized her too,’ Daemon nodded absently. ‘I'm fairly certain he had seen her before but he was never that eager…’

‘They mated,’ Diane suddenly said, making the man look up. ‘I completely forgot to mention it. Sometime after I claimed her, Caraxes and she mated. I don't know how that happened but it did. We thought we might see some new generation of dragons, but you and Caraxes decided to very inconveniently die.’

Daemon snorted, ‘Yeah, sorry for the inconvenience.’

‘Hmm, apologies accepted. Do not do that again.’

Daemon looked at his daughter, studying her. As surreal as it all might sound, he believed Diane was telling the truth. Because the way she talked, the way she held herself - she wasn’t his little girl anymore. She was still her in so many ways, but talking to her felt like talking to an equal. His daughter grew up into an amazing woman, and Daemon wanted to think he had at least something to do with that.

‘Okay, let's deal with it one problem at a time,’ Daemon decided, rising to his feet. ‘First, let's take over the Stepstones, we can talk about politics later.’

‘Sure. Not like you can prevent that whore from marrying your brother and giving him other heirs anyway, that already happened. And we have more than a decade before everything goes downhill, so no need to panic just yet. I hope,’ Diane added, frowning.

‘I'd rather not wait a decade,’ Daemon said. ‘Anyway, I’m gonna go pitch our genius plan to Corlys and others.’

‘Technically, it’s their plan.’

‘Technically, they don’t have to know.’

Diane laughed, ‘Okay, yes, take all the credit to yourself. Not like they can call you out on it.’

‘To us.’

‘Sorry?’

‘I'll take all the credit to us,’ Daemon said before walking out of the tent.

Diane frowned. Well, that was weird. She was also not sure what it meant.

***

It was maybe half an hour later when Diane was called to a strategy table by one of the soldiers. When she approached, she heard Vaemond arguing with Daemon.

‘This child comes out of the blue, and you are ready to go with everything she offers! Are you that desperate?!’

‘She is not a child. And the plan is genius. We will use me as bait, lure them out of their caves, and then you'll strike with all your forces.’

‘You are insane!’ Vaemond exclaimed. ‘Corlys, tell me you see that.’

Corlys sighed, ‘The plan is insane…’

‘Thank you!’

‘...but it doesn’t mean it won’t work,’ he continued, making his brother dramatically roll his eyes.

‘I can’t believe it! This girl can be luring us into a trap, and you are all too happy to jump right in.’

‘With all due respect Ser Vaemond, if I wanted to lure you into a trap, I would be so much smarter about it,’ Diane said, making everyone turn to her. ‘Definitely not give you a plan to win this war.’

‘Who are you?!’ Vaemond sneered. Diane didn’t like Vaemond, she remembered how he accused her step-brothers of being bastards just because he wanted to gain even more power than he already had. A pathetic excuse for a man. But she couldn’t tell him that, could she? Technically he didn’t betray her family just yet.

So Diane decided to play nice for now and prepared to introduce herself but was cut off by her father. ‘Her name is Diane, she is my daughter, and if you utter even a word of it to anyone, I'll make your lives a living hell.’

The stunning silence followed. Everyone was shocked by the way Daemon introduced Diane who could only be an illegitimate child he sired outside of his marriage. Even Diane was slightly taken aback because it wasn’t usual for her father to recognize her like that in front of people who weren’t immediate family. It was risky, and reckless, and almost unheard of. Diane didn’t know what her father was playing at, but she would make sure to find that out.

‘Are we in agreement?’ Daemon asked, surveying the table.

Corlys, who was first to recover from the initial shock, nodded, ‘Your secret is safe with us, Daemon.’

Everyone else nodded as well, even Vaemond albeit reluctantly. They knew Daemon Targaryen was the wrong man to cross over something so insignificant as an illegitimate daughter. No one would risk their lives so recklessly. Diane smiled despite herself and joined them at the table when Daemon waved at her to come closer. 

While others discussed the strategy of the attack they planned to hold the next morning, Diane noticed Laenor's eyes on her and winked, making him blush in embarrassment at being caught. She didn’t know much about Laenor, she had never even met him, only heard a few things from Daemon and Rhaenyra throughout the years. But her gut was telling her that he was a person worth knowing, and Diane made a mental note to come back to this issue later.

‘Diane, what about you and Silverwing joining Laenor and Seasmoke in the air?’ Daemon suddenly offered. 

‘Sure. Silverwing likes burning humans she doesn’t like.’

‘You cannot be serious. There is no reason for us to send a child into the battle,’ Vaemond protested. Diane couldn't wait to see him dead again.

‘Respectfully, Ser, I’m not a child. And if this boy over here can fight, I’m sure as hell can,’ she gestured at Laenor. He couldn’t be more than a year older than her, after all, age was obviously not the main issue here. 

‘My son trained for years to be worthy of this position,’ Corlys interjected. ‘He has experience in a battle.’

‘So have I. Don't be fooled by my youth or my looks, sers, the best weapon is the one you underestimate at first glance,’ Diane smiled, showing off her teeth and daring them to disagree with her.

Corlys sighed and looked at Daemon, ‘She may join but she is your responsibility. And if she ruins everything, that will be on you.’

Daemon shrugged, ‘Fine. I wouldn’t have suggested her to join if I didn’t believe in her.’

***

The Stepstones were theirs. The Crabfeeder was dead, Daemon was alive and relatively well, and for Diane, it felt like the first success in a really, really long time. She believed she did a good job showing off on the battlefield. In high-risk situations she and Silverwing were like one, connecting on some spiritual level and reading each other's intentions. Laenor and Corlys were impressed, and it was strangely flattering. Diane never really sought anyone's approval except her father's but it was nice to have it anyway.

‘Just checking if you are still alive, Your Majesty,’ she said, peeking into Daemon’s tent. Daemon was just crowned as King of the Narrow Sea. It was more like a joke than anything serious, everyone was aware Daemon would give away the Stepstones to King Viserys, but it was still fun.

The man chuckled and waved, inviting her to come in. He was sitting on his bed, his shirt was off and his torso and shoulders were bandaged. The fast-made crown was sitting on the table nearby.

‘I also brought you some wine,’ Diane added, handing her father a goblet.

‘Thanks. Is everyone celebrating?’ Daemon asked, taking a sip.

‘Yes. And waiting for you to join them.’

‘Maybe later,’ the man waved off with a sigh. ‘I feel like it’s too early for celebrations.’

Diane chuckled and sat on the bed near Daemon, ‘I know the feeling. In the great scheme of things you won a battle, not a war.’

‘Certainly not a war.’

‘But you should take a win, father. We didn’t have a lot of celebrations in the last few years. I mean… my time. I don’t know about you,’ she sighed, laying back on the bed as if she owned the place.

‘Pretty much the same, yes,’ Daemon looked at his goblet. ‘I made a mess of things, I’m not sure where to start fixing all of it. What should I do?’

‘Is it a philosophical question, or are you really asking for my opinion?’ Diane asked skeptically, making Daemon smile.

‘I’m really asking. I’m aware that I’m bad at following directions, but I recognize when people are more knowledgeable at something than I am. You don’t see me commanding Corlys on how to sail his ships, do you?’

‘It’s not evening yet.’

Daemon laughed, ‘Okay, yes, I get it. But I still want to know what you think.’

Diane got up on her elbows and looked at her father for a few seconds. ‘I think you should marry Rhaenyra,’ she said then. ‘I don’t know if you love her yet, but I know you loved her back in my time. If you marry her now, it will solidify her right to the throne, and you will make true Targaryen heirs. No one will question the parenthood of her heirs, Hightowers will lose like half of their political ammunition, and Velaryons won’t resent you for killing both of their kids. It’s a win-win,’ she fell back on the bed.

‘You thought a lot about it, I see,’ Daemon didn’t even try to hide that he sounded amused.

‘It was a long flight from Dragonstone.’

‘Viserys won’t let me marry her. Especially when I’m already married to the Bronze Bitch.’

‘Well, your marriage is an easy fix, isn’t it? Give me two weeks and a map, I’ll make it look like an accident,’ Diane offered with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

‘Huh,’ Daemon made a sound and carefully moved to lay back on a bed near her. ‘I never asked what you used to do for a living, did I?’

Diane smiled, ‘I was a kill-for-hire. Girl gotta eat.’

‘I guess it runs in the family,’ he let out a laugh, then winced in pain. ‘When can you do it?’

‘I can fly to the Vale tomorrow. If I’m lucky I’ll be back before you have to leave Stepstones. No one will be able to even speculate that you killed her this time around.’

‘Okay then. I won’t leave before you come back. Need to make sure Stepstones are protected, after all.’

Chapter Text

The meetings of the Small Council were boring to Rhaenyra, but mostly because she was instructed to shut up and serve drinks. How was she to learn how to be Queen if she wasn’t allowed to do anything or even voice her opinion? That was exactly what Otto Hightower wanted, she figured. The more incompetent and incapable she looked, the easier it would be for him to convince others Aegon was a better heir. Rhaenyra knew she had to do something, turn the tables around somehow, but she had no idea how. She had no friends and no allies. What was she to do?

Rhaenyra’s grim thoughts were interrupted by a messenger who all but ran into the room. ‘News from the Stepstones!’ the boy declared, showing the paper in his hand.

Otto immediately stretched his hand out, and the boy handed a scroll to him. ‘What is it, Otto?’ Viserys asked. Rhaenyra was trying hard to act normal but nerves were swirling inside her chest. Oh Gods, let it be good news, not the bad ones. She had already lost her mother and then saw her father marry her best friend, she couldn’t lose Daemon as well.

The silence stretched as the Hand read through passages. Then his face changed. As soon as Rhaenyra recognized Otto's displeasure, she knew what the news was.

Good news.

‘It seems like the war for Stepstones is over. The Crabfeeder is dead.’

Rhaenyra couldn’t help but ask, ‘And Prince Daemon?’

‘Alive and thriving, apparently,’ Otto answered, the displeasure evident. Rhaenyra barely suppressed a sigh of relief.

‘That’s good then,’ Viserys concluded. ‘Anything about my brother's future plans?’

‘No, not at the moment,’ the Hand read the scroll some more. ‘An unknown dragon was sighted during the last attack,’ he added, amused.

‘What do you mean?’ Viserys asked.

‘Apparently, Prince Daemon had some additional help. Not from Velaryons, and surely not from us.’

‘Who is the rider?’

Otto put a scroll on the table with the sigh, ‘They do not know.’

The conversation continued with Otto promising to find who Daemon’s new ally was, but Rhaenyra barely listened. An unknown dragon? That was exciting. Except for a few wild ones, all of the dragons were accounted for. And dragons don’t just come out of nowhere. Rhaenyra hoped she would be able to meet that new dragon and this mysterious rider.

***

The Vale of Arryn was peaceful. And nice. And boring. Diane could see why her father hated this place so much. She was not a fan of calm and peaceful life herself but she did enjoy it once in a while. Even more so after everything that happened recently. She just needed a break from the constant rush and life-and-death situations.

Diane pondered on what it said about her as a person if she thought about being on a mission to kill her father’s wife as “a break”, but decided not to dwell on that. She flew from the Stepstones right to the Mountains of the Moon where she found for Silverwing a cozy cave (well, at least as cozy as caves go) and went down the mountain on foot. It would be faster to fly right to the Vale, but she didn’t want to alert anyone and wanted to make sure nobody would be able to place her dragon anywhere near the “accident”. It was probably just slightly paranoid, but Diane learned the hard way that even walls have ears so she was justified to assume that valleys have too.

She sneaked past Bloody Gate with ease because the guys there were on the lookout for tribesmen and invading armies, not for a teenage girl (it was hard to think about herself like that but Diane was aware of how she looked now) in a grey cape. Daemon gave it to her and said it was a tradition but didn’t explain exactly what this tradition was. Diane didn’t care enough to ask clarifying questions. Then there was a highly uneventful stroll to the outskirts of Eyrie where she stole a horse and rode to Vale. She could have bought it out, of course, but she didn’t want to risk being remembered.

Daemon managed to give her an estimate of where his wife loved to hunt in the Vale, and the area was quite wide. This was not surprising. If you hate your spouse, you usually don’t make an effort to get to know them well. But that was okay, Diane could work with that. She studied the map, chose the place that she was sure Rhea would have to ride through to get from Runestone to the Vale or back, camped there, and waited. 

Rhea appeared on a fourth day. She was riding to the Vale when she was stopped by a stranger in a grey cape. 

‘Name yourself,’ Rhea demanded. 

‘I do not blame you for not recognizing me, Lady Rhea,’ Diane said, lifting the hood so the woman could see her face. ‘After all, it has been years since you last saw me.’

The sparks of recognition appeared in Rhea's gaze, ‘My husband’s bastard.’

‘So you do remember me, huh? But I guess asking you to remember my name is asking for too much,’ Diane shook her head with a small smile.

‘What do you want?’ Rhea demanded. She was looking down on Diane from her horse, but she didn’t look as threatening as the woman probably wanted herself to look. 

‘You know, I spent years wondering-’ Diane said, completely ignoring the question. ‘What a shitty human being do you have to be to try and kill a child?’ she made a thoughtful sound. ‘Most assassins don’t even do that, and we do not have the best morals as a rule. So answer me, Lady Rhea, why did you?’ Diane asked, her voice low, and took a few slow steps towards the horse.

‘I see my husband did a good job at poisoning you with his lies,’ Rhea said, trying to appear calm, but it was obvious she was feeling the threat in the air.

‘He didn’t have to. I do remember how you pushed me out into the balcony during a snowstorm and locked the door. By the time a servant found me, I almost froze to death.’

‘You can’t possibly remember that…’

‘Oh, I do remember it. Every second of that day. I was six, not stupid. It was you. I remember that smug look of yours when you closed the door in my face and left me to die! Did you really hate my father so much to do that to me?’ Diane asked. ‘I was just a kid.’

‘He brought his whore kid to MY home!’ Rhea suddenly shouted. ‘I am his wife, and he had the audacity to cheat on me not even a year after we were wed! And then he brought YOU with him and wanted me to just deal with it! That selfish, cheating piece of shit!’

‘I don’t get it,’ Diane waved her hands, taking a few more steps closer. ‘I just don't. My father was six and ten, and he had to be dragged into the wedding ceremony to marry you. How much loyalty can you expect?’

‘He has a duty!’

‘To whom? To you?’ Diane let out a laugh. ‘Oh please, the only people Daemon cares about are his family. And your marriage is no more than a farce that lasted for too long.’

Rhae smirked, ‘And you think you are one of these people, right? Gods, you are stupid. He only keeps you around because it’s convenient. If he really cared, do you think he would let our little balcony incident slide? He never said a word to me about it.’

‘That, I believe, is my fault. I never told father who did it,’ Diane shrugged, taking a few more steps forward so she would be really close to the horse.

Rhea was obviously taken aback, ‘What?’

‘Yeah. I was a smart girl. I told everyone I just accidentally locked myself out. I knew daddy is gonna be real mad if I tell him the truth, and he will go and make you hurt,’ Diane said in a small, childish voice, then cleared her throat and continued normally, ‘You know, the whole thing. I wanted to give you another chance or whatever. Mum taught me to be kind to others. In hindsight, you probably didn’t deserve it.’

‘And you are telling me this, why exactly?’

Diane smiled, showing off her teeth, ‘I wanted you to know that you brought this on yourself.’

It took a few seconds for Rhea to figure out what Diane was implying, but then the realization sparked in her eyes and she reached for her bow. To trick an already agitated horse and make it crush Rhea was easy. But then again, in Diane's experience killing people is genuinely not that hard. Humans are so fragile, so wrapped up in their egos, so uncareful because they subconsciously believe they are immortal. So yeah, assassins are not really overworking themselves.

When the horse got back up and ran out of the way, Diane walked closer to check on Rhea. The woman appeared to be still alive and conscious, even though she couldn’t move.

‘That must hurt,’ Diane commented, looking around for something heavy.

‘He asked you to do this, didn’t he?’ Rhea spat. ‘He- is too proud- to do this himself.’

‘No, he isn’t. I kinda volunteered,’ Diane chuckled when she saw a big enough stone and went to pick it up.

‘He doesn’t- love you, you know? He is just using you to- to do his dirty work!’ Rhea's eyes widened when she saw Diane coming at her with a piece of rock.

‘Wise of him, don’t you think? To ask me to do this. Dirty work is my specialty,’ Diane smiled with her teeth before delivering a final blow.

The silence fell over the place. Diane checked the road, picked up her bag, and disappeared into the sunset as if she had never been there.

***

After some discussions, Daemon and Corlys decided that it would be best to build a new fort on the Stepstones to make sure pirates or the Triarchy wouldn’t try to take over the place again. The problem was that they didn’t have sufficient funding for it just lying around. They could leave a few dozen soldiers to temporarily hold the place, but they needed a more permanent solution. Daemon said he would ask for funding when he came back to King’s Landing. Considering what Diane told him, it wouldn’t be hard to get back into his brother's good graces. The main challenge would be to stay there.

‘Daemon, a dragon is approaching,’ Laenor peaked into the man's tent. ‘I think it’s Silverwing,’ the guy sounded all too happy about it, but Daemon didn’t have time to dwell on that. Instead, he thanked him and went to greet his daughter.

Diane smiled, jumping off her dragon when she noticed Daemon. She tried not to think a lot about it but she did see him die only a year ago, and now seeing him alive every time they met made her really happy.

‘How was your trip to Dragonstone?’ he asked. It was a lie they decided on before Diane left so people would know she went home and wouldn’t even try to place her anywhere near the Vale.

‘Successful. Met an old friend, took care of business, you know,’ she said, making Daemon smile. She took care of business.

He was free.

‘And I’m dying for a proper bath,’ Diane added as an afterthought, scratching her head.

Daemon reached and took the woman by the elbow, leading her in the direction of his tent, ‘I believe I can arrange for that.’

Even though the army was basically camping on this hill due to the war, having money was extremely beneficial, and in less than half an hour Diane was relaxing in a wooden bathtub with hot water that even smelled nice.

‘Is there a reason why Silverwing is very threateningly sitting on top of the hill over your tent?’ Daemon asked, walking inside.

Diane waved off without opening her eyes, ‘Because there are horny men, and I'm naked. What if someone tried to sneak in? I would have to get up, and get my dagger, and then kill them- that would be the whole ordeal, and I'm trying to relax here.’

Daemon snorted, ‘Well, she let me in, didn’t she?’

‘Eh, you are my father. You do not count.’

‘I wanted to talk to you,’ he said, then probably registered that his daughter was lying naked in the bathtub and added, ‘In hindsight, it’s probably not the best time.’

‘No, no, it’s fine. Just pass me the towel. The water is getting cold anyway,’ Diane answered, opening her eyes and sitting straighter in the bathtub. Daemon passed her the towel and then sat on the chair it was previously occupying. ‘What's on your mind?’

‘I want to return to King’s Landing as soon as possible. No need to give Cunttowers any more time to poison my brother with their lies.’

‘Okay,’ Diane nodded, getting up and wrapping the towel around her body.

‘I want you to come with me.’

‘Yeah, okay,’ the woman nodded, stepping out of the bathtub. She expected that.

‘I will introduce you to my brother as my daughter and heir.’

‘What?!’ Diane tripped over the edge of a bathtub, and Daemon had to jump to his feet to catch her so that she wouldn’t meet the hard floor. Then he pulled her back to her feet.

‘Are you alright?’ he asked.

Diane just stared at him wide-eyed with her mouth hanging open for a few seconds and then asked, ‘You will do what?’

‘I'll legitimize you. You will be a Targaryen as you deserved to be since the day you were born, and you'll inherit Dragonstone after I die,’ Daemon explained, his expression open and his voice sincere. Diane wasn’t used to seeing his father quite like this.

‘Wh-why? Why would you?’

‘Because you deserve it. Because you are a dragon, just like me and Rhaenyra. You deserve to be recognized for who you truly are. I planned to name you as my heir when you reach adulthood since you were born.’

‘But you didn’t. The first time you didn’t, you didn’t even mention anything like that,’ Diane looked lost. It wasn’t making any sense. She knew her father cared about her, way more than most of the men carried about their bastards, but she never even hoped to be legitimized. It was never in the cards, she was fine with it, and now Daemon was telling her that he had a fucking plan.

‘And I apologize. I do not know what went wrong. I probably had my reasons but… I do not have them now,’ Daemon’s hands tightened on Diane's shoulders. ‘I want to do everything right this time. Let me do this right, Diane, please.’

The woman looked at him for a few seconds and then said, ‘Okay.’

‘Okay?’

‘Yes, okay,’ she smiled. ‘I will be a fool to turn this down, won’t I?’

Daemon smiled back, and it was obvious that, for some reason, it meant a lot to him. He let go of his daughter, and Diane went to the mirror to make her hair look presentable. Daemon sat back on the chair. 

‘Any particular plans for your grand return?’ Diane asked.

‘Well, I will come back, give Viserys this joke of a crown, and then improvise from there.’

‘You really gave it a thought, didn’t you?’

‘Oh, shut up. I have no idea where to start,’ Daemon sighed. ‘I need to get back into Viserys’ inner circle, kick Otto out of it, make sure that common folk support Rhaenyra instead of the Hightower spawn, and then I need to properly woo Rhaenyra to make sure Viserys won’t marry her away to the first idiot lord he sees fit. Not necessarily in this order.’

‘The last part won’t be hard,’ Diane smirked, brushing her hair. ‘I don’t think you ever had any trouble catching women’s attention.’

‘I am irresistible, yes,’ Daemon confirmed proudly, making his daughter snort. ‘But I’m not looking for a quick fuck, am I? If I want to marry her, I need to court her right so no one would even try to question her virtue. And I’m not sure how to go about that.’

‘Well, Otto will try and question her virtue anyway. You just need to make sure that by that time, Viserys trusts you enough to believe your word over his Hand's. And-’ Diane turned to him. ‘You should probably keep it in your pants before you are wed. So in the future, you won’t have to explain away a baby that came a few months too early but still miraculously turned out perfectly fine.’

Daemon shook his head with a smile, ‘I can’t believe we are discussing my sex life.’

‘Oh, believe me, that’s not the first time. At least, not for me.’

Daemon narrowed his eyes, ‘Have I ever taken you with me to a brothel by any chance?’

‘Yes, a bunch of times,’ Diane crossed the room to pick up her clothes and then started dressing herself. ‘I do believe we even fucked the same people.’

Daemon turned in his chair to fully face her. Well, now he was interested. ‘Is that so?’

Diane smiled, lacing up her shirt, ‘It appears we have a similar taste in women, father.’

Chapter Text

‘Velaryons are boarding the ships. You asked to let you know,’ Diane said, walking into her father’s tent. It was almost a week since she came back from the Vale, but only now Corlys and Daemon decided it was safe to leave the Stepstones with just a few dozen soldiers to guard. Diane took full advantage of the delay, taking some time to rest and also creating an action plan with her father on how to get Rhaenyra the throne. She also managed to get herself a new set of clothes, specifically appropriate for dragon riding. Her usual clothes weren’t uncomfortable, but she got cold during the long flights and decided why not take advantage of the situation if the leatherworker was right with them in the camp?

‘Yes, I’m coming,’ Daemon nodded, putting on his crown. ‘It looks hideous, doesn’t it?’

‘Eh, maybe a little?’ Diane shrugged. ‘I think all the crowns look hideous. Except for Rhaenyra’s, that one looked cool.’

‘Which one did she wear?’

‘Umm… the one with Targaryen sigil in the center? I don’t know how to describe it.’

Daemon frowned as if trying to imagine the crown in question, ‘You mean the one my brother wears.’

‘I've never actually met your brother, you know that, right? Like I saw him a few times, in passing, but not up close.’ 

‘Right,’ Daemon trailed off. ‘Well, we will change that!’ he said cheerfully before clapping on Diane's shoulder and walking right past her.

Diane snorted, ‘Can’t wait.’

They saw Velaryons off before going to their dragons to depart for King’s Landing. Daemon noticed that Diane had a very friendly chat with Laenor, and then he waved to her from the ship and she waved back. Daemon was aware of Diane's preferences towards women and he also knew that Laenor was as gay as a rainbow, so he wanted to know what that was all about.

‘I'm making friends, father. It’s something you should do as well, actually,’ she smirked.

‘I'm not that good at maintaining friendships. And I’m pretty sure it’s not the main reason for your interactions, so don’t change the subject.’

‘Well, he is the heir to Driftmark. And allyships are not only made through marriages, so I figured being on good terms with him wouldn’t hurt,’ Diane shrugged. ‘Plus if we terribly fuck up and Rhaenyra will have to marry him again, at least he will be on our side.’

‘You are optimistic,’ Daemon commented, making Diane laugh.

‘Well, someone has to make a backup plan, right?’

***

Rhaenyra was standing on the balcony of her room when she saw dragons approaching King's Landing. It took a second, but she managed to recognize one of them.

Caraxes.

Her uncle was coming back!

And what for the second dragon… Its silver scales were shining brightly in the sun, so Rhaenyra figured it was Silverwing with a mysterious dragon rider whose identity Otto tried to find out but failed. Rhaenyra couldn’t help but be excited. She didn’t know why precisely, but she had a feeling that things were finally taking a turn for the better. She knew not to get her hopes up, but something inside of her was buzzing with nervous eagerness.

Everything was about to change.

***

‘I arranged prior for a bath and a dress for you,’ Daemon announced as soon as Diane jumped off Silverwing.

The woman blinked at him, ‘What?’

‘I'm going to go and try to get back into my brother's good graces while you make yourself look presentable. You know, good first impressions and all,’ Daemon made some weird wavy gesture with his hand. ‘If everything goes well, I'll send a servant to fetch you. If not- well, you'll hear the fight, and you'll know it’s your cue to run.’

‘Got it,’ Diane nodded. ‘Good luck, father.’

Daemon glanced at the castle and then back at his daughter, ‘Yeah, I think I might need it.’

They parted ways, and Daemon went to the throne room where everyone was already waiting on him. The silence was just a tiny bit unsettling, but he wasn’t the one to care for such things. As soon as he walked in, his eyes found Rhaenyra in the crowd. And Gods, she did look astonishing. No wonder he couldn’t keep his hands off her in another timeline. He knew he had to be smarter this time, but damn, that would be hella hard. 

The fact that Rhaenyra was watching him too and following him while he was walking closer to the throne, wasn’t helping either. Diane said his niece would be interested in him as well, and Daemon knew he was a desirable man, but having a confirmation right in front of him was stroking his ego quite a bit. So yes, his smug smirk was not only because the Stepstones were his, but his brother didn’t have to know about it.

The whole ordeal went rather well. Daemon kneeled in front of the throne, recognized the King’s jurisdiction over the Stepstones, and informed them that for now they were protected by a few dozen soldiers so that the Triarchy wouldn't try to get them back in his absence. Then Viserys ordered him to rise, they hugged, and Daemon deemed it a success.

Viserys wanted to throw a small party or whatever in the inner yard, apparently celebrating the fact that his brother found some common sense and came back, so Daemon quickly changed into something more appropriate and sent a servant for Diane. This small gathering seemed the right time for Daemon to introduce his daughter to his family.

He was standing in the company of Viserys and Alicent (Daemon still couldn’t believe that his brother decided to marry her. Was she really such a good fuck? And if not, what was he thinking?) when Rhaenyra joined them. Daemon’s smile immediately turned from forced to genuine. His niece was a sight to behold.

‘Congratulations on your victory,’ Rhaenyra smiled at him. Viserys gave her daughter a side eye, which Daemon didn’t like (even if he gave away the crown, it was still his victory) but ignored for now.

Instead, he smiled back and said, ‘Thank you, Princess.’

‘Will we get a chance to meet your friend, Uncle? The one who rides Silverwing,’ Rhaenyra then asked. 

‘I would also love to meet a person who now rides the dragon who belonged to our grandmother,’ Viserys added, and was there a spark of resentment in his voice? Daemon wasn’t sure but wasn’t able to give it much thought because as if on cue, Diane walked into the inner yard.

Daemon decided he should get a pay raise to whatever servant was in charge of picking her dress. Diane looked gorgeous. She was wearing Targaryen black and red colors (because Daemon was proving a point here), and her hair was loose except for two thin braids that framed her face. Daemon knew his daughter felt slightly out of place, but she was doing a great job hiding it, her posture as confident as ever.

‘Excuse me for just a second,’ Daemon said and walked over to his daughter. He knew Viserys and others were watching him and he kinda wanted to put on a show, so when he approached Diane, he offered her his elbow.

‘Bold of you to upstage the Queen as a first impression,’ he said quietly only for her to hear.

Diane made a sound as if she was trying to swallow back a chuckle but didn’t really succeed, and then quite gracefully looped her hand around his elbow. ‘That’s just natural Targaryen beauty,’ she answered, and let Daemon lead her to the King. ‘Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness,’ Diane bowed to the King and Rhaenyra. She didn’t do the same for the Queen but in mutual confusion, no one except Daemon seemed to notice.

‘My brother and niece have just expressed their excitement to meet the person who rides Silverwing,’ Daemon said, purposefully not introducing Diane properly just yet. There was no harm in keeping an intrigue for just a while longer, was there?

‘Oh, that’s me then,’ Diane smiled. ‘It’s such an honor to ride the same dragon that Good Queen Alysanne rode,’ she added. Daemon was well aware that Diane actually didn’t give a fuck about Queen Alysanne but she was obviously good at pretending that she did.

‘Well, as long as you are both happy,’ Viserys said because Diane kinda backed him into a corner with her cheerful and respectful attitude. Now he couldn’t say anything about her riding Silverwing without sounding like an ass.

‘I saw you fly today,’ Rhaenyra added, making an attempt to somehow ease the tension in a conversation. ‘You seem to be good in a saddle.’

‘Thank you, my Princess. I do believe I still have a lot to learn, but I am trying my best.’

‘She is being too modest. You should have seen her in a battle,’ Daemon chuckled.

‘Oh, I haven't realized. So you were taking part in the war?’ Viserys inquired, looking more interested in the conversation now.

‘Only in the last battle, Your Majesty. Couldn’t miss out on all the fun.’

‘Maybe, you should formally introduce us to your companion, Prince Daemon?’ Alicent interjected, probably feeling uncomfortable that her husband was paying more attention to the guest than her. 

‘Right, how rude of us!’ Viserys exclaimed. Rhaenyra bit inside of her lip, trying to hold back a smile.

Daemon braced himself just in case and said, ‘Brother, let me introduce you to Diane Targaryen. My daughter and the heir to the Dragonstone.’

The silence that followed was palpable. It seemed like all the conversations around them stopped. The only person who didn’t look shocked or scandalized was Rhaenyra who just looked confused. Since when did Daemon have a daughter? Even more so, a daughter who looked quite close to her age, maybe only a year or two younger.

‘I'm sorry, what?’ Viserys asked, and it was hard to tell what he was actually thinking because his face was completely blank. Diane felt how Daemon squeezed her hand just slightly, probably reassuring himself more than her.

‘Diane is my heir, brother. I legally recognized her as my daughter, and I wrote to the maester of Dragonstone. He assured me he will get all the matters regarding this issue in order.’

Viserys’ eye twitched. It was barely visible, but it was obvious he was at his wits’ end. ‘Can I have a word with you, Daemon? In private,’ the King then said, and it was clear he wouldn’t take “no” for an answer.

‘Sure,’ Daemon let go of Diane and then said, ‘I’ll be right back. Do not kill anyone while I’m gone.’

Rhaenyra giggled despite her best attempts not to, probably thinking it was a joke. Daemon gave Diane a pointed look, silently emphasizing that it was not a joke. He wasn’t all that comfortable in leaving Diane in the company of the Queen unsupervised, considering everything that hadn’t happened yet but was very real to his daughter nonetheless.

Diane gave Daemon a shining smile, ‘I’ll try my best, father.’

***

Diane excused herself and disappeared somewhere as soon as Viserys and Daemon left. Rhaenyra couldn’t blame her, considering how unwelcoming Alicent was looking and the dirty looks she kept sending Diane. Rhaenyra couldn’t understand why though. Not like Diane could be blamed for being an illegitimate daughter, could she? What this girl needed was their support, not judgment. It was probably scary for Diane to even be here, let alone face the King who didn’t seem all that happy that she existed.

‘Where are you going?’ Alicent asked when Rhaenyra decided to go back inside the castle.

 Rhaenyra didn’t like how inquisitive it sounded but answered anyway, ‘I’m going to find Diane. So she won’t get lost in the castle all by herself.’

Alicent looked surprised, ‘Why do you care?’

Rhaenyra blinked, ‘Why shouldn’t I?’

Alicent strode closer to her and half-whispered half-exclaimed, ‘She is a bastard!’

‘She is also a human being. And what is a big deal anyway? Men have bastards all the time,’ Rhaenyra said. She honestly didn’t understand what the problem was. Yes, men usually didn’t recognize their bastards as heirs, but Daemon wasn’t just like all other men. She knew most people perceived her uncle as a reckless, selfish man who didn’t care about anyone but himself, but she also knew it wasn’t true.

Rhaenyra touched the necklace on her neck - his present that she wore almost constantly. She knew better. Her uncle was an enigma to her most of the time, but Rhaenyra knew deep down he was a good man. And she didn’t have a hard time believing that Daemon cared about his illegitimate daughter enough to actually recognize her as his heir.

‘But they do not bring them to meet the King! It’s outrageous, and disrespectful, and…’

‘I’m gonna go now,’ Rhaenyra cut her off and walked away before Alicent was able to say anything else. She didn’t know why but she felt some strange connection to Diane, even though she was certain they had never met before. She knew it was stupid, but it was almost like… like they met in another life.

Rhaenyra shook her head. She read too many fantasy books lately out of boredom and, of course, now she was overthinking things. It was time to get her head out of the clouds and actually focus on the task at hand. 

Finding Diane wasn’t hard, Rhaenyra stumbled upon her after a few turns. The girl was standing near one of the side doors to the throne room that was barely open.

‘Here you are…’ Rhaenyra started, but Diane turned and immediately shushed her, putting an index finger to her lips. 

Rhaenyra’s curiosity peaked, and Diane waved her to come closer. The two voices were coming from the throne room, and it took Rhaenyra a second to realize that it was her father and uncle talking rather loudly.

So Diane was eavesdropping! For some reason, it made Rhaenyra like her even more. 

So the princess shuffled closer and held her breath, trying to understand the exact words Viserys and Daemon were saying.

***

‘I can’t believe you, Daemon!’ Viserys exclaimed. ‘To legitimize your bastard without even consulting me!’

‘For some reason, I had a feeling you would be against it,’ Daemon answered, trying to keep as calm as possible. Blowing up on his brother right back wouldn’t make the situation better, and he was supposed to be trying to show that he matured in the last few years. ‘And she is not a bastard.’

‘Was she born in your marriage?’

‘I mean, technically I was married…’ Daemon started, but Viserys gave him a nasty glare, so he said, ‘No.’

‘Then what else could she be?!’

‘My daughter. Who was unfortunately born out of wedlock because I had been married to the Bronze Bitch against my will,’ Daemon said without batting an eyelash. He had to constantly remind himself that he was supposed to act as if Rhea was still alive because they didn’t get the news about her “accident” from the Vale just yet.

‘Oh, do not act like you would have married her mother if you weren't already married.’ 

‘I would have!’ Daemon exclaimed immediately. Viserys looked at him, surprised, and Daemon couldn’t blame him. He was also kinda surprised with himself so he backtracked, ‘I mean, I was young, and stupid, and blinded with emotions, but I would have married her if I could.’

Here, that sounded better. Probably.

Viserys sighed as if the fight suddenly left his body, ‘Is this woman alive?’

‘No, she died a long time ago.’

‘And what about your wife, Daemon? How will she react when she finds out you named your ba- illegitimate daughter an heir?’

‘I honestly do not give a fuck-’

‘Daemon…’

‘It’s none of her business! There are no children in our marriage and there never will be. And even if I had children with her, they would never be dragons!’ Daemon exclaimed, making a few steps towards his brother. ‘And Diane is! She is a dragon, she is my flesh and blood, and she deserves to carry a Targaryen name!’

Daemon bit his tongue right in time to stop the end of his monologue from coming out. He wanted to say that if Viserys deemed it fine to have offsprings with his Hightower whore and let them carry a Targaryen name, then Diane's right to it should not even be questioned. That Diane's existence didn’t take away or undermine anyone else's birthright, unlike with Viserys siring Aegon and making Rhaenyra’s life three times harder. All in all, he had a lot more to say, but he held back because he knew that it could ruin everything, and Daemon couldn’t afford any mistakes now. The Gods gave them another chance to make everything right, and he would be damned if everything went to shambles because of him.

So Dameon took another deep breath and stayed silent, looking at his brother and waiting for an answer. Viserys looked right back at him as if not recognizing his younger brother.

‘So it’s not a way for you to undermine me, you actually do care about your daughter,’ the King then said as if it was some sort of a surprising revelation.

‘To undermine y- do you really think so low of me?’ Daemon was frankly at a loss for words. Here he was fighting for his daughter to be legally recognized because she deserved it, and his brother just thought he was doing it out of spite? Oh Gods, their relationship needed so much mending. And yes, Daemon took partial responsibility for how Viserys viewed him, but he was never the person his brother was implying he was.

Viserys didn’t say anything, but he looked somewhat guilty. Daemon sighed, not ready to start another argument. Instead, he said, ‘This world is not a welcoming place, even more so for women. Don't get me wrong, Diane can stand up for herself and she doesn’t need me to fight her battles, but I'm- I'm still her father. I want to protect her. And giving her the name and the fortune to fall back on is the best way I know how.’

Viserys’ gaze softened, ‘Then there is nothing more to say. I'll be delighted to get to know my niece, Daemon. She already seems like an exceptional young woman.’

Daemon couldn’t help but smile, ‘Oh, brother, you have no idea.’

***

The conversation shifted to something neutral, and Daemon and Viserys started to move. It took Rhaenyra a few seconds to realize that they were going in the direction of the door they were eavesdropping through.

Oh fuck.

But before she had a chance to properly panic, Diane grabbed her by the hand, and Rhaenyra found herself running. They ran through a few corridors and made a few random turns. The laughter bubbled in Rhaenyra’s chest. There was no need for them to run anymore (if there was such a need in the first place), but it was fun anyway. Rhaenyra couldn’t remember when was the last time she let herself have fun and just be silly like this. It was probably sometime before Alicent married her father which meant she became Queen and above such things.

They finally stopped to catch their breath, and Diane was smiling when she let go of her hand. ‘I apologize, Princess, but I couldn’t let us get caught like that.’

‘Just Rhaenyra, please,’ she smiled. ‘I do believe we are officially cousins now.’

‘We are,’ Diane fixed her hair. ‘Do you want to come back to the inner yard?’

Rhaenyra thought about Alicent probably still being there. ‘I would rather not. I can give you a tour of the castle instead. It might be quite a maze.’

‘If it’s no trouble. Father tried to give me the basic directions, but he is so horrible at it. Like he tried to explain to me the path from the main hall to my room referencing a castle sept as if I know where that is,’ Diane made a face, making Rhaenyra laugh.

‘Then you surely need my help,’ the princess concluded, taking Diane by the elbow and leading her in the direction of the throne room. ‘Let's start from the most important places…’

Chapter Text

Daemon hadn’t seen his daughter since he went to talk to Viserys in private, and he was getting just a little bit worried. Don't get him wrong, he realized that Diane was a grown adult and didn’t need supervision. He wasn’t worried about that. It was just… Considering all the stories his daughter told him since she was sent back in time, usually when she abruptly disappeared, someone somewhere died or ended up in really bad shape. And not like Daemon would be particularly against it - in some cases, he would even be extremely supportive - but at that time the Red Keep was full of people Diane held a grudge against which meant a lot of temptation to throw someone off a balcony.

Daemon’s worries were put at ease however when Diane and Rhaenyra came to the “family” dinner together. They were laughing and talking about something, and Daemon was happy to see Rhaenyra smiling. She didn’t really have a lot to be happy about in recent years, and he was glad his daughter managed to cheer her up.

Otto, on the other hand, didn’t seem very happy about the princess getting close to Diane. He even tried to voice his disapproval about Daemon naming Diane his heir, but thankfully Viserys shut him down pretty fast. And Alicent… Daemon wasn’t sure what exactly her face was doing, but he figured it was a look of jealousy.

Good.

Alicent should see that Rhaenyra was perfectly happy without her. 

Diane was seated next to him for obvious reasons, and it gave Daemon the ability to hear all the questions directed to her and maybe help out if she needed it. For the most part, she didn’t, which was unsurprising but impressive all the same. Daemon wondered if they ever had family dinners like that in another timeline with Diane sitting with them. Well, surely not with Viserys or Cunttowers, but with him, and Rhaenyra, and all the countless kids they had. He hoped so. Because, even though Diane never held it against him and never complained, it seemed like she never really felt like a part of their family even though she literally died for them. Daemon hoped it would be different this time around.

When Viserys and Otto engaged in a conversation about something politics-related, Diane leaned closer to him and whispered in his ear, ‘Criston Cole is a traitor.’

Daemon glanced at the man who was standing near the door and guarding… something. It was weird they had guards at their “family” dinner in the first place.

‘But he is Rhaenyra’s personal guard,’ Daemon answered quietly.

‘Exactly.’

Okay, that was… not precisely bad, but not good. They had to deal with it and had to deal with it fast. There was no way to know if Ser Criston was already a traitor or not, so they had to operate on the assumption that he was. Which meant he couldn’t be trusted with Rhaenyra’s safety.

‘Do you want me to slice his pretty little neck?’ Diane asked, emphasizing the “k” sound.

Daemon looked at her. The thought was appealing, he wouldn’t lie. But if they took out Cole now, they would have no idea who would take his place. No, they had to find someone who they could trust first, and then deal with Ser Criston. So Daemon answered, ‘Not right now.’

‘Sure,’ Diane said cheerfully and turned her attention back to her plate. ‘Just tell me when.’

Daemon couldn’t help but chuckle. He created a monster and, Gods help him, he was proud.

***

Later that night Daemon left an invitation for Rhaenyra to meet him late in the evening and the instructions on how to use the hidden passages. His first idea was to take his niece to the city in disguise so they could have some fun, but then he decided to revisit it later. For now, he just wanted to talk to her in private.

‘Unusual place and time for a meeting, Uncle,’ Rhaenyra said, but she was smiling while walking into the inner yard. The Red Keep had a few, and this one to the Daemon’s knowledge was the least used so they wouldn't be spotted together. ‘What is the occasion?’

‘I just wanted to talk to you,’ Daemon answered, inviting his niece to sit on a bench with him. ‘I missed you,’ he added, and it was the truth. Rhaenyra always managed to lighten up his days, right now in a different way than when she was a child but nonetheless.

‘I missed you too,’ Rhaenyra answered, and he could tell that she was sincere. ‘It's been- uh, lonely here. Ever since Alicent- well, you know.’

Daemon reached out to squeeze Rhaenyra's hand, ‘I’m sorry.’

‘And it’s not like I can really blame her for marrying my father. I believe she didn’t have a lot of say in the matter. It’s the way- I suppose it’s the way she started acting after, all self-righteous and proud because she is the Queen now,’ Rhaenyra shook her head. ‘And father made me his heir, but every time I try to do something, try to voice my opinion or to learn, he shuts me down. I just- I feel like no one is in my corner.’

‘I'm in your corner, little dragon,’ Daemon assured her. He wanted her to know that he was here now and that she didn’t have to fight alone anymore.

‘But for how long? You always leave, sooner rather than later,’ Rhaenyra said. She didn’t sound bitter or accusatory, just sad, and Daemon’s heart clenched.

‘Not this time. I'm staying, little dragon. For good.’

‘Really?’ Rhaenyra’s gaze lightened up. Daemon nodded. ‘Why?’

‘Because the hard times are on the horizon, and I don’t want you to face them alone. I want to stay by your side.’

Rhaenyra looked down on their joined hands and kept quiet for a few seconds. ‘You said “by my side”... does this mean you don’t want the crown anymore?’ 

Daemon was glad he managed to do some very fast self-reflection in the past two weeks because now he had a different answer than he had before Diane told him about the future. Before that he would have answered something along the lines of “Who doesn’t want the crown?”, but now he knew that he didn’t. If he became King, he wouldn’t be sad, of course, but he wouldn’t try to achieve that. So he said, ‘I don’t believe I would have been a great king if I’m honest. I want to do something meaningful, want to be a part of the Small Council, but- you'll be a much better queen, Rhaenyra. You have the right qualities, and skills- well, you still have plenty of time to learn everything you need to learn, don’t you?’ Daemon chuckled.

Rhaenyra looked back at him as if she was seeing him for the first time. She didn’t expect that. She didn’t think her uncle thought so highly of her. She had no idea he was so keen on supporting her.

‘My father wants to find me a husband,’ she blurted out, making Daemon blink at the sudden change of conversation. ‘Which mostly looks like him trying to sell me off to whichever lord has the biggest castle’

‘There are worse things to be sold for.’

‘I suppose but- my mother was made to produce heirs right until it killed her,’ Rhaenyra bit the inside of her cheek. ‘I do not wish to have the same fate.’

‘You do not have to. You are to be Queen. You may decide when, how much, and with whom you want to sire your children. There are quite a few means to control such kinds of things.’

‘But I do not have control!’ Rhaenyra exclaimed. ‘Choosing when you hate all the options is not really a choice, is it? To be forced into a union with someone who you do not wish to be united with in any way till we grow old and one of us dies.’

‘You make marriage sound so grim,’ Daemon let out a chuckle. ‘Not all marriages are like that.’

‘Sure as hell feels like they are,’ the princess sighed. ‘You call your wife “Bronze Bitch” every chance you get. Doesn’t feel like there was a lot of love lost in your marriage.’

And Daemon forgot that the death of his wife wasn't common knowledge yet. He wondered why it was taking so long for the news to officially reach him. Did Rhea manage to survive somehow? Considering all the elaborate details Diane provided him on how she smashed her skull with a rock, it seemed highly unlikely. But then why a crow with “grim news” hadn’t arrived yet?

‘Hard to lose something that was never there,’ Daemon decided to answer. ‘I’m not the best example. But if I’m lucky, soon I won’t be bound by the arrangement my grandmother made anymore and will be free to remarry the woman of my choosing.’

Something sparked in Rhaenyra’s eyes. Was it an excitement? ‘Is my father about to grant you an annulment?’ she asked.

It would be much easier, wouldn’t it be? If Viserys just annulled the marriage when Daemon asked. He wouldn’t have to go to such great lengths to get out of it then, and Rhea could have even kept her life. Probably. He was aware that Diane held some particular grudge against his ex-wife that she didn’t tell him about, but Daemon decided not to press. If she had wanted him to know, she would have shared.

‘No, I don’t believe so. I just might have to turn to other means.’

The realization flashed in Rhaenyra’s eyes. Daemon knew it was an important moment because it would show whether or not Rhaenyra truly accepted him for who he was. Diane told him that Rhaenyra and he truly loved each other in another timeline, and he wanted to believe that, but it didn’t happen to him so at that moment he was understandably nervous. 

‘Well, we all have to do what we have to do to ensure our happiness, Uncle,’ Rhaenyra gave him a small smile, slightly squeezing his hand, and Daemon knew he fell for her right then and there. He had feelings for her before, that was true, but at this particular moment, he was well and truly gone for her. Rhaenyra would either be the death of him or the best thing that ever happened to him.

Or maybe both.

***

News from the Vale arrived two days later. Daemon was in the meeting of the Small Council - Viserys gave him a spot there albeit a little bit reluctantly - when Diane caught a messenger boy with a letter. She assured him she would take it straight to Prince Daemon. The boy (couldn’t be more than fifteen, really) was unsure about giving her a letter but, fortunately for him, the cleavage in Diane's dress was distracting enough and she didn’t have to use any other means of persuasion on him.

So she took the letter, sent the flustered boy on his merry way, and went to the room where the meetings of the Small Council were held. After Rhaenyra gave her a tour of the castle, Diane could mostly find a way from point A to point B without asking for help. She still had some exploration to do on her own, but that was what late evenings and nights were for. This and sneaking out into the city, because she did have a list of things she needed to do. Mostly for their cause, but there were some brothels and other fun things on there too. She couldn’t be expected to work all the time, could she? She needed some rest, after all.

Guards surprisingly let Diane in when she said she had an important letter from the Vale that couldn’t wait. As soon as the doors opened, everyone looked at her. Well, wasn’t that intimidating?

‘I apologize for the intrusion. I have a letter from the Vale to my father,’ she announced. ‘From what I was told, it can’t wait.’

‘Go on then,’ Viserys waved for her to proceed so she went right to Daemon who tried very hard to pretend he didn’t know what it was all about. When he took the letter in his hands, he noticed it was already opened but didn’t draw attention to it. He knew Diane would read it first, it was a confirmation for her of a job well done, after all.

Daemon read through passages. Our condolences… Hunting accident… Dead… Yeah, so pretty much what he expected. What he didn’t expect was how the weight he didn’t know he was carrying instantly lifted from his shoulders. He knew Rhea was dead for a while now, but this was the confirmation. This was official. He wasn’t bound by a marriage he never wanted anymore. He was free. He would never feel as helpless as he felt standing in the sept in front of Rhea when he was six and ten and agreeing to marry her while the woman he truly wanted to be with was just outside the castle doors, waiting for him to be done with the wedding and come back to her. He was free, and he could be with Rhaenyra. He could do everything right, he could marry the woman he loved and he could be… happy. Not pretend, not play political and mind games, but just be happy with her. It felt like for the first time in a very long time he was truly allowed to be happy.

He was probably quiet and staring at the letter for too long because Viserys asked in a slightly worried tone, ‘What is it, Daemon?’

Daemon blinked, coming back to reality and noticing Diane's hand on his shoulder. There was no way she knew what thoughts were racing through his mind, but she probably felt he needed support and he was grateful for it.

‘Um...’ Daemon cleared his throat, aware that all the eyes were on him. ‘My wife is dead,’ he stated because there was no need to stretch out the intrigue any longer.

‘I beg your pardon?’ Otto asked.

‘Hunting accident a week ago, apparently. When they found her, there was nothing a maester could do,’ Daemon shrugged. Everyone was still looking at him. ‘If you expect me to be a grieving and distraught husband, I’m afraid to disappoint. Our disdain for each other was public knowledge.’

‘But after so many years you surely had some…’ maester Mellos started, but Daemon cut him off with a simple but very harsh “No”.

‘Fine then,’ Viserys said, deciding not to let the situation escalate, but Otto had other ideas.

‘Since you and Lady Rhea never had children, you will certainly claim Runestone.’

Daemon knew what this fucker was doing. Otto was trying to spin the narrative that everything Daemon did was for either power or money. Well, tough luck, because he was prepared.

‘No, her closest relative can have it. I have no interest in Runestone. I have been there only a handful of times in the past eighteen years, and it was the most boring time in my life,’ Daemon said, and he could tell that Viserys was somewhat impressed. It stung a little that his brother was impressed by the simple fact that he knew how to be a decent person, but Daemon decided not to focus on it at the moment. ‘Now, about the fort for the Stepstones that I brought up…’

The conversation turned back to political and economic matters, and Diane used it as an opportunity to subtly move herself closer to Rhaenyra who was about to refresh the men's cups. ‘Let me,’ Diane whispered, taking a jug out of the princess’ hands. ‘The future Queen shouldn’t serve drinks, don’t you think?’ she added with a small smile.

‘The future Lady of Dragonstone shouldn’t either,’ Rhaenyra answered, but it was obvious that she was glad that at least once this task was taken out of her hands.

‘Believe me, I have done worse.’

Otto was arguing about the lack of money for a proper fort on Stepstones when Diane started pouring drinks. Daemon was holding his own pretty great, but Otto had an unfair advantage of the King trusting him more. That wouldn’t do. The Stepstones weren’t precisely the main thing for them to worry about, but to let the war start again ten years later seemed wasteful and pointless. Even more so when they were perfectly capable of ensuring that would never happen.

She poured a drink for Viserys who got distracted by her for a second but fortunately didn’t object to her temporarily taking over Rhaenyra’s duties, and then moved to fill her father’s cup. Daemon and Otto sat opposite each other. When it was the turn for the Hand to voice another ridiculous objection to Daemon’s pretty reasonable argument, Diane locked eyes with Otto and stared.

In another lifetime her dear Rhaena used to jokingly call it a “death glare” because it usually meant “you either shut up or I'll make you”. Diane used it quite a lot to intimidate because it worked quite well. Granted, she looked more threateningly in her thirties than she looked at the moment but she didn’t lose the skill, because Otto stuttered despite himself. He got thrown off guard only for a few seconds, but it was enough for Lyman Beesbury to jump in with the support of Daemon’s proposal. Diane poured Daemon a drink and moved on, intentionally holding eye contact so Otto would be the first one to look away which he did a few seconds later. Diane barely suppressed a smirk. She was good at staring pathetic men down.

After that, she poured drinks for the rest of the Small Council, put a jug where it belonged, squeezed Rhaenyra's hand as a form of goodbye, and left the room. Before the door closed behind her, she heard Viserys approving the plan of building a fort to hold the Stepstones.

Chapter Text

Daemon was surprised when he got an invitation from Rhaenyra to meet again in the secluded inner yard at night. Frankly speaking, he was excited to see his niece in a such setting again. She was astonishingly beautiful in the moonlight, and the conversations they held under the stars seemed so much more personal and intimate. He wanted Rhaenyra in his arms in his bed, but he couldn’t have it (at least not at the moment) so such meetings were the next best thing.

When Daemon arrived at the inner yard, Rhaenyra was already there, sitting on the bench. She smiled and got up when he approached her.

‘Missed me already?’ he asked teasingly, making Rhaenyra blush a little.

‘I wanted to talk to you about something.’ 

‘About what?’

‘Do you still love Diane's mother?’

Daemon stared at Rhaenyra for a few seconds because it was the last thing he had expected her to ask, ‘Why are you asking?’

‘Because I need to ask you something else, but I need to know the answer to this question before I do,’ Rhaenyra said. She looked serious, nervous even, but not judgmental. That was one of the reasons Daemon fell in love with her. She never judged him, even if all the people around her did. She always tried to understand his side of the story.

‘Okay. So the short answer is “no”,’ Daemon said and sat on the bench. Rhaenyra sat beside him. ‘She died more than ten years ago, and I let her go. Maybe not right away but I did.’

‘And the long answer?’

‘She- her name was Iris. And I used to love her when I was young. At least, I think it was love. She was a free spirit who didn’t meet the expectations of her family and so was I. I think it was the reason why we found comfort in each other in the first place. I don't-’ Daemon sighed. ‘I'm not sure if we would have lasted in the long run. I don't think we would have but the Gods took her away before we were able to find that out. And the memory of her… it will always mean something to me. She gave me Diane, and I will forever be grateful for that. But no, Iris wasn’t the love of my life.’

Rhaenyra nodded when he finished, deep in thought. Daemon wasn’t used to being quite that sincere with anyone, but he felt like it was the right thing to do. He didn’t want to hide his past from Rhaenyra because his past was a part of him. And this particular part of his story wasn’t even something he was ashamed about. 

‘You told me a few nights ago that when your wife is- um, out of the picture, you will want to remarry.’

Daemon wasn’t sure he had said it quite like that but that was close enough so he confirmed, ‘Yes, I did.’

‘So I was thinking… Maybe you'll be interested in the role of King Consort?’

Daemon’s brain short-circuited for a second. Did she just propose to him? He thought it was his job. To woo her and try to persuade her that he was the best candidate for her husband. That they could be happy together if she let him. He thought it would be a long process, he wasn’t prepared for her being quite so… straightforward. 

Rhaenyra was still waiting for his answer, and the questions “Why?” and “Really?” didn’t seem to cut it, so Daemon reached out to take her hand in his. He loved touching her, even in such an innocent way. She was just so… he was ridiculously smitten with her, and there was nothing he could do to stop it from showing.

‘I thought you considered marriage to be a burden,’ he said.

‘Yes, but ours doesn’t have to be,’ Rhaenyra answered. ‘If you- I mean, if you truly have at least a resemblance of feelings for me.’

‘Oh, little dragon, I have so much more than that.’

Rhaenyra’s eyes lightened up with pure joy, and Daemon reached out to stroke her cheek. ‘It would be an honor for me to be your husband, my little dragon. Not for the sake of the title but because of you. Because I want to be with you.’

‘You are not playing games, are you?’

‘I would never dare.’

Daemon wasn’t sure who moved first, he just knew that a second later he was kissing her. It was tentative, exploratory at first, as if both of them were testing the waters. But then the kiss deepened, became more bold and heated. Rhaenyra wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers finding their way into his hair, and Daemon pulled her closer by the waist. 

The position they ended up in was slightly uncomfortable (not like he minded), but then Rhaenyra pulled the hem of her dress up and basically climbed on him, straddling him. Daemon’s cock immediately jumped in excitement, because he was kissing Rhaenyra, and she tasted so sweet and was just where he wanted her to be. The urge to forget about everything for a short while and just be with her was unbearable, but he knew he couldn’t risk it. He had to be responsible. Or at least try his best.

So Daemon broke the kiss despite the fact that he never wanted the moment to end. But he was afraid his self-control might slip, and he would let it go too far. They were both breathing really fast, and Rhaenyra was smiling. ‘I want you,’ she said, and it was obvious what she was implying.

He wanted her just as hard, but he had to say, ‘Not today, my little dragon.’

‘But-’

‘We can't,’ Daemon said firmly, making Rhaenyra pout. ‘Despite what I might think about the rules, I believe we should follow them. Just this once,’ he said, gently tracing her back through the fabric with his fingertips.

‘Why?’ Rhaenyra asked. ‘No one will know. And we will marry so it doesn’t even have to matter.’

‘You're right but, unfortunately, it does. Let me just… let me do this right by you. We will marry, and then we can stay in bed for the next few months if you want to,’ Daemon promised, making Rhaenyra smile. ‘We will relax, and fuck, and then fuck some more,’ he couldn’t help but add, his fingers taking ahold of the back of her neck. Gods, having her so close was really testing his self-restraint, and he didn’t have a lot of it to begin with.

‘You are taunting me, Uncle,’ Rhaenyra whined. Daemon knew that it was probably just a tad cruel, but he couldn’t seem to keep his hands to himself. ‘It’s bad enough Diane made it sound so appealing…’

Generally, Daemon wouldn’t want to think about his daughter in such an intimate situation, but he just couldn’t not ask, ‘What did she say?’

‘Well…’ Rhaenyra blushed. ‘We were talking about marriage, and I might have mentioned that lying with your husband seemed like a chore you were supposed to endure. And she very strongly disagreed. So I asked how she knew… well, she knows. A lot,’ she giggled, making Daemon smile. Rhaenyra was just so precious. ‘She doesn’t seem to care about her virtue like other women I know,’ the princess added. ‘And that’s… refreshing. So she told me some things.’

‘Like what?’

‘If a man thinks that just having a cock is enough to please a woman, he would be terrible in bed.’

Daemon snorted, ‘That’s true.’

‘Or that sex can be pleasurable if you are doing it with the right or skillful person.’

‘Well, I do believe I'm right and skillful…’

Rhaenyra let out a laugh, ‘I thought the same thing so I wanted to give it a try, but you are being no fun,’ she fake pouted, and it only made Daemon want to kiss her more.

He groaned, capturing her lips again for a few seconds, ‘You are not going to make it easy for me, are you?’

Rhaenyra shook her head with a smile, ‘Not a chance.’

She leaned in for more kisses because she found out she quite liked them, and she was a greedy person. She wanted more. She was throbbing with desire between her legs like she never did before, and it was so hard to think rationally. She understood that they were in a public place and it was risky to even meet here, let alone do anything more intimate, but all that felt so unimportant at that very moment. She just wanted, wanted, wanted …

And Daemon wanted just as much as she did. It became obvious when she shuffled closer and felt his hard cock through his clothes, pressing right where she wanted it to be. 

Daemon abruptly broke the kiss. ‘Fine, fine, you win…’

‘I win?’ Rhaenyra asked, her eyes slightly unfocused and her cheeks flushed. Oh, what a sight she was… 

‘A little bit. You win a little bit,’ Daemon corrected himself. His brain was also not working properly, but he was trying, okay? He didn’t have a lot of experience at being a responsible adult before so he was doing his best now. ‘I won’t take you tonight. But I will make my naughty little dragon feel good. How does it sound?’

Rhaenyra bit her lip, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She wasn’t really sure what Daemon wanted to do, but he had her permission to do anything he wanted anyway so not like it mattered.

‘I need you to say it,’ Daemon insisted. ‘Do you want that?’

‘Very much.’

Daemon smiled, and Rhaenyra felt his hands sneaking under her dress. It felt foreign to feel someone else's hands on the bare skin of her thighs but so very, very exciting. The position they were in wasn’t the most comfortable, but Daemon managed to twist his hand the right way. Rhaenyra let out a small gasp when he touched her cunt for the first time. 

She was so wet for him that she was almost dripping. And Gods, wasn’t it the best compliment? He caressed her lips, watching Rhaenyra’s adorably concentrated face, and moved his finger slightly higher, finding her clit and giving it a gentle stroke. Her body jerked and one of her hands involuntarily grabbed  Daemon’s hair. He took it as encouragement, moving his fingers faster.

The first moans that escaped Rhaenyra’s lips seemed to be totally involuntary. Her grip on Daemon tightened, and she started to move her hips to get even more friction. It felt good, so good, and she couldn’t do anything but try and chase this feeling.

Daemon had a very strong urge to kiss her, but he didn’t want to miss even a second of Rhaenyra coming apart. He wanted to see it, wanted to see her getting lost in pleasure and ingrain this picture in his memory forever. Her moans, the way she clung to him, how beautiful she looked… Daemon would have been afraid he would come in his pants like a teenage boy if he hadn’t been so preoccupied with what he was doing.

When he noticed that Rhaenyra was getting closer, he whispered, ‘That’s it, my little dragon. Just let it happen.’

The sound Rhaenyra made when she came was more like a sob than a moan, but it was music to Daemon’s ears nonetheless. It also boosted his ego quite a bit because he did that. He made it happen. He made Rhaenyra feel this good.

The princess blinked the haze out of her eyes, trying to catch her breath, and the first thing she said was, ‘Wow.’

Daemon let out a laugh, ‘Wow indeed.’

And then he kissed her because he couldn’t get enough of her. The kiss was gentle and slow, and Daemon couldn’t think about anything more perfect than this moment.

‘You are… um… you are still, you know,’ Rhaenyra blushed, pointing down with her eyes. It took Daemon a ridiculously long time to realize that she was talking about the fact that he was still hard. ‘Do you want me to do something about it?’ she offered, and wasn’t she just perfect?

‘Not tonight, my little dragon,’ he answered. As appealing as this thought was, it was already really late, and he needed to make sure Rhaenyra made her way to her room without being noticed. ‘But know that when I lay in bed tonight with my hand down in my pants, I'll be thinking about you.’

Rhaenyra blushed harder but seemed to be pleased with his words nonetheless.

***

‘No!’ Diane exclaimed as soon as she opened the door and saw Daemon standing there.

‘I didn’t even say anything!’

‘You didn’t have to! I know this face. It's your  “Baela-just-got-her-first-blood-and-Laena-is-not-here-and-I'm-embarrassed-and-scared-so-can-you-please-talk-to-her” face!’

Daemon blinked, ‘It’s a disturbingly specific description.’

‘It’s a disturbingly specific face! It means you want me to do some emotional labor, and I hate emotional labor! Because it’s hard, you know, killing people is so much easier…’ Diane walked inside her room, still complaining, and Daemon followed her, closing the door after himself.

‘Will it make it better if I say that I’m not asking for myself?’ Dameon interjected. ‘I'm asking for Rhaenyra.’

Diane sighed in resignation, ‘What is it?’

‘I offered her to take some ladies-in-waiting so that she won’t be alone and won’t seem like an easy target. And I ask you to be one of them.’

‘But I’m too old for that,’ Diane whined.

‘Technically you are six and ten.’

‘But in fact, you and I are the same age. I don't- is it really necessary? I already have my hands full trying to track down a person who is behind all this shitty campaign of making Aegon an heir to the throne amongst the common folk. They know how to cover their tracks.’

‘I understand. And I will help you with that, I have some old connections I can reach out to, if you help Rhaenyra. She needs someone in her inner circle who I can trust not to hurt her. And I know you actually like her so it doesn't have to be such a hardship.’

Diane took a deep breath, obviously contemplating her options.

‘And it’s not for long. Only until we get married,’ Daemon added. He was worried about Rhaenyra’s safety with all the games they were currently playing, but he couldn’t be with her all the time to make sure she was protected. At least, not until they were officially wed. So having Diane as Rhaenyra’s lady-in-waiting seemed like the best option. No one would bat an eyelash if the two of them were inseparable.

‘You are talking like you have a date in mind,’ Diane said. She didn’t agree verbally but it was pretty obvious she gave up fighting at this point.

Daemon couldn’t help but smile, ‘We talked about it today. She wants to marry me just as much as I want to marry her.’

‘Really? Congratulations!’ Diane exclaimed. ‘I had no idea you wanted to propose so soon.’

‘Well, I didn’t. She proposed to me, and how could I ever say “no” to her?’

‘She did? Oh wow, I've always known I like her for a reason,’ she smiled and then squinted her eyes at Daemon. ‘You didn’t do anything inappropriate, did you?’

‘I didn’t do anything that could result in a baby.’

‘Hmm, I guess it’s as good as I can expect from both of you,’ Diane chuckled. ‘Even six years after your marriage you were still all over each other like fucking teenagers, so I guess it tracks.’

‘Were we happy?’ Daemon suddenly asked. ‘In another time, were we happy in our marriage?’

‘Yes, you were. You were the happiest I have ever seen you, and she… I hadn’t really known her before you got married so I can’t really compare, but it was obvious she loved you very much,’ Diane assured him. ‘And then- the war started, Rhaenyra’s son was killed and… well, you know the rest.’

Daemon nodded. This time would be different. This time their happiness wouldn’t have a time limit. This time their story wouldn’t have a tragic end. He would make sure of that.

Chapter Text

‘Rise and shine, Princess!’

The bright light hit Rhaenyra’s eyes and she grunted unhappily, burying her head in the pillow. She and Daemon had a late (though very pleasant) night yesterday and today everything in Rhaenyra protested against waking up early.

Then someone jumped at the foot of her bed, and the princess was suddenly more awake because none of the servants would be bold enough to do that. She cracked one eye open. ‘Diane?’ she asked, confused.

‘The one and only! Okay, come on, no time to waste. We need to get you breakfast and then write tons of letters. Which I’m not really skilled at, so you'll have to do most of it while I nod in approval with a smart face.’

‘Wha-’ Rhaenyra was cut off by a yawn. ‘What letters? What are you doing here?’ she sat up on the bed. Not like she was against Diane being here, but she couldn’t quite figure out what was going on and it was disconcerting.

‘Father asked me to be your lady-in-waiting. So here I am. And we need to write letters to the big houses of your choosing to find you some more ladies-in-waiting because, even though I’m fun, I'll probably suck at it,’ Diane frowned. ‘Or not. We will see, I suppose.’

‘Wait, Daemon asked you-’ Rhaenyra couldn’t hide her surprise. When he escorted her to her room last night, Daemon and she talked about how to expand the circle of people loyal to her. One of his ideas was to find her ladies-in-waiting. She thought it was a good idea, she just didn’t think he would get right on that.

‘Yes, he did. And I’m taking it seriously…’ Diane stretched on the foot of Rhaenyra’s bed. ‘Well, kind of.’

The princess giggled, ‘Okay, I think we will have fun.’

‘Also he wants me to be something of immediate communication between you two until you are married and it would be appropriate for you to be in the same room unsupervised.’

‘He told you about us?’ Rhaenyra asked, blushing despite herself. Last night was… incredible for lack of a better word. Daemon showed her just how good it might feel to be intimate with someone you are enamored with, and she couldn’t wait for them to do more. She knew the basics (that still didn’t sound very appealing), but she was sure Daemon would make it three hundred times better.

‘Yes, he told me about your conversation last night. But don’t worry, not in detail. Even though your blush tells me everything I need to know,’ Diane smirked, making Rhaenyra huff and hide her face in the pillow. 

Even though it was kind of embarrassing, it felt good not to be judged because of the things she did and wanted to do with Daemon. Alicent would be judgmental if she knew, Rhaenyra was sure of it. Her old friend was always about following the rules and doing your duty, while Diane seemed like the complete opposite. It felt nice to be supported for a change.

‘So you are fine with it?’ Rhaenyra checked, peeking over her pillow.

‘With what?’

‘With me marrying your father.’

‘Oh, yes, sure. Every time you are in the vicinity, he looks at you like you’re a deity come to life. I would be pissed if he didn’t do everything in his power to marry you if I’m honest.’

‘You have a surprisingly close relationship,’ Rhaenyra noted. ‘Don’t take it as an insult or anything, I just don't see a lot of people being this close to their parents.’

She certainly wasn’t as close with her father. And with her mother… They used to have a good relationship, but still not quite like Daemon and Diane. From what she witnessed they seemed almost friends, and Rhaenyra had no idea it was even possible to be friends with your parents.

‘Well, our relationship is- unique, let's say that. It’s just- I’m at peace with who he is as a person. Do I like everything about him? Meh,’ Diane made a face, making the princess chuckle. ‘But all his shortcomings I can look past. And he is at peace with who I am. He never asked me to change, not a single time, even though I wasn’t the most comfortable child to have. Too spontaneous and opinionated. I still am, but he found a way to live with it, I suppose,’ she made a thoughtful hum, and then abruptly got up. ‘Okay, back on track. Dressing up, breakfast, and then some boring, boring letters.’

Rhaenyra groaned, ‘It’s unfair I have to get up so early. Daemon is still probably sleeping without any care in the world.’

‘Oh no, don’t worry. I woke him up before coming here just to be fair. If you and I can’t sleep in, he can’t either,’ Diane answered.

The princess beamed at her, ‘You are the best!’

‘Of course, I am.’

***

Viserys had a hard time adapting to Daemon being a responsible adult and actually having valid ideas on how to more efficiently rule a kingdom. What the hell had happened in the Stepstones that changed his brother so drastically? 

For instance, Daemon caught him midday and wanted to talk about making Rhaenyra more popular amongst the common folk. It was weird Daemon cared about something like that in the first place, let alone being willing to help Rhaenyra out with solidifying her right to the throne. 

His brother was going on about organizing a public kitchen or something because he insisted it was a good idea to start feeding starving people (Viserys could see his point) when they heard laughter coming from somewhere nearby. 

‘You can’t write it like that!’ Rhaenyra’s laugh sounded from around the corner.

‘Why not? It’s true,’ Diane answered.

‘Because we are making an official request, not promoting a side-road inn.’

‘But you do actually promise food and shelter, your food and shelter just happen to be better than others in the area!’

‘It’s not an ad!’

‘Well, it should be!’

Diane and Rhaenyra turned a corner, and Viserys saw his daughter genuinely trying to contain laughter but failing.  She was wearing a beautiful floral dress, and was it actual flowers in her hair? Daemon’s daughter was walking beside Rhaenyra, a thoughtful look on her face and a few pieces of paper in her hands. She didn’t look quite as festive as Rhaenyra, but she was a woman whose beauty was best outlined by the simplicity of her outfit.

‘Father, uncle,’ Rhaenyra greeted them when Diane and she came closer to the men.

‘You are looking rather celebratory today, my dear,’ Viserys noted. ‘What's the occasion?’

‘No occasion. My new lady-in-waiting is just taking her job a little bit too seriously,’ Rhaenyra smiled.

‘Hey! I either do things perfectly or not all,’ Diane exclaimed, even though it was obvious she was trying very hard to suppress her smile. ‘Isn't she gorgeous, father?’ she asked, not passing on the opportunity to be a little devil.

Everyone looked at Daemon who rolled his eyes and answered, ‘You're always gorgeous, my Princess.’

Then he bent down to kiss the back of Rhaenyra’s hand. There was no need to do that, but Daemon just wanted to see Rhaenyra blush in that adorable way she always did when he complimented her. 

Viserys eyed the scene before him, not sure how to react. So instead of processing the obvious flirting that was going on between his daughter and his brother, Viserys instead caught up with the fact Rhaenyra called Diane her new “lady-in-waiting”.

‘I didn’t know you were planning on taking a lady-in-waiting.’

‘It was a bit of a spontaneous decision. But then I thought it would be good for my connections to actually take a few. We are writing letters to enquire about girls from big houses who can be interested,’ Rhaenyra gestured at pieces of paper in Diane's hands that were, in fact, drafts of letters.

‘And we should really get on with it if you want to go for a flight before it’s dark,’ Diane pointed out.

‘Yes, right, excuse us,’ Rhaenyra smiled, took Diane by the elbow, and they disappeared around the corner. Viserys followed them with his eyes and then looked at Daemon.

‘Diane seems to integrate into the court life rather well,’ the King pointed out.

‘She is adaptable,’ Daemon answered, even though it didn’t even begin to cover all of his daughter's talents.

‘Her new position will surely increase her chances at a better match.’

‘Yeah, right,’ Daemon snorted.

‘I am quite serious. She might be legitimized, but you may still face trouble finding her a husband.’

‘I believe that she is quite capable of making her own decision, brother. No child of mine will be forced into a union against their will.’

For Daemon it felt like a bare minimum of his duties as a father. He was forced into his first marriage, and it made his life miserable. He would never do that to Diane or any other kids he might have.

Apparently, it was a foreign concept for Viserys because he looked quite troubled for a few seconds before he asked, ‘What if she chooses a commoner?’

‘Then so be it.’

‘And if she won’t marry?’

‘Brother, we have enough Targaryens to carry on a line. I myself do wish to remarry and have more children, so even if Diane has none, Dragonstone still will pass to someone inside our family. I don't see any reason to be worried,’ Daemon answered. 

Viserys shook his head. Daemon was always a rebel in some way, no surprise he would enable his daughter's wishes if she decided to not follow the rules. 

So he started, ‘It’s not-’ but was swiftly interrupted by his brother. 

‘It was good talking to you, brother, but I fear I should leave you now. I have some matters in the city I need to attend to,’ he said, and then he walked away, leaving Viserys alone.

The King sighed. He had a weird feeling of upcoming… if not a disaster, then at least some really big change. He couldn’t explain, but there was something not quite right about his brother and Diane. Viserys didn’t think that Daemon would try to overthrow him, but Otto never failed to remind him that Daemon was thirsty for power. Even if he wanted to believe that his brother was a changed man, the King knew he had to be careful. Daemon might be plotting something far worse than Viserys could imagine.

***

The old acquaintance of Daemon appeared to be useful. They weren’t able to give him the name of a person who was in charge of this anti-Rhaenyra campaign, but they gave Daemon the name of a person who might know. At least it was some kind of a lead, and Diane would surely know what to do with it. Daemon was more of a brutal force while his daughter loved to operate in the shadows (and use brutal force only when she felt like it). 

The pub where he met his old acquaintance was getting rather full as the evening neared, and Daemon decided it was time to return to the castle. Not like he was doing something incriminating, but he didn’t want to be spotted nonetheless. As he headed for the exit, music started playing. Oh, right, he forgot this pub was hosting bards from time to time. Not all the pubs did that, of course, most of them just served alcohol and let their customers get drunk in peace. But apparently, this one was more of a prestigious one, even though the alley, where it was at, was certainly not.

I know you're somewhere out there,

Somewhere far away.

I want you back…

I want you back…

The woman’s voice sang, and Daemon stopped in his tracks in the doorframe.

My friends all think I'm crazy,

But they don't understand.

You're all I had…

You're all I had…

The voice wasn’t right, but the words… oh, these words he knew.

At night, when the stars 

Light up my room

I sit by myself…

‘Hey, move it, man.’

Daemon was pushed aside by some fat guy who apparently couldn’t wait to get wasted, but he barely even noticed. He turned to see a young red-headed woman sitting on the barstool on something that resembled a stage and singing while two men behind her were playing the instruments.

Talking to the moon…

Trying to get to you…

In hopes you're somewhere far 

Talking to me too,

Or am I a fool 

Who sits alone 

Talking to the moon?

He hadn’t heard this song in years. He knew Iris’ songs were liked by the people, he knew they were passed on, but he hadn’t heard any since she died. Daemon wondered why the Gods decided to remind him now.

I'm feeling like I'm famous, 

The talk of the town.

They say I've gone mad…

Yeah, I've gone mad…

It was strange. Hearing this song from someone else who wasn’t her. Hearing and knowing that she wrote it about him.

But they don't know what I know

'Cause when the sun goes down, 

Someone's talking back.

Yeah, he’s talking back…

It was 103 AC, and King Jaehaerys died. He named Viserys his heir before that so everyone was aware of who was supposed to inherit the throne, but some weren’t pleased. There were rumors of a coup-in-making. So Daemon and a small army of men he gathered stuck by Viserys’ side for almost a year straight, before it was obvious no one would challenge Viserys’ right to the throne. It wasn’t a war, but it was trying times. Daemon couldn’t leave to see Iris and four-year-old Diane, couldn’t even write to them, fearing someone would intercept the letters and it would put them in danger. Even with all the challenges they faced in the years prior, it was the first time he was away from Iris for so long. Daemon didn’t like to think much about that time.

At night, when the stars 

Light up my room,

I sit by myself

Talking to the moon…

Trying to get to you…

The bardess was good, but she wasn’t doing the song justice. She sang it like it was just another song, and Iris… she used to sing it like she meant it.

In hopes you're somewhere far 

Talking to me too.

Or am I a fool 

Who sits alone 

Talking to the moon?

Do you ever hear me calling?

When the bardess leaned slightly forward, her medallion caught the light and Daemon’s attention. The pedant of it was a singing songbird. 

Fucking hell, he knew that necklace.

Cause every night, 

I'm talking to the moon…

Still trying to get to you…

In hopes you're somewhere far 

Talking to me too.

Or am I a fool 

Who sits alone 

Talking to the moon?

What were the odds that the woman who was singing Iris’ song was also wearing that necklace? Gods’ message to Daemon suddenly felt very fucking clear.

I know you're somewhere out there,

Somewhere far away…

Daemon approached the bardess as soon as he had a chance.

‘How much for the necklace?’ he asked when she looked up at him because the pleasantries and introductions didn’t seem quite that important at that particular moment.

‘What?’ the woman blinked at him, obviously confused.

‘How much do you want for the necklace?’

‘It’s not for sale…’ she started, but Daemon interrupted her.

‘Name a price. Any price.’

‘Woah, I don’t know…’ the bardess bit her lip, and then declared, ‘Three thousand silver stags.’

She obviously didn’t know the real value of this necklace, and Daemon wasn’t about to tell her. So he reached into his pocket and took out fifteen golden dragons. The bardess’ eyes widened as if she didn’t expect him to actually pay.

‘A little bit more than you asked for, but you can keep the rest,’ Daemon said and stretched his free hand out. ‘Necklace, please.’

The bardess immediately took it off, handed it to Daemon, grabbed the money, and disappeared out of his sight. Daemon chuckled, looking at the pendant. That girl would never know she had sold an ancient necklace of Valyrian steel for just 15 golden dragons.

***

Diane was getting ready for bed when she heard a knock. The strange thing was that it was coming from the wall a few feet away from her bed, and not from the door.

‘You gotta be kidding me,’ she muttered, going to the wall in question. It took some fumbling, but Diane finally managed to open a wood panel that actually appeared to be a hidden door. ‘Seriously?’ she asked, as soon as she saw Daemon standing on the other side.

‘I honestly forgot to tell you,’ he said, walking past her inside the room.

‘Then why were you knocking?’

‘I was being polite! And also I know you keep Dragon Claw under your pillow, so I didn’t want to pay with my life for startling you.’

‘Yeah, better not startle me,’ Diane frowned, remembering a situation from the past when she was startled and it didn’t go quite well. Someone died. Not anyone important to her, but it was still quite unpleasant.

‘I brought you something. Two things, actually. A name of a man who will benefit from some interrogation and a present. What do you want first?’

Diane's eyes lit up, ‘A present!’

She was always a sucker for gifts if she was honest with herself. The knowledge that someone had thought about her and went out of their way to get her something… it made her feel special. She didn’t get a lot of chances to feel special in the good sense of this word in her life.

Daemon smiled and reached out in his pocket to take out a necklace. ‘Here,’ he handed it to his daughter who carefully took it. ‘This belonged to your mother.’

Diane's eyes widened, ‘Really?’

‘Really. This necklace is one of a kind, and I want you to have it.’

The woman traced a bird with her fingers, ‘Is it Valyrian steel?’

‘Yes. I do not know the story of it, I just know that it was in your mother's family for generations… until she had to sell it.’

‘Why did she sell it?’

Diane didn’t remember her mother much, but from what she figured out and what Daemon told her, she seemed like a person who cherished such sentimental things. Why would she sell a family relic?

Daemon sighed, ‘Well… you need to understand that I wasn’t precisely the best partner for your mother. I was young and careless, and I dare say entitled… between the two of us she was always the responsible one.’

Diane chuckled, ‘Yeah, that tracks.’

‘I was away at King’s Landing back then, trying to support Viserys and find my place in court, and you got sick. Iris tried to get in touch with me, but I decided it could wait because I was busy with important things here,’ Daemon huffed as if he was frustrated with his own past behavior. ‘So she sold her necklace to pay for remedies and be able to put food on your table. The real price of this necklace… you can buy cities for it, and she sold it for a few dozen golden dragons,’ he shook his head. ‘And when I came back, she wasn’t even mad at me. She was just sad, and that was the worst part. When we found out she was pregnant with you, I promised her I would provide for the two of you and I let you both down. I tried to make it right, tried to find this necklace, but it seemed to just vanish.’

Diane looked at the necklace and then back at her father, ‘You shouldn’t beat yourself up quite that hard. We all make mistakes when we are young. I know I did, lots and lots of terrible decisions. And I'm pretty sure my mum didn’t hold it against you.’

‘No. No, she didn’t. That’s why I felt like I should hold it against myself,’ Daemon chuckled and reached out to take the necklace in his hands. ‘Turn around.’

Diane did just that and then asked, ‘Where did you get it?’

‘I bought it from a bardess who had no idea how much it is actually worth,’ Daemon smirked, putting the necklace around his daughter's neck and securing it.

‘I wonder how it got to her,’ Diane mused.

‘I guess, we will never know.’

The woman took a pedant in hand and turned to face him. ‘Thank you, father. It means a lot to me.’

Daemon nodded with a small smile, and after a second Diane hugged him. They didn’t do that often, definitely not since she grew up, but she was delighted when he immediately hugged her back.

Chapter Text

Having Diane as her lady-in-waiting turned out to be even better than Rhaenyra could have imagined. She was not only funny and kept her company well, but she was also the one Rhaenyra could talk about her relationship with Daemon or take for a flight. The princess was surprised that Syrax and Silverwing seemed to know each other quite well, even though she couldn’t think of the time when the two dragons managed to make such a strong connection. Diane, on the other hand, treated the whole situation like it was perfectly normal and something to be expected. She also went to visit Caraxes, almost giving one of the young dragonkeepers a heart attack because Caraxes wasn’t precisely a friendly dragon and the boy was afraid he would “burn the lady to ashes on his watch”. There was no need to worry though, because Caraxes welcomed Diane and even let himself be petted.

Rhaenera couldn’t help but laugh when she realized that Diane treated dragons like one might treat home dogs. But not in a disrespectful way, more in a cute and surprisingly gentle way.

‘You are being a good boy, right? And you look after Silverwing, don’t you? She seems very happy,’ Diane said, stroking Caraxes’ scales. She wasn’t talking in High Valyrian, but the dragons seemed to understand the general sentiment of Diane’s words nonetheless. She even encouraged Rhaenyra to pet Caraxes too. The princess wasn’t sure at first because, even though there wasn’t any bad blood between them, she didn’t know Daemon’s dragon quite well.

Caraxes knew her apparently because, sensing her indecisiveness, he shuffled closer and even lowered his head slightly so Rhaenyra would be able to easily reach him. All in all, it was a new but very exciting experience.

After that, the days went at a usual pace. The letters were sent and there was nothing she could do except wait for an answer. She spent days in the company of Diane who got along well with most of the people around her, except for Cole. Rhaenyra didn’t know what her deal with him was, but the number of times Diane deliberately closed the door in Ser Criston's face was getting ridiculous. But when she asked her about it, Diane just shrugged and said, ‘He looks like the person who will betray you the first chance he gets.’ The princess wasn’t sure where this came from, but if she was honest with herself, it was getting into her head a little bit. She knew she could trust Daemon and she knew she could trust Diane, but what did she really know about Cole? He wasn’t bad to her, but his loyalty to her wasn’t tested in any way either. Who knows what he would do if he was given the opportunity?

Ser Criston wasn’t Diane's biggest fan either. He tried to insinuate a few times that Diane was a “bad influence” and she “shouldn’t trust Daemon’s daughter”, but Rhaenyra shut him down pretty fast. She finally had a friend who not only understood her and saw her for who she was, but also never judged her. She wouldn’t let anyone ruin that.

While her days were occupied with Diane, the nights were reserved for her and Daemon. Sometimes they met in the inner yard, but mostly either he came to her room or she came to his. The hidden passages were a gift from the Gods, truly, and the princess was happy she didn’t have to worry about being caught.

Daemon never let their meetings go too far, but Rhaenyra figured early on that she could persuade him to do basically anything that wouldn’t potentially result in a baby and used this knowledge to its fullest. They made a rule of not staying the night in each other’s bedrooms, but when Daemon visited her, he made a point of staying long enough for her to fall asleep and sneaking out through the secret tunnel afterward. Which worked right until it didn’t. 

Rhaenyra wasn’t sure what Daemon was doing that day, but he certainly did a lot because he looked exhausted. Despite that, he still came to visit her because he missed her. They didn’t do anything intimate that day, they just laid in bed and talked, but Rhaenyra loved it just the same. They cuddled and apparently fell asleep in each other's arms because the next day they were woken up by a loud cough.

‘Have you no sense of self-preservation?’ Diane asked, towering over the bed. Rhaenyra blushed, embarrassed of the fact that they were caught red-handed, even though they both were fully closed. 

Daemon, on the other hand, yawned and said, ‘Good morning to you too.’

Diane pointed at the wall with a secret door, ‘Get out.’

‘How awfully rude of you to speak to your father-’ Daemon ranted, but was interrupted by a very firm and just slightly threatening “Now”. ‘Okay, I'm going, I'm going,’ he said, then pecked Rhaenyra on the lips as a form of goodbye and disappeared into the wall.

Diane looked at Rhaenyra. ‘Men always think they are invincible and immune to consequences. They are not, so be smarter. You are lucky I was the one to wake you up and not any of the servants or Ser Criston,’ she said Cole's name as if just the sound of it disgusted her.

‘I know, sorry,’ Rhaenyra muttered. She didn’t know why exactly she was apologizing, but she knew Diane was right. They still didn’t tell Viserys about their engagement and getting caught now can put everything at risk.

‘Hey, not berating you. It's just a piece of advice,’ Diane smiled and added, ‘I know what it’s like to be so in love with someone you want to spend every second with them, but you have to be mindful nonetheless.’

Rhaenyra was immediately intrigued. They talked about sex and intimacy quite frequently, but it was the first time Diane mentioned someone who meant to her more than a quick fuck or a means to an end.

‘So who is your special someone?’ the princess asked, and Diane's face immediately fell. She looked almost panicked for a few moments but then managed to make her facial features behave. ‘Perhaps, I shouldn’t have asked,’ Rhaenyra said carefully. ‘I didn’t want to upset you.’

‘No, no, you didn’t,’ Diane sighed and sat at the foot of the bed. ‘I just… if I’m not thinking about it, I can pretend everything is fine. And when confronted like this- it forces me to face the reality of her being gone, and I don’t really enjoy facing it,’ she gave Rhaenyra a small, pained smile.

‘Oh,’ the princess made a sound. She didn’t consider it as a possibility. Diane was always so cheerful and funny, Rhaenyra didn’t even suspect she had lost a person she was in love with. ‘I'm so sorry.’

‘Yeah,’ Diane fumbled with the pendant of her necklace absently. ‘I hope one day the memory of her won’t hurt as much as it does now, but obviously not today, so let's change the topic before my feelings make a mess of me.’

Rhaenyra could definitely do that, so she started telling Diane about the book on the history of Old Valyria that she was currently reading, and in a few minutes her friend was back to her usual cheerful self. 

Even though the situation was kind of resolved, it got Rhaenyra thinking. Daemon and she were waiting to announce their engagement because Daemon was trying to win at least bits of Viserys’ trust back before asking for her hand. The princess knew it was important, but after finding out Diane had lost the person she loved…

Life was unpredictable, and it might end at any time without even the slightest warning. And Rhaenyra loved Daemon, she truly did, and she wanted to become his wife. She wanted to know what it was like to be married to him, to love him fully in case the Gods didn’t give them a lot of time in this world. She didn’t want to wait anymore.

So she brought this up the next time she visited Daemon in his room in the late evening. He was sitting in a chair, drinking wine when she told him her thoughts. Daemon pulled her to him so she could sit in his lap and confessed, ‘I'm tired of waiting too. I thought that if we wait, I'll be able to find the right time to ask for your hand, but it seems like there will be no right time with this goddamn Hightower continuously poisoning my brother with his lies.’

‘Then let's not wait any more,’ Rhaenyra said. ‘Let's just go to my father and tell him. You don’t have to ask for my hand or his blessing, I will marry you anyway. We will just inform him about our engagement, and it will be up to him to choose whether or not he will be part of our wedding.’

Daemon liked the idea, but he was also worried about Viserys’ reaction. His brother had a track record of being insensitive to Rhaenyra's feelings, after all (*cough* marrying a Hightower whore *cough*). So he said, ‘What if he doesn’t approve? I am more or less used to being cast out of King’s Landing every few years, but I'm worried about you, my little dragon.’

‘I will not let him send you away. Or do you mean…’ Rhaenyra suddenly realized what Daemon was implying. ‘You think he might cast me out too? Or disinherit?’

‘I do not know. I want to say that I’m sure my brother will never do anything like that but then I will be lying.’

The princess kept quiet for a while. ‘If he does so-’ she then started. ‘If I truly lose the right to the throne, if our marriage won’t give you power, will you still take me to Dragonstone and make me your wife?’

‘I will,’ Daemon answered immediately. There was nothing to think about. He was in it for Rhaenyra, he didn’t care about the throne if he could have her. Of course, he would hold a grudge against his brother if he disinherited his daughter just because of their union, but this would be on behalf of Rhaenyra, not his own. Also, he would worry about Viserys' safety, because Diane was Rhaenyra’s biggest fan and there was no telling what she might do if Rhaenyra’s right to the throne was taken away again. ‘In a heartbeat, my little dragon. We do not need the power to be happy. I would really love for us to have it, but it’s not that important in the great scheme of things.’

‘I love you,’ the princess whispered, and she looked like she was about to cry. Because she couldn’t even start to explain how much it meant to hear these words from Daemon. To know that he valued her more than anything else. That he would give up his ambitions to be with her, that he didn’t even hesitate … Maybe, that’s what an unconditional love she only read in romance books about was supposed to look like? For someone to love you as you are, to see you, to be ready to leave everything behind if they get to have you. Rhaenyra never even dreamed of getting a devotion like that.

‘I love you too, Rhaenyra. More than anything,’ Daemon smiled, wiping away a tear from her cheek. The princess laid her head on his shoulder, and they stayed like that for a while, just enjoying an opportunity to be in each other’s company.

The spell was broken abruptly by the loud knock on the wall that was coming from a secret tunnel. Rhaenyra immediately tensed.

‘It must be Diane,’ Daemon guessed. Rhaenyra nodded and got up, allowing him to get up as well and open the door to the secret passage. ‘What the-’

A woman was thrown on the floor of the room with a loud thud, forcing Rhaenyra to make an involuntary step back. The woman on the floor was brown-haired, her dress was torn and she was slightly bleeding from a few places but didn’t appear to be seriously hurt. Her hands and legs were tied, and she was blindfolded and gagged with some kind of cloth. The woman seemed distinctly familiar to Rhaenyra, but she couldn’t remember where exactly she had seen her.

‘The bitch put up a fight, but no one has ever got away from a dear old me,’ Diane's voice sounded, and a second later she walked inside the room. She was wearing clothes that would let her blend in with common folk and a cloak to hide her hair and face in case it was needed. There was a small scratch on Diane's right cheek. ‘Oh,’ she made a sound when she noticed Rhaenyra, then looked at her father. ‘I didn’t mean to intrude, I can bring her back later…’ Diane offered. ‘This place has so many underground tunnels which are surprisingly soundproof, we can have quality time together for a few hours.’

The woman on the floor made a scared sound and tried to crawl away, but it was hard to do in the position she ended up in. Daemon closed the door with a bang, ‘No need, we'll deal with it right now.’

He then walked around to the woman on the floor, kneeled before her, and tore her blindfold off. ‘Long time no see, Mysaria,’ he said with a smile that scared the shit out of the woman who tried to crawl away again. Diane walked around and jerked Mysaria into a sitting position so she would have to fully face Daemon.

Rhaenyra suddenly realized where she had seen this woman the last time: she was Daemon’s mistress whom Rhaenyra had seen a few years back in Dragonstone. What was she doing here now? Why would Diane bring her, and in such an… unfortunate state no less?

‘Let's remove that,’ Daemon said, removing the cloth from Misaria's mouth. ‘And have a little chat.’

‘Fuck you,’ Misaria snarled and for that got a kick in the back.

‘That’s not very polite, is it?’ Diane scolded in an innocent voice as if they were having a conversation over tea and not… whatever they were having. 

‘How pathetic of you to send a child after me,’ the woman snarled at Daemon.

‘And she still beat you, didn’t she?’ Daemon didn’t even try to hide the pride in his voice. ‘Anyway, let's get right on business. A little songbird tells me you are working for Otto Hightower and spreading lies about the princess around the city.’

Mysaria's eyes widened. Whatever she thought Daemon wanted to see her for, she definitely didn’t suspect him to know about it.

‘He pays, I do and don’t ask questions,’ the woman probably decided the truth was the best strategy. ‘Not like the princess has a lot of support as it is. No one believes a woman should rule the Seven Kingdoms.’

‘Well, that’s not true, is it?’ Diane said before Daemon was able to respond. ‘Powerful men don’t want her to rule because their fragile little egos feel threatened. Common folk don't care who rules as long as they are fed and clothed, and their children do not die like flies. But we are not here to give a political lesson, sorry, go on,’ she waved Daemon to continue.

The man rolled his eyes half-heartedly and said, ‘You probably figured we don’t like Otto here, which means we don’t like people working for him. So you have two choices. You have connections all over the city, and it will be beneficial for us so you can switch sides and support the princess. Money won’t be a problem.’

Mysaria huffed, clearly displeased, ‘And the second option?’

Diane bent over and threateningly whispered in her ear, ‘I will take you to the dungeons and your body will miraculously disappear in the nearest river.’

The reality of the situation and the threat seemed to finally sink in, and Rhaenyra, standing aside, could pinpoint the exact moment Mysaria gave up. She knew the woman would agree to the terms even before she opened her mouth.

‘Fine,’ Mysaria said because there wasn’t really any other choice. She wanted to live, after all.

‘That’s settled then,’ Daemon nodded and got up. ‘And bear in mind, Mysaria, no second chances. If we even catch wind of you betraying us, you will die. Slowly and painfully.’

‘You will send this girl to do the work for you again? Don’t want to get your hands dirty?’ the woman said, probably not able to hold back her snarky remarks even in the dangerous situation she was currently in.

‘No, not at all. I just know my daughter will enjoy it more,’ Daemon smiled with his teeth.

Mysaria snapped her head to Diane, obviously in shock. She had no idea Daemon had a daughter, and she had been so sure she knew everything about him!

‘Your first clue should have been the hair. People always ignore the hair,’ Diane sighed and then dragged Mysaria up to her feet. ‘Let's get you back.’

‘Untie me!’

‘I will. When we get there,’ Diane said, and before Mysaria could say anything else, put a blindfold back on. 

‘You gotta be kidding me…’

‘I am not. And if you make even a sound, I'll gag you again with something you really won’t like.’

Mysaria turned her head in the direction she thought Daemon should be and snarled, ‘You raised a madwoman, you must be proud.’

‘Very proud,’ Daemon said, then opened the secret door and added, ‘Safe travels.’

Diane picked up and threw Mysaria over her shoulder with surprising ease. The woman made an uncomfortable sound but didn’t protest further. Daemon asked Diane to come back when she was done and then closed the door behind them.

The silence stretched.

‘Diane is even more like you than I realized,’ Rhaenyra was the first one to break it, and Daemon felt the weight lifting off his shoulders. He knew she loved him, but a part of him was always scared she would not accept some parts of him. Because he was a cruel man, and there was no denying that. He would never lay hands on her or their children, but he could and would use violence to protect them because that was the one language everyone understood. That was one of the few things he actually knew how to do.

‘I'm not sure if it’s a compliment or an insult.’

Rhaenyra let out a laugh and closed the distance between them. ‘Will you tell me what all of this is about?’ she asked, putting her hands on his chest and looking into his eyes.

Daemon realized it was a perfect opportunity. He had been arguing with himself for weeks now, trying to decide when would be the right time to tell Rhaenyra about all this Diane-died-and-time-traveled-to-save-our-family thing. He was always going to tell her. First of all, because he didn’t want to keep such a big secret from Rhaenyra. And, second of all, she needed to know. The only way to keep her safe was to let her know who her enemies were.

So Daemon took Rhaenyra’s hands in his and said, ‘Let's sit. It will be a long story.’

***

When Diane came back, Daemon had already outlined the most important points of what was going on to Rhaenyra. If Diane was honest with herself, she was surprised. She knew that her father wouldn’t want to keep their secret forever, but she fully expected him to stall for as long as possible. Talking about their life in another time meant talking about all the betrayals, and losses, and stupid decisions, and the kids they lost and now would never have. They could still have kids, of course, but they wouldn't be the ones Diane met and knew. They were all gone forever without even getting a chance to exist. All in all, it wasn’t a pleasant thing to talk about and it would surely spoil the “honeymoon” phase Daemon and Rhaenyra were having, so Diane had figured her father would postpone the revelation. She was clearly wrong.

‘How did you die?’ was the first question Rhaenyra asked, and it was obvious she didn’t doubt whether or not Daemon’s story was true. She believed him no matter how impossible the story sounded. 

‘Sunfyre, Gods damn him,’ Diane muttered through gritted teeth. At the blank looks at Daemon’s and Rhaenyra's faces, she added, ‘Aegon's dragon. I don't think he has hatched yet. If we are lucky, he won’t at all.’

Diane didn’t have anything against Sunfyre specifically because dragons tend to follow directions and reflect the character of their rider, and Aegon grew up to be an awful human being the last time around. She was more concerned with the question of whether or not Sunfyre would remember another timeline if he hatched. Because Silverwing, Caraxes, and Syrax seemed up to date with both timelines, and Diane was wary of Vhagar as it was. She didn’t need another dragon with a potential grudge against her to worry about.

Rhaenyra nodded to herself, and then asked a few seconds later, ‘Can you tell me… the end?’

‘Of my life?’ Diane asked.

The princess nodded, ‘And mine. Daemon said I died too.’

‘Well… long story short, we were betrayed by Alfred Broome (I will kill this son of a bitch as soon I see him) and held captive at Dragonstone. And then Aegon decided to execute us in the presence of… Aegon, who was one of your twins. By the way, why would you call your son Aegon if you already had a living Aegon in an immediate family? That’s so inconvenient. I get confused by my own story.’ 

Daemon and Rhaenyra looked at each other. ‘I think she has a point. Let's not name any of our kids Aegon,’ Daemon said. 

‘Fine. The legacy of this name is tainted now anyway,’ Rhaenyra agreed, then  looked at Diane again, ‘Sorry, what was next?’

‘Not much,’ Diane sighed. ‘I didn’t want your son to see your death, but I didn't know how to get us out. I was exhausted, and I just ran out of ideas, I guess. It’s a crappy feeling, to realize you are completely out of options. So I did the only thing I could think of, and let myself be killed first… well, I didn’t really let Sunfyre kill me, but you can’t really fight dragon's jaws with a sword you snatched from one of the guards. Even though I want to think I hurt him quite well,’ she chuckled absently, looking at the floor. ‘I didn’t die instantly. I was torn, and thrown to the side, and Aegon was screaming for Sunfyre to kill you, your son was crying, and… the last thing I remember is you engulfed in flames. And then I died, and I suppose so did you,’ Diane finished, glancing at Daemon and Rhaenyra. Daemon’s face was blank which usually meant he was trying really hard not to run and kill the two-year-old boy who grew up into a monster who was responsible for the death of his daughter and the love of his life. Rhaenyra, on the other hand, looked visibly distraught.

‘You… you tried to save my life? Even then?’ she asked a few seconds later, her voice quiet. 

‘The emphasis on “tried”, I suppose. Didn’t do you much good, did it?’ Diane answered, and before she could say anything else, Rhaenyra was already on her feet and hugging her tightly.

‘Thank you,’ the princess said, her voice shaken. ‘Thank you for trying.’

Diane faltered for a second but then hugged Rhaenyra back. They stayed like that for a while. It wasn’t clear who needed this hug more, but it was greatly appreciated by both parties. Then Rhaenyra let go of Diane, taking a step back. ‘We will change it,’ she said, her voice firm. ‘We won’t let any of this happen. No war, no deaths… hm, no unnecessary deaths,’ the princess corrected herself because she understood quite well that some people would have to die for her to peacefully inherit the throne.

‘And you will become Queen,’ Daemon added, rising to his feet. ‘The throne is yours, I won’t let them rob you of it.’

Rhaenyra looked at her uncle and nodded. She had a thought that maybe if she renounced her right to the throne, they would be able to avoid all the bloodshed, but she had a suspicion that Aegon would end up being a terrible king anyway. She wanted power, yes, but she also cared about the fate of the Seven Kingdoms and her family legacy. And there was no guarantee that if Aegon got the throne, their family wouldn’t be overthrown in the future. No, Seven Kingdoms needed a strong leader, and she could be that. She was sure of it, even more so now, knowing that Daemon and Diane would stand by her side no matter what.

Chapter Text

‘Nervous?’ Diane asked, brushing Rhaenyra’s hair.

‘That’s an understatement,’ the princess let out a nervous laugh. ‘There is no predicting how he might react.’

‘Well, I don’t believe he has something to be angry about. You come to him and you inform him of your decision. He said you could choose who you want to marry, didn’t he?’

‘Yes. But I’m pretty sure he didn’t have his brother in mind.’

‘But aren't most of our family married into our family? Or into the Velaryon family?’ Diane frowned. ‘I had a scroll with our family tree growing up. Father recreated it from his memory. I think he fucked up a few names in the process but that’s beside the point,’ she said, making Rhaenyra snort. ‘What I mean is that between these two families, Daemon is the closest man to you in age who is not exclusively into other men. The King should have seen it coming.’

‘I guess,’ Rhaenyra shrugged. 

Suddenly there were voices from the other side of the door. It took the princess a few seconds to realize that Daemon had come to escort her to the meeting with the King and Ser Criston was refusing to let him in. Rhaenyra took an immediate dislike to Cole as soon as she found out what he did in another timeline, but they hadn’t figured out how to remove him without raising suspicion just yet. Diane said that she was just waiting for the perfect opportunity to take him out, and it brought Rhaenyra great comfort for some reason.

‘You put on earrings, I'll sort them out,’ Diane said, leaving Rhaenyra to finish getting ready.

Diane opened the door, and Rhaenyra could hear the end of Cole's answer, ‘...inappropriate to visit the princess in her rooms.’

‘Don’t be such a prude, Ser Criston. I'll make sure everyone will stay clothed,’ Diane gave Cole one of her smiles that made others fear for their life if they were smart enough. Cole wasn’t. ‘Come on in, father,’ Diane added, stepping to the side so Daemon would have a room to come in.

‘If the princess wants to speak with him, she will come out. It’s not appropriate for them to be alone and unchaperoned,’ Ser Criston insisted.

‘You know, I’m still here, right?’ Diane asked. ‘If it makes you feel better, I will chaperone them.’

‘You can’t be their chaperone!’ Cole exclaimed, obviously getting irritated.

‘Why the fuck not? What do you think we will do? Have a threesome? He is my father, for Gods’ sake!’ Diane exclaimed, dragged Daemon into the room by the elbow, and closed the door in Cole’ dumbfounded face with a bang. 

Daemon made a sound as if he was trying very hard not to laugh but it escaped his throat nonetheless. ‘See what I have to deal with every day,’ Diane complained, gesturing at the door. 

Daemon patted her on the shoulder. ‘You are doing a good job,’ he said, only half-joking because if he had to deal with Ser Criston as often as Diane did, the poor man would have been long dead. Frankly speaking, he was impressed with his daughter's patience. ‘You look gorgeous, my little dragon,’ Daemon continued, approaching Rhaenyra who rose to her feet to meet him.

‘Thank you, Uncle. Does my look say “I made up my mind about my future husband and there is no talking me out of it”?’ she smiled when Daemon pushed the strand of her hair behind her ear.

‘Let's hope it does,’ he smiled, and Rhaenyra leaned forward, putting her head on his chest. ‘Everything will be alright, my love. One way or another,’ Daemon assured her. He was nervous himself but hid it well. He had no problems with confronting Viserys in the past, but right now it felt different because it wasn’t only his fate this conversation would decide. Because he knew he would leave everything for Rhaenyra, and he knew Rhaenyra would do the same, but he didn’t want her to sacrifice anything. She was born to be Queen, and she shouldn’t be robbed of her birthright because of her choice of a husband.

‘Okay, lovebirds, let's get it moving. We still need to ditch Cole,’ Diane hurried them up. She didn’t know a lot about court rules but she figured if they wanted to get at the King's good side, they at least shouldn’t be late.

‘How are we going to do that? He seems to be glued to my side lately,’ Rhaenyra huffed in annoyance.

Diane smiled, ‘Leave that to me. Just distract him for a second, and I’ll do the rest.’

‘No problem. That boy seems to hate my guts anyway,’ Daemon said and then went to open the door for Rhaenyra. 

As soon as they moved forward into the corridor, Cole followed them with a sour expression on his face. Daemon stopped him, ‘I'll take it from here, Ser Criston.’

‘I'm ordered to ensure the princess’ safety, and you are not the one to give me orders!’ Cole immediately exclaimed.

‘Right, I am,’ Rhaenyra interjected. ‘And I’m saying that I do not need your services at the moment. My uncle can look after me just fine.’

Ser Criston looked like he was about to disagree but didn’t have a chance because Diane suddenly snatched his sword and ran in the opposite direction. ‘Hey!’ Cole exclaimed, obviously shocked by the turn of events. 

‘You better get on that,’ Daemon said, holding back a chuckle. ‘If my daughter hurts herself, I'll hold you accountable,’ he added for good measure.

Cole growled but rushed after Diane anyway. Rhaenyra couldn’t help but laugh when the man was out of earshot. Daemon chuckled too, and then led Rhaenyra in the direction of Viserys’ chambers. His hand found its way on the small of her back. It was a small, hardly noticeable gesture, but the princess appreciated it anyway. Having Daemon near and touching her calmed her nerves quite well.

Viserys was already expecting her when she walked in. On the other hand, he didn’t expect to see his brother so he immediately frowned.

‘What's the matter, Rhaenyra?’ he asked. ‘I thought you wanted to talk in private.’

‘Yes, I did, father. But Daemon needs to be here,’ the princess insisted. She wanted to announce their engagement with her future husband present so there would be no speculations or suspicions that they were hiding something. Which they did, but no one had to know about it.

Viserys glanced at Daemon suspiciously but said, ‘Okay then. What is it?’

‘You said it’s up to me to choose my husband. I did,’ Rhaenyra informed. ‘It’s Daemon,’ she added then in case it wasn’t obvious. 

‘What?’ asked Viserys who apparently decided that denial was a way to go.

Rhaenyra reached out to take Daemon’s hand who immediately offered it to her and intertwined their fingers. The King’s eyes widened almost comically.

‘I made my choice, father,’ the princess smiled. ‘Daemon and I are to be wed.’

‘You!’ Viserys exclaimed, his face suddenly angry, and pointed a finger at his brother. 

Daemon waited a few seconds for the rest of the accusation, but it didn’t come and Viserys just kept pointing and glaring, so he asked, ‘Is there an end to this sentence?’

It seemed to snap the King out of whatever thought spiral he was in, because he continued, ‘How could you?!’

‘He didn’t do anything, father. In fact, it was my…’ Rhaenyra immediately started but was rudely interrupted.

‘Otto was right all along!’ Viserys exclaimed. Daemon internally cringed. Whatever came after this sentence, it wasn’t going to be good. ‘And to think I defended you… It was your plan all along, wasn’t it? To come here, pretend you changed and then backstab me!’

‘How am I backstabbing you?’ Daemon asked genuinely. He thought they were pretty straightforward, coming here to him and announcing their engagement. Well, he didn’t ask for Rhaenyra’s hand beforehand, true, but that was because he preferred to negotiate his future marriage with a person he was going to marry and not with anyone else. 

‘Using my daughter to get to the throne!’ Viserys shouted. ‘I didn’t think you would fall so low to just get-’

‘I don’t need a fucking throne!’ Daemon’s patience snapped. He was done being accused of being power-hungry. Even if he more or less was, it didn’t include him sitting on the Iron throne, and others insinuating otherwise was getting on his nerves. ‘Despite all the lies this Hightower snake is trying to poison you with, I do not want it! I love Rhaenyra, and it would be an honor for me to be her husband, whether or not she gets the crown.’

‘Of course, you would say that,’ Viserys shook his head. ‘No. No, that’s not gonna happen. I forbid it.’

Daemon felt blood boil in his veins. How could his brother dare to stand in their way?! But before he could say or do something, Rhaenyra spoke.

‘I believe you misunderstood me, father,’ she said calmly, but her eyes were burning with fire. ‘I'm not asking you for permission. I'm informing you that I made my choice. I'm going to marry Daemon. Here, or in Dragonstone, or in Essos if you decide to exile us, or anywhere else. I will follow him to the end of the world and be by his side till my last breath, whatever it takes.’

The silence hung in the air, and Daemon squeezed Rhaenyra's hand lightly to support her.

Viserys clenched his jaw, ‘You are young and naive, Rhaenyra. I do not question your devotion, I question his.’

Daemon saw that the princess was insulted by the King’s words, and she had all the right to be. Because it was fucking hypocritical. Viserys deemed it fine to marry Alicent who had been only six and ten, but didn’t want to respect the decision of his adult daughter who was very clearly expressing her wants and desires. She was suddenly too young to know what was good for her. 

Daemon let out a sigh. Rhaenyra looked at him and instantly knew he was already contemplating Plan B. Which meant they would leave for Dragonstone of their own volition with her future as a Queen uncertain and questionable. Because then no one would be around to stop Otto from convincing Viserys that naming Aegon an heir would be a better decision. Rhaenyra also knew that Daemon was staying silent because he didn’t want to decide for her. If they left, it was because she decided so.

Rhaenyra gave Daemon a curt nod. His hold on her hand immediately tightened. ‘Then we are leaving,’ Rhaenyra declared, looking at her father again. ‘If we can’t be together here, there is no reason for us to stay.’

‘Rhaenyra, you can’t be serious-’

‘I am,’ came a response with a simultaneous, ‘She is,’ from Daemon.

Viserys looked extremely shocked, and Daemon decided not to waste any more time, pulling Rhaenyra to follow him. ‘No!’ Viserys exclaimed. ‘You are not going anywhere!’

‘You gave us no other choice,’ Daemon answered.

‘You are not taking my daughter!’

‘You can’t keep me here against my will,’ Rhaenyra insisted. ‘I want to be with Daemon, no matter where.’

‘And what my future wife wants, my future wife gets,’ Daemon couldn’t help but emphasize that Viserys’ protests had no influence on their plans. 

‘The guards won’t let you leave!’ the King said, but it was obviously a weak attempt on his part.

‘They won’t stop me,’ Daemon answered, a feral glint in his eyes that turned Rhaenyra on just a tiny bit (who was she kidding, it turned her on a lot). His free hand grasped the handle of Dark Sister.

‘Daemon, listen to the voice of reason! You are outnumbered,’ Viserys said, finally catching up on the fact that his brother was not pretending and was actually getting ready to fight anyone who appeared in his way.

‘And yet I will slay every one of them for her,’ Daemon snarled. ‘I would kill for her and I would die for her, even though I’m not planning on doing the latter today,’ he added just in case. 

There was a long pause, and then Viserys’ shoulders slumped. It was obvious he gave up. ‘Fine, you win,’ he said, turning and walking away to sit in his chair.

Rhaenyra glanced at Daemon before asking, ‘So… does it mean you support our marriage?’

‘It means I'm not going to stand in the way,’ Viserys answered. He realized he couldn’t talk his daughter out of it, even though he still thought it was a mistake on her part. Daemon was always after the throne, ever since Viserys was named an heir to King Jaehaerys, and he didn’t believe his brother changed quite that much. But it was either letting it happen or losing his daughter, probably forever. And the last option didn’t seem like an option at all. ‘I will announce your engagement later today.’

Rhaenyra smiled in relief. Daemon let go of the handle of Dark Sister. Well, it wasn’t as bad as it could have been, was it?

***

Diane noticed Ser Criston shooting daggers at her across the hall and gave him a one-sided smirk. He hadn’t caught her earlier that day (that was expected) and had spent a few hours looking for his sword which Diane had ditched when she got bored. So yeah, he was rightfully pissed off with her, and Diane considered it a success. Making Cole's life a living hell was surely making her own days slightly better.

The throne room was getting crowded because apparently, the King was making some big, unexpected announcement. Daemon and Rhaenyra were standing together a little bit to the left side of the throne, quietly talking about something but mostly waiting. Rhaenyra was over the moon, and Daemon’s eyes were also shining with happiness, even though he did a good job of concealing it. The only reason Diane was able to tell was because she knew him well enough. 

Diane also couldn't help but roll her eyes when she heard some of the nobles speculating whether or not Viserys decided to name Aegon his heir. Oh, these fuсkers were about to be so surprised.

The Queen and the Hand, who entered the throne room together, also didn’t seem really confident about what was going on. When the King sat on the throne, Diane was all but bouncing with anticipation. She couldn’t wait to see them lose it!

‘I called you all today to announce important news,’ Viserys started. He didn’t look all that happy with what he was about to say, but his words mattered more than his feelings on the matter. ‘My daughter and the heir to the Iron throne Rhaenyra Targaryen …’ the King emphasized in the last few words, showing he knew about the speculations and was having none of it. Diane couldn't help but chuckle. She always had a mixed opinion on Viserys as a King and as a person but it was nice to see him do right by his daughter once in a while. ‘... is to be betrothed to my brother, Daemon Targaryen.’

There were a few literal gasps in the audience which Diane thought was hilarious. Otto looked as if he couldn’t believe he wasn’t sleeping and the King did indeed betrothed his daughter without even consulting him. Alicent, on the other hand, looked hurt and almost disgusted which Diane couldn’t quite explain. Surprise or shock would be understandable, but Alicent looked like Rhaenyra just stabbed her in the back marrying Daemon. And that definitely would be a rich accusation, coming from a person who married Rhaenyra’s father without even letting her know beforehand. 

The whispering and talking in the throne room only got louder when the King ended his announcement and got up. Otto immediately walked to him, trying to say something, but Viserys just waved him off and rushed to disappear from the public eye as if it pained him to see Rhaenyra and Daemon being congratulated by nobles.

Diane couldn't help but make her way to still flabbergasted Otto and innocently say, ‘They do make a great couple, don't they?’

The Hand glanced at her as if he was surprised she dared to talk to him. But she held his gaze, her smile warm but not quite reaching her eyes.

‘I suppose there are worse matches for the Princess,’ Otto finally managed to say. ‘It will surely improve your standing, despite your… less fortunate circumstances of birth.’

Oh, Diane knew what he was doing. He was trying to insult her by reminding her that she was a bastard. Please, what a pathetic and totally unoriginal attempt. If anything, she was proud of her upbringing. It made her strong and smart enough to play all these court games. So Diane said, ‘Why don’t take the power if you can, right? I'm sure I'm not the only one with such beliefs here, Lord Hand.’ 

Otto's gaze changed. He looked almost… impressed with her? Well, she would actually love to see him fear her but that was a good start. It was harder to look threatening being a six and ten years old girl in a floral dress than it used to be when she was a four and thirty years old woman in battle armor, but Diane believed she was doing quite fine.

Otto clicked his tongue thoughtfully and said, ‘I suppose not.’

***

Diane sneaked out of the throne room soon after, wanting to get into her rooms and get some rest before her evening flight with Rhaenyra. She wasn’t able to get far before she was grabbed by her shoulders and pushed into the wall. The impact with a hard stone hurt but she managed to not bump her head so at least her mind was as clear as ever.

‘You filthy bitch!’ Cole snarled in her face.

‘Gods, are you still bitter about the morning?’ Diane rolled her eyes. She wasn’t scared or even intimidated, to be honest. She had seen and survived so much in her previous life that Ser Criston now looked about as scary as a puppy. ‘Don’t be a baby, no harm done.’

‘Fuck this morning! It was you! You tricked the princess into that marriage!’ Cole shouted. ‘It’s your fault she is with your filthy father!’

Oh, he was having that kind of problem with her. Usually, Diane believed that some people could totally live their whole lives being abstinent and not going crazy, but Ser Criston just might be the exception. So many problems would have been solved if he just got his dick wet and wasn't pining over the woman he couldn’t have in any reality.

‘I do believe it's rather my father’s fault than mine,’ Diane answered, completely unbothered by the fact that Cole was pinning her to the wall. He wasn’t a threat to her unless he reached for his sword and she was sure she could be faster. ‘He is a rather charming man, you cannot not see that. Just the fit for our future Queen.’

‘He doesn’t deserve to even look at her let alone be with her!’ Ser Criston snarled, his fingers digging into her shoulders with more force.

‘And who do you think deserves her? You?’ she let out a laugh. She was taunting him. She was daring him to do something harsh, something he didn’t think through, something that would give her the right to take him out. ‘You forgot your place, Ser Criston. She is a star you can never reach.’

Cole growled, and Diane knew he was going to reach for his sword, but wasn't able to prevent it because they suddenly heard a voice.

‘Ser Criston, unhand my lady-in-waiting right now!’ Rhaenyra demanded, obviously angry. She went to find her friend to share some new gossip and stumbled upon her guard threatening her! Even if she hadn’t known prior that Cole shouldn’t be trusted, she would have still lost all trust in him in a heartbeat. 

‘My Princess!’ Ser Criston exclaimed, letting go of Diane who looked quite disappointed at such a turn of events. ‘That’s not- she is disgusting, she is evil! She shouldn’t be trusted!’ 

‘The one who is acting disgusting right now is you,’ Rhaenyra accused right back. ‘I do believe I won’t require your services anymore.’

‘No, you don't understand!’ Cole exclaimed, striding to Rhaenyra and grabbing her by the shoulders. ‘It’s all Daemon’s fault! He doesn’t love you, he is playing with you! He sent his bastard to fool you!’

‘How dare you say something like that about my intended?!’ the princess was even angrier now. ‘And how dare you touch me?!’ she tried to push him away but he tightened his hold on her, and Rhaenyra knew it would leave bruises. Oh Gods, Daemon would butcher him as soon as he saw the bruises, and she couldn’t wait for that to happen.

‘He doesn’t love you! He just wants to ruin you! He wants the throne!’ Ser Criston ranted, sounding more and more like a madman with each passing second. ‘I won't let it happen! I-’

For the next few seconds, the time seemed to slow down, and Rhaenyra saw every single motion. She saw how a hand pulled Cole's head back by his hair and then a dagger sliced his throat in one clean cut. The movement was confident, practiced, and fast.

Cole's eyes widened. The blood spilled like a fountain, staining Rhaenyra’s dress, hair, and face. Ser Criston made a few gagged sounds. Diane yanked him back by his hair and he fell on his back like a sack of potatoes. Cole made the last few twitched movements, and then the Stranger took his soul.

Rhaenyra blinked, feeling an iron taste of blood on her lips. Diane rushed to her, ‘I'm so sorry. It’s always that messy when you cut someone's neck.’

The princess wiped her mouth absently, ‘That’s alright. Are you hurt?’ she then asked.

‘No, not at all. I had everything under control,’ Diane gave her a reassuring smile. ‘Are you alright?’

Rhaenyra nodded and then added, ‘I want a bath. And then a cake. I really want a cake,’ making Diane laugh.

‘I can arrange for that. But before we move forward, we need to deal with… the one right there,’ she gestured in the direction of the body with her head.

‘Oh… yes, okay. What do you want to do?’ Rhaenyra asked. She was ready for whatever but she wasn’t sure whether or not she would be much help in hiding or disposing of a body. 

‘We will make a scene. Well…’ Diane looked Rhaenyra up and down. ‘I will make a scene. You just look shocked and confused as everyone will expect you to be.’

‘I can do that,’ Rhaenyra immediately nodded.

‘And we will tell a story of Ser Criston trying to assault you because of his unreciprocated feelings for you, and me having no choice but to defend my princess,’ Diane proceeded to explain. ‘We can't say he attacked me because the court doesn’t care for me much yet and Hightowers might try to spin it as if I overreacted, and unstable, and all this kind of bullshit,’ she added before Rhaenyra could even ask. ‘On the other hand, assaulting the Princess is an offense punishable by death anyway so we can say I delivered. And his house will never live this down, which is a nice bonus.’

‘That’s smart. You are smart,’ Rhaenyra said.

Diane smiled, ‘Thank you. That actually means a lot, coming from you.’

***

Rhaenyra couldn’t help but be impressed by Diane's acting skills. She made a huge scene, screaming and running to get help for her Princess who was “attacked by her own guard”! Diane made sure everyone in the castle heard her and knew what had happened.

Daemon was one of the first at the scene because he didn’t manage to walk too far from the throne room and almost immediately recognized Diane's voice screaming for help. He knew that Diane most likely wouldn’t cry for help like that unless she was orchestrating something, but still couldn’t help the fact that it scared the shit out of him. Even more so when he ran and saw Rhaenyra. She was covered in blood and for one, extremely terrifying second he thought she must have been badly hurt. But then he saw the body of Criston Cole on the ground, and everything suddenly made sense.

Despite that, Daemon still immediately rushed to Rhaenyra, and his concern about her well-being was genuine. He pulled her into his embrace, ignoring the blood, and she flinched in slight discomfort. There weren’t many people on the scene yet, only a few guards who were nearby when Diane started calling for help, so Daemon pulled one of Rhaenyra’s sleeves slightly just to see angry red marks on her shoulders that would surely turn into bruises.

‘Did he hurt you anywhere else?’ he whispered as calmly as possible, trying to hold back the rage boiling inside of him. How did he dare touch her?! The bastard got off too easily. He should have suffered a painful death.

Thankfully, Rhaenyra shook her head and then leaned her forehead on Daemon’s chest. She had seen people being killed before but not like that, not close by, and she surely was never covered in their blood. She wasn’t distraught, she was happy Cole was dead, but Daemon’s arms around her brought her comfort anyway.

No one questioned when Daemon escorted Rhaenyra to her rooms that day. And by the nightfall Harwin Strong took a post of the princess’ personal guard, vowing to keep her safe no matter the cost.

Chapter Text

‘Okay, tell me again,’ Daemon asked, joining Diane on her walk. 

‘Tell you what?’ she glanced at him.

‘About the ladies-in-waiting and why you chose these particular ones.’

After Rhaenyra found out that Diane came back from the future, she gave her the last say in her ladies-in-waiting because Diane knew better than anyone which houses were loyal and which were not, and they could use this whole ordeal as an opportunity to make some connections and maybe prevent some houses from supporting the Greens.

‘I wrote you a list,’ Diane reminded.

‘And I- uh- burned it. Accidentally,’ Daemon answered reluctantly, and he sounded almost embarrassed.

Diane stopped and looked at her father, ‘Really?’

‘Yes.’

‘But how…’

‘Do not underestimate my ability to misplace and accidentally destroy things.’

Diane snorted, ‘Okay, fine. But walk with me because I have a horrific amount of things to do before Velaryons arrive tomorrow.’

‘Sure.’

‘I think you should have already guessed about Laena Velaryon. There is no bad blood between us and Velaryons now and Corlys and you fought in the war together, but we need to secure their support for Rhaenyra. And if Rhaenyra not only takes Laena under her wing but also helps her secure a good match, they would remember.’

Daemon nodded. Corlys and Rhaenys weren’t the ones to forget: neither bad things nor good ones.

‘Then we have Elinda Massey. She is only three and ten now but she was very devoted to Rhaenyra the last time around so I decided there was no harm in bringing her in sooner. And besides… life is unpredictable, I want Rhaenyra to have a friend to confide in if I’m not here,’ Diane added. She had no intentions of leaving the King’s Landing any time soon, but a small voice in the back of her mind kept whispering that her road in life was always bumpy and full of turns and she hadn’t reached a clear, straight passway just yet.

‘Is she here already? I think I have seen her,’ Daemon asked, trying to remember.

‘Yes, her father and she arrived yesterday. She is already looking at our princess as if she hangs the moon and the stars so with that we are in the clear.’

Daemon couldn’t help but smile, ‘Rhaenyra has such an effect on people, doesn’t she?’

‘Of course. She is called Realm’s Delight for a reason,’ Diane smiled too. ‘Okay, the next one is Ellyn Baratheon. I don’t like Baratheons as a rule but they are a big house and it will be nice to have them on our side. Boremund is still the head of the house, but he will pass away soon most likely, and his son Borros is a miserable man who tries to compensate for his small dick by being a dumb jerk who doesn’t know how to keep his word.’

Daemon snorted, ‘Okay, we don’t like Borros, got it.’

‘Also…’ Diane suddenly stopped again, her face thoughtful. ‘He has four daughters but none of them were wed, even by the time I died. Well, except for the one who was promised to Aemond but only because the Greens were trying to get Baratheon on their side. I wonder why.’ 

‘Well… maybe he wants them to find love?’ Daemon suggested, though even to him this sounded highly unlikely. 

‘Not Borros. He will sell them in a heartbeat for personal benefit which means no one is offering. That’s suspicious, don’t you think? I mean, they are not ugly, they are legitimately born and Baratheon is a big enough house to offer a big dowry so I'm just… confused, I guess. Does everyone else know something we don’t?’

‘Hmm,’ Daemon made a sound. ‘We can pay Misaria to find out. She has been doing a good enough job with the people of King’s Landing, I think she can do that too.’

‘That’s actually a good idea. I’ll pay her a visit in a few days,’ Diane nodded. ‘And the last one is Joanna Lannister.’

Daemon made a face, ‘I don’t like Lannisters.’

‘No one does, but they have money. The last time they sided with the Greens just because Rhaenyra rejected both of the brothers, and they were butthurt about it, so I guess it won’t hurt to do some damage control. And Joanna seems like a nice enough girl for a Lannister so I guess we'll just bear with it.’

‘Eh, fine. As long as neither I nor Rhaenyra have to interact with a slimy one.’

Diane frowned, ‘Aren’t they both slimy?’

‘Well, yes, but the older one is slimier than the other.’

‘Agree to disagree, father. Because Tyland actually sat at the Green Council, and Jason is just… unpleasant to be around.’

‘I see your point,’ Daemon clicked his tongue. ‘Oh, and before I forget, I'm taking Rhaenyra into the city today.’

‘Like right now or…’

‘No, at night. I found clothes for her and I make sure we are not seen, don’t worry,’ Daemon promised because he knew that the last time around he fucked up everything by taking Rhaenyra to a brothel. What the other version of him was thinking was still a mystery to him. He was always reckless, yes, but that had been downright stupid! He would not make the same mistake again.

‘Have fun then,’ Diane smiled. ‘Gods know, Rhaenyra can use a break from all the stuff we are dealing with.’

***

Diane was so done by the time the sun set. She wasn’t used to running quite that many errands to make sure all the new ladies-in-waiting would be comfortable and sufficiently accommodated. She had had busy days, of course, but they mostly included gathering information, or tracking someone down, or - on a particularly good day - killing people. She never did… whatever she did that day. Gods, she needed some rest.

So Diane was walking back to her chambers and decided to save time, going through the inner yard and a few secret passages. That was when she heard the voice calling out for her. It wasn’t loud, but her name sounded clear enough in her head. The voice seemed familiar, but she couldn’t quite remember who it was supposed to belong to.

‘Diane!’ the voice called again, and she looked around trying to find where it was coming from. That was when she saw her.

A woman with brown hair and a warm smile. She looked like she was in her mid-twenties and was wearing a long-sleeved tunic and pants. She looked out of place in Red Keep. But that was understandable. She never belonged here in the first place.

Diane blinked. She couldn’t believe she was seeing what she was seeing. But the woman didn’t disappear. Moreover, she called her name again and stretched out her hand in an invitation.

‘Mum?’ Diane muttered, not quite recognizing her own voice. She didn’t have a lot of memories of her mother, but looking at her now… Gods, she died so young.

‘Yes, my dear. Come, we don’t have a lot of time,’ Iris urged, and Diane didn’t want to question the situation anymore. She crossed the distance between them and let Iris envelop her in a tight hug. It was real. Or maybe it wasn't. But it felt real. And that was enough for now.

‘My little songbird, what a woman you have become,’ Iris said when she leaned back a little. ‘I may not have wished for you to have this fate, but you have your father’s fire. The dragons do not thrive in the cage,’ she stroked Diane's cheek, her gaze full of affection.

‘What- I don’t understand- how are you here?’ Diane asked, grabbing her mother's hand. She couldn’t be here. She looked the same age as when she died. It shouldn’t be possible.

‘Shrykos sent me to you. To guide you. There is an important task destined for you, more important than you may ever deem it to be,’ Iris said, her voice gentle but firm. 

‘Shrykos?’ 

‘She is the Goddess of prophecy, amongst other things. Dear, remember all the stories I told you about Valyrian Gods when you were young? Vhagar was your favorite because she started wars and cut the heads off,’ Iris let out a chuckle. 

‘Yes… but…’ Diane was confused. She knew quite a lot about Old Gods, but she was never much of a believer. She knew why people needed religion and she never denied that there were forces in the world she wasn’t able to understand, but it was never quite… real.

‘They were never just stories, Diane. You know what's the difference between the Valyrian faith and any other religion? Valyrian Gods used to live amongst humans. They weren’t made up, they lived, and breathed, and walked the ground of Valyrian Freehold just like humans. They are real. And they have a task for you.’

‘But how do you know? You were not-’ Diane started but didn’t finish.

‘Not a Valyrian?’ Iris guessed. ‘Well, no. But not all the people from Valyrian Freehold were Valyrains. There were plenty of other people with different heritage. And our family was a part of Valyria for generations before the Doom,’ the woman reached out to touch the necklace on Diane's neck. ‘He got it back, didn’t he? I always knew I chose him right,’ she then looked Diane right in the eyes and said, ‘I'm so sorry, but we are running out of time. I wish I was able to tell you more about your heritage, but Balerion took me from you too early. Gods always have their reasons but- I just wish we had more time.’

‘Wait- you are leaving?’ Diane asked. She didn’t want her to leave. She was confused and had no idea what was going on, but, of course, she wanted her mother to stay. If only for a little bit longer.

Iris smiled but her smile came across a little bit sad, ‘I have to, my little songbird. There is no place for me amongst the living.’

‘But what about- you said I have a task. I don't understand.’

‘You will. One day it will be as clear as day. But for now, listen…’

There were a few seconds of silence, and then Diane could hear quite sobs nearby. 

‘A child is crying,’ she stated.

‘That’s right,’ Iris nodded. ‘Go help him. Sometimes the smallest act of kindness can turn the story around and make sure dragons never dance.’

It was definitely strange wording but, considering the situation, Diane could certainly look past it. So instead, she asked, ‘But what about you? Will I see you again?’

‘Of course, my dear. When Balerion takes your soul, we shall reunite on the other side. But not for a long time. There are so many things in front of you. The good and the bad. But know, whatever happens, whatever you do, I will always love you and be proud of you,’ Iris squeezed her hands tightly. 

‘I love you too,’ Diane answered, and with a whoosh of air Iris’ image disappeared as if she was never there. But Diane still felt the warmth of her mother's hands on her so she knew she had been here.

A child sniffed again somewhere nearby, and Diane took a deep breath to steady himself. She wiped a tear from her cheek and looked around. Her mother wanted her to help whoever was in need, and she was gonna do just that.

Upon further inspection, Diane found a two-year-old boy with white hair quietly sobbing on the other side of the inner yard. It didn’t take much time for her to put a face to a name.

‘Hi there,’ she said, kneeling in front of him. The boy jerked in surprise and focused his watery red eyes on her. ‘You are Aegon, right?’ she asked, and the boy nodded unsurely. ‘What are you doing here so late?’ Diane inquired.

It felt weird to talk to the child who grew up into a man who was responsible for her death. It would be so easy to get rid of him now. No one obviously would have let him go there all by himself so no one knew he was there. She just could… push him off the stairs and everyone would think it was a tragic accident. The Realm would surely mourn him, but then there would be no one to challenge Rhaenyra’s right to the throne. To get rid of him would be so easy…

And yet, Diane didn’t kill kids. It was one rule she never broke. Kids were innocent, they weren’t old enough to be responsible for anything that justified murder. And this Aegon… he wasn’t an awful man who knew no mercy. Not yet at least. He was just a small, scared boy who barely knew his parents because both had better things to do. He didn’t do anything wrong.

Aegon seemed conflicted about whether or not he should answer so Diane added, ‘Promise you won’t get in trouble.’

‘I got lost…’ Aegon muttered, wiping his tears away. ‘I wanted- mommy didn’t wish me night-night.’

‘Oh, you wanted to find her and got lost?’ Diane realized. The boy nodded. ‘That’s okay. You live in a really big castle. I get lost here too sometimes.’

Aegon seemed to perk up at that. ‘What's your name?’ he asked.

‘Diane.’

‘You beautiful.’

Diane let out a laugh despite herself. She always found the little kids adorable. ‘Why, thank you, Prince Aegon. That’s very nice of you.’

The boy beamed at her.

‘Let's get you inside before you get cold,’ Diane then added, and Aegon immediately stretched his hands for his nice new friend to pick him up. The woman chuckled and did just that.

As soon as they were inside, Diane was faced with the question of what the fuck she was supposed to do now. Aegon got occupied with her necklace which gave her time to think. She didn’t know where his rooms were (which, in hindsight, was bad, she would have to change that) so she couldn’t just get him back. She couldn’t take him to her room because she might be accused of kidnapping by one or two Hightowers. She also couldn't trust any random maid or guard she met because it was the middle of the night and Aegon was a Prince. There were plenty of people who would want to hurt him given the chance, and Diane didn’t want to be responsible. That meant she had to drop him off with someone who would know what to do. Daemon and Rhaenyra were out so they were no help. Diane was aware where Alicent's rooms were supposed to be but she wouldn't be caught dead there. Giving Aegon to Otto Hightower was technically an option because the man was his grandfather, after all, but she wouldn’t be able to explain why she walked all the way to the Tower of the Hand.

The idea suddenly sparked in Diane's mind. It was a safe option, she knew how to get there and it would actually benefit her if she played her cards right.

‘Aegon, what do you think about visiting your father?’ she asked with enthusiasm, knowing full well that the boy would most likely mimic her mood. Kids were like that.

‘Dada?’ he asked excitedly. Diane figured Aegon didn’t see much of his father but at least he knew him.

‘Yes.’

The boy eagerly nodded, ‘Dada wish me night-night?’

‘I'm sure he will,’ Diane smiled and started walking in the right direction. ‘And hopefully show us where your room is, for that matter.’

Diane was aware that visiting the King in the late evening without any notice and with his son on her hip was a bold move, but she was never one to back away from the challenge. And besides, she liked shocking people. It made her feel powerful.

Guards at Viserys’ bedchambers were surprised and reluctant to let them in, but as soon as Aegon demanded “I wanna see Dada!” scrambled to open the door. Diane found it almost funny that she was outranked by a two-year-old.

Viserys was doing… something with his model of Old Valyria, but he immediately rose to his feet when Diane walked in. He blinked in confusion when he saw Aegon at her hip.

‘I'm so sorry for the late intrusion, Your Majesty, but I found a little prince wandering the halls and had no idea what else to do,’ she smiled apologetically, trying to look innocent and not like visiting Viserys was somewhat a strategic choice.

‘Oh,’ Viserys made a sound, obviously not sure how to proceed. ‘He must be heavy, please, take a seat,’ he gestured at the chair near him and after a second even pulled it out for her, realizing that Diane's hands were occupied.

‘Thank you,’ the woman made sure to give the King one of her best smiles and sat, putting Aegon in her lap. 

‘You say he was wandering the halls?’ Viserys asked and sat on the other chair.

‘Yes. I found him in one of the inner yards. The poor thing got lost, trying to find a way to his mother,’ Diane explained, carefully removing strands of hair from Aegon's face who was preoccupied with a necklace around her neck. Viserys traced her movements with his eyes.

‘I'm surprised he got that far. I was assured he has supervision at all times,’ the King said. 

‘He might have snuck out. Kids can be really inventive. I know I was,’ Diane chuckled. ‘Father has far too many stories about how I almost gave him a heart attack by suddenly disappearing.’

Viserys smiled, but he looked almost surprised. It was so strange for him to hear about this fatherly side of Daemon he hadn’t known even existed. Sometimes it made the King wonder if he knew his brother at all. Because Daemon never struck him as a family type of man and yet he seemed to have such a close relationship with his daughter that most men could only dream of.

‘But surely not at such a young age.’

‘Oh, you will be surprised.’

‘Dada!’ Aegon exclaimed, suddenly deciding that he wasn’t getting enough attention from the grown-ups. ‘Mommy didn’t wish night-night!’ he added with a genuine concern of a kid. ‘So… so you have to!’

Viserys couldn’t help but chuckle, ‘Is that so?’

‘Yes,’ Aegon nodded eagerly. He couldn’t be expected to go to sleep without a goodnight wish, could he? That would be outrageous!

Viserys got up, walked to his son, and kissed his forehead. That’s when Diane noticed that two fingers on the King’s hand were black and as if rotting from the inside. He hid it well during the day with gloves and such, but there was no need to cover them now because he didn’t expect any visitors.

‘Good night and sweet dreams, Aegon,’ the King said, and the boy beamed at him before snuggling closer to Diane to play more with her necklace. The woman smiled. She found out it was not that hard to separate this adorable child from the monster he grew up to be. ‘I will send for his nursemaid,’ Viserys said, making Diane look up at him. ‘I'm still rather confused about how he got out of his room.’

Diane nodded, and the King called one of his guards to give him orders. Then he sat back on the chair. The silence settled between them. Diane took in the King’s chambers, but then her gaze traveled back to Viserys’ hand. A few seconds later he caught her looking. She didn’t precisely want him to catch her, but she was curious.

‘I would appreciate it if you don’t speak about it to anyone,’ Viserys said, covering his damaged hand. ‘Including your father.’

‘I won't,’ she lied. Daemon and Rhaenyra would find out about it as soon as she saw them tomorrow. ‘But- um- you know, never mind.’

‘What?’ the King asked.

‘It’s just- I have seen it before- doesn’t matter, I’m pretty sure your maester knows better than me what he is doing,’ Diane smiled apologetically.

Take the bait. Take the bait. Take the bait.

‘No, please, go on,’ Viserys encouraged. Apparently, the maester was not doing all that great, considering that the King seemed to be quite interested in what Diane had to say.

‘Well, I spent a big chunk of my childhood in a convent…’

‘I'm sorry… convent?’ Viserys didn’t hide his surprise.

‘Well, it wasn’t what you probably imagined, Your Majesty,’ Diane chuckled. ‘It looked nothing like the convent of the Faith of Seven. They are rather dull. And the one I grew up in… it's more like a community, perhaps. A place of worship for the Old Gods. There is one in Dragonstone, did you know that?’

Viserys was a little bit ashamed to admit that he, in fact, did not know that.

‘There is a local joke that the only thing a monk or a nun of Dragontemple can’t do is have a peaceful day,’ Diane continued. ‘Which is true, I guess. They cure illnesses, look after the injured and the dead, help bring children into the world, grow crops and sell them, feed the poor, look after orphans and so much more. When I lived there, an elderly nun was looking after me. She was my teacher, of sorts. And she was known to be very good at healing so I've seen my fair share of injuries and illnesses.’

‘And you know what this is?’ Viserys asked, raising his left hand.

‘Yes. Nuns and monks called it the Battle Curse. It’s not really-’ Diane adjusted herself and Aegon in a chair. ‘It doesn’t have to come from a battle. But they believe it comes from iron.’

‘Like swords,’ Viserys muttered.

‘And thrones,’ Diane added, confirming that they were thinking the same thing.

‘So how do they treat it? In the convent?’

‘I'm sure your maester is aware of all of those methods,’ Diane said, pretending to be unsure. She had no problem telling him, but she tried to be very careful and not to overstep. The fact that finding Aegon gave her a chance to talk to the King in private without prying eyes was a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And if she made him like her, it might help to keep the King from Hightower's influence.

‘Humor me.’

‘Well, if the infected area is on the legs or arms, it's advised to immediately amputate. If caught early, it might be the cure. But most of the time people pay it no mind until it’s too late and infection moves to other parts of the body you can no longer just get rid of,’ Diane explained. ‘When it happens, it’s less about curing and more about managing the disease. Battle Curse kills slowly. With the proper treatment, you can live decades and pass away relatively peacefully. I've tended to the woman in a late stage. I believe she was fifty or so at the time. She caught it when she was a mere kid and managed to live her life to its fullest and even carry a bunch of healthy children before the illness got the best of her.’

‘I… see,’ Viserys said, deep in thought. 

‘I'm sure your maester knows all about it,’ Diane smiled.

‘No.’

‘No?’ her surprise was genuine. She didn’t like maesters because most of them were proven to be pompous jerks, but she always believed them to be if not smart then at least educated.

‘The way he approaches my illness… all new ideas and innovative approaches. It doesn’t give me much confidence. He is discreet, I can give him that, but I'm not sure he knows what he is doing in this particular case,’ Viserys sighed.

Diane did a fast math in her head. In this timeline she left the Dragontemple around a year ago which meant Kaerinna - the woman who looked after her - was supposed to still be alive. Diane wasn’t sure when exactly she died, she just knew when she came to visit the convent in 125 AC, she was already dead.

‘Perhaps I can write to my acquaintance in Dragontemple,’ Diane offered, making Viserys look at her. ‘And ask for instructions. If my memory doesn’t deceive me, all the remedies required are quite easy to make. It will be discreet, of course, and I won’t give any names.’

The King seemed hesitant for a few seconds but then nodded, ‘I might as well try it. Whatever Mellos is doing clearly doesn’t work.’

‘I'll get on it first thing in the morning,’ Diane promised. 

Viserys looked at her for a few seconds and then said with a ghost of a smile on his lips, ‘You seem to have a way with kids.’

Diane looked down and realized that Aegon had fallen asleep in her arms, clutching her necklace. ‘The adult conversation bored him right to sleep,’ she couldn’t help but chuckle, raising her eyes to meet Viserys’. He was looking at her… differently. She knew that look. She didn’t know if she liked it. When she thought about getting close to the King, she didn’t quite have that in mind.

Diane couldn't give it much more thought though because the doors suddenly burst open and Alicent stormed in. Diane instinctively wrapped her hands tightly around Aegon. Not like she thought the Queen was a threat, but she didn’t want to let her wake a poor boy up either. He had enough adventure for the evening.

‘Where is he?’ Alicent demanded but was immediately shooshed by Viserys who rose to his feet.

‘Aegon is alright. Sound asleep, actually,’ the King reassured his wife.

Alicent looked at Diane and only now seemed to take in the whole scene before her. Viserys and Daemon’s daughter had been conversing over the model of Old Valyria with Aegon asleep in Diane's arms. Alicent's face changed. She schooled her features back into the look of worry very fast, but Diane knew the anger when she saw one. This whole situation seemed to rub the Queen the wrong way, and Diane would lie if she said she didn’t like it.

Viserys relayed the story of how Diane found Aegon to Alicent and asked whether she knew what happened. Apparently, the nursemaid who was looking after the little prince was so tired that she put him to bed and almost immediately fell asleep, and Aegon sneaked past her soon after. Diane even felt bad for the consequences this poor woman might now face.

‘Thank you for taking care of my son, Diane,’ Alicent said through gritted teeth because it was expected of her.

‘Wasn’t a hardship at all, Your Majesty. And it’s Lady Diane,’ Diane gave her one of her sickly sweet smiles. She didn’t care much about titles as a rule but she knew Alicent didn’t like the fact that she was an illegitimate daughter and became an heir to Dragonstone nonetheless, so she could and would rub it in her face every chance she got just for the fun of it.

‘Yes, of course, Lady Diane,’ the Queen said, grinding her teeth. ‘I will take Aegon to bed now.’

Diane nodded and got up, carefully transferring a sleeping boy into his mother's arms. As soon as she did that, Alicent left with him, too pissed off to realize that she left Diane and her husband alone again.

‘I shall take my leave now, but I'll get back to you when I hear back from Dragontemple,’ Diane turned to the King.

Viserys nodded and proceeded to escort her to the door, but before she was able to walk out, he added, ‘It was a pleasure talking to you this evening.’

Diane gave him one of her best smiles, ‘I assure you, Your Majesty, pleasure was all mine.’

Chapter Text

Rhaenyra woke up to Daemon kissing her shoulder and smiled. Their last night's adventure was exciting! They had so much fun, ate and drank, and even saw a street play that was supposed to ridicule Targaryens but was surprisingly favorable towards her character. Daemon looked all too smug about it, so Rhaenyra figured he had something to do with it but didn’t ask. After that, they came back to the castle, and Daemon let her stay the night in his rooms. They even did this interesting position when she was on top of him sucking him off while he pleased her at the same time. It wasn’t the most comfortable position, and Rhaenyra had a hard time focusing on what she was doing because Daemon’s tongue was doing sinful things to her, but it was fun nonetheless.

‘Good morning, my love,’ Daemon whispered, and Rhaenyra felt that he was smiling. She turned and snuggled closer into his chest. She wasn’t ready to get up just yet. ‘As much as I don’t want you to leave, it’s already dawn.’

Rhaenyra made a displeased sound. ‘That’s unfair.’

‘I know,’ Daemon chuckled, burying his nose in her hair. ‘But not for long. We will be married soon and no one would dare to say anything against me keeping you in our bed for days on end.’

‘Oh, that reminds me,’ Rhaenyra finally opened her eyes, more or less awake. ‘Are we going to spend our honeymoon here or…’

‘You want to travel?’ 

‘I would really love that,’ she smiled. ‘Just for a little while. Before we have to go back to playing politics and trying to ensure I get the throne.’

‘I think we can do that, yes,’ Daemon agreed. ‘I don’t believe anything will drastically change if we are gone for a month or two. Any specific place you have in mind?’

‘No, not really. It was just a thought.’

‘Then let me surprise you, my little dragon,’ Daemon smiled, kissing his future wife. ‘And I also wanted to tell you…’

‘Mhm?’

‘We don’t have to try and have kids as soon as we are married.’

Rhaenyra frowned at that so Daemon rushed to elaborate, ‘What I mean is, if you want to, we can. Or if it happens, it happens. But I just wanted to say that there is no rush. I meant what I said about you deciding when and how many kids you want to have.’

Rhaenyra kept quiet for a few seconds, obviously contemplating his words. ‘I want to have kids with you,’ she finally said. ‘I don’t know how many. Maybe one, maybe a dozen. It will depend on how my first pregnancy goes. I witnessed what it did to my mother, and I don’t want to repeat her fate.’

Daemon nodded. He understood and fully supported her. He would never choose the possibility of an heir over Rhaenyra as his brother did over his wife. No, Daemon was here in the role of physical and emotional support, and it was Rhaenyra who would have a final say on the matters regarding their children.

‘I won't be sad if I fell pregnant on our wedding night,’ Rhaenyra continued. ‘But I also won’t be sad if I don’t. I don't mind waiting a few years to have kids, actually. I'm sure we will find something else to occupy ourselves,’ she smiled.

‘So… we will leave it for the Gods to decide?’

Rhaenyra nodded, feeling happy that Daemon and she had an understanding on that matter. It was important to her that she would be seen not only as a tool to produce heirs but as a person and a future Queen. And a labor bed could wait for her for a few years if the Gods so wished.

There was a knock on the secret door.

‘I hope you both are decent because I need to talk to you,’ Diane's voice sounded from the other side, and then she walked in. ‘I visited the King in his chambers last night,’ she said immediately, making Daemon choke on air.

‘I'm sorry, you what?’ Rhaenyra asked because… what?

Diane quickly explained everything that happened last night, except for the fact that she talked to her late mother. It sounded too insane even in her head so she decided to sit on this information for now. Not like it would cause any harm, right?

‘So he is… ill and hiding it? That’s what you are saying?’ Daemon asked when she finished.

‘Yes. I was aware he died from some illness, but I had no idea it was the Battle Curse. I wrote to the Dragontemple this morning to see if there is something they can help with. Without mentioning Viserys, of course.’

‘Well, it’s not too bad, is it?’ Rhaenyra asked. ‘If you say we can treat it.’

‘There is no cure but if it is managed wisely, he could live decades with it,’ Diane explained and then added, ‘But I didn't tell you any of that. So act like you are still in blissful ignorance.’

Daemon sighed and got up, ‘Sure. But what it tells us is that Mellos is quite shit at healing people.’

‘Wasn’t that obvious? He let my mother die,’ Rhaenyra muttered. 

Daemon and Diane looked at each other. ‘I'm gonna find us someone else,’ he then said with determination in his voice.

‘What do you mean?’ Rhaenyra asked, climbing out of bed. 

‘We need someone who we can trust to heal us if we are injured and treat us when we are sick,’ Daemon picked a pair of pants from a chair and walked out into another room to change while Diane was helping Rhaenyra out with her dress. ‘Because I don’t trust Mellos or anyone in the castle for that matter to not treat us to death.’

‘You have someone in mind?’ Diane asked, lacing Rhaenyra’s dress on her back while the princess was trying to smooth her hair out at least a little.

‘Maybe. I haven't seen her in a decade but it’s worth a shot,’ Daemon answered from another room.

‘Do I look fine?’ Rhaenyra asked, looking in the mirror. She didn’t want anyone to suspect that she didn’t spend the night in her rooms. Even though Daemon and she were betrothed, it still could cause a scandal if someone suspected they didn’t wait till their wedding night.

‘Decent enough for breakfast. We will change the outfit and everything before Velaryons arrive.’

Daemon walked back into the bedroom, fully clothed. ‘I'm gonna go pick something from the kitchen and then go for a ride. I should be back by the evening, so I'll see you then?’ he asked Rhaenyra who nodded with a smile. ‘Have fun with your new ladies-in-waiting. Love you,’ he pecked her on the lips.

‘Love you too.’

Daemon smiled and walked out of his chambers. Rhaenyra turned to Diane.

‘You look suspiciously too happy this early in the morning,’ she commented teasingly. 

Rhaenyra snorted but tried to make her features behave. ‘Better now?’

‘Eh, fine. Come on now, let's get back and ask for breakfast because I'm starving .’

***

Velaryons arrived a little bit after midday. Rhaenyra and Diane went out to meet them, and after a brief conversation with Corlys and Rhaenys, it was obvious they appreciated Rhaenyra taking Laena as her lady-in-waiting. Ever since Viserys didn’t choose Laena as his second wife (even though Diane held a very strong opinion that the girl was better off for it), there was some tension between the families, but Rhaenyra hoped they could start repairing some bridges now. Laena was sweet and seemed genuinely excited to take on the new role so the princess hoped everything would work out just fine.

Diane was on her best behavior, all smiles and pleasantries, and Rhaenyra could see that Laena liked her already. Corlys remembered Diane from the Stepstones and didn’t care much for her which was also not bad. Rhaenys, on the other hand, seemed a little wary at first because most of the nobility weren’t used to bastards being legitimized and were quite unsure how to approach the situation. But then Laenor struck up a conversation with Diane about something (apparently, Laenor and she were corresponding, and Rhaenyra had no idea about it), and Rhaenys slightly warmed up to her.

After a bit of small talk and Velaryons congratulating Rhaenyra on her engagement, Diane looped her hand around Laena's elbow as if they were friends forever and tugged her to meet other ladies-in-waiting. 

‘You seem surprisingly content with her,’ Rhaenys noted when Corlys took Laenor to talk with some old acquaintance and they were left alone.

‘I'm sorry?’ Rhaenyra asked, not really understanding what she was talking about.

‘Diane,’ Rhaenys clarified. ‘She is the daughter of your future husband who was born in his affair during his first marriage, and yet you not only took her as your lady-in-waiting but also hold no resentment towards her. It’s… surprising.’

‘Frankly, I don’t see anything surprising, Lady Rhaenys,’ Rhaenyra answered. ‘The circumstances of her birth are not something Diane had an influence on, and the mutual resentment between Daemon and Lady Rhea was a well-known thing.’

Rhaenys hummed, ‘But he made her his heir. Officially. Doesn’t it bother you?’

‘Not in the slightest. On the contrary, the fact that Daemon cares so much about his daughter reassures me. It shows me that all children we might have will be equally loved by him.’

Not like Rhaenyra doubted it before, but seeing Daemon being a good father day after day made the princess want to give him many more children than just one or two.

‘Very mature words, Rhaenyra,’ Rhaenys said with a small smile tugging on her lips. She was clearly impressed. ‘You never cease to amaze me.’

***

It was a little bit later that Rhaenyra went to find Diane. She had excused herself a while ago while Rhaenyra had been talking to her other ladies-in-waiting and hadn’t come back since. The princess knew that Diane was probably fine and just got held back doing something but she still was a little bit worried because the last time Diane abruptly disappeared, they ended up with the body of Criston Cole on their hands. So yes, Rhaenyra just wanted to check on her just in case.

She found her in her rooms. The door was slightly ajar as if Diane had been in a hurry and accidentally didn’t close it all the way.

‘Hey, I just wanted…’ Rhaenyra started but choked on her own words. The room looked like a battlefield. Overthrown furniture, broken glass on the floor, things scattered around as if they were thrown. Diane was leaning heavily on one of the bedposts at the foot of her bed, her back turned to the door, her breathing jerky and interrupted by sobs. ‘Oh Gods, what happened?’ Rhaenyra rushed to her.

Diane shook her head, ‘N- nothing. Nothing, I'm fine.’

‘You are clearly not,’ the princess said, carefully touching Diane's shoulder. ‘Please, talk to me. What's the matter? Are you hurt?’

‘No, no, it’s not that-’ Diane muttered, clearly trying to get her breathing under control but not being able to. Frankly, it was slightly terrifying. Rhaenyra had never seen her like that. ‘It’s just- she is so much like her- I didn’t expect her to be so much like her-’

‘Who?’

‘Laena.’

‘I'm sorry, I want to understand but I'm lost,’ Rhaenyra said sincerely. Laena and Diane seemed to hit it off, she couldn’t understand what could have warranted this.

Diane pushed herself off the bedpost, absently wiping tears from her cheeks. ‘I'm- I didn’t think it would be a problem,’ she then said, and Rhaenyra could see that she was trying very hard to control her breathing and not break down into sobs again. ‘And I’m annoyed with myself that it is. But I just- it's so unfair-’ Diane put a fist to her nose and took one long, shaky breath. ‘Sorry, I probably don’t make much sense.’

‘It’s okay, take your time. Whatever you need,’ Rhaenyra immediately assured her. 

Diane exhaled so hard as if breathing caused her pain and sat on the bed, inviting the princess to join her. ‘Remember you asked me about a special someone?’ she then asked.

Rhaenyra immediately nodded, ‘A girl we don’t talk about.’

That made Diane let out a sad chuckle. ‘Yeah… well, I guess- no time like the present,’ she said. ‘Her name is- was- would have been Rhaena. And she was the light of my life. She was- I guess, she was to me what you are to my father. The person I would burn cities for…’

The pain in Diane's voice was making Rhaenyra’s heart clench so she reached out to hold her friend's hand in support. She knew she couldn’t take her pain away but it didn’t mean she shouldn’t try.

‘And now I am here. And I know I have to be here, that it’s the right thing, the right path, a chance to save our family from all the horrors we endured- but it means she is out of my reach. Forever. And there is not a single thing I could do to change that.’

‘But what does it have to do with Laena?’ Rhaenyra asked because the facts in her head weren't quite connecting, and she wanted to fully understand to be able to support her friend properly.

‘Rhaena was the daughter of Laena and my father.’

‘Oh,’ the princess made a sound. Well, now everything clicked. So the love of Diane’s life wasn’t dead, she apparently never existed in the first place. And for some reason, Rhaenyra felt like it was worse.

‘My half-sister, I suppose. It does indeed run in the family,’ Diane muttered. ‘And I just-’ she squeezed the princess’ hand. ‘I can’t let her go. Even though I know I have to, but I- I don’t have anything to remember her by, except my own memories. And the last thing I remember is her crying and begging guards to not take me away. I-’ she took a shaky breath. ‘This world never knew her and it never will. And how can I mourn someone who never existed?’ Diane's voice broke on the last word. 

‘I'm so, so sorry,’ Rhaenyra hugged her, and Diane broke down crying again. It felt like all the feelings she had been bottling up since she had come back in time burst free.

Rhaenyra couldn’t even begin to comprehend how Diane felt. So instead she just hugged her tighter because that was something she could do. They stayed like that for a while. 

When Diane managed to calm down, she leaned back a little and opened her mouth to say something, but Rhaenyra interrupted her, ‘Don’t you dare apologize. There is nothing wrong with needing comfort.’

Diane closed her mouth and nodded, a small smile tugging on her lips. ‘Thank you for being there for me,’ she said instead.

‘Always. We are family, aren’t we?’ the princess smiled. ‘Now, you know what might help you?’

‘What?’

‘Alcohol!’ Rhaenyra declared cheerfully, making Diane chuckle. ‘Where do you hide your stash of booze?’

‘What makes you think I have one?’

‘Daemon has one. I'm pretty sure you do too.’

Diane looked at the princess for a few seconds and then sighed dramatically. ‘Fine, yes, I do have it,’ she got up. ‘Any particular preferences, my princess?’

‘We can start with wine if you have it.’

‘Start…’ Diane mused, and then a mischievous smile appeared on her lips. ‘I like the way you think. Give me just one second.’

Chapter Text

Falley Hills hasn’t changed much since Daemon was there the last time. The same trees, the same river, the same houses. It felt like time stopped in this small village that was only on half of Westeros' maps. It was the same as Daemon remembered. He didn’t remember the trip there being almost four hours though but then again he usually traveled with Caraxes and not by horse. This time, however, he didn’t want to draw any attention to his whereabouts. If everything went smoothly, he would be back at the Red Keep before midnight and everyone would be none the wiser where he had been.

Villagers spotted him almost as soon as he rode into the village. They didn’t approach him, didn’t even say anything, but Daemon knew they were looking. He knew they knew who he was. They probably even figured out who he was there to see. People from small villages never forget faces, not in ten years at least, and surely not the face of a person who used to bring his dragon with him all the time.

Daemon saw the house he was looking for after a few turns. The uncomfortable sense of dread settled somewhere inside his chest. He knew there was no danger there, but facing memories was terrifying. A part of him wanted to just flee this small village and never come back, but Daemon told it to shut up. He had a task to do, and it was important. Surely memories can’t be scarier than a fight with the Crabfeeder.

‘Daemon?’ the voice called, and he stopped the horse. An old woman was standing near her fence with her eyes narrowed slightly as if she was trying to see his face more clearly. ‘Is it really you, my dear, or am I becoming senile? At my age, it won’t be even surprising.’

That made Daemon chuckle. ‘Yes, it’s really me, Azea,’ he jumped off his horse and went to her. ‘It is good to see you.’

‘I don’t see you quite clearly just yet, let me,’ Azea went around the fence and took his face in her hands when she reached him. ‘That’s better. You've changed a lot since the last time I've seen you.’

‘And you haven't changed a bit.’

Azea laughed, ‘I know you are lying. I grew old, but that’s just the way of life,’ she patted him on the shoulder. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘I need to talk to Haisa. Is she still living…’

‘Oh, yes,’ the old woman answered. ‘I know she planned to move but since Iris was gone… she didn’t want to leave that house. Well, you understand.’

Daemon didn’t. Theoretically, of course, he could guess the reasoning behind it, but… when Iris died, he fled and refused to come back because it was just so painful to see and walk the streets they once walked together. He couldn’t imagine how Haisa could bear to stay in the same house for ten years. But people grieve differently, he supposed.

‘Anyway, I’m not going to hold you longer. She is probably already waiting for you. News travels fast here.’

‘Yes, I remember,’ Daemon gave her a small smile. ‘I'll stop by again before I leave.’

Haisa's house was two houses away from Azea's so it wasn't a long walk. And when Daemon approached it, the woman was already standing in the doorway. Her dark brown hair got longer since the last time Daemon saw her, and she gained a bunch of wrinkles. She must have been around forty if he remembered correctly. She was wearing a plain brown dress and cleaning her hands with a towel.

When Daemon stepped past the fence, their eyes met. 

‘Do something… Haisa, do something!’

‘I'm so sorry… I can’t- she- she is gone…’

The memories can indeed be scarier than the Crabfeeder.

‘I thought I would never see you again,’ Haisa said with a small smile on her lips. ‘Come on in, I'll find us something to drink.’

Daemon nodded but it was easier said than done. Because she wasn’t there anymore.

He screamed. He cried. He begged the Gods not to take her away. 

He felt like the walls were crumbling around him, and he oh so wished they actually did. Because he did everything he could. He spent a small fortune, he asked Mellos for a favor, he got a medicine that was supposed to help her… and he couldn’t save her anyway.

The house inside didn’t change much. And yet it was completely different somehow. There were no children’s toys lying around anymore. Diane grew up, and Haisa’s kids did too.

‘I know I said I will visit-’ Daemon started, but Haisa shook her head gently.

‘It’s okay, Daemon. I knew you were lying.’

That made him feel a little better. He wasn’t the one to usually feel guilty about things but that was still a relief.

‘Have Gale tried to get in contact or…’

‘No. I suppose if you threaten a man to feed him to a dragon, it scares him away for good,’ Haisa poured two cups of something and offered one to Daemon. He took it. ‘Brandy,’ she said. ‘I thought you might want something stronger than wine.’

‘Thanks,’ he answered, taking a sip. The whole situation seemed awkward, and Daemon didn’t know who was precisely at fault: him, Haisa, or both of them. Iris was the reason they met, she was one of the few things they actually had in common, and without her here… Daemon felt out of place. He probably was out of place. Days when he belonged here were long gone.

Haisa observed him for a few seconds and then said, ‘Why are you here? Is it about Diane?’

‘No- partially, maybe.’

‘Is she well?’

‘Oh, yes, yes, she is,’ Daemon rushed to assure Haisa, only now realizing how his arrival might look after ten years. ‘She is in King's Landing. Safe and - I want to believe - happy.’

‘I heard you legitimized her,’ Haisa took a sip of whiskey. ‘Everyone heard. You raised the bar.’

Daemon frowned, ‘I did?’

‘Oh, don’t sound so surprised. The bar for fathers of bastards was always on the ground. If you admit they exist and give them at least a little bit of money, you are considered an exceptionally good father. And you made her your heir, Daemon. Not everyone was even aware noblemen could do that.’

‘Stepped on a few throats here, didn’t I?’ he chuckled. ‘Took away their excuse.’

‘That you did, yeah,’ Haisa chuckled and then invited him to sit on the kitchen table. ‘Will it last?’ she then asked.

‘What?’

‘Diane being your heir. Everyone knows you are to marry the princess. And she is young, you most likely will have sons.’

‘Yes. But it doesn’t change anything.’

‘No?’ Haisa sounded mildly surprised.

‘No. Diane is the Lady of Dragonstone, she will inherit it after me and her kids after her if she decides to have any. She is my firstborn, Haisa. The circumstances of her birth do not matter. She won’t be overlooked.’

‘I was skeptical, you know,’ Haisa said after a few seconds of silence. ‘When Iris brought you here the first time. You were a kid…’

‘I was five and ten,’ Daemon interjected.

‘You were a kid,’ Haisa insisted. ‘You both were. And you were ridiculously smitten with her.’

Daemon chuckled at the memory, ‘Can you blame me? She wasn’t afraid of my dragon.’

‘Really? That was the most important thing?’ Haisa couldn’t help but laugh.

‘Back then yes, it was pretty darn important! I’ve just claimed Caraxes and even I myself was still slightly wary of him. And she asked if she could pet him! And he let her!’ Daemon laughed too. It was probably the first time the memories of Iris made him laugh. He had told Rhaenyra that he let her go and that was the truth, but it didn’t mean her death didn’t hurt him anymore. It was just so random, so pointless, as if the Gods decided to laugh at him.

‘Have you ever… talked about it?’

Daemon didn’t understand the question at first, ‘About what?’

‘About the way she wanted to go.’

He just stared at Haisa with red-rimmed eyes, his expression blank. He just had so much on his mind. He had a daughter who was barely six years old and he had to somehow tell her about her mother's death. He was only four and twenty years old and already a widower… well, almost. He would have been a widower if they were married. But they weren’t because his brother had stubbornly refused to grant him an annulment of a marriage Daemon never wanted.

‘Funeral, Daemon,’ Haisa said, bringing him back from the thought spiral. ‘I'm asking if you talked about it.’

‘No. No, of course, we didn’t. Fuck,’ he got up abruptly, ruffling his hair, and then added with a whisper, ‘We were supposed to grow old together.’

Haisa sobbed, and it was obvious she was trying to be the stoic one, but it wasn't working. It took her a few long moments to pull herself together and then she said, ‘Falley Hills has a priest, we can…’

‘No,’ he cut her off. ‘She despised the Faith of Seven, we can’t-’ he took a shaky breath. ‘We will give her a funeral in the traditions of my house. She would have got it if she was my wife.’

‘I thought you would bail,’ Haisa said, pouring more whiskey into their cups. ‘When Iris wrote to me that she was pregnant.’

‘I would have never. But I was scared out of my mind. I wasn’t even eight and ten, I had no idea how to be a parent. I kind of panicked, and Iris had to comfort me which was… well, not my best moment,’ Daemon chuckled. 

‘She wasn’t panicking?’

‘Not really. She was worried but- I don’t know. Maybe it was because she was older, but I don’t think two years make this much of a difference.’

‘Did you want a child?’ Haisa asked. ‘Or did you just take responsibility?’

‘I wanted a child. I mean, when I stopped panicking and actually thought about it, I got excited. And when Diane was born… I don’t know how to explain it. But when a midwife handed her to me, my whole world changed,’ he smiled.

‘I know what you mean. I felt this way with each one of my children. They were little perfections even though their father was everything but.’

Daemon didn’t know how to do it. “Dracarys” was such a simple word. He just had to say it. He just had to say it, and Caraxes would do the rest. But he just… the word stuck in his throat. He couldn’t- He couldn’t do it.

‘Daemon-’ Haisa's hand touched his shoulder. ‘You have to say it.’

‘I know.’

‘Caraxes won’t listen to anyone else.’

‘I know, I can’t-’ he took a shaky breath and looked at the sky. Gods, why was it this hard?

There were footsteps behind him. He would later figure it was Azea leading Diane to him by hand. His daughter didn’t say anything when she approached, she just hugged his waist tightly. Daemon tried his best not to cry, hugging Diane with his right hand.

Caraxes was sitting on top of the hill, waiting patiently for his command, and Daemon couldn’t say it. He knew he had to but he physically couldn’t. 

Suddenly Diane's voice sounded, ‘Dracarys!’

It was loud and as confident as a child could master. She knew her father couldn’t do it so she decided to do it for him. Caraxes shuffled a little and then breathed fire, engulfing Iris’ body in flames.

Daemon let out a sob and picked Diane up, hugging her close to his chest and letting her hide her face in his neck. She was stronger than him. His daughter was the most precious thing he had in the world, and he vowed to make sure she always knew that.

They were into their second bottle when Daemon said, ‘You do know I asked for annulment, right?’

Haisa blinked at him, ‘No. No, actually, I didn’t.’

Daemon shrugged, ‘Three times. Once when we found out she was pregnant with Diane, and then twice after my brother became the King. I didn't hold much hope when I asked Jaehaerys but with Viserys… I suppose I still hold a grudge.’

‘You are free now.’

‘I am.’

‘You are going to be King.’

‘King Consort,’ Daemon corrected her. ‘But yes.’

‘Do you love her? Or is this a political move?’ 

‘Why are you asking?’

Haisa shrugged, ‘I'm curious, I guess. You have always been an enigma to me, Daemon. You never do what I expect you to do.’

Daemon shook his head with a chuckle and then said, ‘I love Rhaenyra. Truly. No political play, no scheming, no nothing. I just want her. After Iris died, I thought I would never love again. I loved my daughter and that seemed like enough vulnerability for a lifetime, but Rhaenyra… She makes me feel alive again, whole again. I believe she is the one for me.’

Haisa observed him for a few seconds and then stated, ‘There is fire in your eyes again.’

‘It has always been there.’

‘Oh no, it used to be. And then it dimmed. I don't know if she was the one who reignited it or you found it along the way, but that doesn’t matter. She is the reason why it is burning. I think I like her already.’

Daemon saw the opening and took it, ‘That’s why I'm here, actually. The things in Red Keep are not… completely in favor of the princess right now. There are only a few people I can fully trust, and none of them is skilled at medicine. I came here to offer you a job as our healer.’

Haisa's eyes widened, ‘You are… you are kidding, right?’

‘No, not at all,’ Daemon leaned on the table. ‘Healing others has always been your calling, and, even after ten years, I assume it still is. You will be staying at Red Keep, I'll pay you every moon whether or not we use your services and make sure you have any materials you need. Your kids can come with you, of course. If you have any other requirements, I'll do my best to meet them.’

Haisa looked at him in silence for a minute or two. Despite him starting to feel quite uncomfortable, Daemon stayed silent as well, letting the woman think about his offer and decide for herself.

‘I suppose it’s time for me to let go as well,’ Haisa finally said, her gaze traveling around the house. ‘Levi and Faith are old enough to fend for themselves. I taught them well, they can stay on their own now. And Bianca always wanted to see King's Landing,’ she mused and then looked back at Daemon. ‘I tell you what, give me three days. To pack the things up and everything, and then I will join you.’

Daemon smiled, ‘Thank you, Haisa. Truly. There is no one I would rather trust with the health of my family.’

***

When Daemon returned to the Red Keep, it was already dark so he went straight to Rhaenyra's rooms. Even before he opened the door, he heard laughing and chatting coming from inside her chambers so he waited a minute or two before he made sure that Diane and Rhaenyra were alone there, and only then entered.

‘Daemon!’ Rhaenyra immediately smiled and got up to meet him, tripping over her own legs a few seconds later. He caught her in his arms, and the princess giggled, for some reason finding the fact that she almost met the hard floor exceptionally funny. ‘Sorry.’

It took him a second to realize. Gods, she was drunk. Really, really drunk.

‘I warned you against sharp movements,’ Diane's voice sounded from the bed. She was lying on her stomach, a bottle in hand, and her gaze was unfocused enough to tell Daemon she was drunk too, even though she seemed to handle the alcohol better than his wife-to-be.

‘What is the occasion?’ Daemon asked, smiling. 

‘Nothing. We just felt like day drinking,’ Rhaenyra slurred slightly, clutching to Daemon’s clothes so as not to sway.

‘It’s already dark, my little dragon.’

Rhaenyra looked honestly surprised when she glanced out of the window, then she looked back at him and seriously said, ‘We just felt like night drinking.’

Daemon laughed and led Rhaenyra back to her bed. There were a few bottles around the bed and a dozen plates on the bed, nightstands, and floor with half-eaten food. And if food might be the courtesy of the servants, the alcohol was most likely supplied by his daughter. His girls were definitely having fun without him. Daemon wondered if all the alcohol came from Diane's stash or if they snooped and also found his because he could swear he had the same bottle of wine.

‘How was your trip, father?’ Diane asked, scooting over so Daemon and Rhaenyra could both climb on the bed.

‘I'll tell you tomorrow,’ he answered, reaching out to take a bottle out of her hands. ‘When all of us are sober,’ Daemon added before drinking right out of the bottle. Both Rhaenyra and Diane were rather far away in their drinking journey, he had to really put an effort to catch up.

Chapter Text

‘Are you sure this is a good idea?’ Rhaenyra asked, doing her best to try and hide her nervousness.

‘For the fifth time, yes,’ Diane said, but her tone was fond. She understood why Rhaenyra struggled but that had to be done. A few acts of kindness might ensure her position much better than the countless political schemes Diane and Daemon had up their sleeves. Was it precisely crucial to their success? Not really. Would it help them out in the long run? Most likely.

‘But they don't know me…’

‘They are still young enough to want to know you. That’s an opportunity you shouldn’t miss out on,’ Diane insisted, pushing Rhaenyra in the right direction.

To give the proper credit, the idea first came from Daemon when he found out Diane went to visit Aegon and Helaena a few times after she found the little prince in the inner yard that night. So he figured if Diane already did that, she could take Rhaenyra with her so that the princess got a chance to get to know her siblings and - what was more important - her siblings got to know her.

‘It’s harder to convince a person to usurp the throne if they actually love their sister,’ Daemon pointed out, and Rhaenyra knew he was right. They were playing a long game here, and she had to play her part.

Aegon noticed their arrival as soon as they entered the room and immediately ran to Diane with the happiest smile he was capable of. She laughed and picked him up with ease, letting Aegon bubble about what he did today and how much he missed her.

Rhaenyra was impressed by not only how fast Diane seemed to build a relationship with Aegon but also by the fact she was able to put her grudge aside. Rhaenyra didn’t remember the horrors of the war and her death so it would be much easier for her. But Diane lived through it, suffered through it, and still found a place in her heart to care for a child who once grew up to kill her.

‘I want you to meet someone,’ Diane said, and Aegon immediately looked in the direction of Rhaenyra.

‘Her?’ he pointed and asked. Rhaenyra couldn’t help but smile. Diane was right, the boy was precious. If the princess didn’t think too hard about who his parents were, of course.

‘Yes. That’s your sister Rhaenyra.’

‘Hi, Aegon,’ the princess smiled a little bit awkwardly. She didn’t have a lot of experience with kids and wasn't quite sure how she was supposed to behave herself.

Aegon frowned at her and then said, ‘My sister small.’

Oh.

They didn’t tell him about her. No one told him he had an older sister even though he was old enough to understand. The princess could bet that was somewhat intentional. 

‘Yes. But you have two sisters,’ Diane said cheerfully. She seemed unfazed but Rhaenyra could see in her eyes that she came to the same conclusion. ‘The little one is Helaena. She is over there,’ Diane slightly turned to show Aegon a baby in the hands of a nursemaid. ‘And the older one is Rhaenyra. She is right here. And she is very excited to be your new friend,’ Diane turned them back so Aegon could face the princess again.

‘Friend!’ the boy exclaimed. ‘I like making friends,’ he declared, stretching his hands to Rhaenyra. 

‘I think he wants you to hold him,’ Diane said with a small smile. ‘Are you up for it?’

‘Sure, okay,’ Rhaenyra nodded, and Diane handed Aegon to her. The boy immediately wiggled, put his hands on Rhaenyra’s cheeks, and said in an expert tone, ‘You pretty.’

The princess let out a laugh. ‘You too, Aegon.’

‘Really?’ the boy’s eyes lightened up. 

‘Really.’

‘Most Targaryens are quite attractive. I think it’s a family thing,’ Diane commented thoughtfully. She had seen portraits all around Red Keep and, of course, those weren’t very accurate images, but there is only so much an artist could do if the person posing for a portrait is ugly. She was also aware that she always was objectively attractive, even when she was older and her body was marred with scars, let alone now. The same went for Daemon and Rhaenyra. Even Viserys… she could kind of see that. He obviously didn’t care much for his looks because he was the King and everyone respected him anyway, but if he did… Diane could see a possibility of her even being genuinely attracted to him. Maybe. Probably. 

Aegon started bubbling to Rhaenyra about something and after a few minutes, her initial awkwardness disappeared. Maybe Diane was right and getting to know her siblings wouldn’t be as hard as Rhaenyra imagined.

Daemon smiled, standing in the doorway and looking at his girls interacting with the kids. He had thought about joining them but then decided against it. They were probably better people than he was because he had a very hard time separating this child from the monster he grew up to be. In another timeline, Aegon was the reason both Rhaenyra and Diane lost their lives, and Daemon couldn’t just let it go. So he kept his distance. Maybe with time, he would be able to warm up to these kids but not today. And not like them being on good terms with him mattered much. The plan was to make Aegon and Helaena love Rhaenyra so it would be harder to persuade them to betray her in the future, and Rhaenyra seemed to be doing a pretty good job. His participation in this particular part of their plan didn’t seem quite that crucial.

Daemon wasn’t sure how long he stood in the doorway, but suddenly he was not alone there. 

‘Brother,’ he nodded in a form of acknowledgment, and Viserys nodded back. What was his brother doing here in the middle of the day? Daemon didn’t think him to be a very involved father. He certainly hadn’t been when Rhaenyra was a child. She literally found out who Uncle Daemon was before who her father was! That wasn’t something Daemon understood and it was probably one of the reasons why he tried to be there for Diane as frequently as he could since she had been born. He didn’t want to be a stranger to his own child, for Gods’ sake!

‘I overheard the maids talking about Rhaenyra visiting her siblings. Wanted to see for myself,’ Viserys explained, even though Daemon didn’t ask. 

At that moment Rhaenyra, imitating a dragon's roar, used a toy to smash a tower made of bricks that buried a few human figurines under the wreckage. Aegon laughed and started clapping. 

Apparently, all Targaryen children are bloodthirsty, Daemon though absently. When Diane was a kid, she didn’t deem a bedtime story to be good enough unless someone's head was cut off. He used to have a field day coming up with all these stories for her.

‘They look like they are having fun,’ Daemon said with a small smile.

‘Helaena doesn't cry,’ Viserys noted with surprise in his voice. ‘She always cries.’

Daemon turned his head and saw Diane rocking Helaena in her arms, cooing at her. The little princess seemed to like that, stretching out her small hands to touch Diane's face or grasp at her necklace or her hair. Daemon decided they made an adorable sight before turning to his brother again and noticing that Viserys was looking at them with perhaps too much intensity than was appropriate. Wait… he wasn’t really looking at them, he was looking specifically at Diane. 

Oh.

Oh no.

Oh fuck.

Seriously? Seriously?

‘The kids seem to like her even more than they like their mother,’ Viserys said absently when Aegon ran up to Diane to show her something with a happy smile on his face. 

Daemon felt like he wasn’t supposed to hear that so he just looked at his brother. Pointedly. He didn’t know what his face was doing, but he hoped nothing too atrocious. Because he definitely could see the irony, and he wouldn’t be hypocritical by calling Viserys out on it, but Daemon felt like it was unfair. Viserys had decided to turn a blind eye to his responsibilities as the King and marry a Hightower whore because he had just felt like it and now was very shamelessly eyeing his daughter, and somehow Daemon ended up being a bad guy because he wanted to marry the love of his life. Very fucking hypocritical, if you ask him.

Rhaenyra glanced at the doorway, gave Daemon a small smile, then looked her father up and down who was too engrossed with ogling Diane to notice and went back to playing with Aegon but Daemon knew she figured it out just like he did. Rhaenyra was smart and could be really observant if she wanted to be. Daemon wondered what she thought about it.

***

They ended up spending a good few hours with the kids, and Rhaenyra didn’t even notice it. She was so engrossed with Aegon, that she didn’t even notice when Daemon and her father left. It felt good to know that spending time with a child could be this enjoyable. Of course, Rhaenyra understood that she probably caught Aegon on a so-called “good day” and there was more to motherhood than what she did, but it still eased her nerves about having children a little. Because, even though she wanted to have a family with Daemon, the whole ordeal was new and kind of scary to her. 

On the other hand, Diane seemed to be as comfortable with children as one might get without actually having any of their own.

‘I do love babies,’ she said to Rhaenyra when the nursemaid took Aegon to put him for a nap. Helaena had been already sleeping peacefully in Diane's arms for a while now and no one dared to disturb them because the little princess was an extremely fussy child and one should use an opportunity to get as much peace as possible. ‘They are just so… innocent. So many bad things are happening in this world and they are none the wiser.’

‘You have a talent,’ Rhaenyra smiled, looking at sleeping Helaena. ‘She sometimes cries so loud I can hear her in my rooms, and yet in your arms, she is a sweet little princess.’

‘I was once told that I have a peaceful aura. Which is kind of ironic if you think about what I used to do for a living.’

‘Do you want to… go back to what you were doing one day?’ Rhaenyra asked, carefully wording her question. She was genuinely curious but she was also mindful in case they would be overheard.

‘Not really. I can if I have to. I'm certainly good at it but- I feel like there might be more to my life than that,’ Diane looked at the princess. ‘People of my… profession, they live in the shadows. We are someone you see in the corner of your eye but who disappears once you turn your head. And it's lonely. Well, unless you fall in love with someone who does the same, but it happens too rarely to really be an option.’

‘Why?’

‘Trust issues mostly. Sometimes a weird sense of competition. Plus you can’t really settle down or have children because the next contract can take you on another continent for months on end… I've lived like that for a while, but I guess it’s time to figure out what else I'm good at,’ Diane smiled.

‘You good at a lot of things, Diane,’ Rhaenyra smiled too. ‘I'm happy you are here.’

Diane reached out and squeezed her hand in a way of saying “thank you”, and they sat in silence for a while.

‘Are you aware that my father seems to find you… interesting?’ Rhaenyra then asked, making Diane snort.

‘Yeah. I thought maybe I misread signals but I did not,’ she clicked her tongue, adjusting the baby in her arms.

‘Are you going to… do anything about it?’ Rhaenyra enquired carefully. She knew Diane was probably playing the “game” even more than she or Daemon did if the whole spectacle with Cole's death was any indication. And Rhaenyra could definitely see why indulging Viserys could be beneficial not only for Diane but for their side in general.

‘I don’t know. It depends. Heavily on your opinion on it,’ Diane glanced at her. It was obvious what she was asking. ‘I won't go behind your back. Never. Our trusted circle is ridiculously small. Only three of us, really, and we can’t afford secrets. Unless we are completely truthful with each other, a small misunderstanding can make it all fall apart. And I’m not living through this again.’

Rhaenyra took a few seconds to think about everything Diane just said. She was right. Of course, she was, she had probably been there already. Had already seen the wreckage their life turned into. Rhaenyra had all the intentions to not let it happen again.

‘I- I find that I do not mind it, actually,’ she said then, slightly surprised with herself. When she found out Alicent was marrying her father, she felt betrayed, but now she felt completely fine with the possibility of Diane becoming her father's mistress (or whatever). Maybe, it had something to do with the fact that Diane asked her opinion on the matter? Let her know beforehand? Actually took Rhaenyra’s feelings into account? ‘If it is something you want to do, of course,’ she added.

‘It might not be as much about wanting as about strategic choice. No offense, but he is not that attractive. I’m not gonna do anything just because he wants that, only if it gives me something I won’t be able to get any other way. My life taught me not to sell my body cheap.’

‘That sounds… a little bit cynical.’

‘Maybe. But that’s a curse of being a woman, I guess. Most men don’t see you as an equal. They are more concerned whether or not you are fuckable than whether or not you are smart,’ Diane shrugged. ‘If you play your cards right, it will give you an advantage. If not, they will take advantage of you.’

‘Have you ever…’ Rhaenyra started but faltered. She had no idea if there even was a way to politely ask that.

‘Sold my body?’ Diane finished for her. The princess nodded. ‘I guess. Not in a way whores do in brothels, but I used it to get what I wanted sometimes. It’s not a precisely transparent transaction, but if you know how to fake it, it might open a lot of doors. I don't mean for you, of course,’ she added, giving Rhaenyra a small smile. ‘If you are noble or royal, it’s different.’

‘My father was ready to sell me off to the man who had the biggest castle before Daemon and I got engaged,’ Rhaenyra noted. ‘Feels pretty similar to me.’

‘Well, the stakes are higher. The fact that I had sex with someone never got me castles or prevented wars. Jewelry sometimes,’ Diane said, making Rhaenyra laugh.

‘You know you are a noble now, right?’ the princess asked. ‘You are a Lady. With the right marriage contract, you might actually get a castle.’

‘As long as I can have Dragonstone, I don’t really need anything else. But that’s… food for thought, I guess.’

***

Alicent never thought she would one day find herself comfortable in the company of Larys Strong. But at the moment he seemed to be the only person in all Seven Kingdoms who took her seriously. He also made a point of showing that he respected her as Queen and valued her opinions.

If Alicent was honest with herself, being Queen was lonely. Viserys was happy to see her only when he called her into his rooms at night, she was never precisely close with her father to begin with, her kids always cried and irritated her, and her relationship with Rhaenyra was forever ruined by her marriage. Alicent had harbored hope that maybe Rhaenyra would come to terms with her new position and they would eventually reconcile but ever since the blasted Prince Daemon had come back and brought his blasted bastard daughter with him, the chances were slim. Rhaenyra and Diane seemed to be inseparable these days, and Alicent wasn’t ready to admit even to herself just how much it bothered her.

Larys wasn’t a fan of Daemon or his daughter either. He carefully worded it, of course, but his opinion on the matter seemed to Alicent as clear as day. That was the reason why she felt comfortable enough to bring up the fact that she thought Daemon wasn’t the right fit for Rhaenyra during one of their dinners together. 

‘She is an heir to the throne, she needs a husband who would support her,’ Alicent insisted, trying to make herself believe she was saying this only because she was concerned for her old friend. ‘And Prince Daemon- he is not fit to rule, even as a King Consort. And I don’t believe he will treat Rhaenyra right as a wife! He will just take advantage of her.’

‘The prince and the princess seem to be… quite enamored with each other,’ Larys said carefully. Everyone saw how they looked at each other every time they were in the same room. And, granted, Larys might not know a lot about love and relationships, but even he could see that Prince Daemon didn’t look like someone who was about to marry Princess Rhaenyra just for her crown. But he wouldn’t try to disagree with the Queen, of course. He didn’t earn as much of her trust to freely do that just yet.

‘That’s clearly an act! On Daemon’s part, at least. Rhaenyra can actually love him, but that’s beside the point. He is no good for her! Do not think I don’t know people call him Lord Flea Bottom behind his back. How can the person associated with such filth be fit to become King Consort? But my husband decided to turn a blind eye to it like he always does!’

‘I understand your frustrations, Your Majesty. But, unfortunately, since the King announced their engagement, there is nothing short of a big adultery scandal that can break it.’

‘You mean if he… cheated on her?’ Alicent asked, sounding equally surprised and intrigued.

‘More like if he was caught in an undeniably compromising position with someone who was not the princess,’ Larys nodded. ‘For the man the rule about fidelity during an engagement period is not set in stone but it’s presumed for matches as important as this.’

Alicent nodded, and Larys knew she wouldn’t be brave enough to ask him directly, so he continued, ‘I have a few connections in the Flea Bottom. I will ask them to keep an eye out but I wouldn’t hold too much hope, Your Majesty. As far as my knowledge goes, Prince Daemon hasn’t been seen there since the engagement became official.’

‘That can't be true,’ Alicent shook her head. ‘He was known to be constantly unfaithful to his late wife. People like him don’t change.’

‘I did not imply that he changed. I simply stated that he might… get his needs met in less known and more discreet places.’

Truth be told, Alicent didn’t really like the options: either Daemon was truly faithful to Rhaenyra (which she didn’t believe to be possible), or he learned how to better cover his tracks and that meant they might not be able to catch him red-handed.

‘He might have taken himself a mistress inside the Red Keep,’ Larys wondered out loud. ‘So as his trips to the city will no longer threaten to compromise his future marriage.’

Alicent felt like she just had an epiphany. ‘Of course, that must be it!’ she exclaimed. ‘We have to find her.’

‘It might not be easy, Your Majesty. After all, there are dozens of servants, maids, and even noble women around at all times of the day.’

‘I understand. But it’s the question of the utmost importance. We have to do what we can to save Rhaenyra from his schemes!’

Larys nodded, ‘I will see what I can do.’

They sat in silence for a while. Then Alicent took a sip of her wine and said, ‘I was told a while ago that Prince Daemon visits his daughter's rooms quite frequently.’

Larys blinked, trying to figure out whether the Queen was insinuating what he thought she might be insinuating. ‘Surely not…’ he started.

‘Who knows? Targaryens have queer customs. It would explain why he brought her here in the first place,’ Alicent mused. She didn’t fully believe her theory herself, but wouldn’t it be just wonderful? She could get rid of Daemon and Diane with one scandal, and if the two of them weren’t here to poison Rhaenyra with their schemes, the princess might just see reason and they would become friends again. Alicent quite hoped she was right.

Chapter Text

Diane was drinking tea in her rooms when a servant brought her a letter. She knew who it was from even before she opened it. She would recognize the Dragontemple mark anywhere.

‘Hi,’ Diane said, making Haisa look up from whatever she was reading at her desk. ‘Busy?’

‘For you, no. What's the matter, dearest?’ Haisa asked, getting up. 

‘I got the letter from Dragontemple. There are remedies I need, but I'm not sure I'm skilled enough to make them. Could you?’ Diane approached the woman and handed her the letter. 

Haise looked through the letter. ‘Battle Curse…’ she said, and then her eyes snapped at Diane. ‘Oh Gods, are you.. ’

‘No! No, no, that's not for me. And not for my father either,’ Diane rushed to assure her. ‘It’s for… a person I know. Have you dealt with it?’

‘A few times. And dealt with is too much of a word. I tried things I knew about but… not that,’ Haisa reread some passages.

‘Maesters here don't know about how to treat it either,’ Diane said thoughtfully. ‘I thought this was a common practice.’

‘I assure you, it is not,’ the woman checked the seal of the letter. ‘Dragontemple… it appears, they have their own secrets, huh?’

‘I do not think it is much of a secret if I’m honest. If it was, Kaerinna wouldn’t have written it in a letter. She might have a soft spot for me, but she is devoted to the Old Gods. She would rather die than betray her faith.’

‘Then why does no one else know about it? And when I say “no one else”, I mean it, Diane. I didn't travel a lot in my life but I keep an ear out for new remedies and practices. If there was an effective way to treat the Battle Curse, I would have known about it.’

‘Dragonstone is not exactly a popular place,’ Diane said, and, considering that even Viserys hadn’t known Dragontemple existed, it was an understatement. ‘Maybe, they tried to tell the world but no one listened?’

‘May- may I write it down? For myself, in case I ever need it,’ Haisa asked.

‘Yes. Yes, of course, be my guest. But what about the remedies? Can you make them?’

‘Give me a few hours. And if you give me more details on how much the Battle Curse progressed for your mysterious person, I think I can come up with a treatment plan from this letter alone. Gods, this is incredible. I should write to Kaerinna as well,’ Haisa said and sat back on the chair, immediately starting to write something. ‘Just imagine how much knowledge they might have that we don’t!’

‘I think it’s a good idea,’ Diane smiled, loving to see Haisa so excited. After all, nuns and monks of Dragontemple were never keen on gatekeeping knowledge. They would happily share if someone was truly interested in listening.

***

Rhaenyra giggled, pulling Daemon on top of her. She couldn’t believe other women had tried to persuade her that having sex with your husband was a duty and not something enjoyable. Of course, Daemon wasn’t her husband just yet and he very annoyingly still refused to put his dick inside of her, but Rhaenyra came to the conclusion that their bedroom fun should be defined as having sex. And sex was fun! 

Rhaenyra realized that not everyone was as fortunate as she was with Daemon, but she believed that “the woman enjoying herself in bed” should be the norm and not an exception. After all, as Diane wisely proclaimed the last time they had gotten drunk together, life is too short for bad sex and cheap wine. And, for some reason, fried dorado, but Rhaenyra was too drunk herself to question her.

Daemon kissed her, and Rhaenyra threw one of her legs around his waist, pushing him even closer and making him moan. He was hard, and she could feel it even through the layers of their clothing. Which, by the way…

‘Off,’ she demanded, pulling up Daemon’s shirt. He obliged and with some interesting maneuvering, she managed to pull it off him.

‘I want to eat you out,’ Daemon said, and who was Rhaenyra to say no to that? So she nodded, and the man started to move down but wasn't able to go very far.

A sudden knock on the secret door startled Rhaenyra, and she jerked completely involuntarily, somehow managing to kick Daemon right into… well, a very important part of his body. The man let out a pained sound that was very close to a squeak and fell to the side.

The door opened.

‘Oh Gods, I'm so sorry!’ Rhaenyra exclaimed. That was not what she intended to do.

Daemon grunted something in response, but because his face was buried in the sheets, the princess wasn’t sure what exactly he said. 

‘Are you alright, father?’ Diane's voice sounded, and wasn't that just great that she came when she did? 

‘I'm fine,’ Daemon grunted, rolling on his back and pulling a blanket on himself. Fortunately, it didn’t really hurt anymore, and his pride was definitely wounded more than his flesh. ‘My wife-to-be just suddenly decided to put the existence of our future kids into question.’

Diane snorted but, thank the Gods, didn’t comment. Rhaenyra, on the other hand, looked really guilty so Daemon felt the need to reassure her further. ‘It’s okay, truly, just… keep these pretty little legs of yours in check next time, alright?’ he reached out to stroke the princess’ leg.

Rhaenyra gave him a small smile, relieved that he wasn’t mad at her, ‘I'll try my best.’

‘I'm sorry to interrupt,’ Diane interjected. ‘But I've needed to see you both before I go.’

‘Go? Go where?’ Rhaenyra asked, and she only now noticed what Diane was wearing. Ever since she moved to the Red Keep, she wore the simplest dresses during the day because she wanted to have the freedom of movement and fancy clothes usually didn’t provide that, and opted for pants and shirts when she went into the city. Now though she was wearing a long black dress with a few red accents that showed her shoulders and quite a lot of cleavage. It wasn’t inappropriate by the court standards and wasn't too fancy to be considered out of place in the day-to-day wardrobe, but it would surely turn quite a few heads if Diane went like that in public.

Daemon seemed to come to the same conclusion because he said, ‘Yes, where? The fatherly side of me wants to know.’

‘I'm going to visit Viserys in his chambers.’

There was a pause. ‘And now I regret asking,’ Daemon grumbled with a sigh. Don't get him wrong, Diane was a grown woman and she could do what she wanted, and the no-secrets policy they established was needed, but Daemon wished he didn’t have to be kept in the loop about this kind of information. 

‘Not for this kind of reason. I heard back from the Dragontemple and asked Haisa to make the remedies,’ Diane showed the small bag in her hands. ‘If I’m able to persuade him to listen to me, I can get him to live longer and maybe win us a few more years to make sure Aegon won’t contest Rhaenyra’s right to the throne.’

‘The dress though…’ the princess pointed out.

‘Well, if he needs to drool all over me to take me seriously, it’s his character flaw and not mine.’

Rhaenyra hummed because, well, good point. And if Diane's methods of persuasion worked, who was she to judge them? It was the result that mattered in the end. 

‘And I don’t think he is the type of a man to make such a blatant move on me anyway so you can stop looking so disgusted, father,’ Diane teased.

Daemon snorted. ‘I'm not disgusted, I'm displeased with my brother's hypocrisy,’  he sighed and sat up. ‘Nothing to do with you.’

‘Okay, I told you everything I wanted so I'll be on my way. Have a good time,’ Diane winked at Rhaenyra, making the princess blush, and made her way to the exit.

‘Wait,’ Daemon suddenly said, getting up and approaching his daughter. ‘I forgot to tell you. Misaria says there are some people sniffing around Flea Bottom, asking about me. Did you hear anything about it?’

‘No. That’s weird. What do they want to know?’ Diane frowned.

‘No clue. They are being secretive which is suspicious as hell.’

‘I mean, I'll keep an ear out, of course, but other than that there is not much I can do,’ she shrugged. ‘Just don't do anything publicly incriminating and you shall be fine.’

‘You are asking too much of him,’ Rhaenyra chirped in, making Diane laugh.

Daemon smiled, ‘She is not wrong. Let me see you out.’

‘Not yet,’ she suddenly stopped him, looking at the main entrance to Daemon’s rooms suspiciously. ‘Do you have guards at your door?’ she then whispered. 

‘No, Dark Sister is all the protection I need,’ Daemon answered. ‘Why?’

‘A shadow.’

Daemon followed Diane's gesture with his eyes and yes, there was a shadow on the floor near his door that was not supposed to be there. Daemon reached for Dark Sister and whispered to Rhaenyra, ‘Hide under the covers.’

The princess immediately covered herself with a blanket. 

‘Did you find out what the deal is with the Baratheon girls?’ Diane said loudly, making Daemon look at her with a jerk. It took him a second to realize what the hell she was talking about. It was a strategic move. If they let the room grow quiet for too long, the intruder on the other side of the door could grow suspicious and leave.

‘Well, there are a few rumors,’ Daemon started, watching Diane pull up the hem of her dress and retrieve the Dragon Claw from where it was secure on her right leg.

‘Can’t wait to hear them,’ Diane said, gesturing for Daemon to keep talking. 

‘Well, some people speculate that Borros waits for better deals but that would be too boring of an explanation,’ Daemon said, watching Diane starting to slowly creep towards the door. He glanced at the bed to check and was surprised at how good of a job Rhaenyra was doing, pretending to be a mess of blankets on his bed. ‘Another one is less boring,’ he continued. ‘I heard Borros wants a son really badly but his wife Elenda has only given him girls so he decided to move on to his daughters to see if they will give him a son that he will then pass off as Elenda’s.’

Diane threw the door open, and Daemon heard a yelp on the other side. Assassins don’t yelp as a rule so he moved to see who was eavesdropping. 

‘Explain why you were lurking around my father's rooms,’ Diane demanded. The servant boy - no more than four and ten - stared at her with wide, scared eyes. Despite Diane being not much older than him, she knew how to make herself look threatening (it made even Daemon uneasy sometimes if he was honest with himself).

‘I- I-’ the boy stammered.

‘And doing a pretty bad job at that,’ Diane added.

‘He doesn’t look much like an assassin,’ Daemon commented, coming closer to the door. The boy’s eyes widened even more when he saw the prince, even though Diane thought it wasn’t supposed to be physically possible.

‘I- I- I am not!’ he squeaked.

‘Don’t make me choke the information out of you,’ Diane threatened.

‘I was told to see and report if Prince Daemon had any company tonight. That’s it!’ the boy exclaimed, shrinking into himself and looking on the verge of tears.

‘By who?’ Daemon asked.

‘I- I- I don’t know! A m-man? I don't- I'm sorry! Please, forgive me! I- I need this job, I- my father is sick- and I-’

‘Shh!’ Diane made a motion with her hand, prompting the boy to shut up. Then rubbed the bridge of her nose and muttered something Daemon thought might be “Gods, give me strength”. Then she asked, ‘What's your name?’

‘Ath- Athelstan,’ the boy hiccuped, shaking like an autumn leaf. Daemon even felt slightly bad for him.

‘How much were you paid, Athelstan, to spy on Prince Daemon?’

‘Two- two silver stags.’

‘Huh, that’s pretty cheap actually,’ Diane hummed. Maybe she was a spoiled kill-for-hire but she thought if you are contracted to spy on a member of a royal family, you should be paid more than that. Diane suddenly turned to Daemon, ‘Give me your money pouch.’ 

‘I beg your pardon?’ he raised an eyebrow.

‘Money pouch, father. You can’t expect I have any money on me when I’m dressed like that,’ she gestured at her dress, and both Daemon and Athelstan followed the movement with their eyes.

‘Good point,’ Daemon said, walking away to retrieve his money. 

‘And get my bag, please,’ Diane asked and then leaned down to put her Dragon Claw back in its holder. ‘Eyes to yourself, Athelstan,’ she said with a smirk when she noticed the boy looking down at her cleavage. 

‘S-sorry,’ Athelstan stammered, blushing crimson red and averting his eyes.

‘Here,’ Daemon came back and handed his daughter the pouch. ‘Why do you need it again?’ he then asked, apparently only now realizing that Diane demanded money and he just went and got it without even questioning her.

Diane half-ignored his question, rummaged through the coins, and retrieved two golden dragons. Then she looked at Athelstan. ‘Let's say I'm big on second chances and you're young so I think we should cut you some slack,’ she said and stretched out her hand with two golden dragons. The boy's eyes widened. ‘Prince Daemon was alone all evening. That's what you are going to say. Take the money.’

Athelstan reached out but his hand faltered. He gave Daemon a scared glance. Daemon nodded. The boy grabbed the money, looking like he had never held such a big sum of money in his hands before. It was probably true.

‘When do you have to report back to that mysterious man?’ Diane asked.

‘Tomorrow. At the market at noon.’

‘Splendid. That's what we are going to do…’ Diane took her bag out of Daemon’s hands, threw a hand over Athelstan's shoulders, and led him away into the corridor. The boy was so shocked he followed without question.

Daemon slowly closed the door behind them. ‘All clear, little dragon.’

Rhaenyra immediately threw the covers off her with a gasp for air. ‘Gods, it was so hot in there,’ she complained, removing hair from her face. ‘Where's Diane?’ she looked around.

‘She hastily departed,’ Daemon chuckled, climbing back into the bed. ‘What about we pick up where we left off?’

Rhaenyra’s eyes immediately lightened up, ‘You wanted to eat me out.’

‘Then that's what I'm going to do,’ Daemon smirked before diving under the covers.

Chapter Text

After sending Athelstan away for the evening, Diane decided to proceed with the original plan. Viserys was musing over his model of Old Valyria when he heard a knock. People didn't precisely knock to enter his rooms; it was guards who usually announced someone's arrival. But that was beside the point because the knock was coming from a part of a wall that Viserys knew for a fact was a secret tunnel. He frowned. A very few people knew about it.

‘Your Majesty, sorry for the- well, for coming like that but I heard back from Dragontemple, and I didn't want to risk anyone seeing me coming to your rooms so late,’ Diane gave him an innocent smile because Viserys was the kind of man who would buy it.

The King was surprised, that was evident, but he didn’t miss a chance to check her out as well. Diane mentally rolled her eyes. Men. When someone is so easily manipulated, it isn't even all that fun to do so.

‘The walls of the Red Keep have too many eyes for my liking,’ Diane added. ‘May I come in?’

‘Yes. Yes, of course,’ Viserys nodded, stepping to the side so she could brush past him. 

Diane found the nearest table to put her bag on it, and Viserys followed her because he wasn't sure what else he was supposed to do. ‘So…’ Diane opened her bag. ‘My acquaintance in Dragontemple wrote down a very thorough treatment plan for the stage of Battle Curse that you have,’ she looked at the King. ‘I mean, I was not sure how far precisely the illness progressed so I took an educated guess. I hope that's alright.’

‘I- I suppose,’ Viserys said, watching how Diane was taking potion bottles of different sizes out of the bag.

‘So the complete explanation is here,’ she handed Viserys a scroll. ‘I made sure to acquire a fair amount of remedies that will last for quite a while, and when you run out of them, there should be no trouble to acquire more,’ Diane clapped her hands. ‘That’s pretty much it.’

There was a pause. Viserys looked at Diane, then at the scroll in his hands, and then back at her. ‘Perhaps, you can walk me through it?’ he asked. ‘If it's not a terrible hardship.’

‘Yes, of course,’ Diane smiled. ‘Shall we sit?’

It took her almost half an hour to lay everything out for Viserys step by step over the model of Old Valyria. She could tell that the King was listening. His eyes drifted to the cleavage of her dress once in a while but at least he was keeping up with the conversation, so it was a win.

‘So… I need to cut two of my fingers off?’ Viserys decided to confirm when Diane finished.

‘The affected ones, yes. And when you cut them- well-’ she reached out for his hand. ‘May I?’

Viserys hesitated for a second but then stretched his left hand to her. Diane took it confidently.

‘If you cut on the affected part,’ she carefully touched where the King’s fingers were black. Viserys seemed impressed that she wasn’t repulsed by doing so, but Diane just knew that you can’t catch the Battle Curse from an infected person, only from iron. ‘It won’t hurt most likely but it won’t help much either. The trick is to cut here,’ she carefully traced the healthy skin near his knuckles with her thumb. ‘To where the infection hasn’t spread yet. It will hurt, probably really badly, but it will noticeably slow the infection down.’

Viserys sighed, ‘It would be hard to persuade Mellos. He is dead set on trying to save those fingers.’

‘With all due respect, Your Majesty, there is not much left to save,’ Diane touched the affected area with her fingertips again. ‘Can you feel my touch?’

‘No.’

Diane curled her fingers, now pushing with her nails. ‘And now?’

Viserys shook his head, ‘Still no. And I see your point. Mellos is just…’ he glanced at the scroll with instructions. ‘Doesn’t like being wrong.’

‘Well, he doesn't have to necessarily know.’ 

‘What do you mean? Who else will agree to cut off my fingers?’

‘I can.’

Viserys stared incredulously at her for a few seconds. ‘You?’

‘Yes,’ Diane nodded. ‘I was raised around healers and I have been to war. Blood and gore don't bother me much anymore,’ she shrugged. Wandering around covered in blood (hers and not hers) wasn’t in her top five best ways to spend the evening, but it was something she had to do on multiple occasions, so cutting off two fingers wasn’t that big of a deal. ‘And I have a steady hand.’

Viserys looked at his fingers, then back at Diane. It was a crucial moment, even though the King might not deem it so. But Diane knew it was establishing just how far Viserys was ready to let her in. Attraction was one thing but this moment determined whether or not she would have the King's personal trust and, based on this, influence on his life. If he let her cut his fingers off and treat him in secret, there would be no reason why he wouldn’t let her into his bed later on. And Diane liked her odds.

‘Can you do it now?’ Viserys asked after a few moments of silence. 

‘Yes. I have everything I need,’ Diane smiled and got up. 

It took her a few minutes to prepare everything because after cutting an infected part of the body, there were specific medical steps she had to follow not to let the infection latch on the healthy flesh. Plus there would be an issue of bleeding, and she had to keep it under control. Treating people was like a puzzle, and Diane liked solving puzzles once in a while.

If Viserys was intimidated when Diane confidently took the Dragon Claw out of its holder, he did a good job hiding it. She numbed the area she was going to cut with a lotion Haisa gave her (it wouldn’t help much but better something than nothing) and then went to the fire to heat the blade of her dagger. ‘To stop the bleeding after I cut,’ she explained at Viserys’ curious glance. 

‘Where did you get the dagger?’ he asked. ‘Valyrian steel, isn’t it?’

‘Father gifted it to me when I turned two and ten. It’s called Dragon Claw and used to belong to-’

‘Visenya Targaryen,’ the King finished. ‘Just as Daemon’s Dark Sister.’

‘Yes,’ Diane smiled. ‘Father says they are a matching set. Except my dagger has an engraving in High Valyrian on it, and his sword doesn’t.’

‘What does it say?’

‘Syt ñuha tala,’ Diane looked at the blade. ‘For my daughter.’ 

Viserys blinked, ‘Did Daemon- did he engrave it?’

‘Oh, no, no, it came like that.’

It was probably the reason Daemon whisked this dagger away in the first place (Diane had a very strong suspicion it never belonged to her father and Daemon specifically stole it for her when he noticed the engraving).

‘But Visenya didn’t have a daughter…’ the King muttered.

‘Maybe she wanted to. Or maybe we don’t know something about Maegor, but anyway…’ Diane took the dagger out of the fire. ‘Are you ready, Your Majesty?’

‘You are about to cut off two of my fingers. I think just Viserys will suffice,’ the King said.

‘Of course, Viserys, but I think you are stalling,’ she gave him a small smile.

He let out a surprised laugh. ‘I believe you've caught me there,’ he adjusted in his chair. ‘Okay, I'm as ready as I ever will be.’

Diane didn’t give Viserys much time after that, treating it as one of her past contracts when she had to be fast and efficient. She pushed a piece of cloth into the King’s mouth (they talked about it beforehand, of course, and he agreed it would be wise to do so as not to alert the guards), pressed his left hand into the table with a force Viserys obviously didn’t expect and cut two of his fingers in one swift motion. Thank Gods for the Valyrian steel, it cut the bones as if they were butter.

The King made a pained sound when Diane pressed the hot blade to the wound to stop the bleeding and his brain caught up with what was going on, but he was doing a good job at not being too loud. After that, Diane coated the wound with the required remedies and bandaged the hand. 

‘Doing good?’ she asked then, removing the cloth from Viserys’ mouth.

‘As one might- ugh, expect,’ the King answered. It hurt but the pain wasn’t extreme, and he could deal with it. 

Diane nodded, then proceeded to wrap the cut-off fingers in the cloth and clean the area from blood. Viserys watched her in silence. She was… something else. The way Diane went about this whole situation… She was so calm, and collected, and weirdly professional, and in the dim lighting of the room she seemed older, almost the same age as him. Viserys had never met a woman like her.

‘Do you want me to treat your other wounds while I’m at it?’ Diane suddenly asked, pulling the King back from his thoughts. She was on the other side of the room, washing the blood of her hands. 

‘Will you?’

She smiled. Oh, the way she smiled.

‘Of course. We have already been through the worst part anyway.’ 

Diane walked back to him and instructed him to move in his chair, then helped to take off his shirt. Viserys knew that the situation they were in was inappropriate to begin with, more so now when he was half-naked, but Diane didn’t seem to be bothered and he decided he shouldn’t be either.

Diane treated the wounds he had on his back - only two, thank the Gods - with the same efficiency. It stung but, compared to his fingers, it felt like nothing. Then she helped to put his shirt back on.

‘I'll be back tomorrow to change the dressing. It should be fine till the evening but if you have any concerns, just send a servant for me. Just say I'm in trouble or something. I'm Daemon’s daughter so everyone will believe it,’ Diane added, making the King laugh.

‘I do not doubt it,’ he shook his head. ‘Thank you, Diane. For going through all this trouble for me.’

‘It’s no bother. All the realm wants the King to be strong and healthy, I just happen to be around and know things,’ she smiled, leaning on the table. 

Viserys couldn’t help but admire the fact of how at ease Diane seemed to be in his presence. She was polite and everything, but she didn’t seem to be as rigid as others were. Even his wife treated him as the King first and only then as a man! And it was expected, of course, he was the King, but Viserys didn’t realize just how much he missed those easy, friendly interactions before Daemon kicked the door down back in his life and this time brought his daughter with him.

‘I better go. It’s already late and you need rest,’ Diane said, putting Dragon Claw back in its holder. 

‘Of course,’ Viserys immediately nodded. It was probably already past midnight. ‘Goodnight.’

‘Goodnight. I'll see myself out,’ she smiled and walked past him. Her hand brushed his shoulder for just a second, but Viserys became all too aware of it. He watched Diane close the secret door behind her, and the only thing he wished for was for the next evening to come sooner.

***

Diane sometimes kept tokens from contracts she felt she was most successful in. It was never two of the King’s fingers though, and she didn’t precisely plan to keep them, but it was a token nonetheless. She mostly took them with her because she didn’t want to leave them in Viserys’ rooms for some impressionable servant to find, and only later she decided it would be fun to show them to her father. Daemon made a variety of disgusted faces, but then curiosity got the best of him and he looked nonetheless. After that Diane with a clear consciousness threw them out.

When Daemon went to pick up Rhaenyra to go and do some planned charity work in the city, Diane put on a gray cloak and waited for Athelstan. They agreed he would come to her rooms when it would be time to go into the city for the boy to meet this mysterious man again.

‘You look like prey at the archer's aim,’ Diane said as soon as she opened the door at the first knock.

‘Wh-what?’ Athelstan asked, his eyes wide. Diane was starting to think it was a usual look for a boy. She could even find it cute.

‘We just going for a small stroll in the city, do not look so scared,’ she smiled and pulled the hood up. People of the King’s Landing didn’t know much about her except the fact she existed so she hoped she wouldn’t be recognized. 

‘I'm not scared!’ Athelstan exclaimed. Diane gave him a pointed look. ‘Well, okay, I am, but… what if he won’t believe me? I’m not a very good liar.’

Diane closed the door behind herself and started walking. The boy immediately hurried after her. ‘He has no reason not to believe you. And I’m not asking you to orchestrate a great scheme, dove, you can answer in barely a sentence.’

‘Still…’

‘Look, your task is to just relay a message. If he wants you to spy some more, agree and take the money because otherwise it would be suspicious. If not, just tell and leave. I'll do the rest.’

‘So I am the bait?’

‘Yes, you are the bait.’

‘Wonderful,’ Athelstan muttered, making Diane smile.

‘Everything will be alright. I wouldn’t have sent you there if I thought it would be dangerous.’

Athelstan believed her, maybe foolishly so, but Lady Diane had already been kind to him once when he didn’t deserve it and then even gave him money so now he didn’t have to choose between buying remedies for his ill father and eating. Which meant out of all the royals she was now his favorite and he was inclined to trust her.

At first, everything went fine. He calmed his nerves, he met the man he was supposed to meet and said to him what Diane told him to say. The man didn’t like the answer and started asking more questions. Athelstan answered them but there wasn’t much to say except “Prince Daemon was alone all evening” again and again in different variations. The man got angrier and angrier, and then he suddenly grabbed him and started dragging him somewhere. Athelstan was barely able to shriek before the man shut him up, cutting off not only his ability to make loud noises but also to breathe. Through the dread that enveloped all of his body, the boy realized that this man was going to kill him. He didn’t like the answer and was going to kill him. And no one would even care because no one cares about one servant boy who worked in the castle for not even a year.

Athelstan wanted to cry, but he was so utterly terrified he wasn’t able to do that. When he was thrown against the hard wall, he barely even made a noise. They were in some sort of storage room and the man was saying something, but the boy couldn’t understand anything because of the sound of his own blood rushing in his ears.

The man advanced on him, his hands reached for the lace on his pants, and then he suddenly stilled. Athelstan saw him open his mouth, and then the blood spilled from them. The man's body fell to the ground a few seconds later, pushed to the side by a hand.

Athelstan raised his gaze and saw Diane, standing over the body with a bloody dagger in her hand and an expression of utter disgust on her face. ‘Fucking pervert,’ she spat on his body. Then she looked at Athelstan. ‘On Dragonstone we hang people like him and they slowly die on the rope, but this will have to suffice.’

Athelstan blinked at her dumbly and asked, ‘What?’

‘Rapists, child lovers, and all the like. We hang them on Dragonstone. That's almost a tradition,’ Diane explained.

‘Wh- what- he was-’ the boy stammered.

The woman’s face changed, ‘Didn’t you hear what he said?’

Athelstan shook his head. 

‘That's probably for the best,’ Diane concluded, then kneeled in front of the body and started searching his clothes.

‘What are you doing?’ Athelstan asked sheepishly, making a few steps towards her. 

‘Trying to find any clues for who this man was now that I can’t follow him or interrogate him. Sometimes I'm too efficient at killing people,’ Diane sighed. Most of the moves at this point were instinctive for her and when she heard what the man was planning to do to Athelstan, she saw red and her body did the rest. ‘Fuck, nothing. Maybe he was not a professional but he wasn’t dumb either. That sucks,’ she used the bottom of the man's shirt to wipe the blood off her dagger.

‘S-sorry,’ Athelstan muttered, making Diane look up at him. ‘It’s my fault, I probably said something wrong or did, or-’

‘No, dove, that’s not your fault,’ Diane immediately got up, taking Athelstan’s face in her free hand and making him hold her gaze. ‘It’s truly not. He would have probably acted like this anyway. What you said didn’t matter.’

‘B-but-’

‘It. Didn’t. Matter,’ she repeated with a voice that tolerated no argument. ‘I have seen a fair share of men like this, it is never the victim's fault.’ 

Athelstan looked at her for a few seconds and then said, ‘Okay.’

Diane smiled. ‘Now, let's go find someone from the City Watch so they will deal with the body. At least one should be in the area right now,’ she put the hood back on and started walking. Athelstan hurried after her.

‘How do you know?’

‘My father is the Commander of the City Watch, I have their schedule memorized.’

The boy thought it was kind of weird of her to know the schedule of apparently everyone on City Watch but didn’t comment. Lady Diane was obviously not like any other lady in King's Landing and she had just killed a man with almost no effort so he shouldn’t probably even be surprised.

It was not hard to spot one of the golden cloaks in the crowd because- well, basically because of the golden cloak. It made them stand out. Diane approached him with a scary determination, and Athelstan couldn’t do anything else but follow her.

‘Hello there. So the thing is there is a body of a very nasty man in a building around the corner,’ Diane started as soon as the golden cloak looked at her. ‘He tried to rape me, and I defended myself. Someone needs to pick him up and do whatever it is you do with the bodies. Might not be you, do not care, but I did a courtesy of letting the City Watch now. That’s it, have a good day,’ Diane smiled and started walking away.

‘Hey, wait!’ the man recovered from the shock a few seconds later and caught up with her, grabbing Diane by the arm. ‘You can’t just admit to murder and walk away!’

‘I did though. And now I'm walking away,’ Diane didn’t seem to be bothered or threatened by the man twice her size. ‘And besides, weren’t you listening? I said he tried to rape me. A woman has a right to defend herself.’

‘And am I what? Supposed to just believe you?’ the golden cloak asked. 

Diane looked at the man like he was dumb, ‘Yes. What reason do I have to lie?’

‘To cover murder!’

‘Then I wouldn’t have come to you and let you know about the body, you idiot! That's common sense!’

Athelstan saw the man's face turn angry, ‘You have no right to talk to me like that! Who do you think you are?!’

Diane dragged the hood of her gray cloak down with one swift motion, ‘My name is Diane Targaryen. My father is your Lord Commander, and if you do not let go of me right fucking now, he shall have your head.’

Athelstan had never seen a grown man pale so fast before. The golden cloak immediately let go of Diane's arm and hastily took a few steps back. ‘I- I- I apologize, Lady Diane. I- I didn’t recognize you-’

‘No offense taken,’ Diane gave the man a smile. It wasn’t outright threatening but it made Athelstan feel uneasy nonetheless. It was the smile of a woman who knew she could take that man down in a fight but decided to show mercy instead. ‘But you better take care of that body like I asked you.’

‘Yes- yes, of course!’ the man said and scrambled to leave. 

Diane chuckled, watching him go, and then looked at Athelstan, ‘I never thought it would be so fun to pull the “my father is a scary man” card but now I kinda understand why spoiled rich brats constantly do that. Even though when you are on the other side of it, it’s kind of annoying,’ she frowned.

‘You are so incredible,’ Athelstan muttered.

‘Why, thank you, dove,’ Diane smiled, making the boy blush crimson red. He didn’t realize he said it out loud. ‘Okay, let's get you back to the Red Keep safe and sound. It was enough adventures for one day,’ she threw a hand around his shoulders and led Athelstan into one of the busy streets.

***

When the guard came to the kitchen and announced that Lady Diane requested to see Athelstan specifically, other servants gave him pitying looks. They probably thought he was in trouble. Athelstan couldn’t blame them. If he had been called by Lady Diane like that two days ago, he would have thought so too.

One of a lot of things that was different about Lady Diane was the fact that she had no guards at her doors, and Athelstan had never seen her being followed by one during the day. It was strange for a lady of her age and standing. Of course, Athelstan was aware - like everyone in the Red Keep - that Diane was legitimized as Prince Daemon’s heir and she wasn’t a true-born daughter, but she was still entitled to security. She was fifth in line to the Iron Throne, after all.

Athelstan was near the door when he heard Diane's voice. ‘...will be others.’

‘I'll keep an eye out but now after this fucker got himself killed, they will become sneakier,’ Athelstan recognized Prince Daemon’s voice.

‘Nothing I never dealt with before, you just… look over your shoulder once in a while. I would hate to do damage control so close to the wedding.’

‘Will do.’

Then suddenly the door opened, and Daemon almost ran into Athelstan. ‘Huh, you are getting better at all this eavesdropping thing.’

‘I- I wasn’t eavesdropping!’ the boy exclaimed, blushing. How humiliating was it to get caught twice in two days?

But Prince Daemon didn’t seem angry. He just laughed and patted him on the shoulder, ‘I’m just messing with you, kid. Now go, don’t make my daughter wait.’

Lady Diane was brushing her hair in front of the mirror when Athelstan walked in. Their eyes met through the mirror, and she smiled.

‘You asked for me, My Lady?’

‘Oh no, please, lose the formalities. At least when no one else is around. Just Diane.’

That was so against the rules that first Athelstan's instinct was to refuse. But then again, he had already established that Diane was weird. So he could comply with the request, he supposed, as long as they were alone, even though Athelstan couldn’t come up with the reason why they would be alone ever again.

‘Okay… Diane.’

Her smile grew wider, and she proceeded to braid her hair. There were a few seconds of silence that made Athelstan think that he should leave but then Diane spoke again. ‘My father told me today that the lady of my standing is entitled to personal servants. Did you know that?’

Athelstan did but he wasn’t able to answer because Diane continued, ‘I mean, I know that servants of the Red Keep clean my rooms and bring me food, I’m not oblivious. But I had no idea I could have a servant to… I don’t know, braid my hair, or wake me up and dress me in the mornings, or run errands...’

‘You do it all yourself?’ Athelstan couldn’t help but ask.

‘Yes!’

‘But why? You are a lady...’

‘I have officially been a lady for barely a few months,’ Diane chuckled. 

‘I know that. But your father is a prince.’

‘Who hid me in a convent for ten years. I was raised as a commoner, Athelstan. I'm no stranger to luxury but my upbringing was everything but.’

‘Oh,’ the boy made a surprising sound. He didn’t know that. He just assumed she lived at Dragonstone all this time and then just came to the Red Keep when Prince Daemon legitimized her. 

‘Yeah, “oh”,’ Diane sighed and sat on the edge of her bed. Then she patted the place next to her, inviting Athelstan to join her. His eyes widened but he stayed still. He couldn’t sit next to her, that would be scandalous! Diane sighed again. ‘Fine, keep standing. I have a question for you though.’

‘What question?’

‘Were you raised in Red Keep? Because I don’t think they employ people so young from outside the castle.’

‘Yes. My father is- well, was a servant. He felt ill a few months ago, and I took his place.’

‘Do personal servants get paid more than the usual ones?’ Diane then asked.

Athelstan thought that the question was out of the blue but answered anyway, ‘There is no such thing as a usual servant- but I guess personal servants are paid more than servants who work in the kitchen or run errands like I do.’

‘Oh, that’s good then. I'll talk to the housekeeper about it tomorrow.’

Athelstan nodded, then processed what she said and asked, ‘About what?’

‘About your pay.’

‘About my pay?’ the boy didn’t intend to sound so confused, but he felt like he missed a very important part of the conversation.

Diane looked at him for a few seconds, then let out a laugh. ‘Sorry, I guess I totally buried the lead here. It was a long day,’ she shook her head. ‘I want you to be my personal servant.’

Athelstan opened and closed his mouth a few times in pure disbelief but no sound seemed to come out. ‘I- I can’t!’ he finally squeaked.

Diane frowned, ‘Can’t or won’t?’

‘Can’t! I'm a man!’

Diane looked him up and down, ‘You're a boy.’

‘That’s not-’ Athelstan took a deep breath. ‘I'm honored by your offer. Truly. But you are a lady, your personal servant should be a woman. Or a girl. Not me.’

‘Who says that?’

‘Everyone! It’s the rules! It’s how it’s always done.’

Diane mumbled something but Athelstan could only decipher the word “Dragonstone” and then she suddenly got up.

‘There is an important thing you need to know about me, dove. One day your life might depend on it,’ she pointed the finger at him. ‘Are you listening?’

Athelstan immediately nodded. A second - and a wide smile appeared on Diane's face. 

‘I don’t give a flying fuck about the rules.’

Chapter Text

Daemon couldn’t believe what his life had come to. It was good overall, awesome even, but never in a million years did he expect Viserys to ask him, ‘Do you think I let myself go?’

Suddenly this private lunch with his brother didn’t seem like a good idea. Because what could he possibly say to that?! The urge to just get up and leave the situation altogether was strong, but Daemon managed to overcome it and stay put. He took a sip of his wine and, in the most nonchalant voice he could master, inquired, ‘Why are you asking?’

The panicked look that Viserys had for half a second explained everything better than any words could, but Daemon pretended he didn’t notice it just to see what a lie his brother would come up with.

‘No… particular reason,’ Viserys said. ‘I was just thinking- I have a young wife, after all, I need to keep up.’

It took all of Daemon’s strength not to snort in his cup of wine. How bold of Viserys to bring up his wife when he was thinking about being not fit enough to attract a mistress. And why did he decide to ask Daemon of all people as if he wasn’t trying to get under his daughter's skirt? Well, of course, Viserys didn’t know that Daemon knew but… still, what the hell?!

Daemon hoped his face wasn’t showing all his inner turmoil because, regardless of what he might think of the situation, he didn’t want to be the reason Diane's plan failed. Technically she was the same age as him so he didn’t get to have vocal opinions on her love life. He might not like it - hate it, really - but he trusted his daughter to know what she was doing. So he made a mature decision to just suck it up and say, ‘You are the King, Viserys. You don’t have to care about your looks.’

This, apparently, wasn't the right thing to say because Viserys started looking three times more grim. ‘That’s another way of saying I look awful.’

‘Not awful, just… like a person who hasn’t seen a battlefield for a while,’ Daemon said carefully. Crap, he wished Rhaenyra was here. She was much better in all this diplomatic talk than he was. But she was having a dress fitting for the wedding, and he was stuck here between the rock and the hard place.

Viserys scrunched his nose. He didn’t like to hear that, but he wasn’t sure what he expected. Daemon was right, after all, he got too comfortable in the royal life in the last ten years. He used to train with the sword regularly and now he couldn’t even remember when he picked it up the last time.

That wouldn’t do. For the first time in his life, Viserys felt the urge to improve himself somehow to earn the woman’s affections. He loved Aemma dearly but at first, their marriage was a political arrangement and they developed feelings for one another only with time. And with Alicent… well, she came to him, didn’t she? He didn’t need to try at all.

Diane, on the other hand, struck him as a woman of free spirit who had her own mind and her own opinions. She wouldn’t come into anyone's bed unless it was her own decision. And if Viserys was honest with himself, he really, really wanted her to come into his bed. 

It was just his wish, of course. He had a wife and didn’t particularly want to become a cheater, plus the fact that Diane was Daemon’s daughter weighed heavily on his mind, but he couldn’t help but think about it. And well, no harm would be done if he got himself a little bit into shape, even if his desires wouldn’t lead anywhere.

‘You can always join me during my training,’ Daemon offered, bringing Viserys back from his thoughts. ‘We can pick a time so that it wouldn’t interfere with whatever it is you are doing all day… I mean, your kingly duties.’

Viserys looked at him for a second and then smiled, ‘It’s a wonderful idea. Just like the old times when we have been mere boys.’

The corners of Daemon’s lips tugged upward, ‘Feels like it was a lifetime ago.’

***

Diane landed on the back with an “oomph”. The sword immediately appeared at her throat. 

‘You are dead,’ Daemon towered over her, a self-satisfied smile on his lips.

Diane couldn't help but laugh, even though she panted heavily. She loved training with swords with her father. He was obviously better at sword fighting than she was and had a noticeable weight advantage, but it was a good way for her to build up some muscle (she had all her skills but her body was much less battle-trained than it was in the previous timeline) and maybe learn a few more tricks. Being a female kill-for-hire, she preferred to use daggers, the benefit of a surprise, and her speed to do the job. But in a battle, the sword fighting skill might turn out to be crucial to success (unless she was riding Silverwing, of course) so the training wouldn’t be extra. Plus it got her a chance to spend more quality time with her father.

‘You got lucky,’ Diane smiled.

‘You know, I did not,’ Daemon offered her his hand.

Diane took it and then sharply pulled her father down. In a second, Daemon was the one who was on the ground with Diane on top of him, holding a dagger at his throat.

Daemon blinked at her, ‘That was good.’

‘I am good.’

‘But I thought we agreed to fight with swords,’ he added.

‘Yeah, we did. Sorry. But you won like five times in a row, I needed this one for my self-esteem,’ Diane gave him an apologetic smile that they both knew he couldn’t resist.

‘Apology accepted. Now get off me, you little manipulator,’ Daemon chuckled, pushed laughing Diane off him, and sat up.

‘So you are going to train with the King now?’ she asked, sitting on the ground and putting Dragon Claw back into its holder.

‘Sometimes. I mean, if he truly commits to it,’ Daemon removed hair from his face. ‘He sounded like he actually wanted to make an effort.’

‘Well, that’s good, isn’t it?’

‘It is,’ he looked at his daughter. ‘It is impressive, you know?’

‘What?’

‘How you manage to play people. I know how to intimidate but manipulation is not a skill I ever mastered.’

Diane chuckled, ‘It kind of… comes naturally to me? Of course, life experience makes a difference but- I just always know what buttons to push to make people do what I want. And Viserys- he is not a hard man to read. I had tons of targets more complicated than he is.’

Daemon nodded to himself and then suddenly asked, ‘Do you want to be Queen?’

Diane blinked at him, ‘I'm sorry?’

‘Do you want to become Queen?’ Daemon repeated, his expression serious. ‘Viserys is married now but- you dealt with my first wife, and now I'm free to marry the love of my life. I can return a favor if you truly want it.’

Diane shook her head, ‘No. Thank you, but I- I don’t want it.’

‘Okay, that’s fine. I'm not insisting. I just wanted you to know that it’s in the cards.’

‘That’s sweet in its own way,’ she gave her father a small smile. ‘Don’t get me wrong, I will still use his attraction to me. And I might become his mistress if I see the benefit of it, but becoming Queen would mean becoming his wife. And even though my support as Queen would only solidify Rhaenyra's right to the throne, I do not wish to give Viserys any power over me. I know what he did to his first wife,’ Diane said, and Daemon’s gaze changed. ‘And, you know I do not like Alicent, but I see how he treats her now. I don’t think she deserved it from him, at least not yet. Viserys might not be a bad man but he is surely a bad husband.’

‘I don’t think he would have treated you like Alicent if you were married,’ Daemon said, but he saw her daughter's point and he totally agreed with her. His daughter was a woman who valued her independence and did not wish to live in the man's shadow; she wouldn’t just abandon these beliefs to become Queen.

‘Maybe not exactly but that wouldn’t have been a happy marriage,’ Diane shrugged. ‘Do you know there are only two types of man?’

Daemon raised an eyebrow, ‘Enlighten me.’

‘The men who will lay the world at your feet when they are longing for you but think they can't have you, and the men who will do the same but only if they know what it’s like to have you. Viserys is the first type. He wouldn’t want me if he owned me, but I can make him fall head over heels for me if he thinks I'm out of his reach. And even if I become his mistress, it will be on my terms and I will never let him forget he is on borrowed time.’

Daemon didn’t mean to gape but he did. It took him a few seconds to realize what he was doing, and he clamped his mouth shut. ‘I'm so glad you are on our side,’ he then said, making Diane laugh.

‘Always.’

***

Athelstan was used to other people not paying attention to him. He was just a servant, after all, nothing interesting to look at. But ever since the word got out that he became Lady Diane's personal servant, people started looking . It was so freaking odd. Suddenly the eyes of other servants, guards, nobles were on him, and Athelstan wasn’t sure how to deal with all the attention. He just knew he couldn’t avoid it because it was unheard of for a young lady to have a male servant and apparently it was the most exciting news in the castle at the moment.

Athelstan couldn’t even really blame them. He himself couldn’t quite believe Diane gave him this position because being a personal servant meant dealing with rather… intimate parts of her life, and shouldn’t young ladies be modest and mindful of their virtue? Diane certainly wasn't. And she kept teasing him about blushing! Athelstan was starting to think she made him her personal servant just because she found his embarrassment entertaining.

But if he was honest, Diane was quite an easy person to cater to. She didn’t have any ridiculous demands, and the ties on her clothes were simple enough for him to figure out. Diane liked braiding her hair in all the different ways which Athelstan thought was going to be a problem because he was rubbish at braiding. He didn’t have any younger sisters and his own hair was curly and quite short so he didn’t have to do much, except wash and brush it once in a while. It didn’t become a problem though because Diane was happy to teach him how to braid her hair the way she liked and was patient when it took him a few tries to grasp how to make a particularly tricky braid. All in all, she treated him almost like a friend. That was quite unsettling, but Athelstan would lie if he said he didn’t like it. He was happy someone treated him nicely for a change.

Diane was training with her father and Athelstan was arranging a bath for her because he was sure as soon as she was done she would want it when he was approached by a man. Athelstan might not know everyone by name but he had a great memory when it came to faces so he knew this man was one of the nobles. House Strong, if he was not mistaken, but the name he couldn’t remember.

‘Athelstan, is it?’ the man asked. He had a clubfoot and was leaning on the walking stick.

‘Yes,’ the boy nodded, adjusting the towels in his hands. ‘What can I do for you, ser?’

‘Oh, nothing, nothing. I was just curious how your new position was treating you,’ the man said. Athelstan didn’t like him. There was nothing particularly threatening or wrong about this man but his vibes were… off. The boy couldn’t explain it but he had a strong urge to leave the conversation as soon as possible.

‘It’s treating me well,’ Athelstan answered because what else was he supposed to say? Not like he would have a heart-to-heart conversation with a man whose name he didn’t even remember about just how much he liked working for Lady Diane.

‘Good, good,’ the man nodded. ‘Unusual though, isn't it? For Lady Diane to have a male servant. Is her father comfortable with it?’

‘He is,’ Athelstan made sure his answer was short to engage in this conversation as little as possible.

‘Huh. That’s good then. Prince Daemon and Lady Diane do have such a close relationship, don’t you think?’ the man continued. ‘You must see them together all the time.’

Athelstan stayed silent so the man continued, ‘I was wondering… people talk, you know, and I heard that Prince Daemon visits his daughter in her chambers quite a lot these days. Any particular reason?’

Oh no, that was bad. Athelstan couldn’t figure out what exactly was bad, but it felt like this man was trying to make Athelstan admit to something. And, considering that the boy didn’t know what to exactly, he was scared to say anything at all.

So he exclaimed, ‘Lavender!’ making the man jerk in surprise. ‘Lady Diane likes her bath water scented with lavender, and I forgot to get it! So sorry, ser, but I need to go,’ the boy added and all but ran off before the man could say anything else.

Athelstan contemplated whether or not he should tell Diane about this weird conversation, but in the end, he decided it might be important. After all, that man made him feel uneasy and Diane had made him promise a while back that he would tell her if anyone made him feel that way.

Prince Daemon and Princess Rhaenyra came to pick up Lady Diane for their evening ride just when Athelstan was telling her about the encounter. Diane gestured to her father to close the door and then asked Athelstan to retell the conversation again from the very beginning. The boy did.

‘So who was this man again?’ Rhaenyra enquired. Frankly speaking, she was worried about all this spying going on so close to their wedding. She didn’t notice anyone following her but both Daemon and Diane noticed someone suspicious watching them on multiple separate occasions. And it was unsettling, even more so because Rhaenyra couldn’t figure out what the goal was.

‘I- I do not know his name but he is a noble. I think some people call him the Clubfoot.’

‘Larys Strong,’ Daemon said immediately. Athelstan saw how Diane's gaze changed as if she finally put a face to a name. 

‘Of course, he is behind it. The dates threw me off. I was sure he wasn’t supposed to come into play for a few more years,’ she muttered. ‘And we can’t really accuse him of anything, can we? Talking to a servant is not a crime.’

‘But what is he looking for?’ Rhaenyra asked. ‘People were asking about Daemon around Flea Bottom, then Athelstan was paid to listen behind his door, then others started spying on him and you. It's surely all connected but with what?’

‘Maybe he wants to dig up some dirt on me?’

‘Well, my love, your dirt is not exactly hidden,’ Rhaenyra gave him a look that made Daemon smile. ‘It must be something else.’

‘Maybe he wants to find more of my illegitimate children,’ Daemon mused. ‘Tough luck then. Diane is the only one.’

Daemon and Rhaenyra continued exchanging theories, and Athelstan couldn’t help but appreciate the fact that they didn’t send him out of the room. They trusted him enough to hold such an important conversation before him and he truly felt honored.

Diane stayed silent for a few minutes, her face thoughtful, and then suddenly exclaimed, ‘Oh Gods, of course!’

Everyone looked at her. 

‘What?’ Daemon asked.

‘I know what Larys wants! To spread a rumor to ruin your engagement! Probably with the support of… you know who.’

Daemon and Rhaenyra looked at each other. ‘But our engagement is sealed,’ the princess said. ‘It's a done deal. What exactly does he want to find?’

‘Isn't it obvious? He wants to prove that father is having an affair,’ Diane said.

‘With who?’

‘With me!’

‘What?!’ Daemon exclaimed a few octaves higher than he intended to. ‘With- wh- who- the fuck?!’ it seemed like he was so shocked that any coherent thoughts refused to form in his mind.

‘I mean- it fits everything we know. And Larys asked Athelstan about you visiting my rooms… he probably thinks we are fucking.’

Athelstan had never seen Prince Daemon so absolutely horrified at the thought. Rhaenyra giggled. ‘Sorry. I'm so sorry,’ she immediately apologized when Daemon looked at her. ‘But it's so absurd it’s hilarious.’

‘I'm going to kill him,’ Daemon growled and made a move to leave but was immediately stopped by both Rhaenyra and Diane who tugged him back.

‘I can’t believe I'm saying this,’ Diane then said. ‘But we can’t just go around killing people. Not so close to your wedding. Any scandal now has the potential to be disastrous.’

Daemon looked at his daughter for a few seconds and then whined, ‘But I really wanna kill him.’

Rhaenyra immediately patted him on the shoulder, ‘I know, my love, just not today.’

‘Let's change the subject. There is nothing we can do about him snooping now anyway, so…’ Diane hurried to diffuse the situation. ‘Dove, please, can you bring us some tea?’ she turned to Athelstan. 

‘I want blueberry scones,’ Daemon grumbled, not caring that he sounded like a pouting child.

‘And blueberry scones for Prince Daemon,’ Diane added, smiling.

Athelstan couldn’t help but smile back, ‘Coming right up.’

Chapter Text

Diane thought that wedding preparations were not supposed to be that hard and time-consuming. She and other ladies-in-waiting were running all over the Red Keep to make sure everything was set and ready for the ceremony tomorrow. Diane also somehow ended up in charge of almost all the decisions regarding the celebratory feast because Rhaenyra had only so much time on her hands and Daemon literally went into hiding so the housekeeper with all her wedding-related questions wouldn’t find him. And not like the King was very keen on being in charge of the wedding preparations either. 

The thing was that Viserys was still not happy with his daughter's choice of a husband. His relationship with Daemon was more or less mended (even more so when they started meeting to train with swords three times a week), but he still thought his younger brother was after the throne and not head over heels in love with his daughter. Diane tried to salvage the situation on her end as well - she was visiting the King in the chambers every three days now to treat his wounds - but Viserys was stubborn in his opinions. 

The good thing was that he seemed to be listening to her. If she managed to make the King subconsciously trust her opinions, she would be able to get more power over him than Viserys would ever realize, but such machinations required time. Diane figured that was how Otto made his way into the King's trusted circle over the years and that was why Viserys was now much more keen to listen to him over his own brother. 

To give proper credit, Otto was good at the “game”. Diane rarely met someone who knew exactly how to manipulate people the way she did. And, all the high stakes aside, it was kind of exciting to have a proper opponent. It would make her victory over him and her revenge much more satisfying.

But that had to wait. Wedding first. And she still had so much to do before dawn that her head was spinning. Athelstan was doing the best he could to help her but even he with all his determination and eagerness wasn’t able to be in three different places at the same time.

Diane was on her way to the kitchen to go over the wedding menu one more time when she heard noises. Grunts, and moans, and whispered words Diane couldn't quite catch - someone was definitely having fun nearby. And normally she would leave whoever that was be, but this couple - she was pretty sure there were two of them but she might be wrong - chose quite a risky place to scratch their itch. Which told Diane that they were not the usual inhabitants of the Red Keep (because these ones knew how to hide properly) and were probably some of the guests who arrived for the royal wedding. So she was best to shoo them away before anyone else caught them and made a big deal out of nothing. Or maybe not nothing. After all, if you are not doing something you are not supposed to do, you have no need to sneak around. Gods forbid, someone's wife or husband found out they were cheated on the day before the royal wedding. 

So Diane walked confidently in the direction of the noises, ready to startle these adventurous lovebirds. When she turned a corner and found Laenor and Joffrey in a rather compromising position - which basically meant with pants down - she wasn’t even really surprised. On second thought, she would be more surprised if these two weren’t a thing. Laenor and she never really talked or wrote to each other about their lovers, but Joffrey was shining like a damn dragonfire every time Laenor looked at him so there was definitely something there. Well, a lot, considering the recent development.

Diane contemplated for a second about what was the best way to let her presence be known but then just loudly coughed. She wasn’t sure who exactly squeaked but both of the men immediately scrambled to pull up their pants. Then Joffrey turned sharply to face her, somewhat hiding Laenor from her sight. What a gentleman.

‘Out of all the secluded places the Red Keep has, this one is nowhere near acceptable,’ Diane leaned on the wall. 

‘That’s not what you think it is,’ Joffrey said because to deny everything was his first instinct.

‘That’s everything I think it is,’ she chuckled. ‘Relax, Joffrey, I'm not gonna rat you out.’

Joffrey didn’t seem to be ready to relax so Laenor touched his shoulder reassuringly. ‘We can trust her, she is alright.’

‘I'm alright,’ Diane repeated with a wide smile. 

‘Shouldn’t you be like… scandalized or something?’ Joffrey said with a frown. He trusted Laenor when he said she was going to keep their secret, but he was still confused about her reaction to what she had seen. Diane couldn't really blame him if she was fair. The noble women were supposed to be kept in the dark about the pleasures of the flesh right until their wedding, and Diane was a proudly unmarried young woman. There was no way for Joffrey to know she probably had more men than he did, let alone women.

‘Ha,’ Diane let out a laugh. ‘You have no idea what I've seen… and done for that matter.’

Joffrey looked equally impressed and surprised by her words so she continued, ‘Anyway, sorry to spoil all the fun but if I heard you, someone else could have too. And we all can do without any scandals for the next few days.’

‘Yes, thank you,’ Laenor nodded. ‘We thought it was private enough…’

‘Inner yard in the south part of the Red Keep,’ Diane interrupted. ‘No one is ever there unless they are deliberately there. So if you run into someone… well, you pretend you haven't.’

A smile appeared on Laenor's face, ‘Thanks. We owe you one.’

Diane nodded and made a move to leave but then stopped. ‘Actually,’ she said, ‘let's not start any debts. There is something you can do for me.’

Joffrey and Laenor glanced at each other before Laenor asked, ‘It’s something illegal, isn’t it?’

Diane's smile was almost predatory, ‘More or less.’

***

‘He is going to kill me,’ Laenor stated, clutching the clothes he was holding in his hands for dear life.

‘You are being dramatic,’ Diane snorted, leading Laenor through one of the secret passages. She had a similar set of clothes in her hands, just a smaller size.

‘No. I'm right on the money, it’s you who are being- um- underdramatic.’

‘I'm pretty sure it’s not a word.’

‘And I don’t care!’ Laenor exclaimed, and then repeated, ‘He is going to kill me.’

‘Just name yourself and say that I sent you and you shall be fine,’ Diane assured him. ‘I'm going the other way,’ she then said when they came to the intersection. ‘You go straight there and the entrance to his rooms will be the third door to the right. Do you remember the way back to the inner yard?’

Laenor nodded, and then asked, ‘Maybe you should go instead. After all, he is your father…’ 

‘And you gonna help Rhaenyra get dressed?’ Diane chuckled. ‘Because, despite all my awesomeness, I can’t be in two places at the same time.’

‘Right, no. Oh fuck, okay,’ Laenor took a deep breath. ‘If I don’t come back, tell Joffrey I love him.’

Diane snorted and pushed him in the right direction, ‘Just go.’

Laenor did, albeit reluctantly so. Daemon was a scary man when he was pissed off, and he really hoped not to piss him off today. When he knocked on the door, for half a minute nothing happened. Laenor started thinking that Daemon could be already asleep or not in his rooms at all, but then the door slowly opened.

‘Huh,’ Daemon made a surprised sound. ‘And I was wondering why my daughter is not barging in like she always does.’

‘She sent me,’ Laenor immediately said because it seemed like the most important information to get across.

‘I figured. Why?’

‘To give you this and make sure you put it on,’ he shoved the clothes in Daemon’s hands. ‘And then I need to escort you.’

The prince eyed the clothes with suspicion and then asked, ‘Where?’

‘One of the inner yards. I'm not sure how to explain but I know the way.’

‘Did she tell you why?’

‘Yes. But she told me to let you figure it out on your own.’

Daemon let out a surprised laugh. ‘Sounds like her. Fine, come on in,’ he moved to the side, letting Laenor come inside his rooms. ‘Wait here,’ he then said before disappearing into another room to change his clothes.

There was a minute or two of silence before Laenor heard Daemon exclaim, ‘You gotta be fucking kidding me,’ and couldn’t help but smile.

He figured it out.

***

When Laenor led Daemon into the inner yard, the prince was greeted with a sight of at least a hundred burning candles (Athelstan and Joffrey still weren’t done with lighting up all of them) and a slightly disheveled High Priest from Dragonstone standing in the circle of them. 

‘Prince Daemon!’ the High Priest exclaimed as soon as he saw him and immediately approached him. ‘It is such an honor for me to be here today.’

Daemon couldn’t help but smile, ‘How did you get here precisely?’

‘Your daughter was kind enough to give me a ride. In all forty years of my life I never once rode a dragon so it was… quite an experience,’ the High Priest fixed his hair absently. ‘I thought you and Princess Rhaenyra were planning to have a wedding in the tradition of Westeros, but when your daughter appeared on my doorstep this evening and asked me to come with her to King’s Landing, I just couldn’t say no.’

Daemon chuckled, ‘She does have such an effect on people, doesn’t she?’

He was still processing the fact that Diane went as far as to smuggle a High Priest into the Red Keep the night before the official wedding just so Rhaenyra and he could have their own wedding in Valyrian traditions. It was obvious she did this because it was important to him. Both Rhaenyra and he didn’t follow the Faith of Seven, but Rhaenyra wouldn’t mind marrying in Westeros’ traditions if it meant their marriage would be legal in the eyes of the court. He, on the other hand… well, he was ready to marry her tomorrow for the public, but he had already started plotting to have a Valyrian wedding later just for the two of them. Because, despite all his bravado, he held his faith in the Old Gods dearly, and he wanted his marriage to the love of his life to be blessed by them. And to think that Diane figured it out and went out of her way to make it happen… Daemon had thought he couldn’t love his daughter more but apparently, it was possible.

‘I was instructed…’ Athelstan appeared on his left side and slightly pushed Daemon in the right direction. ‘To put you right here,’ he led him into the fire circle, slightly to the left.

‘Right here?’ Daemon teased. He was in an especially good mood at the moment. ‘Not a few steps further or to the left?’

Athelstan looked at him seriously. ‘No, right here. She drew a cross for me, see?’

The prince looked down, and yes, he was indeed standing on the cross, hastily drawn with white chalk.

‘Of course, she did,’ Daemon barely suppressed a snort that came out anyway when he noticed that the High Priest was also standing on a similar cross. The way Diane made others follow her rules to the dot even when she wasn’t around to supervise was hilarious. 

Diane and Rhaenyra joined them ten minutes later, and Daemon couldn’t take his eyes off his future wife from the second she stepped into the inner yard. She looked the embodiment of Valyrian beauty, and there were no words in the whole world to explain how lucky he felt because she wanted to marry him. Rhaenyra smiled as soon as their eyes met. Diane led her to her spot, and Daemon immediately reached out to take her hand in his.

The ceremony was like thousands of ceremonies before it but it somehow still felt magical in its own way. When they joined their hands, their blood, and their lives Daemon could almost feel the presence of Gods and their approval. When he kissed Rhaenyra, it sealed the promise of their love lasting forever. A promise that even death wouldn’t do them part.

‘I love you,’ Rhaenyra whispered when they broke apart just for him to hear. ‘We are forever one.’

‘Forever,’ Daemon promised before kissing her again just because he could. ‘Love you too, my little dragon.’

Diane whistled and started clapping, and others joined her a second later. Daemon pulled his wife closer and smiled at his daughter. A very few children would actually be that supportive if their father remarried so the prince greatly appreciated that.

Rhaenyra wrapped her arms around Daemon’s waist again, pulling his attention back to her. ‘I'm your wife now,’ she said with a mischievous glint in her eyes. ‘You have no excuses left.’

Daemon knew what she was talking about, and she was damn right he had no excuses left and he was in no mood to try and find any. He wanted to take his wife to bed with him.

‘Diane,’ he called, catching his daughter's attention. 

‘Yes?’

‘Can you, please, kick me out of my wife’s bed early tomorrow morning before wedding preparations start?’

Diane smiled, ‘You got it. Have fun,’ she winked at Rhaenyra, making the princess giggle.

They bid everyone a curt goodbye and left for Rhaenyra's chambers through the hidden passages. They had to stop a few times though because the urge to kiss each other was unbearable and they just had to give in.

Rhaenyra was so happy that Diane organized this secret wedding for them. Because tomorrow it would be all about appearances and court expectations while tonight was just for her and Daemon. She believed it was an awesome start to their married life.

As soon as a secret door closed between them, Rhaenyra started undoing the lace on Daemon’s pants. He laughed, ‘Easy, little dragon, there's no rush.’

‘Oh no, there is. There very much is. You were teasing me for months, and now I'm gonna take what I want,’ Rhaenyra smiled wickedly and sneaked her hand inside his pants, wrapping her fingers around his half-hard length. Daemon immediately became more agreeable. After all, they could always save slow and gentle for later because now both of them were burning with such a strong desire they would most likely not be able to keep at bay.

Daemon figured on a third try how to unlace Rhaenyra’s dress correctly, and then she was naked in front of him. Smiling, and confident, and the best temptation there was. He somehow managed to get out of his clothes without tearing any of them, and then he was on top of her, kissing her and pinning her to the bed.

Rhaenyra opened her legs for her husband the way she wanted to do for months now. She wasn’t scared, she wasn’t even nervous, more like excited and eager. Because it was Daemon, and they had already had each other in every way possible except like that. And she loved him, oh, how much she loved him.

‘Make me yours,’ Rhaenyra said, and it sounded like a command Daemon was all too happy to oblige.

He held eye contact with her as he pushed in, careful not to hurt Rhaenyra. She looked right back at him, her lips parted and her breathing coming in small puffs. It felt slightly weird, but it didn’t hurt. It didn’t hurt at all.

‘Can I move?’ Daemon asked when he bottomed out. Everything in him wanted to just fuck Rhaenyra hard and fast, but it was her first time and he had to make sure she was fine first.

‘I'll kill you if you don’t.’

Daemon couldn’t help a laugh that escaped his lips. She was indeed the perfect woman for him. He started to move, picking up a pace quite fast, and she rewarded him with breathy moans right into his ear. He loved every sound she made.

When Rhaenyra felt like she was on the verge of coming but just penetration wasn’t enough to push her over the edge, she sneaked a hand between their bodies and started stroking her clit. ‘Come for me, my little dragon,’ Daemon encouraged, his breath getting more frantic with each passing second. ‘Let me feel you clench around my cock.’

It was all the encouragement Rhaenyra needed to push her over the edge. Her moan was almost a sob and her hips jerked while Daemon kept fucking right through it. She felt divine, and he knew he couldn’t hold off much longer.

‘Can I- inside you?’ he asked. He was so close he couldn’t even form a complete sentence, but Rhaenyra understood him nonetheless. 

‘Yes. Yes, please,’ she said breathlessly. Daemon thrust inside of her once, twice, and then stilled, a loud groan escaping his lips. He hid his face in Rhaenyra’s shoulder, and for some time they just breathed.

‘So… did I live up to your wedding night expectations?’ Daemon asked in a while, making Rhaenyra smile.

‘It was better than I could have ever imagined.’

Chapter Text

The morning of their official wedding was messy. But, truth be told, Rhaenyra didn’t really expect anything else. Even though she enjoyed official events from time to time, she would very much prefer to stay in bed with her husband all day. But no, Diane kicked Daemon out at sunrise, then told Rhaenyra she could have a few more hours of her beauty sleep and took a nap herself on one of the couches. The princess didn’t understand why Diane needed to kick Daemon out so early right until Rhaenyra's other ladies-in-waiting barged in with barely a knock, waking them up again.

‘Are you excited, ‘Nyra?’ Laena asked, helping the princess dress up while Diane and others arranged breakfast for all of them. ‘You're going to become a married woman today.’

Rhaenyra smiled and said that of course, she was excited. She was going to marry the love of her life, after all (for the second time but still). 

‘Did anyone have the talk with you?’ Joanna asked then, stealing a grape from the plate that Elinda was carrying.

‘What talk?’

‘Well, you know. The Talk. About the wedding night,’ Joanna explained, blushing at her own insinuation. Diane hid her snort in a cup of wine that she miraculously got from somewhere.

‘I bet Prince Daemon would love to tell her himself,’ Laena said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively and saving Rhaenyra from the need to come up with the answer. ‘And not only tell.’

The princess laughed at that, knowing that Daemon would be all too happy to repeat their wedding night all over again. After all, if they got two weddings, why not two wedding nights?

‘Ew, must you be so vulgar?’ Ellyn scrunched. ‘There are kids here.’

‘First of all, I got my blood so I'm not a child anymore,’ Elinda stated. ‘Second of all, I have three older brothers who have no idea I know how to listen to their private conversations without getting caught,’ she added with a small, innocent smile.

‘Elinda, you little spy!’ Laena laughed.

‘You go, girl. You'll find this skill pretty useful when you're older,’ Diane chuckled, putting her legs up on the table much to Ellyn's distaste. ‘When I got the Talk, I knew like half of it so the other half wasn’t very confusing.’

‘Why would you get The Talk? You're not married,’ Ellyn asked as if not fully believing Diane. After all, young ladies were not supposed to know about these kinds of things unless they were about to get married.

‘Nah. But my father is well aware of just what a daughter he raised.’

‘Wait, your father gave you the talk?’ Laena asked, and everyone looked just as surprised as she sounded. Well, except for Rhaenyra who knew just what a relationship Daemon had with his daughter. It would be very in character for him to try and educate his daughter the best way possible so she wouldn’t get hurt or pregnant.

‘Yes. I was two and ten… or maybe three and ten. He might have been just a little bit too detailed but at least I got the picture,’ Diane chuckled as if it was a really fond memory of hers. And then she added with a smirk, ‘Nyra, you do realize you are gonna be my stepmother, right?’

There was a pause, and everyone burst out laughing at Rhaenyra’s gobsmacked expression. In the princess’ defense, she realized that marriage to Daemon made her even more closely related to Diane than before, she just didn’t think about it like that.

‘I bet you have an interesting family tree,’ Joanna said.

‘And very complicated,’ Rhaenyra added.

‘Velaryon family tree is no better,’ Laena said, tying the princess’ dress so she could go and have some breakfast before the true wedding preparations began. ‘Gets confusing with all the marriages with Targaryens. My grandmother was her own cousin or something.’

‘Yes, that's kind of awkward,’ Diane snorted. 

There was a knock on the door, and then Athelstan peeked inside, ‘I apologize for the intrusion but- um- Lady Diane?’

‘Yes, dove?’

‘May you- the housekeeper has been terrorizing me with the questions about the banquet and I only know like half of the answers, and she's- uh- really scary so-’

‘Got it, I'm coming,’ Diane said, getting up with a sigh. ‘You girls have fun, I'll be back… when I'm back. At the very least I won’t miss the wedding of my favorite stepmother,’ she added with a mischievous smile before slipping out of the room.

Rhaenyra rolled her eyes but she wasn’t really irritated, even though she suspected neither Diane nor Daemon would stop with these particular jokes any time soon.

***

Daemon was in no way nervous while he was getting ready for the wedding. After all, he and Rhaenyra had already been wed, this was just a show for his brother and the court. What he didn’t expect was for Viserys to actually visit him in his chambers. After all, the King was still not a fan of their match, even though he seemed to realize there was no going back now and he would just have to make his peace with that.

‘Did you come to threaten me, brother?’ Daemon asked out of sheer curiosity. Because if so, he might indulge Viserys just this once. The King was looking out for Rhaenyra, Daemon could respect that. What he didn’t respect was the fact that his brother looked in the completely wrong direction, trying to protect Rhaenyra, while Hightowers were right under his nose!

‘Do I have to?’ Viserys asked.

‘Not really. I'm taking the duties of Rhaenyra’s husband pretty seriously.’

‘I have a hard time believing that,’ the King said and sat on the chair near his brother. ‘Rhaenyra loves you,’ he then added.

‘As I her,’ Daemon immediately said. He wasn’t sure about a lot of things in life but in his feelings for Rhaenyra he was as sure as he could possibly be.

Viserys still looked skeptical, ‘I know about your reputation, Daemon. They call you Lord Flea Bottom for a reason.’

‘Actually, not recently,’ the prince said. He started to suspect that Diane might have inherited this title just as the title of Lady of Dragonstone. He didn’t mind, he actually found it amusing. ‘But regardless, I know how to be faithful, Viserys, and I'm going to be faithful to Rhaenyra if that's your biggest concern.’

‘How do you even know what “faithful” is?’ Viserys asked and, okay, yes, that was a little bit insulting, but Daemon decided to let it go.

‘I was faithful to Diane's mother,’ he said instead. ‘From the day I met her till the day Caraxes burned her body. And for some time after that because I was in mourning.’

It was only a year or so after Iris’ death Daemon started frequenting brothels and earned himself a reputation he now had. He was not ready to commit to anyone else so soon so whores it was. He even tried sleeping with men a few times and, even though it wasn’t a bad experience, in the end, it wasn’t for him. So in the end he stuck to women… and feminine presenting people who didn’t identify with either sex on occasion because Dragonstone and Valyrian faith has always been rather accepting of queer people, and so was he.

But regardless of that, Daemon always preferred relationships with commitment. When he was with Misaria, he was only with her, his not-best choice in this particular woman aside. And now that he had Rhaenyra, he had everything he wanted. 

Viserys seemed surprised by this revelation which only proved to Daemon again that his brother didn’t really know him. 

‘May I ask- how did she die?’

‘Infection. She cut herself, it didn’t seem to close, and then the fever started- she was gone in a week,’ the prince sighed. ‘I was only four and twenty and already a widower.’

‘But- you weren’t actually married to her,’ Viserys had the audacity to point out.

Daemon shot him a nasty look, ‘And whose fault is that?’

The King seemed to realize he had walked right into that one and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. The silence stretched.

The prince sighed again, ‘I do not know what else to say, brother. I love Rhaenyra, I truly do. There is no hidden motive or anything. I just want to have her as my wife and be her husband.’

‘And King Consort,’ Viserys immediately added.

‘One day, yes. But for all I know, I might not live long enough,’ Daemon said. He very much preferred to live well into his nineties this time around, but life was an unpredictable thing. Having Diane around who was constantly telling stories from the other timeline in which he had died when he had been only one and fifty did remind him constantly about his mortality. And it was not a bad thing, actually. The belief in their own immortality is usually what kills men like him, and he preferred not to prove this rule right. ‘And if I do, I'll fight tooth and nail for Rhaenyra to have the throne. Not because I want it but because it’s her right. And because she will make a truly remarkable queen, of this I have no doubts.’

Viserys blinked in surprise, not quite expecting such a declaration from his brother, but wasn't able to say anything because there was a knock on the door. Daemon allowed whoever it was to come in.

‘I swear to the Gods if this housekeeper asks me one more stupid question, I’ll-’ Diane ranted but stopped as soon as she noticed Viserys. She then smiled and courtesied, ‘Your Majesty,’ before continuing right where she left off. ‘-I'll kill her and serve her head as a unique dessert.’

Daemon snorted. If someone displeased Diane, she wasn’t shy about it, and, considering a surprised look on Viserys’ face, he wasn’t quite used to people being so straightforward and voicing their inside thoughts out loud. 

‘Only head? What with the other parts of her body?’ Daemon asked.

Diane smiled, ‘A side dish. Obviously. Oh,’ she noticed that Daemon had a jug of wine on the table and went to help herself. ‘I'm here to inform you that the sept will be ready for the ceremony in half an hour,’ Diane took a sip of wine with a relieved sigh. She didn’t precisely drink all that often but people were stressing her out today and she hadn’t slept a lot last night due to smuggling the High Priest out of King’s Landing and back into Dragonstone, so she was running on sheer enthusiasm and any alcohol she could get her hands on. ‘Also I need to ask you a question that I was assured is of utmost importance...’

‘Sure, fire away,’ Daemon waved his hand.

‘Tell me, father, would you prefer to sit near a chicken or a duck?’

Daemon blinked. Out of everything he thought Diane might ask, that was nowhere near his mind. ‘I would prefer to sit near my wife,’ he answered slowly.

There was a pause during which Diane just looked at him, ‘I meant food. Like a meal near you on the table. Of course, you're sitting near Rhaenyra.’

‘Oh. I honestly do not care.’

‘Yeah, I thought so. But the housekeeper made a big deal out of it for some reason,’ Diane finished her cup of wine and put it back on the table. ‘I shall be off then. Need to check on your wife,’ she added, pecked her father on the cheek, and was off like a little hurricane.

Viserys’ eyes followed Diane right until she disappeared, and when the King turned his head, he saw his brother looking at him. Intently. With a raised eyebrow. 

Viserys cleared his throat. ‘I believe it’s time for me to go as well,’ he said, getting up. ‘Give you time to prepare for the ceremony.’

‘Of course,’ Daemon nodded, watching his brother leave. 

He wasn’t sure what he expected precisely but all Viserys’ self-righteousness was getting on his nerves a little. Because it was kind of ironic that Viserys insinuated Daemon didn’t know how to be faithful while obviously ogling Daemon’s daughter despite being a married man. Hypocrisy at its finest.

Daemon thought he would have respected his brother more if he owned up to his own transgressions but Viserys was always a bit of a coward so he shouldn’t be surprised, should he?

***

The wedding in the sept was… well, what you usually expect the wedding in the sept to be. Daemon wasn’t thrilled with the process but he had no problems with proclaiming his devotion to his wife twice so that was what he did.

And after that came the festivities. Daemon found out that he was seated by a duck and was happy that this tremendous problem was peacefully resolved. He took Rhaenyra to dance and, even if their hands wandered here and there slightly more than was appropriate, they were newlyweds so no one could hold it against them.

Viserys seemed to be more or less at peace with the situation (fucking finally) while Alicent looked like she had a stick stuck up her butt the whole time. Rhaenyra didn’t care much for her disapprovement though, even though she definitely noticed, and Daemon decided he couldn’t give less of a fuck either. They could think what this bitch had on her mind the other day but today was their wedding day and Daemon would kill anyone who dared to ruin their mood.

Diane seemed to have a great time too. She got a seat at the main table as the daughter of the groom but she was barely there, jumping at every opportunity to dance she got. She was pretty good at it too, which made Daemon wonder where she learned to dance like that. Because it didn’t seem like this skill was something a kill-for-hire necessarily needed.

‘Have you noticed she's avoiding Lannisters like a plague?’ Rhaenyra snickered into his ear, making Daemon smile. 

Diane wasn’t legitimately born but she was still his daughter and his heir, and it was no wonder men of different ages and social standing tried to catch her attention. He supposed some would be stupid enough to ask him for her hand directly but his views on the situation had already reached most of the nobles. Diane wouldn’t marry unless she chose someone for herself so it was no surprise some men were ready to jump out of their boots to impress her. Daemon was sure his daughter found it very entertaining.

‘She seems to be doing a good job,’ the prince pointed out just as Joffrey spun Diane to the dancing floor, helping her successfully avoid one of the Lannister brothers. Laenor and he seemed to be in on it and treated it like a weird sort of a game. If Diane wasn’t dancing with someone else and any of the Lannisters were getting close, one of them would jump in to save the day.

‘I'm glad she's having fun,’ Rhaenyra suddenly said, making Daemon look at her. ‘She's been… very busy lately with, you know, everything. She deserves it.’

‘Can’t agree more.’

The evening went on, and Viserys delivered a speech, wishing Daemon and Rhaenyra all the best. He even mentioned Rhaenyra not only as his daughter but as his heir which Daemon was almost sure was Diane's doing. She couldn’t have done it directly but he was pretty sure his daughter planted this thought in the King’s head somehow because Viserys was usually oblivious to this kind of things. And him now reaffirming Rhaenyra’s position once again seemed just slightly out of character.

After Viserys’ speech music resumed, and Diane was on the dance floor again, making Rhaenyra wonder just how much stamina this girl had because honestly! Rhaenyra fancied dancing herself sometimes but after two or three dances in a row, she needed at least a small break. And Diane looked like she could do it all night without even sitting down.

‘I mean it is way easier than the battlefield,’ Diane laughed when Rhaenyra asked her about it, using the fact that Diane very briefly approached the head table to get some wine. ‘Plus dancing at official events is so fun, almost like a game. Even more so when people around me are getting drunk and easy to manipulate!’ she giggled, taking a sip from her cup.

‘Are you drunk?’ Daemon asked with a smirk. 

‘Just a tad. But I generally handle alcohol better than others so…’ the rest of the sentence was intelligible because Diane decided it wasn’t a good idea to keep drinking on an empty stomach and sneaked a few bites from her plate. Then she was off to the dance floor again.

One of the Lannister brothers saw an opening and decided to take it just to be beaten by Harwin Strong who bowed and gracefully asked Diane to dance with him. She smiled and - of course - accepted.

‘So… you're looking for a wife, Ser Harwin?’ Diane stated after the dance started and they fell into step with each other.

‘That’s quite an interesting way to start a conversation,’ Harwin pointed out, only slightly surprised by Diane's question that sounded very much like a statement.

‘Do forgive me, but I saw your father urging you to ask me for a dance. And most of the men I danced with today were on the impossible quest for my hand,’ Diane chuckled.

‘Is it?’ Harwin asked. ‘Impossible, that is.’

‘Maybe not quite but… I do not intend to marry. At the very least, not right now. And besides, I won’t be a good fit for you.’

Harwin raised an eyebrow and then twirled Diane around, ‘And why is that?’

‘You are going to be Lord Strong one day. You need a wife who will stand by you, and give you heirs, and follow you to Harrenhal when the time comes. And I’m not much of a follower. I prefer to lead,’ Diane winked.

‘How unfortunate that I prefer women who know how to be in charge then,’ and oh, the way he said it. In another lifetime Diane might have even considered him but she had much more ambition in her than that. Being Lady Strong wouldn’t cut it.

‘Well, I might have someone just like that in mind. If I may make a suggestion, of course.’

‘I’m intrigued.’

‘Laena Velaryon,’ Diane said and watched with satisfaction how Harwin's eyes slightly widened. Whoever he thought she would name, he didn’t expect Laena. ‘She's still rather young, of course, but long courtship has never hurt anyone. And I do believe you've already struck her fancy.’

‘You believe?’

‘I'm observant. You should ask her to dance. At the very least it’s a good pretense to get to know each other,’ Diane smiled.

The music ended, and Harwin bowed to kiss her hand. ‘Thank you for the dance and a piece of advice,’ he said. ‘I almost forgot I was blatantly rejected.’

Diane let out a laugh. She could definitely see what Rhaenyra found in this man and what prompted her to have three of his children in another timeline.

They parted ways, and Diane went to get herself another cup of wine just for a man to run into her a few seconds later. It was a good thing that Dragon Claw was secure to her leg and she didn’t have immediate access to it, otherwise her war reflexes could have sent this man to Stranger before his time. She hated being startled.

‘My sincere apologies,’ the man said. He couldn’t have been older than five and twenty. Three and twenty perhaps. Give or take a year. He also seemed familiar, and it took Diane only a few seconds to place him. ‘I didn’t mean to come off quite as straightforward.’

Diane let out a laugh, ‘Yeah, straightforwardness is a unique quality for a Hightower.’

The man blinked in surprise because they hadn’t spoken before and were never formally introduced. ‘What gave me away?’ he then asked, a small smile on his lips.

‘The chin,’ she tapped on her own with a finger. ‘I've been looking at this chin a lot lately,’ she then added because she did have too much Otto Hightower in her life lately. It wasn’t surprising with him being the Hand and all, but Gods help her, that man was everywhere. Sometimes too literally.

The man in front of her chuckled. ‘Yes, he… can be a lot,’ he agreed and then continued, ‘Nonetheless let me introduce myself properly. Ser Gwayne Hightower,’ he said and bowed to kiss the back of her hand. 

‘Lady Diane Targaryen. But I believe my reputation precedes me,’ Diane smiled, trying to place Gwayne in the great scheme of things. The only thing she knew about him from another timeline was that he was dead. She had never met him in person and had no idea where his allegiances lay. She could assume, of course, that he was with the Greens, and that would be what she would stick to unless proven otherwise, but she was still curious. Did Otto send him to talk to her? Or was Gwayne here by his own decision?

‘It does,’ the man smiled slightly. ‘The men of City Watch are terrified of you.’

Diane laughed, ‘Is that so? You don't seem quite that terrified. You're a part of the golden cloaks, aren't you?’

‘I am, yes. Maybe foolishly so but I was fortunate enough not to be on the receiving end of your wrath.’

Daemon did sometimes send her to discipline some of his men on his behalf when he noticed his daughter got bored or needed to let off some steam. The golden cloaks didn’t take her seriously at first, of course, but Diane fixed it with a hard and very well-aimed crotch kick to the most disrespectful fucker that was followed by a dagger at his throat and a threat that no one dared not to believe. Gossip travels fast in King's Landing and after Diane put a few more men who hadn’t gotten the hint before in their place, all the golden cloaks knew to be polite and respectful to her. Or else she might just make sure they would lose a chance to sire any more children. 

‘Yet,’ Diane pointed out with a small smirk.

‘I'll make sure to behave myself,’ Gwayne promised, and Diane decided he was the nicest of the Hightowers. Well, at least among the ones she met or knew about. Of course, his friendly attitude could be a scheme or an attempt at manipulation but Diane didn’t seem to pick up on the usual signs of someone who was pretending to be something he was not. Maybe he was just… nice? A terrifying thought to have, but every family had a freak once in a while. ‘If you are not yet tired, may I invite you to dance?’ Gwayne inquired.

‘I'm never too tired for a dance,’ Diane accepted because she saw it as an opportunity to find out more about Otto's son. After all, Lord Hand only had two children: Alicent, who looked like she smelled something foul during the whole wedding, and Gwayne, who seemed rather polite and unthreatening. So Diane took his hand and let him lead him to the dance floor.

‘I was rather fascinated to hear that you took part in the War for the Stepstones,’ Gwayne proceeded to say. ‘Not a lot of knights in King's Landing have even seen a real battlefield and you have fought in the war.’

‘To be fair, it was only one battle.’

‘Still impressive.’

‘Thank you.’

‘There are not a lot of women amongst warriors.’

‘I bet far more than you think.’

‘Maybe. But I've never met one. And I am curious.’

‘What about?’ 

‘What prompted you to learn how to fight? To my understanding, it's not in the usual curriculum of a young lady.’

Diane let out a laugh, making Gwayne smile. ‘No, it is not. But I wasn’t raised as a lady. And on Dragonstone every kid learns how to defend themselves, it doesn't matter if they were born a girl or a boy. And I was good at it so I didn’t stop at self-defense.’

It was mostly the truth. She was already quite good when she was her current age in the previous timeline but her skills were nowhere near as good as they were now. After all, no one could expect someone her age to have more than ten years of experience as a kill-for-hire, so it was no wonder people found her impressive.

‘That sounds… reasonable. I mean, teaching kids - even young girls - how to defend themselves,’ Gwayne said. ‘After all, the men in their lives can’t be around them all the time to protect them,’ he added, and maybe Diane started to like him just a tiny bit. 

They continued to dance, and she was able to catch a glimpse of Otto Hightower who was watching them very intently and didn’t seem to be very happy about their rather pleasant interactions. So he didn’t send his son to get closer to her. Interesting. Otto looked like Diane snatched the piece of his favorite cake right out of his mouth.

‘Did I say something particularly amusing?’ Gwayne inquired, and she realized she snickered out loud at her own thoughts. 

‘Oh no, I apologize. It’s just… I noticed that your father doesn’t look very pleased with us, that's all.’

‘Do not mind him. He is generally displeased with me these days.’

‘And why is that?’ Diane asked because, yes, she was nosy. This information most likely wouldn’t be useful to her in any way, but she was curious.

‘I had the audacity to say that Daemon Targaryen is not the worst Commander the City Watch has ever had.’

Diane's laugh at that was rather sincere and loud enough to reach the head table which only made Otto scowl harder. Recently he started to realize that he rather underestimated Daemon's daughter when she first appeared at King’s Landing, and that was a mistake. He expected her to be abrasive and hot-headed just as her father was, but she appeared to be everything but. She was too confident and too mature for her age, she knew what she was doing and it bothered Otto that he didn’t know exactly what she was doing. He prided himself on being the person who saw right through others which made him able to always be a few steps ahead. And he couldn’t see through Diane. She was a mystery, wrapped into a tight black dress that showed off her beautiful figure (why the hell did he just think that?) and hidden under a smile that rarely reached her eyes. And she was now dancing with his son.

Otto couldn’t understand what her motives were. She had danced with a lot of men that night, most of them of very high standing, and - if it was indeed her way of looking for a potential husband as Otto had initially thought - Gwayne shouldn’t even be someone she considered. Diane was young, and beautiful (objectively, Otto added as an afterthought), and even though she was a bastard, she had been legitimized and named Daemon’s heir so she was a desirable young woman to marry. And Gwayne was just a son of a second son. He might be a knight and a part of a City Watch but he was still way below Diane's standing. And she was smart - Otto was sure of it - which meant she had something else in mind. She wanted something from Gwayne but what?

He was so deep in his thoughts that he almost missed how his son and Daemon’s daughter parted ways, and Diane headed back to the head table. Viserys asked her something, Otto wasn’t sure what, but Diane smiled at the King like he just made her day by paying attention to her. Oh, this little whor-

‘I haven’t had a chance to dance a lot but I do enjoy it very much,’ Diane said with a charming smile, taking a cup from Rhaenyra who reached out to pass it to her. ‘It reminds me of a battlefield a little, but it’s much less bloody.’

‘Well, I would certainly hope so,’ Viserys let out a laugh, and it was obvious he was enjoying her attention. Diane guessed that Viserys wanted to invite her to dance, but she knew he wouldn’t do it so she was trying to come up with a way to still use it to her advantage somehow.

‘I saw you dancing with my brother,’ Alicent suddenly said, and Diane wondered if her desire to draw her attention from Viserys was conscious or subconscious.

‘Oh, yes, Ser Gwayne. He is quite a charming man,’ Diane said without missing a bit, and she wasn’t really lying. ‘Surely not stingy with compliments, that's a rare feature for a man.’

‘You would know, you danced with all the unmarried men here,’ Otto suddenly commented, and even he seemed half-surprised he said it out loud. Apparently, Diane dancing with Gwayne really struck a nerve.

Rhaenyra (who was very shamelessly listening in on the conversation) thought for a second that Diane was going to murder Otto Hightower right then and there. It was the look in her eyes that wasn’t really readable but scary nonetheless. And then her posture changed. It was barely noticeable, but Rhaenyra knew Diane long enough to know. She inclined her head slightly to the side, smiled at Otto, and said, ‘Surely not with all of them, Lord Hand. You're unmarried, aren't you?’

It suddenly got really quiet at the head table. Daemon even stopped chewing on the piece of duck he was currently eating.

Otto blinked, visibly confused at such a turn of a conversation. ‘I'm a widower,’ he said.

‘In the context of our conversation it’s the same thing,’ Diane's smile never wavered and she took a sip of her wine, not breaking eye contact with the man. If he wanted to play this game, she was sure she could play it better. ‘But I suppose I can’t expect the man of your… respectable age to keep up.’

Rhaenyra thought it was the best entertainment ever to see Otto's face go through a range of emotions. He definitely didn’t expect her to go there. And Diane was still smiling as if she just said the most innocent thing ever as if she truly didn’t understand the implications of her own words.

When Otto suddenly got up, no one seemed to expect it. Well, maybe except Diane who looked at him with something akin to expectation. She knew Otto knew what she was doing, she just wondered if he would take the bait or wave her off. She didn’t think anyone would truly notice if he decided to take a cowardly way out.

Otto walked out of the table and stopped in front of her, extending his hand, ‘Would you like to dance with me, Lady Diane?’

Diane's smile widened and she took his hand, ‘With great pleasure, Lord Hand.’

Otto led her to the dance floor, and Daemon finally remembered to continue to chew. He looked at Rhaenyra who looked right back at him, and he could tell they both were quite flabbergasted by such a turn of events.

‘I am… confused,’ were the first words Rhaenyra said. ‘What has just happened?’

Daemon didn’t have an answer to that so he looked at his brother and his wife to check their reactions. And Diane's intentions - well, at least some of them - suddenly became very clear. 

The look of pure shock on Alicent's face that she tried to conceal and failed was entertaining. Her father invited someone to dance with him! And Daemon's bastard daughter of all people! Why would he do that? What was he thinking?!

Viserys on the other hand was eating his meal but the expression on his face was downright jealous. He wished to dance with Diane but he couldn’t do so because he didn’t dance as a rule even with his wife so he couldn’t invite another woman. That would be outrageous! But it didn’t mean he didn’t want to. And his Hand just went and invited her! Just like that! And Diane looked very happy with that invitation which in turn made Viserys very unhappy.

Daemon elbowed his wife and prompted her to look in the same direction. Rhaenyra turned her head and giggled quietly when she realized what was going on. Diane's scheming was more entertaining than street plays, honestly!

Otto was very aware that people were watching. After all, he hadn’t danced with anyone since his wife died (not like he had danced much with her but it happened on a few occasions) and now he invited no one other than Daemon’s daughter. Otto realized that it might just end up being the biggest gossip in court for the next few weeks and he wasn’t happy about it. He should have ignored Diane's bait. But the way she said it, the way she looked at him with her self-satisfied charming annoying smile told him that she was subtly insulting not only his dancing abilities. And he was a proud man so he had instinctively wanted to prove her wrong without thinking it through.

‘You know, dancing is supposed to be enjoyable,’ Diane said with a slight mockery in her voice, pulling Otto back from his thoughts. ‘And you look like you're escorting me to a funeral.’

‘The evening is not over yet.’

Diane snorted, and it was such a genuine sound that it took him off guard. Did she really just find what he said funny… in a good way?

‘That’s true but I think if anyone wanted to cause drama, they would have already done so. I suppose we’re in the clear,’ Diane said with a smile.

‘What are you playing at?’ Otto demanded. Sort of. It was hard to be intimidating while also trying to keep up with the dance.

‘Nothing. I’m just having fun. Or are you still unhappy with me about your son? I mean… he invited me and he was nice enough so there was no reason for me to refuse.’

‘I’m not unhappy with you,’ Otto decided to clarify for some reason. He felt a lot of mixed emotions towards her at the moment but “unhappy” probably wasn't the best descriptor. ‘Even though I find your methods of finding a husband rather unbecoming.’

‘Who said I'm looking for a husband? If I was, I wouldn’t have wasted time on your son.’

‘Let me guess, his standing is too low for your liking?’ Otto snarled at her. Of course, Daemon’s daughter would think too much of herself. She might be legitimized and heir to Dragonstone now but she was still a bastard and Otto was very damn sure she would lose her inheritance as soon as Daemon had a son.

‘Not really. I don't care much about that,’ Diane shrugged, then looked him right in the eyes and added as nonchalantly as humanly possible, ‘I just prefer older men.’

Otto stared at her. She stared right back with the same smile that was starting to get on his nerves. Because he was sure she was toying with him but in a way he did not expect and couldn’t predict, and she kept pulling the metaphorical rug from under his feet which was disconcerting. Because he loved being in control, he had to be in control, but Diane made him feel powerless. Not completely, of course, but she was the most unpredictable person he had ever met apparently, and you can only have so much confidence when you are flying blind.

And what with that fucking remark? Otto could interpret it in so many ways and for the life of him, he couldn’t understand why she said that to him. He couldn’t care less what she preferred… but she said that while they were discussing his son… while she was dancing with him (which she tricked him into doing) so…

Surely not. Ha. No. No way. Women didn’t flirt with him, and Daemon’s daughter wouldn’t have done that. Of course, she wouldn’t have. She was what? Seven and ten? She might be a pain in his backside but she wouldn’t have… unless she wanted to seduce him or something and then run crying to her father that he did something to her…

‘If I knew my words would have this effect, I would have waited till the dance was over,’ Diane snorted, pulling Otto back from his thoughts. He blinked and realized that they weren’t on the dance floor anymore and that she apparently pulled him aside to one of the columns. She was still holding onto the sleeve of his coat. It was nothing inappropriate, but Otto felt an immediate urge to snatch his hand away. Diane let him go. ‘Is it really that shocking?’ she teased, inclining her head to the side. 

Otto cleared his throat. He didn’t know what to answer to that because he felt kind of stupid. Trying to outthink a seven and ten year old girl sent him into such a deep thought spiral that he literally froze. In public. And Diane had to pull him away to a less public space - which he was sure would cause even more gossip than him just dancing with her - to probably save him some dignity. Or not. Otto had no idea what Diane wanted from him.

‘I apologize,’ he said through gritted teeth because anger was much more comfortable for him than confusion. ‘It was not my intention to do so.’

‘Don’t worry, all good,’ Diane was still smiling, and Otto wanted to wipe this smile right off her face. He decided not to give much thought to the method he wanted to use for it though. ‘You did show me that you can keep up with me. More or less.’

Otto used all his self-restraint not to growl at her. She was so freaking infuriating. He wanted to strangle her. And she kept looking at him like she knew exactly what he was thinking and enjoyed it immensely.

‘You should know your place, Lady Diane,’ he said instead, and if she perceived it as a threat, he intended for it to be.

‘And you should not freak out when someone flirts with you, Lord Hand,’ Diane answered right back. ‘But we'll have to make peace with what we have, I guess.’

And then she walked away from him as if she lost interest in their conversation, and the only thing that Otto's brain seemed to be able to focus on right now was the fact that she had in fact flirted with him.

***

Rhaenyra thought that her father just might break his silver knife in half with the force he was clutching it when Diane and Otto suddenly stopped dancing and she pulled him aside. Literally pulled , and Otto, who went willingly, seemed to have no objections to her doing so. They didn’t go far though, only out of the way, so Viserys could still see them. And if the looks could kill, Otto would have been a pile of ashes by now.

Rhaenyra glanced at Alicent who was looking down at her plate, obviously taking the “if I can’t see it, it’s not happening” approach, and then looked at Daemon who was surprisingly calm. He was drinking his wine with a little bit more enthusiasm than was strictly necessary but otherwise, he was doing great.

Still, Rhaenyra didn’t want her husband to think too much about what Diane might or might not be scheming with the Hand, so she leaned to Daemon and whispered, ‘Let's get out of here.’

The prince immediately focused all of his attention on her, ‘Right now?’

Rhaenyra nodded. A mischievous smile appeared on Daemon’s lips, ‘Say less.’

He then took her hand, and they slipped out of the back door. They were long gone when others noticed their absence, and no one really addressed that. After all, everyone was aware of where they went and their sneaky departure only proved that their union was one of love, considering how eager both Daemon and Rhaenyra were to continue their night in a more private setting.

And besides, the court now had much more interesting gossip to talk about.

Chapter Text

The King wasn’t happy to find out the morning after the wedding that Daemon and Rhaenyra departed somewhere early at dawn without notifying anyone. Or almost anyone.

Viserys asked one of his servants to bring Diane to his rooms because the King figured Daemon wouldn’t leave anywhere without letting his daughter know. After all, they were surprisingly close.

Diane came rather fast, even though she couldn’t suppress a yawn when she stepped into his rooms. It made Viserys realize that she had probably been still sleeping when the guard called her and it made him feel somewhat bad, but then he decided he had a good reason. His daughter - who was also the heir to the throne - just disappeared overnight! And Diane might have useful information.

She did. Apparently, Daemon whisked Rhaenyra away to Essos. Essos! How reckless is that?! Daemon claimed to be a changed man and yet he didn’t act like it! Didn’t he understand how dangerous it was?!

Diane clearly didn’t share his anger, and as soon as Viserys calmed down, he could even kind of see her point. First of all, no one expected them to be in Essos so unless they were anywhere near their dragons, no one would recognize them. And such anonymity gave them protection from anyone who could hold a grudge against Targaryens. And Daemon’s Dark Sister could easily protect them from usual criminals. They would be gone for a month or two and then would come back and settle into their royal life. 

‘I do believe I managed to get to know Rhaenyra quite well, and she takes her role of the heir to the throne very seriously, but it doesn't mean she has to be deprived of her youthful adventures,’ Diane smiled, and Viserys deflated. He couldn’t be angry for long in her presence, even more so when Diane was being so nice and calm.

So instead the King invited her to join him for breakfast, realizing that she probably didn’t have any, and Diane gladly accepted. The fact that Viserys wanted to spend more time with her was a good sign, and not like she had much to do at that precise moment. Daemon and Rhaenyra were away, enjoying being newlyweds, and Diane decided she deserved a few slow days before she moved forward with all her plans. 

So they spent the morning talking about Viserys’ model of Old Valyria. The King enjoyed it not only because it was his hobby but also because Diane seemed honestly interested in what he had to say. She didn’t know a lot about Valyrian history but she knew the basics so her questions were much more interesting and in-depth than Alicent ever managed to ask. Or anyone else for that matter.

Viserys also enjoyed it when Diane and he came up with silly stories for small figurines that resided inside the model. At first, it didn’t have any because the King was much more interested in buildings than anything else, but one day they just started popping out of thin air. It took him almost two weeks to figure out that it was Diane who was bringing them on the nights she treated his wounds. And when he asked her about it she just smiled and said, ‘I just thought the city as gorgeous as this one should be more lively. Hope you don’t mind, Your Majesty.’

And then she proceeded to tell him about the backstories she came up with for the figurines and explained why she put them in those particular places. Viserys was enamored. So Diane proceeded to move figurines around the model and sometimes bring new ones. That gave them something to talk about when they saw each other which Viserys greatly enjoyed.

It would be later that day after Diane left, that the King would realize she sneaked a new figurine into his model while he wasn’t looking. And he would spend the next three days wondering what the story could possibly require a figurine of a goat standing on top of the Valyrian castle.

***

The next few days indeed turned out to be rather calm for Diane. The court was buzzing with the new gossip (which, of course, Diane knew everything about and found joy in the fact that Otto definitely knew about it as well) but no one really bothered her. Other ladies-in-waiting used an opportunity to spend time with their families who arrived for the wedding, Athelstan asked for a few days off to tend to his sick father, no emergencies seemed to be happening, Otto avoided her to the best of his ability (which was hilarious), and Diane could finally just sit around, read books and spend time with Aegon and Helaena. Aegon was in his creative stage and was very delighted when Diane introduced fingerpainting to him. His nursemaid might not be all that happy with all the mess that was left for her to clean up but at the end of the day she couldn’t really disapprove as long as the young prince was happy and entertained.

Alicent was ignoring Diane's existence, probably hoping all the recent changes would just go away if she ignored her long enough. It was probably a trauma response or something and Diane could respect that but she couldn’t quite look past the fact that even the young Alicent was rubbing her off the wrong way. Diane was aware that with a father like Otto Alicent probably didn’t have much of a choice in… basically anything growing up, but she was an adult and the Queen now. If she wanted to break out of Otto's influence, she could have done so, but she didn’t. And the more time passed, the more Alicent's position started to look less like an unfortunate situation and more like her personal choice. Anyway, Diane was fine with Alicent ignoring her for the time being as long as she didn’t make her life harder. 

After a few days of leisure and calmness, Diane got a letter from Daemon that was updating Diane on their whereabouts just in case with a separate letter from Rhaenyra about what a great time she was having. Diane wrote them back about everything she thought might be important (which currently was not a lot) and decided that if they came back from their honeymoon with a sibling for her, she would have all the rights to be excited. And then Diane jumped on Silverwing and went to Dragonstone.

Diane couldn't quite explain it but she felt a sudden pull there and there was no reason for her to ignore it. She loved Dragonstone and she missed it immensely. Even after years away from this island, it still felt like home to her. It was the place where her soul felt the most at peace.

Maester Gerardys was surprised when Diane showed up in the castle and declared she would be taking over the duties of Lady of Dragonstone in her father’s absence but wasn't at all against it. After all, Prince Daemon was never at Dragonstone these days, and considering he just married the princess and was on his way to become a King Consort one day, he wouldn’t be much interested in coming back anytime soon. So if his daughter and - what was more important - his heir wanted to take charge of Daemon's duties, Gerardys would be as supportive as humanly possible.

Diane smiled when the maester supported her in her wishes. She didn’t know him very well but she knew he died for Rhaenyra in another timeline and was one of her most trusted advisors, and that was more than enough. Diane needed to make sure he lived longer this time around, which reminded her…

‘Who is the castellan of Dragonstone right now?’ she asked Gerardys. They were standing at the Painted Table, and Diane tried not to think too hard about all the memories she had that had something to do with this room or this table. 

‘Alfred Broome.’

Diane's face hardened. This bastard.

‘For how long?’

‘Oh, well… it will be three months in a few days, I believe. His predecessor died and Alfred was second in command so…’

‘I want to see him. Right now. And his second in command.’

Gerardys frowned at the look on Diane's face. It wasn’t the look of someone who wanted an introduction. The maester had seen such a look on Prince Daemon’s face before and it usually meant one thing… he probably should alert the maids. He didn’t want to assume but he had his reasons to believe that it was about to get bloody.

‘As you wish, my lady.’

In half an hour two men stood before her. Diane was glad to find out that Robert Quince was second in command. This man was known in her timeline not only for his large frame but also for his undying support for Rhaenyra. She had a feeling she would be able to find a common ground with him. With Alfred, on the other hand…

‘I will save us all the time and get right to the business,’ Diane said, twirling the Dragon Claw in her hand. ‘Who is supposed to be the heir to the throne?’

Robert immediately said, ‘Princess Rhaenyra, of course,’ even though he was confused as to why Lady Diane would call them both here to ask that.

Alfred, on the other hand, demanded with a rather displeased face, ‘What is the meaning of this?’

Diane inclined her head to the side, ‘I asked you a simple question. It’s rather worrying that you didn’t answer.’

‘I'm not entertaining whatever this is for any longer!’ Alfred exclaimed and made a move to leave.

‘Then I shall have your head for such blatant disrespect,’ Diane said nonchalantly but loud enough for everyone to hear.

Alfred stopped in his tracks and looked back at her, his face angry now, ‘You have no such power.’

‘She does, Alfred,’ Gerardys stepped into the conversation. ‘When Prince Daemon is not here, she is the one you answer to. So I advise you to mind what you say.’

Considering the look on Diane's face, Alfred wouldn’t answer to anyone about anything much longer but Gerardys still decided to try and keep the peace as much as possible. He still wasn’t quite sure what Diane was about to do but she was Daemon’s daughter and she was raised at Dragonstone as far as he knew. The murder was probably not that big of a deal for her.

‘I would not answer to this girl!’ Alfred shouted, his ego obviously overriding his self-preservation. Surely no one could expect him to listen to her! With how young she was, her set of skills probably ended at needlework, and he was a castellan for Gods’ sake! Daemon’s daughter or not, she was not his equal.

‘I'm a Lady of Dragonstone, you traitorous asshole, and you would not disrespect me in my own home!’ Diane approached him, her eyes burning with rage. ‘Gods know, I should have just gotten rid of you but I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to look you in the eyes one more time.’

‘Ha, and what are you going to do? Run crying to your father? You do that, he’ll put you in your place…’ Alfred snarled, taking a step towards her, and that was his fatal mistake.

Diane took a better hold of Dragon Claw and then stabbed it right into Alfred’s left eye socket. The man screamed in pain, and she twisted the dagger before sharply pulling it out. Alfred fell to his knees, clutching his wound and screaming but still alive. Not for long though because Diane pierced Dragon Claw right through his throat and the traitor fell silent forever. She pushed his body away and it fell to the floor with a thud.

Diane would lie if she said that seeing Alfred dead wasn’t satisfying. After what he did in another timeline he got off way too easy but Diane just didn’t want to waste more time on him than was strictly necessary. She had much more interesting things to attend to.

‘I believe, Ser Robert, you just got promoted to the castellan,’ Diane stated, looking up at the man who very shamelessly gaped at her. He didn’t expect a girl of her age and complexion to kill someone like Alfred with just two rather professionally executed moves. She truly was Daemon’s daughter. ‘That’s possible to do, right?’ she checked with Gerardys.

‘Yes, my lady,’ the maester answered. He looked like Diane somewhat exceeded his expectations, and it made her like him even more. 

‘Then my sincere congratulations,’ Diane smiled at Robert. ‘I hope our work together will be more productive than with your predecessor.’

‘Of that, I have no doubt,’ the shock subsided, and Robert's mind finally caught up with the situation. ‘That’s a great honor, Lady Diane. I won’t let you down.’

‘See that you don’t,’ Diane said. She was still smiling but her eyes were rather firm. The last time around Aegon managed to take control of Dragonstone and lure them into a trap, and she would not let it happen again.

***

With Alfred out of the picture, Diane could finally get on with her more peaceful plans. Which mostly included figuring out how to make the lives of people on Dragonstone better. They were pretty self-sufficient, the local economy was just enough to support the current population with small help from royal funds here and there, but Diane knew their little island had much more to offer. It was the last place that preserved true Valyrian customs, after all, and Diane wanted to see them thrive. 

The most immediate problems were - ironically - dragons, specifically Cannibal and Sheepstealer. Grey Ghost and Vermithor weren't creating much trouble so it was wiser to just leave them be.

‘I might sound really ignorant-’ Diane said when Gerardys told her about the “raids” two dragon troublemakers went on in the last year. ‘- but did we try feeding them?’

The maester blinked, ‘I'm sorry?’

‘I mean- they're animals, right? They are not evil by nature, they're mostly hungry. To my understanding, sure, Cannibal has a weird diet, but hunger is still the cause, isn't it? Can we just feed them?’

‘I can see your point,’ Gerardys said thoughtfully. ‘And I believe this idea was brought up before but we never had the budget… or willing people to give it a try.’

‘Hmm,’ Diane mused. ‘If I manage to successfully feed both of these menaces, will you be able to persuade our dragonkeepers to keep doing that? We'll figure out the budget if it stops them from raiding the villages.’

‘I believe it's worth a try,’ the maester agreed. ‘But should you be taking such a risk? If something goes wrong…’

‘I'll have Silverwing to back me up, don’t worry. She's just as terrifying as I am,’ Diane added, making Gerardys chuckle. Daemon’s daughter was definitely going to spice things up on Dragonstone.

She tried what they planned the next day. She took Silverwing, two sheep as a peace offering, and went to the Dragonmont area where Sheepstealer resided. He didn’t make them wait, and Diane wanted to think that she managed to reason with this dragon. She didn’t know much Valyrian but she gave him a piece of her mind anyway. She didn’t know if Sheepstealer truly understood her but he was looking at her intently and listening while she was speaking, then took his two sheep and flew away without trying to burn her, so Diane deemed it a success.

The conversation with Cannibal went slightly less smoothly. He tried to cough up an attitude with them but Silverwing roared at him like she meant business and Cannibal somewhat deflated. In the end, he took a sheep and a body they got for him (a rapist was hanged a day before and why waste his remnants, right?), roared just to have a last word, and left but Diane got the idea that he understood what behavior she expected from him in the future.

It was early to call it a success - they needed to see whether or not a consistent food supply would discourage these two menaces from raiding the villages - but Diane was very optimistic. She even proposed to change the law from hanging the rapists to feeding them off to Cannibal.

‘Because I believe he might like the aspect of taking the life of a living prey, you know?’ she told Gerardys. Diane wasn’t sure how she knew that exactly but she did. ‘Sounds like a good enough punishment for these fuckers. Because what are they going to do? Say “no”?’

‘We can do that. Murderers are also sentenced to death sometimes, we can add them on there,’ the maester said. The last few days with Diane at Dragonstone were the most entertaining in a while and he was on board with pretty much anything as long as it was within reason. ‘But we would need Prince Daemon to sign off on it. You - even as his proxy - do not have the authority to permanently change the law.’

‘Hmm… draft me the document, will you? I'll figure something out.’

‘Of course, my lady.’

In a few hours, Gerardys presented it to Lady Diane who was going through documented earnings and expenses of Dragonstone from the last few years. Diane quickly looked through the draft of a new law and then said, ‘Turn around.’

The maester blinked in confusion, ‘Why?’

She smiled, ‘Plausible deniability.’

Gerardys looked at her for a few seconds, then shrugged and turned away. Diane swiftly signed the document and said, ‘Oh, it looks like ravens work really fast today! It seems like my father has already signed it!’

Gerardys turned back to her with a raised eyebrow. Diane continued, ‘Isn't it wonderful that he takes his duties so seriously even from Essos?’

The maester reached out to take the document from Diane's hands and it indeed looked like Daemon signed it. Gerardys chuckled, briefly wondering when and where this young girl learned how to fake her father’s handwriting so well, and then said, ‘It most certainly is. I’ll make sure everyone is notified about these changes.’

‘Thank you, maester.’

Gerardys stopped at the door frame and looked at Diane, ‘You know… if your idea works, you might have just fixed a decades-long problem.’

Diane's smile grew wider, ‘And I'm just getting started.’

The next on her agenda was Dragonstone's economy. It was alright, probably ever since Aegon's Conquest, but “alright” didn’t seem to cut it. Diane's immediate mission was to ensure Rhaenyra’s right to the throne but she also needed something for herself. And if being a wife and a mother wasn’t completely off the table, it was definitely not something she wanted to make her life mission. Being Lady of Dragonstone, on the other hand, making sure the place she called home thrived - that sounded like a rather noble goal. So Diane decided to start now.

‘Does Dragonstone have its own version of a Small Council?’ she asked Gerardys while she was having a late breakfast. She flew back to King’s Landing the day before to visit the King in the chambers as usual and then flew back to Dragonstone at night. It seemed like no one at King’s Landing (except for a few dragonkeepers and Athelstan) knew where she was spending most of her days and she thought it was good. At least for now. She knew she would have to let others know eventually. After all, the lady of her standing couldn’t just go missing for long, but for now, she wouldn’t think too much about it.

‘Not to my understanding,’ Gerardys answered. ‘A lord of Dragonstone always had a trusted maester and a castellan but that's pretty much it.’

‘I think we need a Small Council. I mean… we'll call it something else not to step on anyone's toes in King's Landing but- what do you think?’ Diane asked.

‘Well… who do you wish to include?’

‘High Priest, because Dragontemple is basically responsible for running the whole community. Then we need someone to represent the fishermen and the merchants. For right now it can be one person, but we will divide responsibilities if it becomes too much.’

‘I know the man,’ Gerardys said. ‘We do not have a fishermen guild or anything but Duncan Hanh is well respected in the community. He owns half of the boats so if he says something, others will listen.’

‘Splendid,’ Diane smiled. ‘And I also want to include Jamaya… I have no idea what her last name is.’

‘You mean… the whore?’

‘Why do you have to be so crass? She just runs all three brothels on Dragonstone. If anything, she is a successful business owner.’

‘But why, for the love of the Gods’, do you need her to advise you?’ the maester asked and he didn’t seem like he was judging her. He was just very confused.

‘Brothels are the best place for gossip and whores are the best spies. Men tend to spill their secrets when their pants are down, and why would we pass on such an opportunity to know everything?’ Diane's smile turned mischievous and she leaned closer to Gerardys. ‘Just trust me on this. I tried that at Flea Bottom. I've never been as informed as I am now.’

‘Very well then. I'll need a few days to sort everything out and then we can call… um… Dragon Council?’ the maester offered.

‘Hmm… kind of corny but I like it,’ Diane nodded with a small smile. ‘Let's call it that for now.’

‘As you wish, my lady.’

***

Otto Hightower didn’t really hide the fact that he had his spies both in the Red Keep and in the city. He still met with them after the sunset because it lowered the chances of being overheard but he wasn’t treating it like a secret.

And yet he almost got a heart attack after he let the boy go and the voice from behind him suddenly said, ‘Isn't it too late to be working, Lord Hand?’

Otto twirled around a little bit faster than he would have normally done it and saw Diane leaning on the doorframe, smiling like he was the most entertaining sight ever. He frowned immediately but it was more of a defensive gesture than anything.

‘People of my standing are always on duty.’

‘That’s not… necessarily true. Mellos finds time for his naps and whores even in the middle of the day, and I've never seen you do anything else except work,’ Diane frowned. ‘Starting to think of it, it’s probably the reason you're so broody all the time. You need a hobby. Maybe try crocheting?’ she offered, then shrugged and started walking away. 

Meeting Otto wasn’t her intention, she kind of ran into him, and she didn’t really have anything specific in mind so, after a little bit of antagonizing him (she couldn’t help herself), she was ready to go on with her evening. Otto, on the other hand, didn’t seem to be ready to do the same.

‘Where are you going?’ the Hand asked, following her.

‘To the stables.’

‘It’s the middle of the night.’

‘I know what time it is, thank you.’

‘You should be in your rooms.’

‘So should you.’

‘I’m a grown man.’

‘And I'm a grown woman. Any other obvious facts you wish to point out, Lord Hand?’

‘The lady of your standing can’t be alone at night.’

‘Unfortunately, I'm not alone because you keep following me for some reason.’

‘Mere concern for your safety.’

‘Ha, could have fooled me.’

‘Why are you going to the stables?’

‘To fuck a stable boy!’ Diane exclaimed, sharply turning to Otto and making him run right into her because he didn’t anticipate her stopping so suddenly. Diane staggered back a few steps with a force of impact and huffed in annoyance.

‘What?’ Otto blinked at her, his brain refusing to process what Diane had just said.

She rolled her eyes, ‘Honestly, must you be so nosy? I'm going to the stables because that's where the horses are and I don't want to walk all the way to the Dragon Pit. ’

Otto huffed. No one ever dared to call him nosy and he couldn’t even call out her disrespect because it was obvious Diane found his anger entertaining. Plus he wasn’t sure why he followed her in the first place. He did, in fact, not care for her safety and he should have just let her go on her merry way. But well, hindsight is a bitch.

‘And, just for your information, I'm not fucking anyone there. That would cause too much gossip. As well as the fact that you and I are standing at night in the empty corridor. So I'm going to go,’ Diane informed. ‘And you're not going to follow me.’

She made an attempt to walk away. 

‘Can’t Dragon Pit wait till tomorrow?’ Otto followed right after her.

Diane stopped and sighed, ‘You're not going to let this go, are you? For a person who so masterfully avoided me for the past week, you are too determined to keep my company.’

‘I did not avoid you,’ Otto stated defensively. 

‘Sure did. And I’m starting to think it was a blessing in disguise.’

Otto pursed his lips, not admitting to anything but realizing Diane saw right through him. So what if he did avoid her just a tad? He just didn’t want to deal with her! She was so disrespectful, and infuriating, and exciting- wait, not that word. Extremely annoying. Yes, that's what he intended to think in the first place.

‘Fine,’ Diane suddenly said, making Otto focus on her again. ‘With all due respect, Lord Hand, I do not have all night. So you are either letting me go or accompanying me to the Dragon Pit.’

Otto raised an eyebrow. Surely she understood that it would look worse if they went somewhere at night together than if they were just standing in the hallway. But then again, she was Daemon’s daughter. She was supposed to be reckless with the consequences.

‘I suppose it’s my duty to ensure your safety,’ he heard himself say.

Diane chuckled and said with a tad of disbelief, ‘Surely you have better things to do.’

‘As you pointed out, my lady, I might be in need of a hobby.’

‘Annoying me is not a hobby.’

‘Agree to disagree,’ Otto said, and the corners of his lips tugged into something akin to a smile. It was probably the most genuine expression Diane had ever seen on his face. So she decided she could entertain him, not like she was doing anything particularly worth hiding.

‘Alright then,’ she agreed, and Otto gestured for her to start moving, still not sure what the hell he was doing. Not only Diane was confusing him almost on a daily basis but now he started confusing himself. Well, that was just great.

‘May I inquire now what urgent business you might possibly have at Dragon Pit at night?’ Otto asked to get at least some answers and get back the feeling of being in control.

‘I'm flying to Dragonstone. And it proved to be more comfortable to do at night without the sun blinding me all the time,’ Diane answered. That was true, she preferred night to day when it came to flying. She hadn’t yet mastered the skill of sleeping on a dragon's back (her self-preservation instincts weren’t cooperating as well as she wished them to) but her father assured her that with practice it would be as easy as sleeping in her own bed.

‘I see,’ Otto nodded and then added, ‘Urgent business?’

‘Just some things to take care of on my father's behalf. I would be back before you get a chance to truly miss me, Lord Hand.’

Otto snorted but didn’t comment and they spent the rest of their journey in surprisingly pleasant silence. Diane was not sure why he was so insistent on keeping her company and something told her that Otto wasn’t sure either, but having him trail her like a loyal dog felt kind of nice. The deep hatred and resentment from another timeline aside, the Hand might be useful to her. Diane never denied the fact that he was smart or conniving enough to rise so high to his position and keep it all those years. If she played her cards right, she could not only use him to make Viserys jealous but put his skills to good use for her side without him even knowing. The problem was that Diane wasn’t sure what exactly her cards were with Otto Hightower, and their mutual confusion with each other's actions wasn’t really helping.

Otto helped her up on her horse. He didn’t have to do that. She didn’t comment. She gave him a chance to leave her alone one more time. He didn’t take it. He only bid her goodbye at the gates of Dragon Pit, even though Diane half-expected him to follow her right to Silverwing. And then she realized, ‘Not fond of dragons, are you?’

Otto looked a little bit caught off guard but then let out a laugh. ‘I simply don’t extend such trust in deadly animals as you Targaryens do,’ he said, and it was obvious he debated whether to tell the truth or to lie for a few seconds before sticking to the first option.

‘I think people are scared of them too much. They are basically overgrown puppies.’

Even Cannibal, with all his bratty attitude, could be reasoned with, and dragons who had riders were much more well-behaved.

‘Who breathe fire,’ Otto pointed out.

Diane smiled, ‘Only if you get on their bad side.’

‘I would rather not take my chances.’

‘Maybe another time?’

‘I highly doubt that.’

Diane let out a laugh, ‘Then it’s my cue to leave. Good night to you, Lord Hand. And thank you for keeping my company.’

Otto nodded slightly, ‘It was my pleasure, Lady Diane.’

***

When Viserys asked Otto after the Small Council meeting whether or not he knew where Diane was, it didn’t ring any alarm bells in his head. So he answered, ‘She is currently at Dragonstone. I believe it has something to do with your brother's duties.’

‘And how exactly do you know that?’ Viserys asked. 

The alarms in Otto's head should have been going crazy at this particular moment but he honestly didn’t see how him knowing Diane's whereabouts could be of any issue, so he answered, ‘She told me herself last night.’

Viserys’ eyes slightly widened and then narrowed. He repeated, ‘Last night?’

Otto caught up with the fact that what he said could probably sound as inappropriate as it actually was, so he rushed to clarify, ‘I ran into her on her way to Dragon Pit late in the evening.’

He decided not to add that he stubbornly accompanied her there for reasons he himself couldn’t quite comprehend.

‘I see,’ Viserys nodded but still looked too unfriendly for Otto's liking. That made the Hand pause. Viserys asking about Diane seemed… weird. Otto wasn’t sure how exactly weird, he just got a feeling that there was something he didn’t know that he preferred to know. So he asked, ‘Do you need her for anything urgent, Your Grace? I could write a letter to-’

‘Do not write to her,’ the King cut him off way more harshly than the situation required.

Otto just looked at him. And then he fully took in the expression on Viserys’ face. It wasn’t the expression of worry for his niece, it was pure, unmistakable jealousy. Viserys made his facial features behave again in a few moments, but Otto noticed.

So Viserys was jealous of him over his niece? Well, the last bit wasn’t surprising, Targaryen family tree considering, but… of him? It did stroke Otto's ego quite a lot, even though he realized that having Viserys displeased with him - over something he didn’t do, no less - was not good.

Did Diane set him up? Otto wouldn’t put it past her. She struck him as a woman who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted, but her knowing that Viserys would ask him specifically about her whereabouts seemed unlikely. In addition, she had been stubborn about getting rid of him the night before so it didn’t seem planned. Or it was planned so well it looked like it wasn’t planned at all.

Ugh, this girl would put him into the early grave.

‘What I mean is that it’s not really urgent,’ Viserys said, mending the situation. 

After all, he couldn’t just go off on Otto and accuse him of… well, anything, considering Viserys had no proof that his Hand found Lady Diane anything other than arrogant and annoying. But the fact that Otto was a widower and still at the age when he could easily remarry without raising any eyebrows was nagging at the back of Viserys’ mind. It was unlikely, of course, considering whose daughter Diane was, but still… Viserys would have preferred if Otto stayed as away from Diane as possible.

‘She didn’t say when she would be back, did she?’ Viserys inquired then, trying to sound only mildly interested. 

‘No, she didn’t share such details. Our encounter was very brief,’ Otto lied. He truly didn’t know when she planned to come back but, in light of the new information, he didn’t wish to inform the King that their encounter was anything but brief.

‘Very well then. You're dismissed.’

Otto bowed and then left the room. He felt in need of a drink and if he was going to spend the next few hours trying to guess what the heck Diane was scheming and most likely fail to figure it out, no one else had to know about it.

Chapter Text

The first meeting of the Dragon Council (they were keeping the name because everyone found it hilarious yet liked it) went rather well. Cannibal and Sheepstealer were sticking to the deals Diane somehow managed to make with them, and the task of feeding them was delegated to dragonkeepers, so the Dragon Council could focus on other things.

As Diane found out, the main problem everyone on Dragonstone had was the lack of people. People were ready to work more, and fish more, and trade more, but there just weren’t enough hours in the day. Fishermen didn’t have enough bodies to fill the boats, the same went to any trade or farming. Dragonstone didn’t have a lot of suitable land for growing crops but even with what little they had they didn’t have enough hands to work it. Nuns and monks of Dragontemple were also overworked but that was nothing new. 

‘So what you need is people,’ Diane summarized, getting affirmative nods from everyone. ‘I’ll find you people.’

She wasn’t sure how she was going to do it at that precise moment but the good ideas always came to her eventually if she thought hard enough about them. 

In her free time, Diane explored the castle. Even after living there for a while, it was still a maze and mostly a mystery to her. Even Gerardys didn’t know all the twists and turns, and when Diane asked if they had a map, the maester said it would be nice to have one. But to make it they would have to send someone to explore the castle and they might just not come back. Not like the young and very curious servants didn’t go missing every few years. Most of them were found, of course, more than half of them even still alive, but it made most of the Dragonstone inhabitants wary of the corridors and places they didn’t know well.

So Diane made sure to always pay attention when she took unknown turns and made notes on the walls near the rooms she explored. The initial purpose of most was easy to figure out, even though some raised a lot of questions.

For example, Diane found the dragon egg that long ago turned into stone sitting on the table in the middle of the room. The room had no other furniture except for old, very dirty curtains. Diane looked at the egg for a few seconds, then made a confused sound and closed the door, drawing three question marks on the stone nearby. She would deal with it later.

‘I do believe it was just forgotten there,’ a painfully familiar voice almost made Diane jump out of her skin. ‘After all, dragon eggs weren't such a rarity in the past.’

Diane turned very slowly in the direction of the voice. Rhaena smiled at her when their eyes met. She looked the same as Diane remembered her with her beautiful white locks and wearing one of her favorite black dresses. 

It was the same as meeting her mother in the garden. Diane felt total disbelief that quickly subsided because, at this very moment, she didn’t care what was happening. She just knew that Rhaena - her dear, precious Rhaena - was standing only a few feet away, and she would be damned if she let herself waste even a second.

So Diane reached out to her. Slowly at first but then Rhaena reached out too and Diane was urgently pulling her into a hug as soon as their hands touched. ‘I missed you so, so much,’ Diane said, not caring that her voice was shaking. She buried her nose in the crook of Rhaena's neck, and she even smelled the same as Diane remembered.

Rhaena let out a sob and clung to her, ‘I'm sorry- I'm so sorry-’

‘Shh, my love, there's nothing - absolutely nothing - that you should apologize for,’ Diane assured, leaning back just a little to take Rhaena's face in her hands and gently wipe her tears away.

‘No- I- I should have fought harder- I should have- they just took you away- they didn’t listen-’ Rhaena cried, and Diane realized what she was talking about. 

The day of her death. 

Rhaena and she were locked in the same cell, and Diane knew they would come for her sooner rather than later. She was the closest thing Rhaenyra had to the Hand at that moment. The Queen's Protector. Luthor Largent called her that first - he had a soft spot for her because of her father - and then the name just stuck. 

Her undying loyalty to Rhaenyra was public knowledge, and Aegon wasn’t dumb enough to think that Diane would change sides or stand aside when Rhaenyra was killed. Oh no, if Aegon spared her life, she would have come back to haunt him. She would have spent the rest of her life trying to put Rhaenyra’s son on the throne… or anyone else for that matter as long as this fucking usurper didn’t get to keep the crown. She had to die for him to feel safe.

So when the guards came into their cell, Diane knew her end was just around the corner. She had a blade on her: nothing too impressive but it was small enough and well-hidden enough for their captors to miss. She thrust it into Rhaena's hands when she heard the lock turning. Diane might have put it to good use but she was tired, and hurt, and outnumbered, and she knew she could as well be marked for death. But there was fate much worse than death.

Diane knew their captors didn’t touch her because they feared her and she knew they didn’t touch Rhaena because she was a lady and had Velaryon blood but that favor might not have lasted. So she gave Rhaena the blade in case she needed to protect herself… or swiftly end her life. Diane had taught her how months ago, where and how to cut to go fast and as painlessly as possible. She wished she didn’t have to teach her that but it was an important knowledge to have. Death wasn’t as bad of a prospect as things some humans might do to you.

Diane knew that Rhaena understood. “They wouldn’t have me,” her eyes said. “No one but you. I wouldn’t let them.”

And it brought Diane just a tiny bit of comfort. Rhaena still begged the guards to spare Diane's life. She couldn’t stand by and just let them kill the love of her life, but the guards didn’t listen. They wouldn’t disobey Aegon's direct orders, what a cowardly lot they were. 

Diane didn’t put up too much of a fight because as long as they were focused on her, Rhaena was safe. Relatively. But it was better than nothing. And now seeing Rhaena crying, saying that she didn’t do enough… it was breaking Diane's heart.

‘My love, you did enough. You did everything you could. That’s what matters, okay?’ Diane smiled a little, trying to comfort her. ‘There was nothing else you could do, and it was in no way your fault.’

Rhaena shook her head but didn’t say anything else. After all, there was nothing they could do about it now.

Diane wiped Rhaena's tears away and asked quietly, ‘You are not here to stay, are you?’

Because that was too good to be true. Because in this timeline there was no way for Rhaena to exist. Their father married Rhaenyra (as he always should have) and Laena was well on her way to become the next Lady Strong. Whatever Gods had in mind, it wasn’t letting Diane stay with the love of her life.

Rhaena shook her head, ‘I can’t- I'm sorry-’

‘That’s okay. Just seeing you one more time is more than I thought I would ever get,’ Diane answered, stroking her cheek. Rhaena leaned into the touch. ‘To have one more memory to remember you by…’

Rhaena looked at Diane with watery eyes and then said, ‘Well, I- I can- here,’ she took off her bracelet with a small silver dragon on it and handed it to Diane. ‘You can keep it. The Gods will allow it. So you'll never forget that I love you. No matter the time, or the place, or the fact that this world is no longer for me… that I love you no matter what.’

Diane took the bracelet and looked at it, ‘Is it the one that-’

Rhaena smiled, ‘Yes. The one that you gifted me when I was eight. I've worn it ever since.’

‘Father was teaching Baela how to handle her dragon, and you were so upset you couldn’t join them...’ Diane muttered, remembering that day. 

‘Yes- I wasn’t precisely jealous but I was used to Baela and I having everything in common… except a dragon. So you gave me a bracelet and said, “Now you also have something Baela doesn’t have”,’ Rhaena let out a laugh, making Diane smile. ‘It was such a small gesture but I think I have loved you ever since. It took me some time to realize what this feeling was but I guess everyone noticed you became my favorite person in the whole wide world.’

‘Baela surely noticed.’

‘And teased me mercilessly about it,’ Rhaena laughed, and then her gaze turned sad again. ‘I wish I could be the love of your life.’

‘You are the love of my life, Rhaena.’

‘No. Of your previous life, maybe. But you have a new life now. And I won’t be able to share it with you, no matter how much I want to.’

‘No one will be able to ever replace you, my love.’

‘Oh, but they will. And it’s a good thing. Really, it is,’ Rhaena smiled through tears. ‘You deserve to be loved, and I want you to be loved… even if it’s not by me. I asked the Gods before they let me come say “goodbye”. You'll have an amazing life, Diane, and there will be people who'll love you just as much as I do. Maybe even more.’

For Diane, it was hard to believe. Loving Rhaena was like taking a deep breath after holding it for ages. She couldn’t imagine anyone ever replacing her but she was not going to spend the little time they had left arguing about it.

‘Will I ever see you again?’ Diane asked instead.

‘I don’t- afterlife is- I'm not supposed to say anything,’ Rhaena muttered.

‘Then I'm not going to prod,’ Diane stroked her cheek. ‘I love you, my dear. Till the sun burns out and then after.’

Rhaena let out a sob, and then she launched forward, sealing their lips in a kiss. Diane pulled her closer, trying to engrave in her memory the smell, the taste, the feel of her. As far as the last kisses go, this might have been the best one.

When they broke apart, the time obviously started to run out. Rhaena smiled at her through tears one more time, and then her image faded like she was never there.

Diane let out a shaky breath and lowered herself to the floor, not trusting her legs at the moment. Her cheeks were wet with tears. Were they hers? Were they Rhaena's? She didn’t know.

What she knew was that the bracelet in her hand was real. It stayed even after Rhaena left, and now Diane had something to remember her by.

Diane smiled a little and pressed it to her lips. It wasn’t much but it was better than nothing.

***

‘Valyrian faith is accepting of queer people, is it not?’ Diane asked as soon as the High Priest walked into the room. Gerardys and she were drinking tea and going over some of the recent reports that the Lady of Dragonstone should be aware of.

‘It is,’ the High Priest nodded.

‘How accepting are we talking? Because I was raised in it and I had no idea others didn’t like queer people that much until I was like ten.’

The High Priest frowned at the wording of the question but then answered, ‘I believe, the answer is fully. Valyrian faith doesn’t care about what people present as or do in bed as long as everyone involved can agree. I know the Faith of Seven has much more… unreasonable views on that matter, but for us it was never even a topic of discussion.’

‘Duncan has been married to his husband for what… over ten years now,’ Gerardys added. ‘Half of Dragonstone came to the wedding.’

‘We had a lot of hangovers and drunken injuries to treat the day after. Good memories,’ the High Priest added with a chuckle.

‘Then that's how we're going to do it,’ Diane said, taking a sip of her tea.

Two pairs of confused eyes looked at her. ‘Do what?’ Gerardys inquired.

‘Get more people. I don’t suppose the fact that the Valyrian face is accepting of queer people is public knowledge. We'll spread the word about it. No, better. We'll make a business offer!’ Diane exclaimed, reaching for a paper to write her idea down. It reminded her of how Rhaenyra and she wrote letters inquiring about ladies-in-waiting, only this time Rhaenyra was not here and Diane could make it as much of an ad as she wanted. ‘If they come here, work for us, and convert to the Valyrian faith, they can marry and build families here all they want. I suppose we can even offer them places to live in and training for any profession Dragonstone is in dire need of,’ she wrote something down. ‘What do you think?’ she then looked up at two men in front of her who looked rather flabbergasted.

‘But the queer marriage wouldn’t be recognized anywhere except here,’ the High Priest pointed out.

‘And? They don’t need it to be recognized anywhere else if they live and work here. Queer people are always looking for a place they can peacefully live at without being persecuted for who they are. That’s the easiest thing we can offer!’ Diane exclaimed with a small smile. 

‘Do you think anyone will come?’ Gerardys asked. ‘Do not want to crush your hopes, Lady Diane, but, considering history… they might think what we offer is too good to be true and that it’s a trap.’

‘Hm,’ Diane frowned. The maester had a point. ‘Well, I don't think we can really do or say anything to make sure people won’t get scared… we just- we really need to get a few dozen people here and then the word will spread like dragonfire.’

‘I suppose- I think we can try to spread the word through unofficial sources. I know people who might know people… Jamaya is supposed to have connections in her line of work.’

‘I will try to reach out to other Valyrian priests in Westeros and Essos. There aren't a lot of us left but we managed to preserve communities here and there.’

‘Very well then,’ Diane smiled. ‘Anything you need me to do, or sign, or maybe scare someone, please, let me know. As long as this idea works, all my skills are at your disposal.’

The High Priest chuckled, ‘Thank you, Lady Diane. I'll keep that in mind.’

‘What about the people on Dragonstone who worship the Faith of Seven?’ Gerardys suddenly said. ‘Sure, they are a minority and they are familiar with the traditions of the Valyrian faith, but I can’t vouch for them to be fine with… well, an increasing amount of queer people around. And if we're advertising a safe space, we have to make sure we can provide it.’

Diane nodded, ‘That’s a good point. Let's write a decree or announcement, or whatever you think we should call it, and inform everyone on Dragonstone about the changes we want to enforce. If someone is not okay with that, they can leave. Damn, I'll even find a ship to sail them off to Westeros.’

Gerardys hummed. Diane sure was radical, but he would lie if he said he didn’t like it. 

‘What if a lot of people want to leave?’ the High Priest enquired. ‘Wouldn’t it make the situation worse?’

‘Sure. But I believe it’s just a gamble we have to make. Plus if they want to leave everything they have behind just because they can't let other people be themselves, we don’t want them here anyway. With Gods’ help, we just might get thrice as many people as we will lose.’

The High Priest nodded, ‘I'll pray to that.’

‘And I'm going to draft an announcement and the letters,’ Gerardys said, getting up. ‘And I'll tell Duncan to have a few boats on standby just in case.’

‘Yes, thank you both,’ Diane smiled.

Suddenly there were footsteps in the corridor and the doors opened. A young man, probably no more than twenty years old, hastily entered the room. He had a letter in his hands.

‘I apologize for the intrusion,’ he bowed. ‘But I have a letter from Corlys Velaryon. We were supposed to resend it to Prince Daemon but it’s marked as urgent, and I figured Lady Diane might…’

‘Yes, sure, give me that,’ Diane stretched her hand, and the guy rushed to give her the letter. She didn’t want to disturb her father on his honeymoon unless someone important was dead or dying so reading his mail it was.

The High Priest bid her goodbye and left with the young man who had brought the letter while Gerardys stayed back in case Diane needed him for something else. 

‘This infuriatingly efficient fucker,’ Diane muttered to herself, skimming through the letter. Then she looked at the maester, ‘It seems like I need to fly back to King’s Landing and attend the Small Council meeting as my father's representative.’

‘Are you allowed to do that?’ Gerardys asked.

Diame smiled, ‘I have no idea. But the King has a hard time telling me “no”.’

***

When Otto walked into the Council room, he was surprised to see the King because Viserys was never the first one to come for those meetings. Otto didn’t actually know whether it was because he was the King, or just not that good at time management, or both, but the point stood. Now, however, Viserys was there before anyone else. And he was not alone.

Diane was sitting in the chair that was usually reserved for Daemon on the left side of the King… and wasn't it moved just a tiny bit closer to Viserys than usual? She was wearing a black dress with red accents - making a point, as always - and had bare shoulders. That dress, Otto had to admit, looked good on her. Also, he couldn’t help but notice that Viserys had been covering Diane's hand with his own just a second ago. The only reason Otto saw it was because the King used his right, healthy hand to cover Diane's and wasn't able to remove it fast enough as soon as the doors opened.

Diane laughed at something the King said, totally unbothered by the fact that Otto had just walked in and most likely saw that she was just holding hands with Viserys who was the King and the married man. Maybe she wanted Otto to see it? Or didn’t give a fuck about whether or not he saw? Again, Diane's actions could mean literally anything, and Otto didn’t have enough information to prove any of his theories. For all he knew, Diane's end goal might be getting into his bed and strangling him in his sleep. That was unlikely, of course, but not completely impossible, and that was unsettling.

The King glanced at him but didn’t acknowledge him, too eager to get his full attention back to Diane. She leaned slightly closer to Viserys and said something along the lines of, ‘My father tells her about everything all the time anyway, she is already as informed as one might be. What harm is in adding one more chair?’

Viserys’ face looked thoughtful for a few seconds and then he nodded, ‘I suppose you are not wrong. She is a married woman now and… I'll give it a thought.’

‘Can’t ask for more, Your Majesty,’ Diane smiled, leaning back in the chair, and the way Viserys’ eyes shamelessly followed her made Otto feel like he was intruding on something extremely inappropriate, even though it hardly was. 

Was Diane trying to become Viserys’ mistress? Was she already? Otto couldn’t tell. There was something about the way Diane moved, the way she held herself, the way she smiled and talked… he couldn’t tell the truth from the lie no matter how hard he tried. And if he assumed something that was not happening and acted on it, he might just dig his own grave. Maybe Diane expected him to do just that?

So Otto did nothing about it. He didn’t question anything, didn’t even acknowledge what he saw. He just nodded to Viserys when the King looked at him again, and took his seat at the table. Diane sat across from him like she had all the rights to be there, and then winked when their eyes met.

Otto suppressed the urge to leave. Surely he wasn’t scared of a seven and ten year old girl. Daemon got on his nerves on a daily basis but it was never like that. Diane was getting under his skin and he wanted to hate her for it but didn’t seem to be able to.

Diane kept chatting Viserys up about something probably entirely insignificant and the King kept looking at her like she was the most amazing thing in the entire world, making Otto just a tiny bit nauseous. 

When Mellos, Lyman Beesbury, and Lyonel Strong walked into the room, they gave Diane surprised looks but knew better than to try to interrupt the King’s conversation or question why Daemon’s daughter was in attendance. While they were waiting for Corlys Velaryon to finally start a meeting, the doors to the room suddenly opened and Gwayne walked in. He bowed to the King and said he would just relay a quick, urgent message and then he would be out of their hair. Viserys allowed it, and Otto sat up straighter. Surely something awful happened, otherwise his son would have never burst into the Small Council meeting like that.

To Otto's growing horror, his son didn’t go to him. He went to the other side of the table, stopped near Diane, and leaned down to whisper something in her ear. Otto wasn’t able to hear what exactly Gwayne was saying - he only caught words like “three”, “swords” and “fucking idiots” - but it was obvious that Diane was listening to him very intently. Then she turned her head slightly towards Gwayne and said, ‘You have enough as it is. Just get rid of them. Right now they're more trouble than worth… and tell that poor man the City Watch will reimburse him for damages.’

Gwayne nodded, straightened up, and then leaned down again, ‘Just to clarify, get rid of them as in like kick them out or… get rid of them?’

Diane fully turned to look at him, ‘Yes, kick them out. You didn’t think I just ordered you to kill them, did you?’

The man just looked back at her so Diane's mouth stretched into a smile, ‘Would you have done it?’

Gwayne cleared his throat. ‘I mean… the last time you got rid of someone, Prince Daemon had to inform his family about the “tragic accident”,’ he did very obvious air quotes. 

Yeah, her father wasn’t really happy about that. But then they found out that this man had been a horrendous husband and father when his wife started crying happy tears at the news of his passing, so in the end it turned out to be a good thing.

‘So forgive me for clarifying,’ Gwayne added with a small chuckle. ‘Do you need anything else?’

‘No, that's all. Thank you, Ser Gwayne,’ Diane patted him on the arm. Gwayne looked up to see his father sending him a rather angry but mostly questioning glare. He shrugged as a form of an answer, then bid everyone goodbye and walked out of the room. 

‘What was that about?’ Viserys immediately inquired. Otto kept quiet, even though he also very much wanted to know.

Diane put on her best smile, ‘Oh, nothing. Ser Gwayne is in charge of training new golden cloaks, and there was an incident with a few rather drunk trainees last night. He just wanted to know how my father would prefer it handled.’

‘So he asked you?’ Otto couldn’t help himself.

Diane looked at him with a smile that turned way colder when their eyes met, ‘Well, it’s faster than a letter to Essos, isn’t it? Besides,’ she looked back at Viserys, again looking at the definition of innocence and politeness, ‘It’s widely known that I give good advice.’

‘Can’t say I disagree,’ Viserys smiled at her, making Otto want to scoff. What an enormous, blind fool the King was. Otto never thought of Viserys as a very smart man (even more so after his plan of getting Alicent into the King's bed actually worked) but the way he was fooled every time Diane as little as flattered her pretty eyelashes at him was low even for Viserys.

When Corlys finally arrived at the meeting, he had to do a double-take when he realized who was sitting at Daemon’s spot. He hadn’t expected much when he had sent the letter, considering the time it would take for it to even get to Essos, but he surely didn’t expect that. Diane looked at him and smiled, leaning back in her chair with such self-confidence as if she had all the rights to sit at that spot. She reminded him somewhat of young Rhaenys but more bold and ruthless. While Rhaenys managed to establish herself while following the societal rules, Diane seemed to care very little for them. She changed the rules where they didn’t match her wishes or ambition, and others around her seemed to allow her to do so without much of a fuss. 

Corlys was impressed. If Daemon was open to offers, he would be the first to suggest Laenor and Diane would be a good match. He didn’t care much for the fact that Diane was born outside of marriage. And even if she didn’t get to inherit Dragonstone, she would still make an amazing Lady of Driftmark and a good match for his son, who wasn’t as cutthroat as Corlys wished him to be. But a wife like Diane would have added what Laenor was lacking. 

Sadly, Daemon made it very clear (and very loud) that the decision about marriage was his daughter's and his daughter's alone. So now Corlys could only hope that Laenor would manage to impress Diane on his own. And not-so-subtly encourage his son to do so, earning weird looks from both his son and his wife here and there.

When Corlys took his spot, Viserys offered them all to start a meeting. Everyone looked at Diane very intently when she smiled and put Daemon’s sphere into its holder. She might have turned her father’s rooms upside down looking for it just an hour ago, but it was not her fault that Daemon kept miraculously misplacing his own things. 

At all the questioning looks that Viserys decided not to be oblivious to, the King declared that Lady Diane would sit at this particular meeting as Daemon’s representative. 

‘If I may, Your Grace,’ Otto said after a few seconds of silence. ‘Lady Diane might be Prince Daemon's heir but is she truly qualified to fill his spot as Commander of the City Watch?’ he asked. After all, that was what Daemon’s role was at the Small Council. She couldn’t expect to just barge in and take over all of her father’s duties just because he named her his heir!

Before the King could say anything, Diane answered, ‘There are two thousand three hundred and seven golden cloaks at City Watch, seven hundred and sixty-one of them are on active duty right now, fifty of which are in Red Keep. Ten of the newcomers were at active training this morning but that number was lowered to seven. Ser Gwayne is dealing with this particular situation right now, I assume. Five of the golden cloaks are now recovering from their injuries, two took a few days to tend to their wives who just gave birth, and one took a sick day. He is not actually sick,’ she leaned to Mellos as if she was telling a secret. ‘But his boyfriend is going overseas and he wanted to spend some time with him so we let him get away with it because, you know, it’s good for morale,’ Diane said with a smile, and Mellos nodded automatically even though she didn’t ask him anything. Then she leaned back in her chair and looked Otto straight in the eyes, ‘So what were you saying, Lord Hand?’

While Otto couldn’t decide whether he wanted to strangle her or invite her to dinner, Viserys said, ‘Lady Diane is rather involved in my brother's duties so I believe she could fill in his spot temporarily.’

No one seemed to be brave enough to disagree with him on that matter so they proceeded with the meeting. After discussing a few minor problems, Otto finally brought up the reason why Diane had to drop everything after Corlys’ letter and fly back to King’s Landing.

Not enough money to keep the construction of the fort on the Stepstones going, Otto said. It would be more sensible to redirect the funds for other, more urgent causes, he offered. There was no immediate threat to the Stepstones, he pointed out.

Corlys argued with him. He insisted that waiting for the threat to become immediate would be repeating the old mistakes. That the Triarchy would try to claim the Stepstones again if they were left unattended, and the Crown shouldn’t risk that.

Otto kept insisting on the lack of funds which Lyman confirmed. The treasury wasn’t bottomless, he said, and then asked whether or not Velaryons could cover the remaining part to keep the construction going. After all, Corlys would directly benefit from the fort being in place.

Before anyone could say anything else, Diane's voice sounded. ‘If Lord Corlys funds any more of this fort, he might as well own it,’ she said, and everyone immediately turned to her. Diane was at the meeting, sure, but they didn’t expect her to actually speak. ‘And I believe the Crown wouldn’t be too happy about it, would it?’ she added, completely unbothered by the undivided attention of the Small Council. Corlys felt grateful that Diane focused on the political reason instead of the financial one, because, truth be told, Corlys would have funded the whole fort if he could afford it. But he couldn’t, and he didn’t want this to be brought up at the meeting.

‘Then my point stands,’ Otto said, feeling like the advantage was on his side. ‘We should postpone the construction of the fort until the circumstances change.’

‘Or you can tax the whorehouses,’ Diane said, and the silence fell in the room. No one expected a lady of her age and standing to say words like “taxes” and “whorehouses” in one sentence and with her full chest no less.

‘I beg your pardon?’ Otto asked, flabbergasted because her remark literally came out of nowhere.

‘If money is the issue, you should tax the whorehouses,’ Diane repeated. ‘I honestly don’t know why you haven't already. They are a big part of the economy, even a small tax on the earnings would get you more than enough money to finish the fort and then some.’

‘They wouldn’t be too happy about that…’ Mellos mumbled, mostly to himself, but he was sitting near Diane so, of course, she heard him.

‘Sure, no one likes taxes except the Crown,’ she said, making Viserys chuckle. ‘So we will soften the blow. We will introduce a tax, five percent of the earnings, for example, and in exchange we'll offer them protection. I can spare…’ Diane suddenly looked up. Otto and Viserys looked up as well on autopilot just to realize that she was counting something in her head. ‘Twenty golden cloaks for now. They could act as safety measures. I mean… they are there all the time anyway, might as well do something for the greater good while getting paid.’

‘Lord Beesbury, do you find this idea achievable?’ Viserys asked the Master of Coin. After all, taxes were his department.

Lyman glanced at Diane who smiled at him just a tiny bit threateningly, then cleared his throat and said, ‘I believe so. But the… khm, owners of the brothels should be on board. If they refuse to pay, it would create even more problems.’

‘I can assure you, they will be. The abundance of drunk, entitled men who hurt the whores so much that they can't work for extended periods of time or run off without paying is their biggest problem. If we offer the solution, they would be happy to work with the Crown,’ Diane said. ‘We are practicing it on Dragonstone already. Sure, our population and amount of brothels is way lower, but they still give us a very big amount of money in taxes.’

Diane was pretty sure that taxes from the Dragonstone's brothels were feeding Cannibal and Sheepstealer who, true to their roars, ate their food and stayed away from the villages at least for now. Gerardys said the redistribution of the tax money was slightly more complicated than that but Diane saw the numbers. Brothels were feeding the dragons, and wasn't that right on brand for Dragonstone? Rhaenyra wrote in her letter that Daemon laughed so hard when he found that out, she was honestly concerned for his well-being.

‘And how precisely do you know that?’ Otto asked because the sense of self-preservation was probably not something he possessed. Or it malfunctioned whenever he had to deal with Diane.

Diane looked at him, her smile sharp at the edges. ‘Did you forget whose daughter I am, Lord Hand?’

It truly amazed Otto that Diane's disregard for societal rules and traditions seemed to be totally genuine. It wasn’t some elaborate plan or anything… she truly did not care what other people thought about her. She was a lady and yet she was all too happy to point out what a frivolous reputation she had. If any other young lady’s virtue was called into question, it would be a scandal, but Diane could be seen leaving a brothel in the middle of the night and others would just ignore it. How did she do it? Surely being Daemon’s daughter wasn’t supposed to give her that free of a pass.

‘How could I?’ Otto said through gritted teeth but couldn’t come up with an insult that Diane couldn’t possibly find amusing.

‘Then, I suppose, that's what we will do,’ Viserys declared, getting uncomfortable with Otto and Diane holding rather intense eye contact for too long. ‘Lord Beesbury, see that the introduction of this new tax runs smoothly,’ he then looked at Lord Corlys and added, ‘The first earnings would go to finish the fort on Stepstones.’

Lord Corlys nodded, ‘Thank you, Your Majesty,’ and then looked at Diane who leaned back in her chair and looked rather pleased with herself. He was really pleased with her as well if he was honest. He should probably thank her later or maybe even get her something to show his gratitude. If she wasn’t there, the fort on the Stepstones would have never become a reality, and the Triarchy would have surely tried to take them yet again. Diane just probably saved him a lot of money and his men a lot of lives.

Chapter Text

Rhaenyra was having the time of her life in Essos. First of all, there were no court games, no spies, no Otto, or Alicent, or anyone else who could make it their mission to ruin her mood. Second of all, she had Daemon - who was her husband now! - all to herself, and it felt so good to have his undivided attention. Daemon had a lot of places he wanted to see and a lot of things he was eager to do. He was like a child who just found a big stash of candy so Rhaenyra allowed him to make all the travel decisions because she knew she would have a spectacular time as long as she was with Daemon. Also, it was hard to say “no” to him when he was so passionate and almost childishly excited.

Her blood came a few weeks after the start of their trip. Rhaenyra wasn’t sad about it. After all, they did decide they wouldn’t actively try for a child for a while and she was fine with that. She had rather a lot of things to do on their honeymoon and she preferred not to let the morning sickness or whatever discomfort came as an early sign of pregnancy ruin their plans.

While she was bleeding and couldn’t do much traveling and have much fun, Daemon turned out to be a very understanding and caring partner. Rhaenyra couldn’t quite experience that in the months before their wedding but now that they were with each other 24/7, she realized just how lucky she was to have Daemon as her husband. Not only wasn’t he grossed out by blood (My little dragon, I have been to battles. That's nothing compared to what I've been covered in.) but also arranged for her to have a bath two times a day (because he knew it helped with the pain), brought her all her favorite snacks and entertained her by reading a book in different voices (the dialogues itself weren’t funny but the way Daemon did characters was hilarious and Rhaenyra had a great time). All in all, the princess had the best moonblood experience in her life. And that prompted her to ask where Daemon learned to be so awesome. It didn’t really matter but she was curious and she wasn’t really surprised when Daemon told her that Iris taught him most of the things he knew.

Rhaenyra thought that she probably should have been jealous of Iris but she only felt grateful. It was obvious that Iris had a big part in making Daemon the man he was now and Rhaenyra was grateful for that. Iris was also Diane's mother and a big part of Daemon’s younger years and she would never ask either Daemon or Diane to avoid mentioning the woman that was once so dear to them.

Daemon was reluctant to mention Iris to Rhaenyra at first. He had told his wife that he had let Iris go and he hadn’t lied but Iris was still the mother of his daughter and he had a lot of fond memories of her. He was afraid Rhaenyra would perceive it wrong. But then he realized that his amazing wife was not only okay with it but genuinely interested in finding out more about his past, so he allowed himself to remember Iris and tell stories from the past that involved her from time to time.

They wrote letters to Diane pretty frequently about their adventures and she updated them on what was going on at King’s Landing. Except for one incident of Otto trying to shut down the construction of the fort on Stepstones while Daemon was away, everything seemed more or less calm. Rhaenyra had an uncomfortable feeling that it might be calm before the storm but she pushed these thoughts away because she didn’t want to spend her honeymoon worrying about something she couldn’t control. Instead, she focused on having fun and getting to know her husband better while they could afford to be in each other's company all the time and weren't separated by royal duties.

‘This might be your one-in-a-lifetime opportunity,’ Rhaenyra was walking through the market in Braavos when the voice of a red-headed woman caught her attention. ‘They offer safety, work, housing… I know it sounds too good to be true but I assure you, my sources do not lie,’ the red-headed woman said to a short person with chin-length brown hair that she was talking to.

‘I don’t know, Yara- what do you say it's called again?’ the person asked, obviously having trouble and not being able to make a decision

‘Dragonstone,’ Yara answered, and Rhaenyra snapped her head in their direction so fast she even got a little bit dizzy. ‘An island to the east of Westeros.’

‘Well- I know I can’t leave today that's for sure. Will there be any more ships?’ the person asked.

‘One is arranged to depart today and another one in two weeks. For now, that's it and I wouldn’t expect it to become a regular occurrence, Hayes. As soon as they have enough people, they'll retract the offer.’

‘Are you going to go?’

‘Yes, in two weeks. All my friends are leaving, there's no reason for me to stay,’ Yara shrugged.

‘Fine, give me a paper. I'll think about it,’ Hayes grumbled. ‘But if it’s a trap and we'll get ourselves killed, I'll find you in another life and kill you again,’ they added, walking away from the woman.

Yara chuckled and then turned to Rhaenyra who hadn’t realized she was staring before their eyes met. She smiled and asked, ‘Looking for a safe place, my dear?’

‘I'm sorry?’ Rhaenyra blinked, not sure how to answer that.

‘Lady Diane Targaryen is offering a safe place for people who… let's say, do not fit the societal norms on her island. It’s called Dragonstone. Have you ever heard of it?’

Rhaenyra suppressed a smile, ‘Once or twice?’

Yara's smile widened and she handed her a paper, ‘Here, in case you are interested. Or you know anyone who might be interested.’

Rhaenyra skimmed through the paper, chuckling when she realized that Diane finally managed to put her “food and shelter” advertisement ideas to good use. ‘You said there will be a ship?’ she then asked.

‘Yes. It departs today at noon from Crooked Bay so if you want to catch it, you better not be late,’ Yara smiled. ‘What's your name?’

‘Aemma,’ Rhaenyra said. They decided to go by false names while they were in Essos just to be on the safe side so she chose her mother's to honor her in a way, and Daemon was going by “Aemon” because he apparently thought removing “D” from his own name made him completely unrecognizable. Rhaenyra didn’t have the heart to try and prove him otherwise.

‘Tell you what, Aemma, if you decide to come, look for my hair in the crowd,’ Yara gestured at her bright red, curly, and rather long hair. ‘It’s pretty hard to miss.’

Rhaenyra chuckled, ‘Yes, it is. You will be there?’

‘Yeah. Need to make sure everyone who wants to gets on board, that they have enough provisions for the journey and stuff. The ship we have… it's not specifically designed for transporting people if I’m honest, but people like us are used to making do so I think we'll manage,’ Yara winked, obviously trying to be reassuring. ‘Okay, sweetheart, I need to go. But I'll be happy to see you if you decide to come,’ the woman squeezed Rhaenyra’s hand and left.

It made the princess smile. She wouldn’t trade her royal life for anything but sometimes it was nice to get treated like a normal person by people who had no idea who she was. The ease with which Yara talked to her… it was hard for a royal to come by. Before Diane came along, Rhaenyra barely experienced it. Yes, sure, there were moments with Alicent when they were younger but mostly because they were kids. As soon as they grew up, Alicent became as rigid as the rest of the nobles around her. So it felt nice to have Diane and Daemon in her life now who knew exactly who she was and respected her but yet treated her like their wife and friend respectively (“And stepmother!” Diane's laughter sounded in Rhaenyra’s head).

‘Oh, here you are!’ Daemon exclaimed happily, climbing out of the bed as soon as Rhaenyra entered the room they were renting in the inn. 

‘Good morning, my husband,’ Rhaenyra said because she liked calling him that.

‘Good morning to you too, my wife,’ Daemon answered because he liked calling her that just as much. ‘I was about to assemble a search party.’ 

‘Sorry for sneaking out. I just didn't want to wake you,’ Rhaenyra lifted a small bag she was holding. ‘But I've brought blueberry scones!’

Blueberry scones were Daemon’s favorite food but they were hard to come by in the Free Cities. Usually, they were sold by migrants from Westeros and the day before Rhaenyra just happened to come by such a woman who was a baker. She hadn’t had blueberry scones on hand but Rhaenyra was able to order them and now sneaked out in the morning to pick them up and keep a surprise.

Daemon immediately lightened up. ‘All forgiven!’ he pecked her on the lips and then proceeded to unwrap his food.

Rhaenyra smiled at that, grateful she was able to see this silly, almost childish side of her husband. It was so cute to see him getting excited over some sweets or new, shining battle armor. 

‘I also found this on the market,’ Rhaenyra added, leaning on Daemon’s shoulders when he sat down to eat his food and showing him a paper Yara had given her. ‘Diane's been busy.’

‘Hmm?’ the prince made a questioning sound and then looked through the paper. ‘Hmm,’ this time the sound was more affirmative. ‘I wonder where she found the ship.’

‘What do you mean? Doesn’t Dragonstone have ships?’ Rhaenyra asked and sat on the chair near her husband.

‘We have a few but they are all short-distance. Used mostly for fishing and journeys to Driftmark and King’s Landing. We don’t have… well, we didn’t have any that can go all the way to Braavos,’ Daemon took a bite of his scone. ‘Maybe she bought it from someone?’

‘Maybe she built it herself,’ Rhaenyra joked.

‘You know, I wouldn’t be even that surprised if that was true,’ Daemon said thoughtfully. ‘She has a concerning amount of hidden talents,’ he chewed on his scones for a few seconds and then added, ‘Want to go and see?’

Rhaenyra smiled, ‘Of course.’

***

Crooked Bay seemed to be rather busy at noon but nothing they had never dealt with before. Daemon moved swiftly through the crowd, Rhaenyra’s hand held firmly in his just in case. He knew there was no apparent danger and the chance of them being recognized was very small but Rhaenyra was still a young and very beautiful woman who could catch the wrong kind of attention so he preferred to stay on the safe side.

Rhaenyra was looking for Yara's red hair in the crowd, just like she had told her to, but instead of her, she noticed something else. A dragon. A dragon who was surely not Caraxes or Syrax casually chilling on a small hill. The princess tugged at her husband's hand and pointed in its direction, ‘Is it..?’

‘Seasmoke,’ Daemon said. He got really familiar with this dragon during the War for the Stepstones so he could recognize him anywhere.

Suddenly someone exclaimed, ‘Hey!’ and they turned to see Laenor moving through the crowd, followed closely by Joffrey.  ‘I didn't expect to see you two there,’ Laenor smiled when he reached them, slightly out of breath.

‘We could say the same about you,’ Daemon chuckled.

‘What are you doing here?’ Rhaenyra asked with a smile.

‘My father asked to supervise one of the important shipments,’ Laenor gestured at two ships with Velaryon sigils in the background. ‘Pirates are not that eager to attack when a dragon is nearby. And then Diane also asked me for a favor.’

Before Daemon and Rhaenyra could ask for details, Yara appeared seemingly out of nowhere. She looked Laenor up and down and said, ‘Brown skin, white locks, pretty red-headed boyfriend. You must be Laenor.’

While Laenor was processing his own description, Joffrey jumped in, ‘And you are Yara, right? Diane sent you?’

‘Well, technically the High Priest of Dragonstone sent me. I'm his niece. But yes, on Lady Diane's orders,’ Yara looked to the side and only now noticed Daemon and Rhaenyra. ‘Oh, hi, Aemma! Did you decide to join us?’ she asked the princess.

‘Not today, but thank you for the offer,’ Rhaenyra smiled.

‘We will surely join you there one day,’ Daemon added. He found it very amusing that this woman was talking to two members of the royal family and had not even the slightest idea about it.

‘Well, we have another ship coming in two weeks so you can always jump on that.’

‘Do not worry, we have our own means of transportation,’ Daemon smiled.

‘Whatever works best for you,’ Yara smiled and then asked, ‘Now, who can help me with making sure everyone gets settled on the ships?’

‘Joffrey,’ Laenor immediately said. Joffrey gave him a dirty look but let Yara lead him away without much protest. Laenor turned back to Rhaenyra and Daemon. ‘Do you know what Diane's doing on Dragonstone?’ he inquired.

‘Making it a queer island by the looks of it,’ Daemon glanced at the paper that he still had on him. 

‘That’s really nice of her, actually,’ Rhaenyra said. ‘Everyone deserves to have a safe place.’

‘So you are… fine with it?’ Laenor asked carefully.

‘Of course,’ Daemon answered. ‘Valyrian faith has always been accepting of queer people and if my daughter’s advertisement can fix the long-standing problem of “not enough hands” on Dragonstone, that’s even better.’

Laenor smiled. He knew they were more or less aware that his “friendship” with Joffrey wasn't exactly friendship but it was nice to hear them say it. Velaryons technically worshiped the Faith of Seven with a few adjustments to make room for their family traditions but Laenor wondered if he should convert to the Valyrian faith. It could allow him to marry for love, after all.

***

‘Let me make sure I understand,’ Diane started, leaning on the table with both of her hands. ‘You are saying that we went from “not enough people” to “too many people” in a span of a month?’

Dragon Council went silent for a few seconds. Then Gerardys very cautiously nodded.

‘How?!’ Diane exclaimed.

‘I believe we underestimated the amount of queer people who are ready to take the risk,’ Jamaya snorted. 

‘And, to be fair, it's not that we have too many people,’ the High Priest added. ‘We still are rather lacking, it's just… we didn't anticipate such an amount arriving in such a short time.’

‘We just basically don't know how to house all of them,’ Gerardys added.

‘So we are falling short on the “shelter” part,’ Diane concluded, then sat on a chair and said, ‘That’s not good.’

‘Originally, we volunteered to take the newcomers,’ the High Priest said. ‘But we're running out of space. And… how many ships are yet to come?’ he turned to Duncan.

‘Three or four in the next two weeks,’ the man answered. 

‘On average it's what? Eight people per ship?’ Diane asked.

‘Depends on the ship and where it comes from but yes, I suppose,’ Gerardys said.

‘So… around twenty-four people on top of everyone we already have. No way we will be able to build new houses so fast, that's-’ Diane suddenly looked down at the papers in front of her. ‘How many people have left Dragonstone since the announcement?’ she asked.

‘Fourteen, my lady.’

‘Did any of them have houses they left behind by any chance?’

Gerardys looked through his papers, ‘I believe… three houses.’

‘Then let's use them as temporary housing. Basically just put as many beds as you can fit in there, and arrange for the ones who will end up there to have three meals a day.’

‘I believe we can provide that,’ the High Priest.

‘I may take a few people,’ Jamaya said. ‘But they should be ready to earn their stay.’

‘Same goes for me,’ Duncan said. ‘I have an empty warehouse. Nothing fancy but it can work while it’s warm.’

‘That’s great,’ Diane nodded. ‘With Gods’ help, we will have enough new houses built when the winter comes. Any signs of it?’ she asked Gerardys.

‘No, not yet. But the weather on Dragonstone has always been a little different from the rest of Westeros,’ the maester scratched his chin. ‘Anyway, if I hear or notice anything, you'll be the first to know.’

‘Thank you. And well, if anything goes wrong or there will be even more people than we now expect, the castle can always give shelter,’ Diane said. ‘We would have to limit the newcomers’ access by half of the East wing because it’s by far the safest but nothing that couldn’t be arranged. Please, Gerardys, make sure the process of building new houses will start as soon as possible.’

‘Already on it.’

‘If no one else has any concerns, then the meeting is adjourned,’ Diane smiled. ‘Pleasure working with all of you, as always.’

Everyone bid their goodbyes to her and, after a small chat with Gerardys, Diane changed into her dragon riding clothes and went to retrieve Silverwing. One might find trips from Dragonstone to King’s Landing and back every three days exhausting, but Diane came to enjoy them. She was more confident in a saddle than ever and Silverwing seemed to love all their trips as well. One of the dragonkeepers even noted that Silverwing grew up quite a bit. Nothing too noticeable but Diane took it as a good sign. After all, there was a theory that Valyrian dragons were very big because they were able to roam freely, fly as much as they liked, and have a consistent supply of food. And living in the keeps somehow restricted their development. So if Silverwing - consciously or subconsciously - decided that Diane took such good care of her that it warranted taking up more space than before, Diane would take that as a compliment. 

When she arrived at the Dragon Keep, one of the young dragonkeepers was excited to tell her that Aegon's dragon finally hatched. It was called Sunfyre. He immediately regretted telling her that though because Diane's facial expression hardened and she demanded to see him. When he asked what for, Diane said that they had a few old issues they had to resolve. The young dragonkeeper had no idea what issues the lady might have with a newly hatched dragon but Diane was too scary to tell her “no”, so he sighed and led her to the Sunfyre.

If Diane was honest with herself, it was a weird experience. Even weirder than meeting a child who grew up to be the reason she died. This tiny little dragon… he bit her in half. He killed her, and then he killed Rhaenyra while her son was forced to watch. And even though Diane understood dragons very much reflected their rider and Aegon had grown up to be a shitty person, it was hard not to hold a grudge against Sunfyre. Because the dying fucking hurt. 

When she walked into the room Sunfyre was kept in, the tiny dragon lifted his head. They looked at each other. For some reason, Diane got a feeling that Sunfyre knew who she was. So she declared, ‘I'm very pissed at you.’

Sunfyre made a shriek that sounded almost remorseful and shuffled awkwardly in his nest. Killing him wouldn't be harder than pushing Aegon off the stairs, Diane thought. In fact, it would be easier, because her moral rules covered not killing human babies, not dragon babies. She could sneak in at night and strangle him, no one would suspect a thing.

But was there a point? Would Viserys let his son be dragonless or make sure the next dragon egg that would be acquired would go to him? If so, Diane could get rid of that egg or newly hatched dragon too but she didn’t feel like dragon murder was precisely the best answer. There weren't a lot of dragons as it was, she didn't want to unnecessarily subtract from their population.

Sunfyre shuffled closer to her, still unsteady on his legs, and Diane took a few steps forward as well, kneeling before him. ‘Anything you would like to say?’ she inquired. She wasn’t sure what she expected. Not like the dragon could give her a proper apology, and not like it would have made everything right again. She died and got a chance to change everything and save her family but she still died. It was not something she could easily forget about.

Sunfyre shuffled closer to her and then put his head on her knees, almost like a house cat. Diane knew he felt ashamed. She didn’t know how she knew that but she did. He was apologizing - sort of - and Diane had a decision to make, just like that night in the inner yard.

‘Do not think you are forgiven,’ she finally said after a minute of silence. Murder was something Diane enjoyed on occasion but she didn’t go on killing sprees just because. And right now she couldn’t see why she should kill the dragon who seemed to be genuinely remorseful about what he had done. 

Sunfyre looked up at her when she scratched his head. ‘You'll have to earn my trust, do you understand me?’ Diane continued. The dragon made a movement that looked very much like a nod. ‘So no treating me like a chewing toy or burning our future Queen or else I'll feed you to Cannibal. Is that clear?’

Sunfyre made a squeak in agreement. Diane couldn't help but smile, ‘We have a deal then.’

She was big on second chances, after all, and apparently, that extended to baby dragons.

Chapter Text

Alicent didn’t notice the change in Viserys' behavior at first. And even if she did, she didn’t question it. So what if he almost stopped requesting to see her at night? That was for the better. Marital duty was not something she enjoyed (not like she was supposed to enjoy anyway, she knew that women simply did not enjoy such activities), and no marital duty meant no new children which was even better. She was quite overwhelmed with the two she already had.

But time passed and Alicent realized that not only Viserys didn’t request to see her at night, but he also barely spent time in her presence. Yes, they did have breakfast or dinner together on occasion but that was that. Not like Alicent particularly missed him or his company, but shouldn’t spouses spend more time together than that? They surely did before. What changed?

Well, the biggest change in the castle was, of course, Daemon’s bastard. Alicent didn’t like Diane for so many reasons but she especially judged how frivolous she was. This girl seemed to have no sense of rules or duty! She constantly saw her talking to the men in King's Guard or City Watch, laughing and even flirting with them. It was so very unbecoming for the young lady! That was why Alicent believed there was no place for Diane in court. She obviously wasn’t raised right and was such a bad influence on Rhaenyra! And the fact that the princess ran off with her husband to Essos was the best proof of that. Rhaenyra wouldn’t have done that if not for Diane and Daemon corrupting her!

But, Alicent's dislike for Diane aside, surely Daemon’s bastard didn’t have anything to do with the changes in her relationship with Viserys. There should be a logical explanation why her husband was pulling away lately but Alicent couldn’t come up with one on her own so she decided to inquire about Larys’ opinion on that. He might not be the best person to ask but she didn’t really have any trusted people around her and talking about her marriage to her father was not something Alicent wanted to do unless she absolutely had to. So talking to Larys it was. 

Larys didn’t look particularly surprised by her carefully worded question which worried Alicent even more. Did he know something? At first, Larys tried to answer something generic, not eager to get into THAT conversation with the Queen, but Alicent pressed so he finally sighed and said, ‘There might be some… rumors.’

‘What rumors?’

‘That the King has recently been… well, enjoying the company of another woman.’

‘What?’ Alicent asked in horror. ‘Who?’

It was not uncommon for men, especially royal men, to have mistresses, she knew that. But Viserys always struck her as a man of duty. Surely he wasn’t cheating on her!

‘I do not know. She hasn’t been seen yet but some guards and maids say they could hear a female voice and laughter coming from the King’s rooms late in the evening,’ Larys said. ‘However, I couldn’t be sure how true these rumors are-’

‘Of course, they are not true!’ Alicent exclaimed, and Larys nodded, realizing that it was best not to continue their conversation on this particular topic. If the Queen wanted to ignore the issue, she had all the right to. 

Alicent swiftly changed the subject, sipping her tea and trying not to think about what Larys had said. Because it was nonsense. Just some gossip from bored maids and guards. It wasn’t true.

Right?

***

‘This part is new, isn’t it?’ Diane asked, looking over the model of Old Valyria. It was raining outside but inside the King’s rooms it was warm and cozy. Maybe it was the reason Diane lingered there that evening. With such weather she wouldn’t be able to fly to Dragonstone that night so there was no need for her to hurry. 

‘Which one? Oh yes, yes, it is. I've installed it only yesterday.’

‘It looks different from the rest of the city,’ she pointed out. She wasn’t an expert but she had eyes so she could clearly see that it didn’t quite match the main style of Valyria.

‘It's Molfar Ālion.’

Diane let out a laugh and looked at Viserys, ‘I have no idea what that means.’

She was studying High Valyrian in her free time (whatever little she had) but without Daemon or Rhaenyra around to practice it, she was kind of stuck. She knew the basics and she could read most of the books in High Valyrian (unless they were written specifically for topics she didn’t know the right vocabulary for like architecture or medicine) but speaking was still rather challenging. Diane also didn’t feel the precise urgency to learn it. Don't get her wrong, she wanted to but the only thing she might really need it for was to talk to dragons, and they seemed to understand her just fine in Common Tongue (which she couldn't quite explain but she was not a person to look a gift horse in the mouth).

‘The closest translation, I suppose, is The Place of Molfars,’ Viserys answered, his gaze gentle. ‘They were a caste in Old Valyria.’

‘I've never heard of them,’ Diane said, and that was the truth. ‘From what I can see, they were rather important,’ she traced one of the new buildings with her fingertips.

‘They were. Sadly, there isn't a lot of information about them. At least, not that I could find,’ Viserys said and sat on the chair near Diane while she remained standing. They weren’t exactly close but if anyone walked in, they would have found their position scandalous. 

‘Were they slaves? If so, they must have been highly respected ones,’ Diane mused. Molfar Ālion was obviously rather far from being finished but even with a handful of buildings that were already installed, she could see it was a rather rich part of the city, even though a little but secluded. A wall separated Molfar Ālion from other parts of the city which made it stand out.

Viserys let out a laugh, ‘I am not an expert, but I believe they were free people. Magicians of sorts. Got along exceptionally well with nature and dragons, and were highly respected by the Valyrians as far as I understood,’ the King said. ‘Even though I've read there was a law in Old Valyria that prohibited marriage between Valyrians and Molfars.’

‘Why?’

Viserys shrugged. ‘The book didn’t say. It’s on my bedside table if you want to know more,’ he gestured in the direction. 

‘Will you lend it to me?’

She didn’t precisely want to learn more about Old Valyria in general and Molfars in particular but it was a good topic for conversations with Viserys and she wasn’t gonna pass on such an opportunity. After all, she didn’t have much in common with the King, and if she wasn’t actively sleeping with him, she just had to entertain him some other way.

Viserys smiled, ‘Of course, whatever you want.’

Diane smiled and went to retrieve it. When she was near the bed, there was a sudden noise in the corridor and then the doors opened. A second later the guard announced the Queen's presence, and Alicent walked in. 

Viserys used all his mental capacity to not panic. Surely, he was the King and he could do whatever he pleased, but he still didn’t want to be caught alone with an unmarried lady in his chambers late in the evening and by his current wife no less. Of course, they didn’t really do anything to put Diane's virtue into question, they just talked, but others would not see it that way. Even Viserys didn’t see it that way if he was honest with himself, and he was the one letting this situation occur in the first place.

‘Oh, Alicent, I didn't expect you this evening,’ Viserys said, glancing back just for a second but not noticing Diane. Did she hide? She probably did, she was a smart girl.

‘Good evening, Your Majesty. I just- I felt like we haven’t spent time with each other in a while,’ Alicent smiled but she looked kind of shifty. She was fumbling her fingers. ‘I figured you might want some company?’

‘Oh, that is very thoughtful of you. But I was about to retire to bed so maybe tomorrow?’ Viserys said, coming closer to Alicent in an attempt to usher her away.

‘I might join you if you wish so,’ she answered and wow, that was the first. Usually, Viserys would have taken her up on that offer but surely not with Diane in the room (he was almost sure she was still there somewhere because she wouldn't have had time to get to the hidden passage and close the door behind herself).

‘That won’t be necessary, my dear,’ the King answered with a smile. ‘Another time.’

Alicent nodded, wished him good night, and turned to leave. Just before she went out of the room, she noticed two cups of wine near the model of Old Valyria. Considering that there was no need for Viserys to have two cups just for himself, it meant that he had a visitor recently. With dread, Alicent realized that what Larys had said just might turn out to be true.

Viserys let out a relieved sigh when the doors behind Alicent closed and then went towards his bed, pretty much looking for Diane. ‘She left,’ he announced just in case Diane was waiting for an “all clear sign”.

A second later two hands emerged from under the bed and Diane pulled herself from under it. ‘Whatever maid is in charge of cleaning your rooms should get a raise. It’s pristine clean in here,’ she smiled at him, and Viserys hurried to give her a hand to help her get up.

Diane thanked him and adjusted her dress which slid rather further down than was acceptable and Viserys very obviously tracked this movement with his eyes. ‘I believe I should be off, it’s getting rather late,’ Diane smiled. ‘I'll take the book if the offer still stands,’ she reached out to take it from the bedside table.

‘Of course. And I do apologize for putting you in such a situation,’ Viserys said.

‘It’s alright. I think it’s a good thing your wife is so keen on spending time with you,’ Diane pointed out, heading to the door that led to the hidden passage.

‘Yeah,’ Viserys answered but he didn’t sound all that happy about it. ‘Good night.’

‘Good night to you too,’ Diane gave the King one of her most charming smiles before closing the door behind herself.

Viserys sighed, displeased. Why did Alicent need to barge in today of all days? He wasn’t spending a lot of time with Diane as it was and now it was obvious that she left because Alicent made the whole situation uncomfortable. Viserys couldn’t blame Diane for it but he would surely blame Alicent for it, even if just a tad.

***

It was early evening, and Otto Hightower was finishing up his work for the day when there was a sudden knock on the door. He didn’t expect anyone, and even more so he didn’t expect Diane to walk in. 

‘I hope you're not very busy, Lord Hand,’ she smiled at him as if her visiting him in his office was a regular occurrence.

‘Depends on what you are here for, Lady Diane,’ he answered, leaning back in his chair slightly.

‘Lord Beesbury drew up the documents for the brothel tax. I volunteered to run them by you so he wouldn’t have to go all this way. After all, he is a man of rather… respectable age.’

‘And he agreed?’ Otto raised an eyebrow.

‘I assured him I have better chances to make you sign them without a fuss than he does,’ Diane smiled, and something in her gaze told Otto that he did not want to make a fuss about this particular matter.

He put away the documents he had been working on before Diane walked in, ‘Very sure of yourself, aren't you?’

‘I am,’ she smiled, handing Otto the papers. He took them with a sigh.

‘I suppose your arrogance is inherited.’

‘Is it arrogance though if I always end up getting what I want?’ Diane smiled, inclining her head just slightly to the side.

Otto looked at the papers, ‘You just might make me want to prove you wrong.’

‘Would it be worth it? The tax has already been approved by the King. If you try to put a spoke in this particular wheel, I'll just have to go to the King and tell him just how much you are upsetting me,’ Diane fake pouted. 

It might not have sounded like a threat but Otto had a clear understanding that it was one. So he huffed and looked down on the documents that Lord Beesbury prepared. ‘You seem to be very close with the King,’ he said as nonchalantly as he could master while pretending to look through the papers.

Diane let out a laugh and leaned on his desk, ‘Do not do that.’

‘Do what?’ Otto looked up at her.

‘Do not insult me thinking that you can get something out of me with your carefully worded remarks,’ she said, holding eye contact, and Otto got an uncomfortable feeling that she saw right through him. ‘I mean, come on, you know me better than that.’

‘Do I?’

‘Oh well, I should hope so. Otherwise, I overestimated you.’

They looked at each other in silence for a few seconds before Otto cleared his throat and pretended he was looking back at the documents, even though they were the last thing on his mind. Diane kept watching him and Otto felt like he was put on the spot - and he didn’t like that one bit - so he said, ‘It will take me some time to review them so-’

‘By all means, take your time,’ Diane interrupted before he had a chance to ask her to leave. ‘I'm in no hurry,’ she then added with the most charming smile Otto had ever seen and wandered off to his bookshelf.

Otto sighed and tried to concentrate on the papers. It was obvious he was not getting rid of her without signing them so it was better to get it over with as soon as possible.

Well, it was easier said than done because, despite his best efforts, Otto kept sneaking glances at her every few sentences. And who could blame him? Diane was standing in his office - as if she belonged there - and reading one of his books - as if she had all the rights to do so - with such an ease that seemed almost surreal. His late wife never seemed quite as comfortable in his presence as this infuriating woman was.

Of course, Otto understood that it was all a ruse… or such sort of thing. That Diane's guard was up and firmly in place, he just couldn’t see or feel it. And that was the most unsettling thing. He knew she was good at what she was doing, sure, but how good exactly? Otto wasn’t sure he wanted to find out.

Realizing that he wouldn’t be able to get anything done as long as Diane was there, Otto gave up and with a sigh signed the documents. After all, not like there was a real reason for him to fight either this tax or the fort on Stepstones except for being petty. So he got ready to give Diane the papers back and politely ask her to get the fuck out of his office when the loud steps sounded on the other side of his doors and they suddenly opened. Before Otto was even able to process what was happening, Diane disappeared from his office and he only knew where she went by the door to his private rooms clicking shut. But he wasn’t able to fully freak out over the fact that Diane was in his private rooms alone because Alicent strode into his office.

‘We need to talk, father,’ she said with obvious determination.

‘This is not the best time,’ Otto immediately said, very aware of the fact that Diane was in the next room and could hear anything they talked about if she wanted to (oh, who was he kidding? Of course, she was listening in). ‘Can it wait-’

‘No. It’s very urgent,’ Alicent insisted.

Otto sighed, somewhat resigning to his fate because he couldn’t risk Alicent finding out about the fact that Daemon’s bastard was in his bedroom right fucking now. Because she would surely come to the most obvious explanation - that was ironically not at all true - and would definitely react badly. And Otto couldn’t risk Alicent making a scene and ruining all his plans over nothing so he just had to hope she wouldn’t actually say anything revealing or - Gods forbid - incriminating.

‘What is it?’

‘I have suspicions that my husband has… a mistress.’

Otto raised an eyebrow. First of all, he had such suspicions as well and these suspicions were currently in his bedroom which was stressing him out. Second of all, he couldn’t really say anything with Diane listening in, could he? And even if she wasn’t the mistress in question, what could he possibly do about it? Kings and Lords always had mistresses, it was nothing out of the ordinary. Some women chose such paths for themselves and he couldn’t even blame them because, well, it worked. Mistresses were sometimes taken care of better than wives.

Of course, if Diane was Viserys’ mistress - which he was yet to prove to be true - she wasn’t in it for money or stability, or anything like that. Something told Otto that Diane's motives were more of a political nature, and that could turn out to be a problem. However, it was a matter that he should handle delicately and Alicent barging in with accusations wasn’t helping.

‘...and?’ Otto asked because Alicent wasn’t saying anything else and was clearly waiting for his response but he wasn’t sure what exactly his daughter wanted him to say.

‘That’s- that’s awful! He is being led astray and I think I know who that is.’

‘Enlighten me,’ Otto said, silently praying to all his Gods that she would name anyone - literally anyone - else.

‘It’s this whore, Daemon’s bastard. She had always been no good! And the way she behaves herself so- so frivolous! It’s disgusting!’ Alicent exclaimed, the disdain written all over her face. 

Otto just looked at Alicent, for a second regretting letting his late wife talk him into having a second child. Because how the fuck did his daughter manage to make an already bad situation worse? 

‘I think you are overreacting,’ Otto decided to try and talk Alicent out of it. Did his daughter have a point? Absolutely. But he wouldn't be able to manage the situation properly with her acting like that. He also needed to get her out of the room before she said anything else that he would probably have to apologize to Diane for to keep at least a resemblance of control.

‘I certainly do not! And I know the King wouldn’t have done anything like that if she hadn’t tricked him into it!’ Alicent exclaimed and, Gods help him, she looked like she actually believed in what she was saying. Otto was… disappointed. Surely she had to understand how precisely she ended up being Queen. And if Viserys was naive enough to want to marry Alicent - considering that everyone, including Otto, knew that this match was in no way beneficial to the King and he should have married Laena Velaryon or at least someone from the big house like Stark or Lannister - than it was no surprise he would fall for whatever ruse Diane had going on. If she was his mistress, she probably didn’t have to do all that much except smile and look pretty.

‘And what if he has a mistress? Kings have mistresses all the time. This is to be expected,’ Otto said, getting up and trying to subtly encourage his daughter to leave.

‘Why are you not taking this seriously?!’ Alicent exclaimed. 

‘What do you want me to do? I'm not privy to the King's… bedchamber activities. If anything, that's supposed to be your area of expertise.’

A look of disgust crossed Alicent's face just for a second, and Otto started to see the problem. Alicent might have succeeded in making Viserys want to marry her but she was most likely not interesting enough to keep him entertained. It hadn’t been a problem Otto needed to worry about before but now Diane was here and she seemed to be very keen on entertaining the King.

‘She should be ruined. She is whore! And a bastard! We should kick her out of court!’

‘We can’t do that and-’

‘We must! She is awful, she-’

‘I believe we should discuss it another time-’ Otto tried to stop Alicent's rant but she was too far gone to hear him.

‘She will poison my husband with her lies like she did with Rhaenyra-’

‘Alicent, please-’

‘She will mislead him. I know she will! And she will ruin all of our plans! He will never agree to name Aegon his heir if-’

‘That’s enough!’ Otto exclaimed, making Alicent shut up in shock. He didn’t usually raise his voice at her, not ever since she became Queen, but he needed her to fucking stop. ‘I understand your concerns and I will see what I can do but now I have urgent matters to attend to so if you may…’ he gestured at the door. He was fuming inside but he tried to act calm so Alicent would fucking leave and stop digging his grave for him.

Alicent looked like she wanted to say something else but then probably took into account just how displeased Otto looked so she nodded and said, ‘Thank you, father,’ before leaving.

As soon as the door behind her shut, Otto closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath. There was no chance that Diane didn’t hear the bit about “naming Aegon heir” because Alicent all but shouted it for everyone to hear. His daughter was not made for shadow politics, and not because she was the woman but because she let her emotions get the best of her on a good day and overall she wasn’t all that bright or aware of her surroundings. But unfortunately, Otto had only one daughter to marry off to the King so he would just have to make do. And now he had more pressing matters to attend to.

Otto half-expected Diane to come out and confront him all on her own (this woman was definitely not afraid of confrontation) but when after a minute the door to his bedroom didn’t open, Otto sighed and went to her.

‘And you said you don't have a hobby,’ Diane said as soon as he walked in. She was standing near his drawer, holding one of a dozen miniature figurines of turtles. In her other hand was a cup of wine she obviously helped herself to without even thinking to ask permission.

Otto took a second to take in the scene before him. ‘It’s not a hobby,’ he finally said.

‘You are collecting miniature turtles. It is. It definitely is,’ Diane smiled as if she found it very amusing, picking up another turtle that was decorated with green gems.

‘I'm not collecting them, I just… have them,’ Otto said a little bit defensively. He walked into his bedroom, ready to have an argument, shouting and mutual threatening, and now they were talking about turtles.

Diane looked at him with an amused smile. ‘I don’t just happen to have… six… twelve… fourteen miniature turtles in my rooms,’ she pointed out.

Otto hated to admit she had a point. But, in his defense, collecting miniature turtles wasn’t his conscious decision. An old acquaintance of his gifted him a miniature turtle he acquired during his travels almost a decade ago, then his late wife bought it a “friend”, then his son decided he was collecting miniature turtles and gifted him one as well, and after that, everything went downhill. He might have bought one… or two… or five himself but others were not his fault.

‘I like this one. It looks a little bit like you,’ Diane continued, showing Otto a miniature green turtle. The man wasn’t sure if it was supposed to be an insult, or a compliment, or both, but he felt a pang of hope that maybe Diane had been so busy snooping around his bedroom and admiring his turtles that she hadn’t heard what Alicent had said. ‘Green is the color House Hightower uses to call to war, isn’t it?’ she then said, and Otto got a distinctive feeling that he was screwed. But she didn’t call him out directly so he answered, ‘It is.’

Diane shot him a glance, then put the turtle back down and took a sip of her wine. ‘That’s a shame,’ she said, looking at him again. ‘I used to like the color green but I suppose I will just have to stick to the red. Others say it suits me.’

Was it a threat? It didn’t sound like it but Otto got a clear impression that it was, in fact, a threat. Because red, despite being a Targaryen color, was also a color of blood. And Diane definitely looked like someone ready to draw it.

‘How much did you hear?’ Otto asked because beating around the bush only left him more confused. How could he come up with a strategy on how to deal with this crisis if he had not even the slightest idea of what was on Diane's mind?

Diane smiled, ‘Why are you even asking? All of it, of course. The Queen was rather loud with her… worries.’

‘Then why are you not-’ Otto started before he could stop himself but then bit his tongue, not letting the end of the question come out. Why wasn’t she mad? Why wasn’t she running to tell Viserys, or her father, or Gods know who else about what she had heard? 

Otto was very aware that if caught in the middle of his scheming, his actions would be named treason. And he knew that Diane was aware of it as well. Trying to disinherit Rhaenyra meant going directly against the King's wishes, and he was doing precisely that. Why wasn't she demanding his head on a spike?

‘Oh, you think I didn't know all about your plans to make Aegon king one day,’ Diane chuckled, observing his confused expression. ‘You are cute.’

Otto sputtered, ‘I am- you knew?!’

‘Pff, of course, I did. You are not exactly subtle, are you?’ Diane said, coming closer to the man. ‘You've made your daughter Queen.’

‘The King made the decision to marry her without consulting me,’ Otto answered, which he knew was a weak defense. After all, if he didn’t want Alicent to marry Viserys, he could have just said “no”. He even suspected the King could have even been understanding about it.

Diane snorted, ‘Yeah, right. Lord Hand, I will not insult your intelligence if you don’t insult mine. You dangled your daughter in front of the King like a piece of meat - which is morally ew but well, it worked - and he jumped on it because you and I both know he is not… the brightest when it comes to politics.’

Otto just stared back at her. Because despite all the scheming in court, no one ever was that direct with their thoughts and observations. You could think all you want but there were some things you could never even dream to say out loud. And Diane just voiced it like it was nothing to her.

‘So yes, when it comes to you, it’s very obvious where your allegiances lie,’ Diane concluded, tapping on his Hand of the King pin with her fingernail and making Otto realize just how close to each other they were standing. He knew he should take a step back from her - Gods, for so many reasons - but his body refused to cooperate. ‘Just as it is clear where mine lie. I suppose you can’t really keep such a thing secret when you are in so deep, don’t you think?’

‘What do you want from me?’ Otto said because he had no idea and it was kind of scary. He felt like Stranger was breathing down his neck and if he made one wrong move, he would die. But surely, this fear was irrational. Right?

‘From you specifically? Not a lot. But in general… I want to win this little game you have been playing,’ Diane said, and the way she was constantly holding eye contact with him was even more unsettling. 

Otto swallowed, ‘Game?’

‘Yes. Aren't politics just games for adults? I like games. And even more so I like to win,’ Diane smiled. ‘I can tell that you do too. So let's play, Lord Hand, because I'm sure it’s much more interesting to play with someone who can actually match you,’ she said and then she walked around him, not waiting for his reply. 

A few seconds later Otto heard the doors clicking shut and released a shaky breath he didn’t know he was holding. His mind was racing with all the different thoughts that were all focusing on the fact that Diane just fucking challenged him. That Diane somehow figured out just what a person he was and what he was planning and instead of trying to get him out of court as soon as possible (which he would have most likely prevented from happening), she wanted to play his game. No, not play. She wanted to win.

And Otto hated the fact that he found her extremely attractive at that precise moment. He had never met a woman quite like her. And, to add insult to injury, she was also younger than his daughter. Diane didn’t behave like that though, she acted like a fully grown woman who knew what she was worth and what exactly she was capable of, but that was just an excuse, was it? She was still seven and ten, and he still was drawn to her.

Don’t get him wrong, other nobles sometimes married literal children and it was totally fine by Otto. He even used it if he got the chance, but he always prided himself as a man who didn’t share such… preferences. His late wife was seven and ten when he married her but he himself was only nine and ten at that time so it was acceptable. He never looked at the women who were much younger than him but then he met Diane and she seemed to decide that confusing the hell out of him was her personal life mission.

She had insinuated that she could match him. For some reason, Otto didn’t doubt that. Now all his failures and setbacks since Diane appeared in the Red Keep seemed much more than bad luck. How involved she was? What had she already done? What was going to be her next move? He would love to figure that out. 

A few days later, Otto found a miniature turtle sitting on top of his papers in his office. It was decorated with black and red gemstones and he was very sure he hadn’t had such a figurine before. There was no note or anything attached to it but he knew exactly who it was from. He chuckled and put his new turtle on top of a wooden box that he had on his table so it wouldn’t get lost in the piles of paper.

Let the games begin.

Chapter Text

Rhaenyra couldn’t have been able to predict that even if she had tried but their honeymoon ended up lasting for almost two and half months. It was obvious that Daemon didn’t plan on being away from Westeros for this long as well but they just caught up with all the places they wanted to visit and all the things they wanted to do that they just lost track of time. Plus, according to Diane, there wasn’t much happening in King's Landing anyway so they didn’t really miss anything.

And yet, it was obviously time to go home. Despite how much Daemon and Rhaenyra liked their honeymoon, they knew it wouldn’t be wise to stay away from King’s Landing for much longer. Diane was holding “their fort” pretty well but they had already changed enough in the timeline for new events to start occurring so they didn’t have as much leverage as they used to and it meant all three of them had to focus on ensuring Rhaenyra’s position as an heir and future Queen.

On their way to King’s Landing, they decided to stop at Dragonstone for the night because Daemon wanted to check out all the changes that he had read about in Diane's letters. And if they were lucky, Diane would be there as well. After all, they both missed her. In the last year, Daemon got used to seeing his daughter daily, so it was strange not to speak to her for the last two and a half months. Rhaenyra, on the other hand, also terribly missed being able to chat and gossip with her best friend about all sorts of things and she had so many things to tell her about her honeymoon that she couldn’t possibly relay in letters. The princess decided Diane and she should have some girls' time as soon as they were able because there was just so much to discuss!

As they landed and got off their dragons, it became obvious that Diane was at Dragonstone as well because Silverwing flew right to Caraxes and Syrax, sending one of the dragonkeepers to fly with her sheer excitement and the wind from her wings. After checking in on a poor man and making sure he didn’t earn anything worse than bruises, Daemon and Rhaenyra left their dragons to socialize and went looking for Diane.

They encountered Gerardys in the Great Hall who was apparently informed about their arrival and was coming to meet them.

‘Prince Daemon, Princess Rhaenyra! It is such a pleasure to have you here.’

‘We are very pleased to be here as well,’ Rhaenyra smiled.

‘I've read my daughter has been keeping you busy during our absence,’ Daemon pointed out with a small smirk on his lips.

‘You have no idea! But if I may say, she just might be the gift from the Gods,’ the maester said. 

It made Daemon smile, ‘Don't I know it.’

As if on cue, Diane appeared from one of the corridors. ‘Father! Rhaenyra! I missed you both so much!’ she exclaimed with a wide smile on her face and pulled them both into a hug as soon as she reached them. Even if Daemon and Rhaenyra did not expect it, they easily went along with it, hugging her back.

‘We missed you too!’ Rhaenyra smiled. ‘Letters are just not enough.’

‘Even though, they were great entertainment,’ Daemon chuckled as they broke the hug. ‘You doing alright?’ he then asked, putting a hand on Diane's shoulder.

She smiled and nodded, ‘Yes. I have been busy but I like being busy. I fixed some things here and there,’ Diane added, absently worrying a dragon bracelet on her hand.

Perhaps, it was the only secret that she was yet to tell Daemon and Rhaenyra. Of course, they didn’t know her whole life story, which would have taken ages to tell, but all the other things from her past that they didn’t know weren’t exactly relevant. This, however… Diane felt like it was relevant, very much so, but she just didn’t know how to breach the subject quite yet. After all, usually when someone told you they had seen and spoken to dead or non-existent people, it was a cause for concern. And not like Diane thought they wouldn’t believe her - they believed her when she had said she was from the future, after all - but she was not ready to open the can of worms this conversation would surely open. So she decided to sit on this information for a little while. After all, she didn’t want her father or her friend to worry without any real reason.

‘That’s an understatement if I ever heard one,’ Gerardys said with a small smile. ‘She just might become the best ruler of Dragonstone since Gaemon the Glorious,’ the maester said, then looked at Daemon, ‘No offense, my prince.’

‘Absolutely none taken,’ Daemon smiled. He might be a lot of things but his title of the Prince of Dragonstone was always rather technical. The possession of Dragonstone was bestowed to his father, Baelon Targaryen, by King Jaehaerys for all his years of hard work both on the battlefield and in court. Before that the ownership of Dragonstone had passed from heir to heir but for such an important place as Dragonstone it just wasn’t sustainable. King Jaehaerys understood that if they truly wanted to preserve Valyrian customs, Dragonstone needed a permanent ruler. So the title went to Baelon, then for a very short period to Viserys, and then to him when his brother became King. Daemon never really wanted it. He didn’t refuse it because he was not a fool but he didn’t take any enjoyment in running this island. The same couldn’t be said for his daughter so Daemon was glad that she not only found her place but was apparently really good at what she was doing.

‘Are you hungry?’ Diane inquired. ‘Should I arrange for dinner so we can chat and I can share with you all the newest gossip?’

‘I’m starving so yes,’ Rhaenyra smiled. ‘But before that, there is something else we have to do.’

‘What?’

Rhaenyra waited for a few seconds then very obviously elbowed Daemon who seemed to suddenly remember something. ‘Right! We brought you a present,’ the prince said, removing the bag from his shoulder that he forgot he was holding.

‘A present?’ Diane's eyes lit up almost childishly, and Rhaenyra couldn’t help but smile. Daemon and Diane were alike more than any of them realized.

Daemon handed a bag to Diane so she could open it. ‘We found it on the market in Qohor. I remember you mentioned you… um, had one before but don’t now so I thought…’ Daemon made a gesture that looked just a tiny bit nervous while Diane was unpacking a carefully wrapped weapon. ‘It’s called…’ the prince blinked, looking lost for a second. ‘I forgot what it’s called but it’s a Dothraki blade.’

‘Arakh,’ Diane said in awe, finally getting rid of all the packaging.

She had one in her previous life. During battles in Westeros, there was no use for it but as a kill-for-hire, Diane found arakh to be quite useful to send someone to their gods fast and efficiently. She had bought her first one in Essos from some shifty guy who couldn’t explain how he got his hands on it but Diane didn’t care as long as the weapon worked.

And now she had it again! Obviously, it was a different one but it didn’t matter. What mattered was that her father actually listened to her when she had told him about her arakh, then remembered about it during his honeymoon, and Rhaenyra and he went out of their way to acquire one. For her!

‘So… do you like it?’ Daemon asked carefully. He knew he wasn’t the best at gifts but now he hoped he made the right choice.

‘Yes. Yes! It’s a beauty! Thank you so much!’ Diane exclaimed, making both Daemon and Rhaenyra smile. ‘I would have hugged you again but I have a deadly weapon in my hands.’ 

Rhaenyra chuckled, ‘Yeah, let's postpone the hugs.’

***

The servants served dinner and the three of them were able to catch up on all the recent changes and discuss some things that were too lengthy or too complicated to be written in letters.

‘I do also have a task for both of you,’ Diane said when they seemed to talk through all the recent developments. ‘I believe it will greatly help Rhaenyra’s position as an heir to the throne if it’s done.’

‘What is it?’ Daemon immediately asked.

‘Have you heard about Widow's Law?’

‘That’s the one that states that the children can’t kick out the widow from their home when her husband passes?’ Rhaenyra asked.

‘Yeah, something like that. It also says that the man can’t disinherit the children of the first wife in favor of children of the second, or the third, or whatever wife.’

‘Sounds great,’ Daemon said. ‘It only reaffirms Rhaenyra's position, doesn't it? What's the problem?’

‘You're thinking in Dragonstone laws, father. There is a problem if we talk about the rest of Westeros.’

‘Wait, I'm sorry…’ Rhaenyra interjected. ‘Dragonstone has different laws?’

‘Not completely but Dragonstone was always somewhat detached from the rest of Westeros. The differences usually meant to preserve Valyrian culture,’ Daemon explained. He might not be that much interested in ruling Dragonstone but he preferred to stay educated.

‘The issue of inheritance was never much of an issue here,’ Diane added. ‘Men and women inherit equally since… well, probably since Dragonstone was founded. Widow's law works perfectly here but when we are talking about the rest of Westeros-’

‘Women don’t usually inherit,’ Rhaenyra realized.

‘Or only do it when there is no male descendant. The problem with Widow's Law is that it is unclear whether or not the daughter from the first marriage comes before the son from the second. You were named the heir to the throne by the King, Nyra, and in an ideal world it wouldn’t be up for debate but…’

‘We are not in an ideal world,’ Rhaenyra sighed.

‘No, we are not. And because this particular law is so frustratingly unclear, the case can and will be argued both ways.’

‘Then we need to change it. Make it crystal clear. It’s damn well the time for women to get the right to inherit seats and lands.’

‘Unfortunately, right now only you have such a pull, father,’ Diane looked at Daemon. ‘You're at the Small Council, you can offer to change the laws.’

‘I feel like there is a “but” coming,’ the prince said, making his daughter smile.

‘But it wouldn’t be easy. You'll have to make sure you have the King's support first because others might not be so keen on accepting such changes.’

‘You mean Cunttower.’

‘Him especially. He is a smart man, he would figure out what we are doing as soon as he gets the wind of it, so unless we can completely blindside him, it won't work.’

‘If only Viserys stopped being so ridiculously sure I'm doing everything to get the throne…’ Daemon sighed. His brother and he weren’t on bad terms but their relationship definitely lacked trust in each other's good intentions, and Daemon wasn’t precisely sure how to fix it. 

‘I'll do everything I can on my end but you know I can’t be too obvious with Viserys,’ Diane said. ‘And I actually might have an idea or two about how to distract Otto long enough if necessary.’

‘Like what?’ Rhaenyra asked curiously.

‘Well, I can always sleep with him.’

Daemon, who was taking a sip of his wine, spat it out and started violently coughing. One of the servants rushed to the table to offer him a napkin. Rhaenyra, who was sitting on the opposite side of the table from her husband, rather calmly wiped a few wine drops that managed to reach her from her dress (that was, thank the Gods, black).

Diane raised an eyebrow, ‘Are you alright, father?’

Daemon nodded, then coughed a few more times and grabbed his fork with much more intensity than was necessary. 

‘Are you sure?’ Diane double-checked because well, in hindsight, saying what she said when Daemon was drinking something was not her smartest decision, but to be fair, she didn’t quite anticipate that kind of a reaction.

‘Yeah, I'm fine,’ Daemon said, his voice slightly hoarse. ‘I just- with your taste in men, I would prefer you stick to women.’

That made Diane smile. ‘It’s not precisely a matter of taste but let me point out that you're handling the idea quite well.’

‘I'm really not,’ Daemon muttered but he was determined to stay true to his own rules. He didn’t get to have an opinion about his daughter's sex and love life (ugh, to even put such concepts in one thought with Otto bloody Hightower felt rather nauseating) because she was a grown woman and it was not his place. All he could really do was support her, and that was what he was going to do (no matter how hard it might seem sometimes).

‘Look, I’m not saying I will- that there will be anything,’ Diane said, looking at her father and then Rhaenyra. ‘It was just… a thought I figured might be worth sharing.’

‘You think he will be… interested?’ Rhaenyra asked carefully. Otto Hightower didn’t really strike her as a man with an active sex life (not like she had thought about his sex life at all before now) and she wasn’t sure whether or not the lust was something that could be used against him.

‘Oh, he definitely would be. He might deny it all he wants but the body language gives him away,’ Diane smirked, taking a bite of her food. Rhaenyra’s face turned thoughtful. 

‘I think I lost my appetite,’ Daemon declared, looking at his half-full plate.

‘Sorry,’ Diane smiled apologetically. ‘But, to be fair, he is not the worst choice to make. At least he doesn’t fuck children.’

She did realize it was a pretty low bar but lots of men couldn’t stay above it so it was what it was. Otto didn’t seem to be visiting brothels or hiring prostitutes to come to him either. Of course, Diane couldn't know for sure but she asked around the Flea Bottom and no one knew anything. Which wasn’t precisely unusual but it could turn out to be an interesting fact to dwell on.

‘As opposed to who?’ Rhaenyra asked.

Diane blinked a few times, then shifted in her seat and said a little bit uncomfortably, ‘Well, your father.’

‘What?!’ Rhaenyra exclaimed in pure shock. Daemon gaped as if it was news to him as well.

Diane kept quiet for a few seconds and then said, ‘I've blackmailed Mellos to give me the book that records all the births, deaths, and stuff like that in our family. I was just curious ‘cause I didn't know much- what I'm saying is it has the records of all the children your mother lost, Nyra. The first one was born when she was only three and ten and she carried almost to term so…’

‘So he bedded her when she was two and ten,’ Daemon finished and put his fist to his mouth as if he was on the verge of getting sick.

‘Oh Gods,’ Rhaenyra muttered, clutching her necklace to ground herself. Her father let the maesters butcher her mother for a son who lived barely a breath then married her best friend and had children with her who he now showed almost no interest in, and now she found out her father bedded her mother when she was a mere child! Why wouldn’t he wait?! He wasn’t even named to be the Heir to the throne yet, there was no urgency for him to produce heirs!

‘I'm sorry, I- how did you not know?’ she asked, looking at her father. She could understand why Rhaenyra didn’t know and didn’t question but her father had to be around there somewhere when this happened.

‘I- I don’t- I was only a year older than Aemma, I just- I didn’t realize- fucking bastard,’ Daemon put his fist on the table with such amount of force that made the dishes clutter. He was two and ten when Viserys got married and, truth be told, Daemon didn’t give it much thought. He probably didn’t even know about Aemma’s miscarriages until way later, and even then he just didn’t connect the dots. He just couldn’t comprehend…

Daemon still remembered Diane at the age of two and ten because for him it was only five years ago. And yes, he gave her the talk about sex and stuff but only because he wanted her to know everything and be able to protect herself from men who would use a young girl’s lack of knowledge to their advantage. He couldn’t imagine how could Viserys… how could anyone … a two and ten year old is a child. A child!

‘Is it why my mother lost so many babies after?’ Rhaenyra quietly asked. She remembered how her mother cried, holding yet another child that she wasn’t able to carry to term, and she and other ladies had to console her because her father was - as always - nowhere in sight. ‘Because of what he did to her?’ she added, looking at Diane with watery eyes.

‘I do not know, Nyra,’ Diane said sincerely. After all, she was no midwife. She could probably ask Haisa when they were back and King’s Landing but what good would it do? ‘But it definitely didn’t help.’

‘Then how could he say he loved her?’

‘Unfortunately, a lot of men hurt even the people they are supposed to love. I want to say that he didn’t know but…’ Diane let out a sigh. ‘He was six and ten, he could and should have known better. Frankly, if it happened on Dragonstone, he would have been hanged without a second thought.’

Daemon let out a strangled chuckle, ‘It explains why he never liked visiting Dragonstone all that much.’

They sat in silence for a while, Daemon and Rhaenyra busy processing the new information. After a few minutes, Diane broke the silence. ‘I'm sorry I brought this up. I didn't mean to ruin the mood,’ she said. After all, Daemon and Rhaenyra seemed so happy and carefree when they arrived at Dragonstone.

‘No, Diane, do not apologize,’ Rhaenyra rushed to say, reaching out to take Diane's hand. ‘I think- I think I needed to know that. If anything, it makes it easier for me easier to resent him,’ she let out a slightly nervous chuckle. She had never truly forgiven Viserys for butchering her mother and she had felt somewhat guilty about it but now, after finding out that his crimes didn’t stop there, Rhaenyra even felt weirdly relieved and way more justified. ‘I believe Daemon feels the same,’ she looked at her husband, who was looking down with his hand rubbing his forehead. ‘Daemon?’ she prompted. Rhaenyra didn’t want Diane to feel bad. After all, she did nothing wrong.

‘Hm? Oh, yes,’ the prince blinked and then nodded, looking at his daughter. ‘I'm glad you told us. I just- I never thought about it like that and now that I thought about it I can't unthink it,’ Daemon pinched his nose with a sigh. Not like he wouldn’t have been able to do anything if he had been more observant back then but he still felt bad for not even realizing what Viserys did for so many years. Poor Aemma. ‘It was so much easier to love my brother from afar without knowing much about him as a person.’

‘Yeah,’ Rhaenyra breathed out. ‘I don’t think I will ever be able to look at him the same.’

‘Well, you must,’ Diane said, making the princess look at her. ‘I can’t even begin to imagine how hard it might be but you can’t let him know. Or anyone in court, especially Alicent or Otto. The same goes for you, father,’ she glanced at Daemon. ‘However you feel about him, you put it aside and you pretend. Because the greens are like vultures. If anyone catches the wind there is a rift between the King and his heir, it will make our lives thrice harder.’

‘I want to punch him in the face,’ Daemon said and it seemed like he didn't really intend to voice that thought, it just kind of slipped. He wasn’t precisely very close with Aemma but he always had a soft spot for her, and he had an urge to avenge her at least somehow. ‘I won’t but I really wish I could,’ he rushed to add when he saw the look that Diane was giving him. Gods, she was scary if she wanted to be.

‘That I understand,’ Diane smiled a little.

‘So… we have to just suck it up and keep pretending, I suppose?’ Rhaenyra said with a sigh. She didn’t like it either but Diane had a point and Rhaenyra wouldn’t let Viserys’ past actions ruin her future as the Queen.

Diane chuckled, ‘Yes. Welcome to Westeros’ politics.’

***

The next day the three of them flew back to King’s Landing. Both Daemon and Rhaenyra didn’t seem really keen on meeting Viserys just yet but there was no reason to postpone the inevitable.

The King was very happy to see his daughter and brother return safely home, and Rhaenyra and Daemon did a good job of pretending the feeling was mutual. Diane could see their discomfort in a way they didn’t let the hugs with Viserys last longer than was strictly necessary and how close Daemon and Rhaenyra stood to each other but kept a slight distance from the King, but Diane concluded there was nothing to worry about. After all, no one was looking quite that closely, and even if someone did, they probably wouldn’t be able to pick up on the difference anyway.

Viserys deemed the grand return of his daughter and his brother was worth the celebration and insisted on the family dinner. Well, at least the food promised to be good.

All in all, the evening went rather well. Alicent was giving Diane nasty looks, even more so when Viserys actively engaged in a conversation with her, but that was nothing Diane wasn’t used to. Otto - who was, of course, invited because he was technically Viserys’ father-in-law and so considered family - felt rather uncomfortable throughout the whole dinner because Daemon kept looking at him in a way that made Otto think he should sleep that night with one eye open if he wanted to see the sunrise. Otto wasn’t precisely sure what brought that on but he got the feeling that it was somehow justified.

To be fair to Daemon, he wasn’t precisely hating Otto more than usual (which was with all his heart on a normal day), but he couldn’t actively hate on Viserys at the moment and all this anger had to go somewhere, so this Hightower cunt seemed like the most suitable target. 

Rhaenyra seemed to be coping better than him. She conversed with Viserys and Alicent, smiling the whole time, and didn’t give away her discomfort (or most likely rage) at all. She did squeeze Daemon’s hand under the table from time to time though with such force that the prince wouldn’t be surprised if she drew blood with her surprisingly sharp nails. But it was fine. As long as it worked for Rhaenyra, Daemon wasn’t against bleeding a little.

‘Oh, I almost forgot!’ Viserys suddenly said and immediately waved for one of the servants to come closer. ‘I have a present for you, my dear,’ he smiled at Rhaenyra, taking the wooden box that the servant gave him and handing it to his daughter.

Rhaenyra carefully opened it, looking rather curious. There was a black and red sphere inside of it. The type of sphere that everyone who was on the Small Council had.

‘You are a married woman now, Rhaenyra. And I believe it is time for you to actively take on the duties and responsibilities as an heir to the Iron Throne,’ Viserys said. ‘I would like you to join us at the next Small Council meeting.’

Rhaenyra wanted to point out that she would have loved to take on her duties as an heir way sooner and it was Viserys who had been putting a spoke in her wheel just as much as Otto Hightower did, but instead, she smiled and said, ‘Thank you, father. That would be an honor.’

Daemon squeezed Rhaenyra’s leg under the table. It was rather wonderful news. With both of them at the Small Council, it would be much easier to balance out Cunttower's influence who apparently thought the same thing because the displeasure was evident on his face. But Otto knew better than to say anything in situations like this. He glanced at Diane who held his eye contact rather triumphantly and had to look away first because the way she was taking a bite of her meal made Otto think unwelcome thoughts that were completely unrelated to politics.

The dinner went on and as soon as Rhaenyra met Diane's gaze, she mouthed, “Thank you.” After all, it was rather obvious that giving her a seat at the Small Council wasn’t Viserys’ genius idea. Diane smiled and mouthed back, “Always.”

***

‘You did look rather grim by the end of dinner,’ Diane's voice sounded, forcing Otto to stop mid-stride. It was getting rather late and he was on his way back to the Tower of Hand. The corridor was empty and dimly lit, and Otto found it rather unsettling that he hadn’t heard her following him. Moreover, he could have sworn she hadn’t followed him because she had left with Rhaenyra and Daemon way before he did. 

‘As if I’m usually a picture of joy,’ Otto said, looking straight ahead and not turning to face her for some reason. 

Diane let out a laugh and approached him, even though he didn’t hear her footsteps. How could someone be so loud and so quiet at the same time?

‘You came to gloat, didn’t you?’ Otto added because it felt rather logical. After all, Rhaenyra getting a seat at the Small Council as an heir was definitely his loss and Diane's gain. There was no doubt right now who won this particular battle.

‘Gloat? Me? Why would I? If anything, I believe you should be delighted…’ Diane continued, and Otto decided that it was rather silly of him to refuse to face her. But when she looked him in the eyes, he felt like an open book, and it wasn’t good if he wanted to win in their little game. So facing away from her gave Otto a false sense of security. ‘...that the King takes his daughter and his heir seriously.’

Before Otto could find the courage to turn and actually face Diane, her hands gripped his shoulders. She came way closer to him than he had realized, and before he could say anything, her breath tickled his ear. ‘After all, it was your idea to name her heir,’ Diane whispered, and at this precise moment, Otto didn’t question how she knew that. He swallowed. ‘I believe I shall thank you for that, Lord Hand. If you had just kept quiet and waited, the throne would have gone to the King's firstborn son and that would have been the end of it. But you wanted to cover all your bases, didn’t you? I admit, your forethought is something I admire,’ Diane leaned on him, and Otto could feel her whole body pressing against his back. ‘But it came back to bite you in the ass, didn’t it?’ she chuckled, and wasn't that a lovely sound? ‘You got the idea out there, and I shall make sure it blossoms. After all, it will be rather ironic to see you lose because of your own actions.’

And with that, she was gone. Otto wasn’t entirely sure how it was possible but in a second her hands let go of his shoulders, the press of her body disappeared from his back, her breath stopped tickling his ear, and when he turned around the corridor was completely empty as if Diane was never there. 

If not for the lingering smell of lavender, Otto would have thought he imagined it.

Chapter Text

‘Oh, wow, good morning,’ Gwayne said, running into Diane at the gates of the Red Keep. ‘Have been busy, are you?’ he commented, noticing two heavy bags in Diane's hands and some sort of pot under her arm.

‘Something like that,’ she smiled. ‘A few things from Dragonstone that I requested.’

‘We have a very different understanding of “a few things”,’ Gwayne chuckled. ‘Here, let me help you,’ he offered, extending a hand.

Diane looked at him for a second, then shrugged and gave him one of the bags and a pot. Gwayne gave the latter a critical once-over. ‘Why would you request a pot with a stick in it?’

‘I didn't. I bought it on the market.’

‘The question still very much stands.’

‘As if I will tell you all my secrets,’ Diane smiled mischievously and continued walking, forcing Gwayne to rush after her.

‘Just tell me if it’s poisonous or not,’ he said, holding the pot sheepishly. ‘Because it would be a rather silly way to die.’

‘Just don't eat it and you shall be fine.’

‘That… doesn’t give me much confidence if I’m honest,’ Gwayne frowned but held the pot a little bit more firmly.

‘What are you doing here at such an hour anyway?’ Diane inquired. ‘You have a day off today if I’m not mistaken.’

‘The fact that you remember all the golden cloak's schedules still amazes me. But yes, I'm off today. I've visited my father. Family matters and all that.’

‘And how unhappy is he with you today on a scale from one to Daemon Targaryen?’ Diane asked, making Gwayne laugh.

‘I'm not sure. Five and a half? I'm kind of used to it actually. It has always been rather obvious I'm not the type of son he wished to have.’

‘Your father doesn’t strike me as a man who wanted to have any children if I’m honest,’ Diane said thoughtfully.

‘You are probably right. You know, with an amount of affection - or rather a lack of it - in my parents’ marriage, it’s rather a miracle that I or Alicent came about,’ Gwayne chuckled.

Diane wouldn’t have called the birth of Alicent a miracle but she understood Gwayne's sentiment. It was not surprising to hear that Otto and his late wife weren’t close. After all, the happy marriage among nobles was more of an exception than the rule. No wonder everyone was rather shocked when Daemon brought Rhaenyra flowers the other day just because he walked through the market and thought of her. 

‘It has been proved that affection is not required to create a child. Have you seen Borros and his wife? I have never seen married people who despise each other so much, and yet they have four daughters,’ Diane pointed out.

‘And I don’t envy them. I figured Borros hates his wife because she wasn’t able to give him sons so he can’t treat his daughters much better than that.’

‘You know, nuns at Dragontemple say that it’s a male seed that determines whether a child will turn out a boy or a girl and not a woman’s womb,’ Diane said. ‘I don’t know if that's true but if it is, then Borros has no one to blame for the lack of male heirs but himself.’

Gwayne chuckled, ‘Just don't tell him that. He wouldn’t be pleased.’

‘If he pisses me off enough, I just might.’

‘Oh, you are petty.’

‘And rather proud of it.’

Gwayne helped Diane carry her bags right to her rooms, then (still rather sheepishly) gave her back the pot and bid her goodbye. Diane made sure he disappeared from her sight just in case before opening the door to her rooms and shuffling the bags inside.

‘Oh, hello,’ Diane made a surprised sound when she spotted Rhaenyra lying on her bed with a book.

‘Hi,’ the princess smiled and sat up. ‘Hope you don’t mind. I just needed some peace and quiet and I figured no one would be looking for me here.’

‘I do not mind at all. Should I leave?’ Diane asked.

‘Of course not! That's your room, isn’t it?’ Rhaenyra let out a laugh and shuffled to the edge of the bed. ‘What's all this?’

‘A few things from Dragonstone. Mostly books. Father said I should read more in High Valyrian to get used to the language but I’m a rather picky reader so I asked Gerardys to send me books I can actually enjoy,’ she gestured at the bags. ‘He doesn’t do things halfway and I love him for it.’

‘And this?’ Rhaenyra pointed at the pot in Diane's hands.

‘Oh, I bought it on the market.’

‘But what is this?’

‘This is supposed to be a black rose. I mean I suppose if you look after it right, it will bloom,’ Diane looked it over critically. Rhaenyra looked rather skeptical at that idea as well.

‘How much did you pay?’

‘A golden dragon.’

Rhaenyra’s eyebrows threatened to disappear in her hairline, ‘For a stick in a pot?’

‘To be fair, the woman selling it looked like she needed help but refused to accept charity so I asked her to sell me her most expensive item. It just happens to be a stick in a pot,’ Diane shrugged, moving to put it in a corner of her room. ‘And besides, black roses are actually very rare. If she did not lie, the price for this stick is justified.’

‘What are you going to do with it?’ 

‘I'll ask Athelstan to look after it for a while. If nothing comes of it, I'll just throw away the bloody thing,’ Diane said, and then she was suddenly holding a fully bloomed black rose in a pot. ‘Or not,’ she added, slowly putting the pot with the rose where she had intended to put it before it miraculously bloomed. Huh, maybe Gwayne had a point of being wary. ‘Anyway, what are you hiding from?’ Diane turned back to Rhaenyra and changed the subject, making use of the fact that the princess didn’t notice the stick turning into a fully blossomed black rose in the blink of an eye.

Rhaenyra shifted, ‘Nothing really.’

Diane raised an eyebrow.

‘Ugh, okay, I'm hiding from all this talk about Alicent being ill the last few weeks. It seems to be the only thing anyone talks about right now, and I'm just so sick of it!’ the princess exclaimed, falling back on the pillows. ‘I understand that she is the Queen and people are worried but… ugh.’

‘Gets on the nerves, doesn’t it?’ Diane chuckled, climbing on the bed and laying beside Rhaenyra.

‘Yes!’ the princess exclaimed, then kept quiet for a few seconds and asked, ‘Do you know what's wrong with her?’

‘So now you want to talk about it?’

‘I don’t know,’ Rhaenyra frowned. ‘I don’t want to worry about her and I don't want to give in to all this gossip because it’s rarely truthful… but she looks bad, doesn’t she? I saw her yesterday.’

‘I did too. And she is unwell, that much is obvious. I know she has been visited by maesters a few times but that's all I know,’ Diane shrugged. ‘On the bright side, if it's something bad, they would have to publicly announce it.’

Rhaenyra snorted, ‘That’s your definition of “bright side”?’

‘Well, it’s much less work when the information comes to you and you don’t have to dig for it,’ Diane turned to lay on her side. ‘Are you sure there is nothing else that brought you in here?’ she inquired because, even though an urge to hide from gossip was understandable, it didn’t really seem like the reason for Rhaenyra to hide out in her rooms in the middle of the day.

Rhaenyra looked like she wanted to deny everything but then sighed as if resigning to the conversation they were about to have. ‘My last blood was late,’ she said, and Diane immediately raised up on her elbow. ‘It came so I'm not- not with a child yet,’ the princess rushed to add. ‘But for a few days, I thought I might be.’

‘And how did it feel?’

‘Fucking terrifying,’ Rhaenyra confessed, her eyes getting just a little bit watery. ‘I just- I know I want children with Daemon because, Gods know, he wants them and he will be an amazing father. And I know that if I am to sit on the Iron Throne, I need to make sure my bloodline goes on, but it’s still… it killed my mother and I’m so scared it’s going to kill me too.’

Diane kept quiet for a few seconds and then said, ‘I wish I could reassure you and say that everything would go smoothly but I can’t promise you that. I wish I could say your position as the Queen didn’t rely on you producing heirs but it very much does and it is unfair, yes. Children should be brought into the world because they are wanted and not because someone is obliged to do so but there are some rules even we can’t break-’

‘You are not the best at cheering people up, are you?’ Rhaenyra interrupted her but despite her own words, her lips curved slightly upward.

‘It will get better if you let me finish,’ Diane gave her friend a pointed look.

The princess chuckled, ‘Okay, yes, go on.’

‘What I was saying is that even if we can’t change all those things, I can promise you that you won’t have to go through this alone, Nyra,’ Diane smiled reassuringly. ‘My father surely won’t let you. Mark my words, he will get obsessed with something unpredictable like baby clothes or Valyrian lullabies, or go as far as make his own cot for the baby which will be weird but cute,’ she added, making Rhaenyra laugh. 

‘I didn't know he was good at woodwork.’

‘He is not but did the lack of knowledge on how to do something ever really stop him? He'll figure it out.’

‘Yeah, he probably will.’

‘Also, I will be there,’ Diane reached out and squeezed Rhaenyra’s hand. ‘I'm not very knowledgeable on pregnancy or childbirth but I'm good at following orders and not letting maesters anywhere near you during the whole process. You will have all the support we can possibly give you.’

Rhaenyra looked her in the eyes, ‘Promise?’

‘I promise.’

***

It was announced that the King and the Queen were expecting their third child. Diane found out about it a few days before the news officially broke down from Athelstan who was privy to the servants’ gossip. After finding that out, Diane pulled a few more strings to get more details on the situation.

Alicent was already around four months pregnant but it was only now announced because before that it was rather touch and go. Diane found out that the Queen was experiencing horrendous morning sickness, headaches, and even some bleeding but as far as the maesters concluded the child inside of her was still growing. 

‘I feel bad for her… a little bit,’ Rhaenyra said. No matter how much resentment she held towards Alicent, the princess still remembered how much her mother suffered through all of her unsuccessful pregnancies and she wouldn’t wish such things even on her worst enemy.

‘I do not,’ Daemon commented, taking a bite of his blueberry scone. He never really liked Alicent Hightower, way less since she became the Queen and even less since he found out what she had done in another timeline. He wasn’t a man who was generous with mercy or forgiveness, and Alicent didn’t seem worthy of any of it. Things might change, of course, but Daemon highly doubted that.

‘I guess I feel bad for her as a fellow woman but I despise her all the same,’ Diane shrugged. ‘Both things can be true at once.’

‘Who did she have in another timeline?’ Daemon asked. ‘I'm pretty sure you've said it before but it felt irrelevant at that time.’

‘A boy. Aemond. But I don't think this child is him. At least not the version that I am… familiar with,’ Diane said thoughtfully. ‘I think I already fucked it up.’

Rhaenyra blinked, ‘Fucked what up?’

‘The timeline. Even though knowing the birth dates of our enemies wasn't precisely my biggest priority, I… Did you know that Otto right now is only three and forty? When father cut his head off in another timeline, he looked way older.’

‘It's a strange time to think about someone's age when his head is being cut off,’ Rhaenyra pointed out with a chuckle.

‘Well, do forgive me. I saw the man for the first time semi-close when he died. And he does look way better when his head is connected to his body so…’

‘Do not finish that sentence!’ Daemon suddenly exclaimed, making Diane smile apologetically.

‘Sorry, father. But my point is that I think Aemond should have already been born. I didn't hold a candle or anything so I might be wrong but there is a fair chance that this child is not the person that was responsible for your death.’

‘Well, I think I win then. I’m alive and he does not exist,’ Daemon grinned, taking another bite of his blueberry scone. 

Rhaenyra rolled her eyes with a smile on her lips. ‘And what if this child is Aemond?’ she asked.

‘Then we will just have to make sure he is raised right, just like with Aegon and Helaena. I just hope Alicent won’t keep popping out babies like she has nothing better to do…’ Diane said thoughtfully. ‘Otherwise, it would be a headache to keep track of all of them.’

‘Aren’t there remedies to make a woman barren?’ Rhaenyra suddenly asked. Daemon raised an eyebrow with a smirk. ‘I'm not saying we should use them, I'm just asking,’ she added, blushing a little.

‘I believe there are some that we can get a hold of if we really put our minds to it,’ Diane said, obviously considering it. ‘I do not precisely wish to resort to that but…’

‘She has quite a few childbearing years ahead of her,’ Daemon pointed out.

‘And with Viserys’ treatment working, I don't think his illness will make him incapable of reproducing for the next decade. Maybe even longer,’ Diane thought aloud.

Rhaenyra squinted her nose, ‘That sounds like a lot of children.’

Daemon looked at Diane, ‘We need to think about the bigger picture here.’

Diane sighed, ‘You have a point. But I refuse to sabotage a pregnancy. She seems to be having a hard time with it as it is.’

‘I agree. We should let her have this child and… well, take precautions after,’ Rhaenyra said. 

Daemon and Diane looked at each other briefly then nodded in agreement. It would be best for everyone, including Alicent, if Viserys and she stopped reproducing.

***

The rumor started spreading in court that Rhaenyra was barren. It was widely known that her mother, the late Queen Aemma, had problems with most of her pregnancies, and it wasn’t a stretch to say that Rhaenyra might have inherited that curse. After all, it was also known that Daemon and Rhaenyra were rather passionate about each other and surely there would have been a pregnancy announcement by now if nothing was amiss.

Otto Hightower was rather proud of himself for starting that rumor. He didn’t do it himself, of course, he had people for such kinds of things, but nonetheless, it served a purpose. It put doubts in people's minds. How could Rhaenyra be a good Queen if she couldn’t continue her line, couldn’t provide heirs to the Crown? 

Otto realized that the rumor might be short-lived if Rhaenyra went and announced her pregnancy but, according to his sources, the princess wasn’t with a child yet and it meant the rumor had time to do some damage to her reputation. And there was not a single thing Diane could do to stop people from talking. After all, the rumor was a speculation and not a lie, and nothing short of a successful pregnancy could disprove it. 

Or so Otto thought.

One day one of his spies told him that a new rumor was spreading like a dragonfire across the Red Keep and King's Landing. Someone insinuated that the child that the Queen was carrying wasn't the King’s. An absurd notion, Otto thought, who would believe that? 

The thing was that not only the rumor started among the help which for some reason gave it more credibility, but it also wasn’t an insinuation but a blatant fact. The Queen cheated on the King with Larys Strong.

Otto knew very well that it wasn’t true but he couldn’t stop it from spreading. Because again, how do you disprove that without admitting guilt in one way or another? And to add insult to injury, Alicent was actually seen (on multiple occasions, for fuck's sake, what was she thinking?!) in private with Larys Strong by different servants and guards. It was nothing inappropriate as far as Otto understood but it still kept the flame of the rumor burning.

He tried to plant the idea that it was a totally absurd notion for the Queen to cheat with that man. He was neither charming, nor handsome, and clubfoot of all things. Otto knew it was a rather weak defense but he understood that just denying everything would only fuel the rumors. And keeping quiet would let them spread. There was really no winning, was there?

His weak attempt to counter the rumors failed the very next day because a rather few whores from Flea Bottom pointed out that a man with such… unfortunate circumstances as Larys Strong could turn out to be a treasure to have in your bed because such men tend to compensate for their physical shortcomings by being skilled with their hands and mouth. And besides, being a clubfoot didn’t mean that his dick wasn’t working.

Otto didn’t know how true all of that was but it didn’t really matter. All he knew was that these rumors would just keep going until the baby was born which was four months from now. He couldn’t even start wrapping his head around the amount of damage it would do. Society might close their eyes if a royal man sired a bastard (which it, in fact, did all the time) but Alicent was a woman and the Queen, and it was a much bigger scandal.

He knew who was behind it, of course. Otto couldn’t precisely say how she did it but she obviously had her resources because no one was even mentioning the fact that Princess Rhaenyra wasn’t with child yet any longer. People just forgot about it, switching to a new and (objectively) more scandalous rumor. And Otto hated to admit that he seemed to lose this battle as well.

He was taking a shortcut through one of the inner yards to the Tower of Hand when he noticed her. Diane was lying on a blanket near a tree, propped on pillows, and reading a book. She had some food, a chug of wine beside her, and two cups but otherwise, she seemed to be alone and engrossed in reading.

Otto couldn’t pass on the opportunity to catch her off guard, considering how many times she did that to him. But as soon as he approached, Diane looked up from her book and smiled at him as if she was expecting him. That was just… Otto himself didn’t know he would take that shortcut until like ten minutes ago. What the actual fuck?

‘Wish to join me, Lord Hand? The weather is rather nice for a picnic,’ Diane asked. Otto couldn’t quite decide if she was mocking him or not.

‘You know it is not true,’ he said.

Diane looked at the sky, confused. ‘I mean… it is sunny-’

‘I'm not talking about the weather.’

‘Oh, I see,’ Diane looked back at him with a small smile on her lips. ‘Well, the funny thing about rumors is that truthfulness is not a requirement. You should know better than anyone.’

He did. But he was still pissed he lost this particular battle.

‘It won’t stick. As soon as this child is born, it will become obvious all your rumors were lies.’

‘Will it though?’ Diane said mysteriously. Otto just stared back at her so she let out a laugh, ‘I'm just messing with you. Of course, the child is the King’s. Your daughter is too much of a prude to lay with anyone other than her husband,’ she turned a page of her book. ‘At least as of right now.’

‘Perhaps I should remind you that it is the Queen you are talking about.’

‘I am very aware, thank you. Now either sit down or leave me be, Lord Hand, because you're towering over me in - allow me to point out - an unsuccessful attempt to intimidate me and thus blocking the sunlight.’

Otto huffed in annoyance and took a few steps back. Then walked around and sat on the opposite side of the blanket as if it would make the situation any less weird or scandalous. Diane handed him an empty cup and gestured at the jug of wine. ‘Nothing here is poisonous, I promise,’ she added with a smile.

Otto rolled his eyes and filled his cup. He couldn’t remember when was the last time - if ever - he had a proper picnic. With a blanket on the grass and everything. He had no idea why he decided to take part in it now.

But there was something so thrilling in talking to someone who got his line of work. Who understood what a game he was playing. Who somewhat appreciated what he was doing. The fact that Diane was his rival, his enemy, a person whose political interests were completely opposite to his - well, it didn’t matter that much at that precise moment. It probably should have but it didn’t.

They sat in silence for a while, Diane reading her book as if his presence by her side was the most natural thing ever, and then Otto broke it. ‘Were you always planning to spread this rumor or did you just retaliate?’ he asked. He was rather curious.

Diane looked up from her book. ‘A little bit of both,’ she answered. ‘The cheating scandal was waiting to happen, you just forced me to bring the child into it. It worked out even better so thank you for it,’ she smiled.

Otto wasn’t sure how he felt about being thanked for screwing up. ‘I’m surprised she didn’t realize how scandalous it was for her to meet Larys Strong in private,’ he said instead.

Diane raised an eyebrow. Otto remembered the situation he was currently in. ‘Touché,’ he chuckled and was pleased to see that the corners of Diane's mouth tugged into something akin to a genuine smile. ‘But his intentions in all of this are still a mystery to me,’ Otto added thoughtfully. 

It was obvious Larys Strong was trying to gain Alicent's trust but for what? He briefly considered the possibility of Larys and Diane working together but then it would be unwise for her to throw him into the fire like that. If he was trying to get to Alicent on Diane's (or Rhaenyra’s) behalf, then this would be a secret she would have wanted to protect. Which meant Larys wasn’t on her side and he definitely wasn’t on Otto's side, considering Otto had never dealt with him in any capacity before. Which meant this man had his own agenda that Otto was yet to figure out.

‘Hm, they are rather clear to me,’ Diane said, not looking away from her book.

Otto waited for a few seconds for her to continue, then realized she had no intentions to do so and sighed, ‘Care to share with the audience?’

‘Now, why would I? It will be helping my opponent, will it not?’ she glanced at him with a smirk.

Otto pursed his lips. She was teasing him again, wasn’t she? He was not used to it. He also couldn’t wrap his head around how young Diane was and how young she did not seem to be at the same time. There was something about her eyes, about the way she held herself… it was obvious she experienced more life than one might think, considering her age and standing. And that was rather intriguing. Maybe something about her past would get Otto the leverage he needed and right now did not have? He doubted she would tell him, she was careful like that, but maybe he would get lucky?

‘We can always trade, Lady Diane,’ he offered. ‘Your information for mine.’

Otto knew he was taking a risk but Diane seemed serious about knowing what Larys Strong wanted. And Otto very much wanted to know.

‘You do not possess any knowledge I desire to know at the moment,’ Diane smiled. Fine, wow, insulting. After all, to know things others didn’t was a big part of his game. ‘But you might one day. I'll tell you what I know about Larys and you'll owe me a favor. How about that?’ she asked, simultaneously stretching her arm to him with an empty cup. 

Otto picked up a jug and filled Diane's cup without even registering what he was doing, his mind fully focused on considering her offer. ‘Do you believe I will hold my end of the bargain?’ he asked.

‘I do not know. Do you believe I will hold mine?’ she retaliated, taking a sip of her wine.

That was a good point. After all, it was just words, wasn’t it? He could refuse to help her in the future and she could lie to him about Larys right now. The question was whether or not this whole exchange was worth the risk. And apparently, Diane was leaving it for him to decide.

‘Very well then. I will owe you a favor,’ Otto agreed, picking up a grape. If he was having an unexpected picnic, he could as well enjoy what it had to offer. ‘Within reason, of course.’

Diane smiled, ‘Of course.’ She then put her book aside and turned towards him, ‘Larys is eyeing your place.’

Otto raised an eyebrow, ‘He wants to be the Hand of the King?’

‘Not necessarily. Hand of the King is just a title, is it not? He wants your place in the game. He wants the connections you have, the influence you gained, the power I can’t deny you possess,’ Diane shuffled just a tad closer. ‘I dare say he is hungry for it. But he can’t just replace you, he is well aware of how highly the King regards you, so he went for the weakest link. For someone who perhaps is easier to impress and way easier to manipulate.’

‘Alicent,’ Otto said. It made sense. He still couldn’t be sure Diane was telling him the truth but everything she was saying made perfect sense.

Diane nodded with a small smile as if happy he was catching on. ‘He might pretend to be on your side of things but he'll get rid of you the first chance he gets. And I would not like that.’

‘And why is that?’ Otto asked. ‘You do not think he is better at playing the game than me, do you?’

Diane let out a laugh, ‘Oh Gods, no. But he is just so…’ she took a second to choose the right word. ‘Uninteresting.’

Otto raised an eyebrow, ‘Uninteresting?’

‘He is no fun.’

‘And I am?’

‘Well, you are having a picnic with me, aren't you?’

Sadly, Otto couldn’t deny that. He was, in fact, having a picnic with her despite having no intentions to do so just half an hour ago. So instead of answering, he took a sip of his wine.

Diane chuckled and picked up the book again, making herself comfortable on the pillows. ‘If you have nowhere else to be, I may read to you if you like,’ she then offered. It was obvious that she was not willing to discuss political matters any longer but for some reason didn’t rush to usher him away. 

Otto glanced at the book, catching its title. ‘I'm afraid I do not know High Valyrian to understand it,’ he said.

‘I can translate it for you. Well, at least give it a try. Father says I need to practice and I guess that counts,’ she smiled. Otto started to feel like she didn’t want him to leave. And - what was maybe just a tad more surprising - he didn’t want to leave either.

‘What is it about?’

‘Old Valyrian society. It is rather interesting how it was similar and yet so different from ours. I've just started a new chapter.’

As a rule, Otto didn’t give a single fuck about Old Valyria. And yet he said, ‘I suppose I can stay for a while.’

During the next hour, Otto found out that the reason marriages between Valyrians and Molfars were forbidden was because such matches tended to produce children who were deemed too powerful, too unhinged, and too much for society to handle. He also found out that he quite enjoyed listening to Diane's voice.

Chapter Text

Diane wondered sometimes whether or not Viserys felt even a tiny bit guilty about having her in his chambers while his wife was struggling with her pregnancy so much. Viserys seemed to pay it no mind which was expected, considering what she knew about him, but still part of her kind of hoped he cared about Alicent at least a little. He married her out of his own free will, after all. No one held a sword to his throat or dragged him into the sept. A better man would have probably stuck by his decision but Viserys did not.

It played out in their favor, of course. Because of his infatuation, Viserys actually listened to her (sometimes even over Otto Hightower which was a nice bonus), and Diane knew how to “fake it” in all the senses of this phrase. And yet she was rather alarmed by the state of Alicent's health.

If Stranger existed, she would have been his identical copy. She was rarely seen in public but when she was, it was obvious that she lost weight despite her pregnancy and was way paler than a healthy person is supposed to be. And she was only early into her seventh month.

Diane didn’t care much about Alicent as a person but she knew if the Queen was to die, Viserys would be widowed and free to take a wife again after the mourning period was over. It would be unfortunate but not unusual. What Diane didn’t like was the fact that she was the most likely candidate for his third wife. She was just too good at what she was doing and that could be her curse sometimes. So she prayed that Alicent survived because she was not going to marry Viserys. No. Fucking. Way.

Once, a lot of years ago, Diane vowed that no man would ever hold power over her again, and she intended to stick to that vow. Besides, Daemon, knowing her thoughts on that matter, would never allow her to marry Viserys and another fall-out between the brothers was not something they could afford. So it was better not to end up in such an unfortunate situation at all.

‘I think our dragons formed a polycule,’ Diane informed Daemon and Rhaenyra while the three of them were walking in the garden. 

Daemon raised an eyebrow instead of an answer. 

‘A what now?’ the princess asked.

‘I believe the three of them just mated together. Like a three-way relationship. I'm not sure in what way exactly. Silverwing definitely has hots for Syrax and it's very much reciprocated, and Caraxes is just happy to be there.’

Daemon let out a laugh, ‘That’s my boy.’

‘One of the dragonkeepers said they gave up all the attempts to separate them because it’s not worth the burns and bitten-off limbs,’ Diane added, making Rhaenyra smile. ‘I sneaked in last night to take a look. They sleep in a pile, it is so adorable. Caraxes caught me and I’m pretty sure he rolled his eyes at me.’

Daemon rolled his eyes with a smile. Then realized what he did and laughed. 

‘Your relationship with the dragons amazes me,’ Rhaenyra said, making Diane smile. ‘You get along with all of them with such an ease, it’s remarkable.’

‘She gets it from her mother,’ Daemon said. ‘I've never met a commoner so utterly unfazed by the presence of Caraxes as Iris was. And he is pretty darn terrifying.’

‘I do not know how to explain it if I’m honest,’ Diane said thoughtfully. ‘I just… I communicate with them the same way I do with people, and they seem to understand me perfectly well. And, as long as it works, I don't really care how,’ she smiled because why question something that was working? Clearly, her communication skills helped to keep Cannibal and Sheepstealer fed and away from the villages on Dragonstone, which were rapidly growing in population at this very moment. 

‘I remember when you were around five, you disappeared during the night. Gave me and your mother the fright of our lives,’ Daemon looked from his daughter to Rhaenyra. ‘And you know where we found this little menace?’

‘Well, I believe you will tell me,’ the princess smiled. It was always nice to see the fondness with which Daemon always recalled the stories from Diane's childhood.

‘Sleeping on top of the Caraxes! Sleeping!’ Daemon exclaimed, making Diane laugh. She vaguely recalled what her father was talking about. ‘And he seemed to be as perplexed as I was.’

‘Well, he let me climb on him, didn’t he?’ Diane smiled. ‘If I recall correctly, he even helped me up with his tail. I believe he was just feigning innocence to avoid your wrath.’

‘This little-’

‘To be fair, he is not so little,’ Rhaenyra pointed out with a laugh in her voice.

‘The sentiment stays unchanged!’

Rhaenyra said something else but Diane didn’t hear what exactly because suddenly she saw something between the bushes. At first, it was a flicker of darkness, just for a second, and Diane almost dismissed it. And then it appeared again, forming the shape of a woman. She was half-transparent but Diane still could make out her long, slightly wavy gray hair with a few streaks of black in it, her white robe that was embroidered with different kinds of flowers, and her strikingly green eyes that seemed clearer than the rest of her.

Diane stopped and it felt like the world around - the sounds, the wind, and even the time - stopped with her. She didn’t feel afraid. Instead, she felt drawn towards this woman in a way Diane could not explain.

The woman smiled, a warm and friendly smile that seemed new and long-forgotten at the same time. Diane took a step towards her but didn’t dare to come closer because the figure wavered dangerously as if it was about to disappear at any moment.

The woman opened her mouth and her words flew out like a breath of the wind, ‘Jaehossa issi brōzare syt ao.’

Diane's eyes widened. She wasn’t sure if she understood correctly because her High Valyrian still wasn’t all that great but if she did…

‘Diane?’ Rhaenyra’s voice sounded, and she whipped her head to see her and Daemon standing a few feet away. They were obviously confused as to why she stopped walking with them. ‘Is everything alright?’

Diane glanced back but there was no one in the bushes. The vision was gone and yet she was left with a message she wasn’t sure she understood. A part of her wanted to pretend like nothing had happened but they agreed not to lie to each other and Diane didn’t want to break such a promise over something like that.

‘What does “Jaehossa issi brōzare syt ao” mean?’ Diane asked, immediately approaching them. Daemon and Rhaenyra glanced at one another.

‘Is something happened-’ the prince started but Diane cut him off, grabbing his forearm.

‘What does it mean? Exactly?’ she asked again, and there was urgency in her voice that made Daemon slightly nervous.

‘The Gods are calling for you,’ Rhaenyra said, making Diane look at her. ‘That’s what it means.’

‘Oh crap…’ 

That wasn’t good, was it? Getting a chance to speak with her mother and Rhaena once again was a good thing but now it was getting serious. There were obviously greater forces at play and she seemed to be the center of their attention.

‘Diane, what's going on?’ Daemon asked, witnessing a cascade of emotions pass through his daughter's face. 

‘I need to talk to you about something,’ Diane said, grabbing Rhaenyra’s hand as well. ‘I need to talk to you both right now.’

***

‘Say something,’ Diane asked because the fact that Daemon and Rhaenyra were just silently staring at her was freaking her out. She had just told them all about seeing her mother, and Rhaena, and the black rose that was currently blooming in her rooms as if it was afraid Diane would make good on her threat and throw it out. And, of course, about the vision of a strange woman who said the Gods were calling for her.

Daemon cleared his throat. ‘I feel like tea is not strong enough for this conversation,’ he said, looking at his cup, and this remark was rather off, but he tried to break the silence and Diane was grateful for that.

Rhaenyra bit her lip, then opened her mouth, closed them, and then finally said, ‘If they call for you, they call for you where?’

‘I don’t know. Can be anywhere, really,’ Diane sighed, rubbing her forehead. ‘It can also be a metaphor I'm not understanding.’

‘Maybe you are not supposed to understand yet,’ Rhaenyra offered, making Daemon look at her. ‘Gods are known to talk in riddles but they never confuse you deliberately. When they need to tell you something, their message is clear. Like that time when I saw the White Hart.’

‘So what do you propose?’ Diane asked.

‘Wait. Wait and hope that understanding will come to you. It's all connected, is it not? You getting sent back in time, and then seeing people who are dead or not supposed to exist… and these meetings were useful, weren’t they? It all makes sense, we just can’t see it because the bigger picture is not open to us yet,’ Rhaenyra said. She felt pretty sure about it. 

Her relationship with the Gods used to be rather superficial before because her mother and father technically followed the Faith of Seven. It was only after Rhaenyra found out that Diane was sent back in time that she started taking it all more seriously. That the stories about the Gods were not just stories, they were history. And what was more important, they were part of her history. Rhaenyra still didn’t deem herself very religious but she made a point of learning more about it and now it was rather clear for her what to do next.

‘They were useful,’ Diane agreed, worrying her dragon bracelet. The meeting with Rhaena offered her some closure and gave her a token to remember her love by, and the meeting with her mother led her right to little Aegon. She wasn’t sure where the meeting with a strange woman was supposed to lead her yet, but if Rhaenyra was right, she would find out rather soon. ‘But ugh…’ Diane groaned, hiding her face in her hands. ‘I hate not knowing. Because when you don’t know, you are helpless, and it reminds me… it reminds me of the war,’ she added quietly. 

Daemon and Rhaenyra glanced at each other. They always felt rather helpless when Diane talked about darker parts of her past, especially about the war. Because they never experienced it and, if they would do everything right, they would never have to. They could sympathize, of course, and they did to the best of their ability but they would never know what it was like. And Diane carried it all around with her like a bag of stones because even though technically it never happened, it did happen to her.

Diane removed her hands from her face, looked at Daemon and Rhaenyra, and then said, raising from her chair, ‘I'll go take a walk.’

‘Diane…’ the princess started but she interrupted her.

‘I'm fine. Truly. I just need to clear my head,’ Diane smiled and if they didn’t know her better, they would have believed her. But there was no point in stopping her so they let her walk out of the room without saying anything else.

***

The sun set a few hours ago but there were still no signs of Diane. Rhaenyra knew that she could take care of herself just fine and not like she had an obligation to constantly inform the princess about her whereabouts, but, everything considered, Rhaenyra was worried. 

Daemon respected Diane's wish to be alone for a while but Rhaenyra couldn’t help but think that even if it was what Diane asked for, it wasn’t necessarily what she needed. So the princess decided she should at least check on her and if Diane still wanted solitude, she would just let her be. And if not, Rhaenyra was always ready to offer comfort and a listening ear to her friend.

The problem was that finding Diane on a good day could prove to be a challenge, let alone when she put her mind to staying hidden. So Rhaenyra tried to analyze the situation to the best of her ability. Diane wasn’t in her rooms because they were a rather obvious choice and she preferred not to go there if she didn’t want to be found. It wasn’t Diane's night with the King and the children had already gone to bed so she couldn’t be with them. Dragonstone and Flea Bottom were out of the question because Diane would never leave Red Keep without informing her or Daemon first (it was a safe measure and they did the same when they had to leave the castle). So it meant Diane was still around here somewhere but where exactly? After all, Red Keep was rather huge and Rhaenyra couldn’t possibly search all of it. So she did the next best thing.

‘Do you know where Lady Diane is?’ Rhaenyra asked, walking into Diane's room and noticing Athelstan changing the bedsheets. To the princess’ relief, Diane's personal servant appeared to be much easier to find.

‘No, Your Grace. I haven’t seen her since the morning,’ Athelstan frowned and added, ‘I hope she has eaten.’

Diane's relationship with Athelstan always amazed Rhaenyra but mostly because she was not used to this kind of easiness and friendliness between a servant and a noble. But Diane didn’t need someone to wait on her hand and foot, and she despised the pretend politeness when it was addressed to her and wasn't a part of “political games”. She mostly needed Athelstan to take care of things she didn’t want to take care of like cleaning and laundry, and to bring her food when she didn’t feel like acquiring it herself. And Athelstan was more than happy to do that because serving Lady Diane not only paid well but saved him from the fate of being overworked like most other servants.

‘Do you know where she might be?’ Rhaenyra asked. 

‘Well,’ the boy let out a small laugh. ‘This can be pretty much anywhere. But she usually comes back to spend the night here so if you want, I will tell her you are looking for her,’ he offered.

Rhaenyra bit her lip, weighing her options. ‘Do you know there is a belief that personal servants know the person best?’ she then said.

‘Yes, Your Grace. But I'm not sure if it applies to me.’

‘Nevertheless, we shall give it a try,’ Rhaenyra smiled a little. ‘Where, in your opinion, Lady Diane could have gone if she wanted some peace and quiet? Preferably where no one else will look for her.’

Athelstan kept quiet for a few seconds and then the corners of his mouth tugged upward, ‘I might know the place.’

He led her to the dungeons. It was not what Rhaenyra expected but then again, people didn’t really go into the dungeons of the Red Keep. It was nothing like Dragonstone but it was still a maze. A perfect place where nobody would look for you.

Athelstan showed Rhaenyra to one of the rooms and a confidence with which he found his way there told the princess that he had been there quite a few times. When she walked in, she didn’t quite believe it.

It was a temple.

Well, obviously not the whole temple but a room that was made as a place of worship for the Gods of Old Valyria. It had an altar at the center of the room and engravings on the walls with black candles lit around the room. The room wasn’t big but it had benches and could easily fit fifty people. At the far end of the room stood a table with things stacked on it but because the room was so dimly lit Rhaenyra couldn’t quite see them clearly.

‘Maegor built this jaehossalentor for his mother,’ Diane's voice sounded from one of the benches. 

‘House of the Gods,’ Rhaenyra translated.

‘A fancy name for a chapel,’ Diane chuckled and then patted the place beside her, inviting Rhaenyra to sit.

‘I didn't even know this place existed.’

‘It was abandoned. I believe ever since Visenya died. After all, Targaryens follow the Faith of Seven.’

Rhaenyra made a face. She didn’t like the Faith of Seven and neither did Daemon but Diane was technically right. Aegon converted to it after the Conquest, probably to be more easily accepted by Westeros’ people. She didn’t know Rhaenys’ thoughts on that matter but it was now obvious that Visenya stayed true to her beliefs till the day she died and, to be honest, from such a woman like her the princess expected nothing less.

‘I stumbled upon it a few months ago,’ Diane continued. ‘Maybe it was pure luck or Gods’ guidance, but anyway… I cleaned it up, put everything the way I was taught it is supposed to be put-’

‘Taught?’ Rhaenyra couldn’t help but ask, making Diane chuckle.

‘I spent ten years in a convent, Nyra. And even though it’s nothing like the ones the Faith of Seven has, it is still a place of worship. I was raised religious. With prayers two times a day and everything.’

‘Oh,’ Rhaenyra made a sound. She knew about it before, of course, but she probably never understood what it truly meant. She just… Diane didn’t seem like a typical religious person. Granted, Rhaenyra never really dealt with religious people who were following the Valyrian Faith. Her only experiences were with the ones who followed the Faith of Seven (like maesters and septas), and these ones were no fun.

‘Valyrian Faith is way different from the Faith of Seven,’ Diane said as if reading her friend's mind. ‘It’s not… restrictive. There are some rules, of course, but it allows me to believe and be the person I truly am. The Faith of Seven believes that Gods exist to enforce rules and police the behavior of humans. Valyrian Faith thinks about Gods as our protectors. When you have their favor, they help you through life. When you do not, they just leave you to your own devices. And only when you do something atrocious, they might intervene and punish you,’ Diane explained. 

‘That sounds nice,’ Rhaenyra said, looking around the room. ‘You come here often?’

‘Once a week maybe. And when I want to hide from the world,’ Diane answered with a small smile. ‘It’s so peaceful here. It’s like-’

‘It’s like someone is protecting you,’ Rhaenyra finished. She felt the same thing.

Diane nodded and reached out to take Rhaenyra’s hand in hers. ‘Feels nice to know that we are not alone in our fight, doesn’t it?’

The princess squeezed her hand back, ‘I hope. I don’t- I suppose I wish to be more connected with the Gods but I have no idea how to go about it. My parents didn’t raise me in Valyrian traditions, and Daemon is… well-’

‘He has his own way of connecting with the Gods,’ Diane smiled. ‘His protector is Vhagar, and, being the Goddess of war, she always does things her own way.’

‘Can you explain it to me?’ Rhaenyra asked.

‘What?’

‘This whole… protector thing. I've read about it but I don't really understand. How do you know who protects you? Or Daemon?’

‘Well, sometimes it’s a family thing. Like I suppose long ago all Velaryons were protected by Caraxes, the God of the sea. But most people get their protector during the initiation. They usually ask for guidance and protection of a specific God but sometimes a God chooses them. Father asked for Vhagar… for obvious reasons,’ Diane chuckled.

‘Who did you ask for?’ Rhaenyra inquired.

‘I had half a mind to ask for Syrax with her being a Goddess of chaos and parties amongst other things,’ Diane answered, making the princess snort. ‘But I didn't have a chance because Tyraxes claimed me before that.’

‘She is the Goddess of intelligence, right?’

Despite her best efforts, Rhaenyra had yet to memorize all the main Valyrian Gods and what each of them represented.

‘Also wisdom, cunningness, and battle strategy.’

The princess smiled, ‘Sounds like you.’

‘The stories about her are inspiring. Despite Vhagar being my favorite since I was a little kid, I guess Tyraxes gets me the most,’ Diane said thoughtfully.

‘What does it take to get initiated? I married in the Valyrian Faith but I never- I suppose the only ritual I've taken part in before was ēlī ānogar when I was a mere babe.’

‘Huh, I thought Viserys would ignore this tradition like he ignores all the others,’ Diane said, sounding surprised.

Ēlī ānogar was a ritual that was usually performed on a newborn baby. One of the close relatives (or a priest if the child was abandoned or orphaned) asked the Gods to look after the child. It was a way to grant a child Gods’ favor till they reached the age of maturity and were able to get initiated and get their own divine protector (because Valyrian Faith did not recognize initiations, performed on someone who could not fully understand what was happening, aka children and mentally unwell people).

Rhaenyra shook her head, ‘He did. Actually, it was Daemon who performed it.’

‘Really?’

‘Yes. My mother told me about it when I was old enough to understand. It was our little secret. Apparently, when I was around two or three, Daemon came to her and begged her to allow him to perform ēlī ānogar. She never understood why it was so important to him but, considering you were born around that time, I guess it’s somehow connected.’

‘My mother and he probably performed it as soon as I was born, and… well, I suppose father couldn’t fathom why Viserys would willingly deprive you of Gods’ protection.’

‘Yeah, you are probably right. My mother saw how important it was to him and she allowed it. She also said she was very grateful because I started sleeping way more peacefully after that,’ Rhaenyra said with a small smile on her lips.

They sat in silence for a few seconds, and then Diane said, ‘If you are up to it, we can get you initiated right now.’

The princess looked up at her, ‘Now?’

‘Yes. It takes like five minutes. I've seen it done at Dragonstone a bunch of times ever since we became a safe haven for queer people.’

Not only Dragonstone was growing in population but also the number of members of the Valyrian Faith was increasing rapidly. Almost everyone who came to Dragonstone went through initiation to gain the right to marry under the Valyrian Faith. They even had people who couldn’t stay at Dragonstone permanently but came to get initiated and get married so, even if such marriages weren’t legally recognized in Westeros or Essos, they would know they were married in their hearts and their union was blessed by the Gods.

Rhaenyra looked thoughtful for a few seconds and then smiled, ‘Let's do it.’

It took Diane a few minutes to prepare everything they needed, which was not a lot. The center of the altar turned out to have a deepening in which Diane organized a small bonfire. Then she prepared a clean knife and a black engraved bowl, helped Rhaenyra to cut her right palm and instructed her to collect exactly 14 blood drops into a bowl.

‘Each drop for every God you want to catch the attention of,’ Diane explained. ‘Sometimes people collect more to include minor gods and half-gods but after the Doom of Valyria we cannot be sure how many of them actually exist so it’s better to stick to the main ones to not accidentally offend anyone.’

‘Got it,’ Rhaenyra nodded, focusing her attention on collecting precisely 14 drops.

In the meantime, Diane dug out an old book with Valyrian prayers and found the one they needed for the initiation process.

‘Any rules that I might need to know about before I do this?’ Rhaenyra asked after the blood was collected, her cut was bandaged and they took their places on the opposite sides of the altar with the fire burning in the middle.

‘Hmm,’ Diane frowned, mentally going through the rules she was aware of and that could potentially influence Rhaenyra’s life. ‘Well, you are not supposed to have sex with someone you are not committed to while you are having your blood because blood is binding… but you are married to my father so I guess you have that covered.’

The princess blushed slightly, ‘More or less.’

‘Do not eat dragon or lizard meat because it’s considered an insult to Aegarax.’

Rhaenyra wrinkled her nose in disgust, ‘Did not plan on it.’

‘Oh, and do not wear four separate braids in your hair. It should always be less or more because four braids are Meleyes’ signature look. I'm not saying she will take offense but she is the Goddess of love, fertility, and beauty, and you do not want to get on her bad side.’

Rhaenyra smiled, ‘Got it. Anything else?’

‘Not off the top of my head.’

‘Then let's do it.’

Diane read the prayer that asked the Gods to turn their attention to a soul that was asking for their protection and volunteer their protection to Rhaenyra or let her choose a God she wanted to be protected by. Usually, the Gods were given the courtesy of the first choice (if a God chose to protect a person, the color of flames changed to the God's signature color) so when Rhaenyra poured her blood from the bowl into the fire, she had to wait ten seconds or so before asking a specific God for protection.

The princess decided to choose Tyraxes because wisdom and intelligence were the things she obviously needed to get the throne and be a good Queen, but she was never able to make that choice.

The flames suddenly turned a pure white color, and Diane declared with excitement in her voice, ‘Rhaenyra Targaryen, Arrax - the Ruler of the Gods, the God of law, order, justice, and strength - has granted you his eternal protection.’ Then she closed the book and smiled when their eyes met, ‘I believe the last person who was granted Arrax's protection was Aegon the Conqueror.’

Chapter Text

Rhaenyra felt giddy, walking back to her chambers with Diane. She couldn’t wait to tell Daemon that she had gotten properly initiated into the Valyrian Faith and that Arrax was the one to grant her protection. She knew he would be just as excited for her as she was.

After a few staircases and turns, they suddenly ran into Joanna. ‘What are you doing here so late?’ Rhaenyra asked before she could take in the state of the girl before her. She was disheveled, her clothes looked dirty and it was obvious she was crying.

‘I- I-’ Joanna muttered, her gaze jumping from one place to another in an obvious state of panic. Her hands were shaking.

‘What happened?’ Diane asked, her voice commanding yet gentle. She always knew how to handle a crisis, and the situation was starting to look like a crisis by the second. ‘Joanna, dear?’ she reached out, and the girl immediately flinched from the touch, her hands wrapping around her abdomen in a defensive gesture.

The longer Rhaenyra looked at the girl before her, the worse she seemed. There was blood on the tips of her fingers and it was hard to tell whether or not it was hers. Bruises were starting to bloom on her arms, and then the princess noticed that the top of her dress was torn as if someone forcefully yanked it down.

Diane glanced at Rhaenyra, and the princess caught her gaze. She wasn’t sure what precisely happened but was starting to get the idea.

‘Joanna, dear,’ Diane called again, trying to catch the girl's attention. ‘Did someone hurt you? It’s alright, you can tell us.’

Joanna looked at her, then tears swelled in her eyes and she broke into violent sobs. ‘They- they-’

Diane reached out again and this time Joanna didn’t flinch away so she pulled her into a hug. The girl clung to her and sobbed. Diane wrapped her hands around her and then looked at Rhaenyra, ‘I need you to go to my rooms, find Athelstan, and ask him to fetch Haisa…’

Before the princess was able to nod in confirmation, Joanna pulled away in panic. ‘No, no! Don’t tell anyone! I will be ruined!’ she begged between sobs, obviously terrified.

‘Shh, dear, it’s alright. Haisa was my mother's friend and Athelstan is sworn to me. They will take this secret to their graves,’ Diane assured the poor girl, then looked back at Rhaenyra. ‘Tell Athelstan to ask Haisa to bring moon tea to my rooms. And then order him to arrange for a bath.’

Rhaenyra nodded and rushed away, leaving Diane and Joanna alone. Diane looked around, making sure she couldn’t see or hear anyone. ‘Can you walk? My rooms are not far from here but a few staircases are still on the way.’

‘I- I think so- I-’ Joanna sobbed, wiping her tears away. ‘I- it’s all my fault- I'm so stupid-’

‘No. No, dear. It’s not your fault-’

‘You don’t know what happened!’ she exclaimed.

‘I don’t have to. It is not your fault, no matter what happened.’

‘You- you- you don’t understand! I never should have come! I- I knew I shouldn't be out so late but he- he was so nice-’ Joanna sobbed.

‘Who was?’

‘R-rick…’

‘Wait, as in- Rickard? Rickard Thorne? The member of Kingsguard?!’ Diane exclaimed. She was not the one to jump to conclusions but it was the only man that came to her mind who could be called Rick and be in the Red Keep at night.

And then Joanna nodded, the tears running down her cheeks. ‘He- he- he said he liked me- he- he wanted- to- to meet me and spend time together-’

‘And?’ Diane asked, even though she wasn't sure she was ready to hear how this sentence ended.

‘And he lied!’ the girl sobbed. ‘He- he- he brought his friends- they forced me- they- they laughed-’ she broke down again, and Diane pulled her into her embrace again, trying to bring the poor girl comfort at least somehow.

‘How many of them were there?’ she asked calmly but her blood was burning so much it threatened to burn right through her skin.

‘Th- three...’

‘Do you know who the other two were?’

‘N-no… but- but I think one of them had a golden cloak.’

Diane's grip on Joanna tightened. ‘And I'll hang him on it.’

The girl leaned back, startled. ‘Wh-what?’ Surely she didn’t hear her right.

Diane smiled as reassuringly as she could master. ‘Do not worry about it for now. Let's get you cleaned up first,’ she said and then slowly led Joanna towards her rooms.

***

The knock on a secret door startled Daemon who was reading a book in his armchair and waiting for his beautiful wife to come back so they could retire to bed together. He frowned, put the book aside, and went to open it when no one came in after a few seconds.

‘Diane?’ he asked with surprise in her voice when he saw his daughter on the other side of a secret door, dressed in a gray cloak.

‘I need your help,’ she said, handing him something. It took a second for Daemon to realize it was another gray cloak.

‘What do you need?’

‘I need to hang three rapists at the main gate. And I need another set of hands to do it before the sun rises. Will you help me?’

Daemon looked at the cloak and then nodded, ‘Of course. But can you tell me…’

‘On whose behalf?’ Diane guessed.

‘Yes.’

‘Joanna.’

‘Nyra's lady-in-waiting?’ 

It had taken him a while, but Daemon did memorize all the women in Rhaenyra’s close social circle.

‘Yes,’ Diane sighed. ‘They hurt her. Badly.’

The prince nodded, grabbed Dark Sister, and then put the gray cloak on. ‘Did you ask Haisa-’

‘Yes. Rhaenyra and she are with her right now. I don’t- Haisa will treat her injuries and Rhaenyra will offer her comfort but it’s not enough, is it?’

‘No, it’s not,’ Daemon agreed, walking out of his room and closing the secret door behind him.

‘We can’t let them see another sunrise after what they did to her.’

‘Then let's hurry. Do you know the names?’ 

‘Only one,’ Diane said, and then a cruel smile appeared on her lips. ‘But we will find out the rest by the time I'm done with him.’

***

Diane didn’t think of herself as a cruel person. Violence was a big part of her life, there was no denying that, but she couldn’t say she usually took pleasure in seeing others suffer.

Only on special occasions.

Rickard Thorne wasn’t hard to find. The fool was still wearing blood-stained clothes and too drunk for Diane's liking but they had to make do. After all, pain sobers the person up.

He blabbered who the other two were and where they could find them pretty quickly. Pathetic. What a member of the Kingsguard couldn’t take a little bit of torture? How unreliable. Diane believed she had quite good skills but she still did not expect Rick to spill quite this fast.

Maybe he hoped they would stop if he told them. Maybe he had hoped to keep his life.

What a fool. 

After what he did, he didn’t deserve to live longer than was strictly necessary. Diane and Daemon made sure he did not. Seeing the life leave his terrified eyes was satisfying but not yet enough.

They hid his body for the time being, and then they split. Daemon volunteered to go after the man who should have no right to call himself a golden cloak. After all, he was his Commander. It would be fair for Daemon to get his hands dirty with this one.

‘I promised Joanna I'll hang him on his cloak,’ Diane said before they separated.

Daemon smirked, ‘I shall arrange for that.’

The third man turned out to be one of the servants, the younger brother of the golden cloak. He was barely eight and ten but Dianw did not do second chances when it came to sexual violence. After all, no reason in the world could excuse rape. None at all.

That guy shared his room with another male servant. She could have killed him quietly without waking the other one but it was not what she wanted. She wanted that bitch to suffer. She wanted him to experience at least a little bit of the pain and humiliation that Joanna now had to carry for the rest of her life. So Diane did the next best thing.

If you can’t get rid of someone, make them your accomplice. 

She didn’t know if it would work because she didn’t know the character of the other servant but she decided to take the risk. After all, the murder of a witness was always a second option.

Long story short, the other servant’s name was Brock and he had three younger sisters, so as soon as Diane told him what his roommate had done (without revealing Joanna's name, of course), Brock got on with the program really fast. 

Diane knew she was on a time crunch but she still was prepared to take her time with him. Sadly, this one wasn’t quite as resilient as Rickard had been and definitely not as fun because he passed out almost right after Diane cut off his dick, even though his blood loss was nowhere near fatal. Diane could eye-measure such things after so many years in the field of murdering people for money. 

Because it was no use torturing someone who was out of it, she had to pack up early. The fucker was still breathing when Brock and she wrapped his body into sheets and carried him out but that was fine. The chance that he would wake up was rather slight and the rope on which they would hang him at the gate would deal with any life that was left in him.

Daemon was already there when they approached and he blinked in surprise when he realized Diane brought someone else with her. He raised an eyebrow.

Diane shrugged, ‘What? I'm an outgoing person. I make friends anywhere I go.’

Daemon snorted, ‘You sure he won't tell?’

‘Of course. He is an accomplice now. And we are noble, the worst that could happen to us is the King banishing us to Dragonstone… he, on the other hand, can pay with his life for just being in the vicinity.’

Well, technically the law still applied to both her and Daemon, but Viserys would never order the execution of his brother and his brother's daughter who he wished very much to make his mistress over something like this. 

After putting the body where Diane directed him to, Brock bid them farewell and went to clean up the murder scene. After all, Diane left quite a mess behind and if Brock didn’t want to get accused of murder in the morning, he had to clean it up fast. And Daemon and she had to get to the hanging if they wanted to finish before the sun started to rise.

‘I have some money with me in case the guards on the other side of the gate hear something and come to check,’ Daemon informed his daughter, looking up at the gate and assessing the situation.

‘And if they refuse?’

‘Well… what a few more bodies?’

Diane let out a laugh. ‘You know, father, if not for such a sad occasion, I would have said that going on a killing spree with you is quite enjoyable.’

Daemon smiled, ‘Perhaps we should do it more often.’

She smiled back, ‘Perhaps we should.’

***

Rhaenyra got up from where she was sitting at the foot of Diane's bed when she heard the secret door unlock. Diane stepped in a second later, a cloak in hand and her clothes covered in blood. The princess didn’t even have to ask to know what exactly Diane had done.

‘How is she?’ Diane asked quietly, dropping her cloak to the floor and going across the room to clean herself up.

‘Haisa looked her over and gave her something so she would sleep better,’ Rhaenyra whispered, coming closer to her friend. ‘We put her in your bed, I hope you don’t mind…’

‘Of course, not,’ Diane answered, dipping the cloth into the bowl with water and starting to clean up the dried-up blood from her hands. ‘She shouldn’t be alone right now anyway. I'll keep an eye on her.’

Rhaenyra nodded, then sighed, ‘I couldn’t believe they did it to her.’

‘Men do this every day.’

‘I know. But she is- she's a lady, she is a Lannister… no one deserves it, of course, but surely there are more repercussions for… well, for harming a noble lady and not a commoner.’

Diane sighed, taking a break from cleaning herself and leaning on the table for a few seconds. ‘I hate to tell you that, Nyra, but usually men face the same amount of repercussions for violating someone which is none,’ she glanced at the princess. ‘What noble lady would come forward about something like that and risk being ruined and antagonized because of something that was in no way her fault? That’s why men do this. That's why these fuckers did it. They thought they would get away with it.’

‘They did not, I assume,’ Rhaenyra pointed out, picking up a cloth and wiping the blood from Diane's cheek. Whatever she had done, it had been quite a massacre. And yet, Rhaenyra felt like it was less than these men deserved.

Diane chuckled and took a cloth from her friend's hand, ‘They did not. Now, I suggest you go and help your husband get the blood out of his hair.’

Rhaenyra scrunched her nose because getting blood out of white hair was THE TASK but then she realized what Diane was saying. ‘Daemon helped you?’

‘Yes. It was a two-person job. And besides, I couldn’t let him miss out on all the fun,’ Diane answered, the corners of her mouth tugging slightly upwards.

‘What exactly did you do?’

‘You'll find out in the morning. Everyone will.’

Rhaenyra nodded and squeezed her hand before going to the exit, ‘Goodnight.’

‘Goodnight, Nyra,’ Diane answered, even though one look outside told her that there wasn’t much of the night left. Sun always came early during the summer so the horizon had already started to brighten. 

Diane changed and lightened up the fireplace. It wasn’t precisely a chilly night but it had been cold enough so no one would question the fire burning. And she needed to burn her clothes because it was way faster than trying to get the blood out of them. Throwing her shirt in the fire, Diane looked at the bed and then asked, ‘You are not really sleeping, are you?’

There were a few seconds when nothing happened, and then Joanna sat up on the bed. ‘No,’ she shook her head. ‘I can’t.’

Diane got up and walked to the bed. ‘I know it’s hard but your body needs rest,’ she sat at the foot of the bed so as not to invade Joanna's personal space.

‘Did you really kill them?’ Joanna suddenly asked, looking Diane right in the eyes.

‘I did.’

There was a pause.

‘Why?’

‘Because they did not deserve to see another sunrise after what they did,’ she answered, watching as a few rays of light entered her room through the window. ‘And now they won’t.’

Joanna bit the inside her lip and lowered her gaze, obviously contemplating what Diane had just said. ‘I don’t know how-’ she started after a few seconds of silence. ‘I don’t know how to survive it. How to- how to move on. How to come back to- how to come back from it.’

‘You never come back from it. Not really,’ Diane said, making Joanna look up at her. ‘I do not want to discourage you but- the pain never really disappears. You just learn how to live with it. How to live despite it. And with time it will fade away enough for you not to notice it anymore. What these fuckers did to you is horrible and so, so unfair but it does not have to define you.’

‘You… you sound like you're talking from experience,’ Joanna said quietly.

A small, sad smile appeared on Diane's lips. ‘That’s because I do. And I’m telling you, it will get better. Maybe not today and not tomorrow, but it will.’

Joanna nodded, her fingers nervously twisting the covers. ‘Did they beg for mercy? When you killed them?’ she asked.

‘Yes.’

‘And what did you say?’

‘I laughed.’

***

The next morning the inhabitants of the Red Keep were woken up by the screams and commotion. Some poor maid spotted three bodies hanging at the main gate early in the morning. Two of the men were hanging on the ropes while the third one was dangling on his golden cloak. They were pantless with their cocks cut off and the words “rapist” carved on their stomachs. 

By the time the guards managed to get their bodies down, most of the Red Keep had already seen them. Joanna decided not to look at them because she felt like it would bring her more distress than closure and she also felt rather weak because her blood came after she had drunk the moontea.

‘At least, she won’t have to carry a rapist's child. I suppose that’s something,’ Diane muttered to Rhaenyra, and the princess couldn’t agree more. They couldn’t undo what those fuckers did to her but they could avenge her and make sure to keep it a secret so as not to stain Joanna's reputation. 

While Joanna decided to stay back, Rhaenyra, on the other hand, wanted to see what Daemon and Diane had done. ‘It’s rather ghastly,’ the prince warned her just in case. After all, knowing and seeing were two completely different things.

The princess smiled and nodded, ‘As it should be.’

Diane and Daemon accompanied her there because they just couldn’t pass on the opportunity to see their work in daylight. It did not disappoint.

‘Am I seeing it right or did you really-’ Rhaenyra asked, squinting her eyes to see better.

‘Stuffed their mouths with their own dicks? Yes, we did,’ Daemon said, and he sounded way too proud of himself.

That made Rhaenyra smile. It was rather fascinating that she managed to fall in love with the man who equally loved blueberry scones and violent murder.

‘Then why the one hanging on a golden cloak doesn’t have… you know,’ she said then.

‘I believe he swallowed it while he was still alive,’ Diane informed.

‘Oh,’ the princess made a surprised sound. ‘Well, that’s somewhat ironic.’

One of the guards on the top of the gate cut the first rope and Rickard's body fell down like a sack of stones. ‘I appreciate them treating their bodies like dirt,’ Diane commented.

‘That’s because they don’t deserve anything else,’ the voice sounded, and they turned to see Harrold Westerling approaching them. ‘Your Graces, my lady,’ he said in the form of a greeting. ‘They shall be buried according to the rules of the Faith of Seven but without any honors,’ he then informed them.

Daemon hummed in agreement. He would have given their bodies to the pigs but well, it was a matter of taste, he supposed.

‘The last thing these men deserve is honors,’ Diane added.

‘Can’t agree more,’ Harrold said. ‘I will be reviewing the candidates to replace Rickard tomorrow and I would like to invite you to join me, my prince, if you have time,’ he then said to Daemon. ‘Your input on this matter would be much appreciated.’

‘I'll make sure to find time, Ser Harrold,’ Daemon agreed. After all, the Kingsguard was tasked to protect the King and his family, and Daemon would love to have a say in who exactly was chosen to protect them.

‘And I hope the next time whoever is responsible for-’ Harrold started but was interrupted by a sound of another body hitting the ground. ‘-for bringing such a justice would inform me about the situation beforehand. Especially if it has something to do with the men under my command.’

There was no way for Ser Harrold to know what exactly went down or who was responsible for the murders and the hanging, but he knew Daemon long enough and he observed his daughter for a while so he could make an educated guess. But that didn’t really matter. Justice was served, even if in an unusual manner for King's Landing. There was no need to draw any more attention to it.

‘I want to believe that with such a display there will be no next time, Ser Harrold,’ Diane said to him with a small smile on her lips.

The corners of Harrold's mouth tugged slightly upward, ‘As do I, Lady Diane.’

Chapter Text

Haisa always kept one ear out to monitor what was happening in the Red Keep in case her services were needed. Technically Daemon paid her only to treat his immediate family but she was a healer nonetheless and ever since she moved to the Red Keep, she had her hands full with the servants and the guards who needed medical attention and did not want to deal with maesters. In case of an emergency, the royal family would have to take precedence, of course, but other than that she was free to do whatever she wanted and she liked keeping herself busy.

So Haisa figured she was one of the first people to know when the Queen fell and went into labor a month earlier than was expected. She was not invited to attend her birth, of course. She might be Daemon and Rhaenyra's trusted healer but she was no royal maester or a midwife. 

Speaking of midwives…

‘What do you mean she doesn’t have any?’ Haisa asked one of the maids that she was friends with.

‘The maester tends to Her Majesty and her maids are expected to help her,’ the woman said.

‘But no midwife?’

‘No midwife.’

If you ask Haisa, it was a disaster waiting to happen. However knowledgeable the maester might be, no one knows more about the process of giving birth than a midwife. And if the child was coming earlier than expected and with such a difficult pregnancy, having a midwife at least on call was essential to the survival of both the woman and her baby. But the maester didn’t seem to share her opinion on that matter.

‘They want to cut her!’ Bianca exclaimed, rushing into her mother's room. Haisa sent her daughter to eavesdrop because at the age of three and twelve, no one paid the girls much attention and they turned out to be perfect spies.

Haisa's eyes widened, ‘They what?!’

‘The- I heard maesters- talking that-’ Bianca said, trying to catch her breath. ‘That if the child doesn’t come in the next few hours, they will have to cut her up or they both die!’

Even though Haisa didn’t know the exact techniques maesters used, something told her that the Queen was not going to survive it. She had been exchanging letters with Dragontemple for months now and she was aware that the nuns there knew how to extract a child from the womb without killing the mother in the process and she even requested the materials to teach herself that, but to her understanding such a technique was not a public knowledge. Which meant the maesters were planning on butchering the Queen. How was this not a treason?

‘Mum? Where are you going?’ Bianca inquired when Haisa suddenly got up and headed to the exit.

‘I need to see Prince Daemon and Princess Rhaenyra,’ she answered before walking out. She didn’t know whether or not they would want to try to help or intervene somehow (the bad blood between the Queen and the Princess was public knowledge) but she felt like they at least had a right to know about what was going on.

***

‘Well, that’s… unfortunate,’ was the first thing Rhaenyra said when Haisa told them about the Queen's struggles with giving birth.

Daemon and Diane, who had been spending the evening trying to play a card game from Essos with only remembering half of the rules (Rhaenyra found watching it all unfold rather entertaining), looked at each other. They always did that when something important happened, and the princess figured it was their way of making sure they were on the same page. Which was a good thing if Rhaenyra thought about it. After all, if there was a need for blood to be spilled it was better for Daemon and Diane to be in agreement on whose blood to spill.

‘I'm failing to understand how it concerns us,’ Daemon said. 

‘I mean… there is nothing we can really do about it, is there?’ Diane added. She sympathized with Alicent's struggles to some extent but she was no midwife. There was literally nothing she could do to help.

‘Are they going to butcher her?’ Rhaenyra suddenly asked, making Haisa look in her direction. ‘That’s why you are here, isn’t it?’ 

‘Yes, Your Grace. I know it is not my place but I am a healer. And after I found out there is no midwife present in the Queen's bedchamber, I felt obliged to bring my concerns to someone,’ Haisa explained. 

Rhaenyra groaned, hiding her face in her hands for a second, ‘Did the King agree to it?’

‘That I do not know. But my daughter overheard the maesters talking. They are pretty set on it. And if they do it, I'm pretty sure the Queen will not survive it.’

‘And if we get you to the Queen, will you be able to help?’ the princess asked.

‘I can’t guarantee it before I see her, but I have delivered dozens of babies. I am no midwife but I have dealt with some difficult cases. I pride myself in always prioritizing the life of the mother.’

Rhaenyra nodded, then looked at Daemon and Diane. 

‘If we are going to intervene, we have to do it right now,’ Diane said.

‘Maybe we should just let nature run its course,’ Daemon offered. Diane looked at him very pointedly. ‘Or not?’ he slowly continued and then added, ‘What?’ because his daughter's stare was making him uncomfortable.

‘If she dies, I might be the next one in that bed,’ Diane said without really saying anything but hoping her father would get the hint.

‘How is this-’ Daemon started and then it clicked . ‘Oh no,’ he immediately jumped to his feet. ‘We can't let her die. That's- you- no! She is not dying today!’

Haisa blinked at such a change of attitude towards the situation but then Daemon never really did what she expected him to do so it was no surprise. 

The prince turned to Rhaenyra for confirmation and she nodded after a few seconds. Whatever grudge she held against Alicent, she didn’t want to let her get butchered like her mother had been. No one deserved that.

‘So what are we doing?’ Daemon asked because, even though he was eager to act, he was not sure what they were supposed to do.

‘We are taking over the birthing room,’ Diane clapped her hands and got up. Crisis was her natural habitat and she always felt rather confident in situations where she had to act fast and make swift decisions. ‘Father, get your Dark Sister ready.’

‘Are you sure we have to be quite that aggressive?’ Rhaenyra asked, rising to her feet as well. Haisa just looked baffled. Daemon, who had already put his hand on the handle of his sword, did not look baffled at all.

‘I'm not saying he should use it. I'm saying he has to have it on him and visible in case we need to threaten Mellos’ life.’

After all, Diane was quite sure the maester wouldn’t give up his control over the Queen's birthing room that easily.

‘I can definitely do that,’ Daemon nodded. 

Rhaenyra looked at Haisa, ‘Do you have everything you need with you?’

‘Always, Your Grace.’

‘Then let's go and make sure the Queen survives.’

***

Taking over the birthing room was nowhere near as epic as taking over a fort or a castle but it involved strategy and coordination nonetheless. Daemon’s task was to get Mellos or any other maester that might be there out of the room (preferably without spilling blood but it wasn’t completely off the table under certain circumstances) and then guard the door so no one would come barging in, trying to stop them. Diane and Rhaenyra had to make sure that Alicent would be cooperative and not decide to die just to prove a point, and her maids would be willing to still help out during birth. And Haisa had to focus on Alicent's survival (and on the survival of the baby if it was possible).

They barged in with a bang. They did not necessarily plan on it but they were occupied with other things so no one had time to stop the doors from banging on the walls. Mellos jerked and turned towards the noise. He was standing near the center of the room and away from the bed (which was a red flag itself because what the fuck could he see or do from so far away) while Alicent seemed to be struggling to even stay seated on the bed with the help of her maid, her hair a mess and glistening with sweat.

‘Effective immediately the Queen does not require your services, Grand Maester,’ Diane informed him nonchalantly. ‘Please, vacate the bedchamber as soon as possible.’

‘You have no right to do this!’

Immediately the Dark Sister appeared before Mellos. It wasn’t precisely close to him but Daemon held it at an obviously threatening angle. ‘It might be in your best interest not to disagree with my daughter,’ the prince said, his eyes sparkling just a little. It was obvious that threatening Mellos was something that Daemon enjoyed.

‘Threatening the life of the Queen is treason!’

‘We are not the ones who plan to cut her open. Can you say the same about yourself?’ Diane snapped. She didn’t hold a grudge against Mellos or anything and he could be an interesting person to gossip with sometimes, but he was getting on her nerves today. Or any day when his laughable healing skills were involved.

Mellos blinked, obviously startled by the fact that they knew.

‘It’s all I needed to know,’ Diane said without waiting for Grand Maester to answer. ‘Father, get him out.’

‘You heard her,’ Daemon grabbed Mellos by the shoulder and dragged him towards the exit. The maester realized it was in his best interest not to struggle and let the prince lead him out of the Queen's bedchamber.

As soon as the doors closed, Diane directed her attention to the bed where Rhaenyra was trying her best to talk Alicent into allowing Haisa to examine her. She didn’t seem to be succeeding.

‘Just go away! Just leave me alone- I don't want it!’ Alicent cried, weakly pushing Rhaenyra away with one hand. She was obviously tired after so many hours of labor that didn't seem to be getting anywhere.

‘Alicent, listen, we wish to help you. Haisa is a healer, she can help you and your baby-’ Rhaenyra tried to gently reason with her but it became obvious to Diane that Alicent was way past that. She wasn’t even sure how much of what was going on Alicent was comprehending.

‘No! No, no, no! It was supposed to be easy! Like it always was!’ the Queen sobbed and then moaned in pain, gripping her stomach as another contraction hit. 

Realizing that they were not getting any answers from her, Haisa redirected her attention to one of the maids, asking her important questions like how long the birth had been going on already, how far apart contractions were, etc. Thankfully, the maid understood the severity of the situation and was happy to help in any way she could.

‘Alicent! Look- Look at me!’ Diane demanded, climbing onto the bed and grabbing the Queen by her shoulders. Alicent glanced at her, her eyes wide and scared. She looked like a deer at the archer's aim. It wasn’t that far from the truth. ‘I know you hate me, and I'm not your biggest supporter either, but right now you have to listen to me. You are going to let Haisa examine you-’

‘No-’ Alicent started, but Diane wasn't having it.

‘You are. Because the alternative is letting the maesters come back and cut into your stomach through your skin and organs - because these idiots didn't learn how to do proper child extractions in so many years - while you are screaming in agony and slowly - or not so slowly - bleeding out until you die!’ Diane ended her monologue with a sharp intake of breath because so many words in such little time were a little bit above her lung capacity. 

Alicent just looked back at her with her eyes wide open and her mouth agape. Rhaenyra cleared her throat. ‘I think you're scaring her-’ she pointed out.

‘Good. Because scared is precisely what you have to be right now,’ Diane said, looking right back at Alicent. ‘You only have three choices. Either Mellos comes in with a knife and funeral attire. Or you don't do anything, let your child die inside of you, catch an infection, and also die. Or you can let Haisa examine you and we all will be free by the time the dinner is served. So what is it going to be?’ she demanded.

Alicent blinked a few times, then did a sharp intake of breath and muttered, ‘She can examine me.’

Diane let out a laugh and patted Alicent on the arm, ‘Good girl.’

Rhaenyra and she moved out of the way so Haisa could perform a proper examination. ‘I'm surprised your way worked,’ the princess muttered. 

‘To be fair, it wouldn't have been my first choice. But I saw that your gentle approach was not working and she definitely wouldn't have listened to me being all nice and caring, so I didn't have many options left. I figured she wasn’t cooperating because she was either too scared or not scared enough, and I gambled that it was the latter.’

‘So… pure luck?’

Diane chuckled, ‘More like an educated guess.’

‘I believe I identified the problem,’ Haisa said, bringing their attention to the most immediate problem. ‘The baby is not in the right place for the delivery. It's in a transverse position and there's no way for it to come out.’

‘S-so wh-what now?’ Alicent stuttered. She looked extremely terrified, and it made Rhaenyra feel slightly bad for her.

‘I can try and move the child inside your belly into the right position. Now, it will be unpleasant, I'm not going to lie, but it is your only option.’

‘A-alright,’ Alicent nodded after a second or two.

‘It’s better if someone holds her hand,’ Haisa very obviously hinted.

Rhaenyra and Diane glanced at each other. The princess did feel sorry for Alicent but she didn’t really feel like holding her hand right now or ever for that matter. Not after how she recently acted. Not after what Diane told her Alicent had done in another timeline. It was just… Rhaenyra felt like she would do more harm than good with such an attitude.

Diane groaned, ‘Fine,’ and then she was approaching the Queen's bed and kneeling beside it. 

‘I hate you,’ Alicent immediately said to her.

‘Not completely undeserving, I may say, but alas,’ Diane grabbed one of Alicent's hands a little bit too harshly than was probably necessary. ‘I'm afraid you'll have to endure my support for the time being. Not like I enjoy it either but sacrifices need to be made in the name of womanhood and all that…’

Alicent's nails dug into the skin of Diane's hand and she spat out, ‘You are my husband's mistress!’

Maids that were still in the room looked at each other and Diane didn’t have to turn her head to know what the freshest gossip in the castle was going to be. It wasn’t bad and it didn't really change anything but the fact that Alicent was the one to blubber about it was a little bit ironic.

Still, Diane decided to act surprised to cover all her bases. So she chuckled and said, ‘My dear, how did you come up with such a ridiculous notion?’ because it was never too late to gaslight someone.

Alicent blinked as if she wasn’t expecting such an answer and then the next contraction hit, making the Queen shift her focus. As soon as it passed, Haisa proceeded to try and reposition a child inside Alicent's womb and she couldn't do much else but scream in pain while Diane held her hand.

***

Daemon scrunched his nose when he heard Alicent scream again through the tightly shut door. It was going on for a while and he did not want to know what Haisa was doing to her but at least as long as Alicent was screaming she was alive.

Daemon cleared his throat, adjusting his hold on his sword. He never, ever thought he would be guarding Alicent's bedchamber but here he was. It was for the greater good and the prince was in no way complaining but he still felt tremendously out of place. He also wondered where the Queen's guards were at. Because when they barged in, there was no one guarding the doors. Daemon had been prepared to use his “I’m a fucking prince, you should fucking listen to me” so they would let them in without any blood being spilled, but the guards were nowhere near in sight. Did Mellos send them away? Did Viserys? And if so, was it because they didn't want them to hear Alicent's dying screams when the maesters butchered her? Daemon didn’t like that thought but had to admit it was most likely what happened.

There were some more screams, most likely the result of another contraction (he got bored and timed them), and then Daemon heard the rapidly approaching footsteps. Mellos ran away somewhere as soon as they kicked him out of the birthing room, probably to snitch on them to Viserys or Cunttower, so Daemon had been waiting for guests for a while now.

‘Daemon!’ Viserys exclaimed, turning the corner. Mellos and Cunttower followed right after him. ‘What is the meaning of this?!’

‘I have no idea what you mean, brother,’ the prince said innocently. But then Mellos approached him and tried to push past him so Daemon immediately moved his sword to block the way, ‘No.’

‘Daemon, stop it this instant!’ Viserys demanded. There were some more screams on the other side of the door. ‘How can you be so cruel to deprive my wife of the maester's help?’

‘Your maester is an incompetent cunt who is all too happy to cut your wife open as soon as it gets slightly complicated,’ Daemon looked at Mellos pointedly.

‘I am not! But the Queen is having difficulties with her labor which is not progressing the way it should,’ the maester rushed to defend himself. ‘In such instances, it’s advised-’ 

‘Why wasn’t I consulted?’ Otto suddenly asked. Daemon, who forgot the Hand was there for a second, raised an eyebrow while Mellos and Viserys just looked at him. ‘This is a very serious matter, putting the life of Queen in danger-’

‘Killing her,’ Daemon corrected, very badly hiding his comment under the cough.

Otto gave him a nasty glare but continued, ‘You do not have the authority to make such a big decision!’

‘Well, I understand- but I informed the King about the situation and he didn’t reject the- this procedure if the labor won’t progress naturally,’ the maester defended himself. He would not be accused of being insubordinate!

Daemon and Otto both looked at Viserys who shifted his shoulders uncomfortably, and then Otto moved to take a few steps around the corridor and get his mind under control so he wouldn’t say anything he wouldn’t be able to come back from. Daemon, on the other hand, didn’t care to spare anyone's feelings (even more so his brother's who was getting harder and harder to love by the day). 

‘Really, brother?’ Daemon asked. ‘Again?’

Viserys bristled, ‘What would you have me do?! If a woman can’t give birth, she will die anyway! But why doom the child to the same fate?’

‘Oh, yes, because it worked so splendidly the last time!’ Daemon took a step forward. He tried not to think too hard about the fact that he was defending Alicent fucking Hightower at the moment because it made him feel weird and instead focus on the fact that he was defending the memory of Aemma. He hadn’t protected her from Viserys and the maesters then but he could protect another woman from the same fate in memory of her. And it had to be good enough.

‘You are making me some sort of villain, Daemon. But all I did was make a hard decision. Sometimes I have to make such as the King and as a man,’ Viserys said as if trying to make his brother understand. 

Otto, who was still taking a circular stroll around the corridor, stopped and looked at the King's back in some sort of surprise. Was this really how Viserys viewed the situation? A hard decision? Not his quest for a male heir that Otto used to get Alicent into the King's bed? Ha, so that was what Viserys was telling himself to sleep peacefully at night. Interesting.

Daemon let out a chuckle. ‘Is that so? So if it happened to Rhaenyra, you would be okay with me cutting her open while she screams in agony and bleeds out to death, right?’

The anger flashed in Viserys’ eyes and he pursed his lips tight but he didn’t say anything because his brother cornered him. Daemon wasn’t happy about making that suggestion but the past events told him that Viserys only really understood empathy when it was somehow connected to Rhaenyra. Despite all his faults, Viserys did love his daughter. The way he went about it was something Daemon could definitely disagree on but the fact remained unchanged. The prince figured such a hypothetical scenario - because he would rather die than let Rhaenyra get butchered - might give his brother a much-needed perspective but he wouldn't hold his breath.

‘Is she alone there? With only the maids to help her out?’ Otto suddenly asked because Viserys apparently refused to speak now as some sort of weird protest. And he didn’t sound angry or accusatory which gave Daemon incentive to actually provide the Hand with useful information and not just tell him to go fuck himself. After all, Alicent was Otto's daughter. Daemon didn’t actually know how much he cared about her - probably, not a lot, everything considering - but he still said, ‘No. Rhaenyra's trusted healer is with her. She has attended to a lot of women in labor before so I’m confident in her skills. Also, Rhaenyra and Diane are there.’

‘Diane is there?’ Viserys and Otto simultaneously asked, then looked at each other. Viserys visibly scowled while Otto sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. His day just kept getting better and better.

Daemon observed them for a second, then rolled his eyes and muttered something that could have been a High Valyrian curse. Honestly. Alicent could perish any second now for all they knew, and they still were more worried if his daughter was in their vicinity. Unbelievable. 

Suddenly they heard Alicent's screams again that came to a halt abruptly, then there were a few moments of rather unsettling silence, and then the infant's cries reached the corridor. A few seconds later the doors to the Queen's bedchamber abruptly opened and something flew out of there, hitting Mellos straight in the face. The maester staggered back with such a force of impact that he lost his footing and landed flat on his ass. Daemon choked on his laughter, realizing that Mellos was hit with a ball of slightly bloodied fabric. Viserys and Otto just looked at the maester on the floor, flabbergasted.

‘And no one had to cut anyone to get this child out!’ Diane exclaimed, walking out of the room. She put her hands on her hips and surveyed the corridor. ‘Haisa will be checking on the Queen from now on. If I see any of the maesters near her, I'll cut you open. Understood?’ she asked, pointing at Mellos who was still sitting on the floor. The maester immediately nodded. ‘Good,’ Diane nodded as well, moving her attention to Viserys. ‘You have another son, Your Grace.’

Viserys smiled in relief, ‘Well, that’s amazing news-’

‘Diane, I need your help!’ Rhaenyra suddenly shouted from the room, and Diane's face immediately fell.

Before anyone could ask anything, Diane ran back into the Queen's bedchamber and shut the doors behind her with a bang.

Chapter Text

Diane knocked carefully on the nursery door, trying not to scare Haisa who had her back turned and probably didn’t hear her coming.

‘How is he?’ she inquired as soon as Haisa turned to look at her.

The woman sighed, ‘I'm not going to lie, it doesn't…

‘Doesn’t what?’

‘It doesn't look good.’

Diane nodded to herself and slowly walked closer to the table. The newborn boy was lying on a pillow, swaddled in a clean blanket, and it looked so tiny. All the newborns were tiny, of course, but this one was smaller than usual. He wasn’t crying but he didn’t seem to be asleep either.

‘His breathing is shallow and his little heart, bless him, is beating so fast. And that combined with all I know about the Queen's pregnancy and how long the labor lasted…’ Haisa trailed off.

‘Just say it.’

‘I'm not sure he will survive the night.’

Diane let out a sigh, crossing her arms on her chest, ‘Damn it.’

‘I'll make him as comfortable as I possibly can, of course, but- did you ask the Queen?’

‘She won’t see him. She didn’t even hold him and she refuses to see him now. She demands to be left alone,’ Diane answered. ‘Both Rhaenyra and I tried to talk to her but-’ she shrugged. ‘I understand she went through horrors to give birth to him but he is still her child…’

‘Maybe if we tell her about the situation-’

Diane shook her head, ‘It won’t make a difference. I wish it would but it won’t. I've seen her, she completely shut down. It might change with time but it is not happening today.’

Haisa sighed and looked at the newborn, ‘Well, then- what about the King?’ she asked, going to the other side of the room to wash her hands.

‘I do not know where he is and I do not wish to,’ Diane answered. The King was probably celebrating and, considering his track record and attitude towards his other children who weren't Rhaenyra, she didn’t want him anywhere near this baby.

‘Did he give the poor baby a name?’

Diane reached out to stroke the newborn cheek carefully. He was just so… small, and innocent, and untainted by the cruel world he had just been brought into. Despite newborns not being exactly the definition of “beautiful”, he did look like a little perfection. With white hair on the top of his head, of course.

‘Not that I know of,’ Diane answered.

The baby started fussing, and Haisa's words came back to her again. He might not live until the morning. He might not live until the morning and both of his parents had better things to do than be there with him.

‘They probably shou- what are you doing?’ Haisa asked, turning back and seeing Diane carefully picking up the newborn.

‘I'm holding him,’ she answered, putting the baby closer to her chest. He was so tiny, he easily fit into her arms and weighed almost nothing.

‘I see that,’ Haisa said. ‘Why?’

‘So he will know he is not alone,’ Diane muttered, observing how the baby seemed to snuggle even closer to her and stopped fussing. His tiny hand took hold of the fabric of her dress. ‘And if Balerion takes his soul tonight, he will be warm, and comfortable, and cared for. I will stay with him.’

‘You will do that?’ 

Diane looked up at Haisa, ‘Yes. Yes, I will. I don’t want him to feel abandoned in the last moments of his very short life.’

Haisa smiled but her eyes looked sad, ‘You have such a big heart, Diane. Your mother would have been so proud of you.’

Diane smiled a little, ‘I really hope so.’

Haisa took a deep breath and then said, ‘So if you are staying, let's make you both as comfortable as possible.’

***

It was getting closer to midnight when Diane heard footsteps in the corridor. She was sitting in the armchair that partially faced the window, looked at the moon, and hummed a lullaby to the baby in her arms. Before retiring to bed, Haisa checked the boy again and, even though his heartbeat calmed down significantly, it could be both a good and a bad sign so it was hard to tell. This night was crucial. If he lived till sunrise, his chances to survive would increase significantly. But Haisa warned Diane not to get her hopes up.

Diane turned her head a little and saw Otto standing in the doorway. He looked rather lost or at least appeared so in the dim light of candles. 

‘Decided to check on your grandchild, Lord Hand?’ Diane asked with a small smile, turning her attention back to the boy in her arms. He seemed to be sleeping which meant he was rather still so Diane had to focus on the way his tiny chest raised and fell to make sure he was still breathing.

There were a few seconds of silence and then Otto approached the armchair. ‘It appears so.’

‘You sound surprised,’ Diane looked up at him and then gestured at the chair nearby so she wouldn’t have to crane her neck at an uncomfortable angle to look at him. Otto sighed and took a seat. ‘Were you told about the situation?’ Diane inquired.

‘That the boy might not live until the morning? Yes, I was,’ the Hand answered. ‘Apparently, I am the first one who let the maid get the whole sentence out before dismissing her.’

‘The lack of empathy in this castle astonishes me sometimes,’ Diane adjusted her hold on the baby a little because her arm was going numb.

‘Because children are accessories. Even more so amongst nobles. You are supposed to have them. No one gives a crap whether you want to or not,’ Otto said. Diane glanced at him. There was an unusual openness in his voice that was never there before. Maybe it was the late hour or the situation but it felt like for the first time Otto wasn’t trying his best to outsmart her. He was just talking. ‘And if a child dies, then you just have another one. Except if you are a King without a son… that can cause problems.’

Diane inclined her head slightly to the side, ‘Were your children accessories?’

‘Yes. If I never had any, no one would bat an eye. I'm a second son and my brother has a son. Hightower bloodline doesn’t depend on what I do.’

‘Then why have them? Seems like a lot of bother if you do not need or want them.’

Otto sighed and leaned back in the chair, ‘My late wife wanted children. She believed it was her duty as a woman to be a mother so I made her a mother. It was easier than arguing.’

Diane chuckled, ‘You do not like confrontation, do you?’

‘I didn't think it was worth it. And it worked out in my favor in the end.’

‘You had a daughter to put into the King’s bed.’

‘Unlike you, I couldn’t have put myself there so it had to suffice.’

They looked at each other for a few seconds and then they both laughed. 

‘Imagine it though.’

‘A dreadful image.’

‘You would have made a terrible wife.’

‘I'll take that as a compliment.’

‘No one will fault you for it,’ Diane said and then looked down at the child in her arms. ‘Is there any protection ritual in the Faith of Seven?’ she then asked.

Otto blinked at the sudden change of the conversation, ‘Sorry?’

‘Is there any ritual that protects the child and gives them the favor of your Gods?’ 

‘Not that I know of.’

Diane looked at him, ‘But you follow the Faith of Seven, don't you?’

‘Only publicly. I have never been a religious person,’ Otto shrugged. He would use the Faith of Seven for his own gain and advancement any day but he was never a believer himself. 

‘Oh,’ Diane made a sound. ‘Well, I suppose I should have guessed,’ she then outstretched her hand and gestured at the table. ‘Pass me the knife, please.’

Otto picked it up, then stopped and asked, ‘What for?’

‘If you can’t grant him the favor of your Gods, I'll grant him the favor of mine.’

The Hand hesitated for a few seconds but then passed the knife to Diane. She carefully took it and used it to cut the thumb on her right hand. Then she gave it back to Otto.

‘With the fire of fourteen flames shall the Gods grant you their favor, Aemond Targaryen,’ Diane said, drawing a line on the baby's forehead with her blood. The baby fussed a little but did not wake up. ‘Shall you be guided in life by their wisdom and protected by their will. And shall you be welcomed in death by their mercy,’ she then leaned down to kiss the top of the baby's head.

Otto felt like something in the room changed. As if Diane's words were not just words. As if they truly meant something and caught the attention of someone you could not see but could feel the presence of regardless.

Otto shook his head and asked, ‘Aemond?’

‘Yes.’

‘I didn't know the King and the Queen named him.’

‘They did not. But you need to give a child a name to perform ēlī ānogar so I took the liberty.’

Otto nodded. Did Diane overstep in naming the child that was not hers? Probably. But then she was the only one who seemed to be willing to. The only one who was willing to be there for little Aemond in case that night he was fated to take his last breath. If Otto didn’t know any better, he would have thought that Diane was the baby's mother.

‘It's… a fine name,’ the Hand commented.

‘Worthy of a Targaryen, don’t you think?’

‘It’s not for me to judge. Any history behind it?’

‘I knew a person named Aemond once.’

‘A good man?’

‘Oh, fuck no,’ Diane let out a laugh. ‘A lot of people celebrated when he perished. But he was ruthless, and stubborn, and resilient,’ she looked at the baby in her arms. ‘And I thought this little boy could use some of that,’ she smiled when the boy made a sound in his sleep and rubbed his nose with his little fist.

Otto nodded, more to himself than to Diane, and got up. ‘Do you need anything?’

Diane looked up at him, ‘What?’

‘I'm going to leave but before I do, I can get you- I don’t know, a glass of water?’ Otto said and he looked very uncomfortable doing so. As if he didn’t want to offer but couldn’t help himself.

Diane smiled, ‘No, thank you. I'm good. Goodnight, Lord Hand.’

‘Goodnight,’ Otto headed to the exit but then stopped in the doorway. ‘Lady Diane?’ he called.

Diane turned a little in her armchair and as soon as their eyes met Otto said, ‘Motherhood rather suits you.’

And then he walked out, not waiting for her to respond.

***

‘He is eating… it's good, right?’ Athelstan asked. It was an early morning, and Diane had just helped the wet nurse feed Aemond. The baby became fussy as soon as he left Diane's arms so she had to stay with the wet nurse to convince Aemond to latch onto her nipple. Apparently, the stubbornness was something he already possessed.

‘I should hope so,’ Diane asked. She longed for a bath and a bed but as long as Aemond wasn't officially out of the woods, the only thing she could realistically get was a wet cloth and an extra pillow. ‘Haisa said this night was crucial.’

‘It’s already morning.’

‘My point exactly,’ Diane sighed and moved the hair out of her face. Suddenly the baby's cries sounded from the couch. Apparently, Aemond spotted her disappearance.

‘Lady Diane, I believe he had enough for now,’ the wet nurse said, adjusting her dress. Her name was Frella and Diane liked her. She breastfed Helaena almost since the girl was born and they got along really well. ‘With how small he is, it’s best not to overfeed.’

‘Of course,’ Diane walked to the couch and carefully picked Aemond up into her arms. ‘Here you go,’ she smiled after the boy hiccuped a few times and quieted down. ‘You are rather cute when you are not crying. You are also the reason I can’t feel my arms but I shall endure,’ she cooed at him.

‘If I may,’ Frella said, catching Diane's attention. She nodded. ‘If you wish, we can tie a piece of fabric around your chest in which you can carry the little prince around while your hands stay free. I've only seen it done by working women so do not take offense-’

‘That’s a splendid idea,’ Diane interrupted. She longed for a walk after being stuck in this room for so many hours straight. Haisa was supposed to visit them soon but Diane figured Aemond seemed well enough so she could take him down to Haisa's room instead. She was dying for a change of scenery. ‘May you, please, also teach Athelstan how to tie it so that he will know in case I ever need it and you are not available?’

Frella smiled, ‘Of course, my lady.’

Athelstan found a long enough piece of fabric, and Frella tied it down around Diane's waist and over her shoulders before helping to position the baby safely inside. ‘Feels alright?’ the wet nurse checked.

‘Yes. My balance is a little bit off but I'll get used to it. Thank you,’ Diane said, putting a hand over the place where Aemond was safely snuggled to her chest. He seemed to be drifting off again which Diane supposed was normal for a newborn baby. ‘Alright, let's go visit Haisa and then maybe see my father and Nyra.’

***

Viserys had been walking through the castle with his guards right behind him when he spotted Diane on one of the benches near the wall. She had a pillow propped behind her back, a plate of food beside her, and something wrapped around her chest. Only when Viserys came closer he realized that it was a baby snuggled against her chest.

‘Your Grace,’ Diane smiled as soon as she saw him and made an attempt to get up.

‘Oh no, please, do not trouble yourself,’ he gestured for her to stay seated, and then sat near her on the empty side of the bench. ‘I thought he was supposed to be with his wet nurse,’ Viserys gestured at the baby.

‘He doesn’t trust her yet so he makes a fuss,’ Diane smiled, stroking the boy's head. Aemond was awake, making different sounds with his mouth and clutching the fabric of Diane's dress with his little hands. ‘And Haisa says he is still rather weak so keeping little Aemond calm is the best solution.’

‘Aemond?’ the King didn’t hide his surprise.

‘Yes. The Queen named him,’ Diane lied easily. In truth, Alicent still hadn’t seen him or even inquired about him. Diane sent a maid to her a few times with updates on the baby as a courtesy but the poor girl was sent away every time without anyone hearing her out. So, in Diane's opinion, Alicent lost the opportunity and the right to name this baby.

Viserys nodded to himself. Well, he supposed it was alright. After all, his wife did all the work of giving birth to his son and he heard she had trouble with her pregnancy as a whole so he supposed he could allow her to name the child.

‘It’s a good name.’ 

Diane smiled and looked at Aemond, ‘Aegon can’t wait to meet him. He was told that he became an older brother again and now he can’t contain his excitement,’ she let out a laugh. ‘I'll probably get an earful from his nursemaid when I take Aemond to meet his siblings in the evening,’ she added and then looked at Viserys. ‘You are welcome to join us, Your Grace.’

‘I would love to but I have already made arrangements for the evening. The duties of a King, you understand,’ Viserys answered.

Diane nodded with a small, slightly condescending smile, ‘Of course, I do.’

***

Otto was starting to think that he was the only person in the Red Keep who was hearing the servants out. Well, if he did not count Diane, because how else could he explain the fact that when the servants weren’t able to deliver a message to the King, or the Queen, or someone from Small Council, they always came to him? He always listened to them, of course, because the information was power and he wouldn’t waste even the slightest chance to get an advantage. But surely he wasn’t that welcoming?

‘I do apologize, Lord Hand, but Her Majesty is not accepting visitors at the moment,’ one of Alicent's personal maids said apologetically.

‘I do understand that. But I am here as her father, not the Hand of the King. And I promise not to stay long.’

‘She is in bed.’

‘Already?’ Otto asked, surprised. It was late evening, sure, but the sun hadn’t even set yet.

‘Um…’ the maid shifted uncomfortably. ‘Still. She's never got out of it.’

‘If she is unwell, why do I hear about it only now?’ he demanded.

‘She is not-’ the maid sighed, then looked around and leaned closer to him to whisper, ‘Prince Rhaenyra's healer checked on her a few times today and she said that in body Her Majesty is doing rather well. Of course, she gave birth only yesterday so she is still… sore, you understand, but she can get out of bed if she wants to.’

‘Then why didn’t she?’

‘She doesn’t want to. There- um- Lady Diane sent a maid here a few times to inquire whether or not Her Majesty wants to see the baby or her other kids and Her Majesty refused every time.’

‘So what has she been doing all day?’

‘I am not sure. She just… lays there. She's barely even eaten.’

The maid’s concern for the Queen seemed genuine so it was easy for Otto to persuade her to let him in.

‘What is the meaning of this, Alicent?’ Otto asked with a sigh when he entered her bedchambers and saw her curled up on the bed and staring at the wall.

‘I do not wish to talk right now,’ the voice sounded from under the covers.

‘I do not wish to be here either. But the fact that you are staying here secluded prompts the servants to talk. For now, it is only a concern but it can quickly turn into other things.’

Otto thought them fortunate that Diane was right now occupied with Aemond, otherwise Alicent's refusal to see her own children would have probably already been the talk of the castle.

‘Just leave me be.’

‘You should at least see Aemond if dealing with Aegon and Helaena is too much for you right now. A few minutes will do.’

Alicent's head appeared from under the covers, ‘Who is Aemond?’

‘It’s your newborn, Alicent.’

‘Oh,’ the Queen made a sound. ‘Who named him?’

‘The King,’ Otto didn’t falter even for a second.

‘Of course, he didn’t consult me. He never does,’ Alicent muttered and laid back down.

Otto pursed his lips. Technically, she was not wrong. If Diane hadn’t named the boy, Viserys would have done it without asking Alicent's opinion, so the Hand didn’t feel the need to correct her. So instead he asked, ‘Should I arrange for Aemond to be brought to you?’

‘No.’

‘Alicent-’

‘I do not want to see him. I do not want to see anyone. I want you to leave.’

‘It’s not about what you want, it’s about what is expected-’

‘I did everything that was expected of me!’ Alicent shouted, abruptly sitting up. ‘Everything! I almost died and now I want everyone to leave me alone! I do not wish to do any of this ever again!’

‘I'm afraid that’s not… entirely up to you.’

‘I gave the King an heir! I did my duty! He has a son! One son is more than enough!’

There were a few seconds of silence during which Otto just stared at her and then he said, ‘Two sons. You have two sons, Alicent.’

She glared at him angrily before laying back down and pulling her covers up. She obviously didn’t plan on talking to him any longer. 

Otto sighed and left the room.

Chapter Text

It wasn’t precisely scandalous news, but everyone seemed to be aware that ever since the last birth the Queen lost most of her interest in her children. She spent the first month in seclusion, barely speaking to anyone or being seen at all. After that, she seemed to slowly return to her normal routines (with very obvious urging from her father) but her indifference to her children never really changed. The servants said that the only child Alicent spent any of her time with was Helaena. Aegon got her attention only when she wanted to reprimand him, and Aemond… well, the Queen didn’t seem to acknowledge his existence at all.

Otto tried to stop these rumors from spreading but there wasn’t much he could do. After all, this time they were absolutely true and Alicent did nothing to change her behavior or at least pretend that she did. Otto tried to urge her to do that a few times but she either brushed him off or blatantly ignored him.

The servants would have pitied Aemond for having such a rough start in life but it was also known that Lady Diane took the little prince under her wing. They were more frequently seen together than apart and it was rather obvious that Aemond was really attached to her. 

A few days after he was born, Diane requested a cot to be put in her rooms because Aemond refused to go to sleep and constantly cried if she wasn’t around. And she couldn't keep camping in the nursery because her neck started protesting against sleeping in the armchair.

‘I think it, amongst other things, has something to do with your heartbeat,’ Haisa said to Diane once after she performed a routine check-up on the baby. Aemond was gaining weight and behaving like any normal child was supposed to so it was safe to say that he was out of the woods. ‘You held him during that night and now he probably associates the sound of your heart and a smell of you with safety.’

Diane smiled at the child in her arms, ‘Well, he is not wrong. As long as he is with me, I will not let any harm come his way.’

Diane knew she was probably getting too attached but she had always been fond of kids and there was no one else to care for Aemond except the wet nurse. Don't get her wrong, Frella did a good job but it was a job to her. And Aemond needed someone to love him which was getting easier and easier for Diane to do by the day.

Did she see the irony in the fact that she named this child Aemond and then proceeded to basically adopt him? Of course, it wasn’t lost on her. But she loved ironic twists in general and if this child was indeed Aemond that she had known in another timeline, then she would make fucking sure he wouldn’t grow up into a miserable, jealous fucker who wasn’t loved enough as a child.

Rhaenyra helped her out with a baby a lot. Mostly because she wanted to practice for when she had her own children but Diane appreciated it all the same. If Aemond was in a good mood, he wasn’t against Rhaenyra holding him and his hands kept tangling in her hair which the princess found adorable. It also gave Diane a chance to have a little time for herself and, for example, have a bath without another person being constantly attached to her.

When it came to Daemon… well, he held Aemond a few times when Diane asked him to and it felt like a lot. Daemon wasn’t quick to give affection to children that weren’t his but he also saw how much his daughter cared for Aemond so he didn’t mind being involved… a little bit. After all, he didn’t interact much with Aegon and Helaena either so it wasn’t unusual for him.

Diane and Rhaenyra also tried to spend more time with Aegon because the poor thing started to pick up on the change of attitude from his mother and Diane was afraid he might internalize it. Aegon was a rather kind and sensitive child (which was a surprise for Diane, considering she knew first-hand what a monster he turned out to be in another timeline), and the fact that “mommy didn’t love him anymore” weighed on him. It was way too much for a four-year-old to deal with and there was nothing any of them could do to persuade Alicent to change her attitude. So Diane and Rhaenyra did their best to compensate for it and it seemed to be working. Aegon loved his older sister and Diane and always waited for them to join him and Helaena at playtime. 

Aegon also took his role as a big brother very seriously. Diane reminded him about it sometimes as a precaution but it was mostly unnecessary because Aegon loved his siblings and wanted to be useful. When Helaena fell over and scraped her knee, he was the first one to run to her and try to comfort her. Aemond was too little for Aegon to really play with or look after but every time Diane brought him with her to their playtime, Aegon took the time to show his baby brother his new toys or tell him about all the cool stuff that happened. Diane was sure that Aemond did not understand a thing Aegon was blabbering about but it warmed her heart that Aegon was so eager to connect with his baby brother.

Aemond's attachment to Diane made it difficult for her to fly to Dragonstone as frequently and stay there as long as she used to so they had to adapt. Gerardys and she communicated mostly through ravens and it worked out rather well for them if there was no emergency. Dragon Council meetings were decided to be held once a week. If it was a good day for Aemond, Diane was there when he woke up, supervised his feedings, and then Rhaenyra would come to take Aemond to playtime with his siblings. Rhaenyra's ladies-in-waiting would also join them and usually they did an excellent job at keeping all the children entertained and occupied. Flying to Dragonstone, sitting at the meeting, addressing the most urgent problems, and flying back would generally take the whole day but Diane was usually able to make it back by Aemond's bedtime because he fell asleep way faster if it was in Diane’s arms.

But there were also so-called “bad days” when Aemond woke up fussy or didn’t feel well and sometimes they fell on the days of Dragon Council meetings. If there was no way for Diane to leave the baby in good consciousness, she would give instructions to her father and Daemon would fill in for her. And if Daemon had something going on as a Commander of the City Watch that day, then Harwin would fill in for him.

All in all, they had a pretty good system going. There is an old saying that it takes a village to raise a child, and it took Diane a few months to realize that even though Aemond wasn't her baby, she did have a “village” to help her raise him. And she was oh so grateful for it.

***

Aemond was a little bit more than three months old when Laena and Harwin announced their betrothal. Considering that they both lived in King's Landing and were going to stay there after their wedding - Harwin as a newly appointed Deputy Commander of the City Watch and Laena as Rhaenyra’s lady-in-waiting - the King graciously allowed the wedding to be held at the Red Keep. Both Lyonel Strong and Corlys Velaryon expressed their gratitude for it because it wasn’t every day that the King allowed non-members of the royal family to use the castle for the wedding.

‘Nervous?’ Diane asked, helping Laena get into her dress. Rhaenys had to leave to supervise something for the wedding and Diane used her chance to sneak into Laena’s rooms. Not like Rhaenys would be against her being there but Diane was aware that she did not like her and it was rude to cause tension on a wedding day.

To be honest, Diane wasn't exactly sure what Rhaenys’ deal was. She helped with getting money for the fort on Stepstones, she was friends with Laenor and Laena, and Corlys seemed to hold her in high regard. If anything, Diane considered herself a friend of the Velaryon family. But well… maybe Rhaenys just didn’t like her? It happened. Not much, because Diane knew how to get people to like her, but it did. Or maybe Rhaenys didn’t trust her. Not like Diane gave her a reason not to trust her but well, if Rhaenys thought Diane was scheming something, she was actually right.

‘Just a tad,’ Laena smiled, looking at herself in the mirror. ‘Harwin is awesome.’

‘Of course, he is,’ Diane smiled too, lacing Laena’s dress tight. ‘He is also a perfect gentleman which, believe me, amongst the golden cloaks is a rare thing.’

‘Gwayne seems alright,’ there was a mischievous glint in Laena’s eyes that made Diane chuckle.

‘Who told you?’

‘Harwin. Even though Gwayne was invited to our wedding, he was on the schedule for this evening so he said it was fine and passed on his congratulations. And then a week ago he suddenly asked to rearrange his schedule so he could attend.’

‘Gave any particular reason?’ Diane smirked, damn well knowing the reason.

‘He said you asked him to accompany you and how could he turn you down?’ Laena smiled. ‘I had no idea you were a thing,’ she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

‘We are not,’ Diane answered. If she was honest, Gwayne just turned out to be convenient. She, of course, planned to spend the evening on the dance floor and if she was in the company of Gwayne, she could make both Viserys and Otto feel an uncomfortable feeling of jealousy. 

It was easy to make Viserys jealous, she figured it out pretty fast, but Otto was the whole other thing. He wasn’t a jealous type when it came to relationships, at least he didn’t seem that way, and he didn’t seem to mind when she socialized or danced with other men. But when it was Gwayne… let's say, it obviously struck a nerve. And it would be such a waste to not use it to her advantage.

‘Does he know about it?’ Laena inquired.

‘For the most part.’

After all, Gwayne wasn’t dumb. He wasn’t politically savvy in a way that Otto would prefer him to be but he was still smart. He knew their relationship wouldn’t go anywhere past friendship and he seemed to respect that, otherwise he would have already tried to make his move with all the opportunities he had. He knew Diane was not interested and, even if he was interested, he kept it to himself.

‘You can't keep your guard up forever, Diane,’ Laena said, her gaze soft.

‘I just might prove you wrong.’

‘But I don't want you to,’ Laena suddenly turned to Diane and grabbed her hands. ‘I know you said that- that there was a woman that you loved and lost and I can’t even begin to understand how awful it might be but-’ she looked Diane in the eyes. ‘I know it won’t be me and I made my peace with that but it pains me to think that you are unwilling to give love a second try,’ Laena said and she sounded so damn sincere that it made Diane's heart clench. 

She sighed, ‘The woman I lost… she was my second try, and I don't think I have it in me to try the third time. I don’t even know if I need to.’

‘You deserve to love and be loved,’ Laena insisted, and she reminded Diane of Rhaena so much at this precise moment. This was the reason Diane never pursued this relationship, even though there was a time when Laena was very obviously willing. She just felt it was disrespectful, not so much to the memory of Rhaena but to Laena herself. Laena was her own person, and she was courageous, and witty, and amazing, but if they got together Diane would never be sure if she loved Laena for her or for the parts that reminded Diane of her daughter who did not exist anymore. No, Laena deserved a person who loved her fully for who she was and Diane hoped that Harwin would be this person.

‘Well, enough about me. It’s your wedding day, after all,’ Diane said, very obviously changing the subject. 

Laena recognized what her friend was doing but she allowed it. Diane wasn’t ready to open up her heart again just yet and Laena was grateful to her for being upfront about it. Having unrequited feelings for someone sucked but there was nothing Laena couldn’t get over. And because Diane had been honest with her then, she was able to move on and meet a man that she had no doubt would love her and treat her right for years to come. It all worked out in the end.

There was a knock on the door, and then Rhaenyra came barging in with a bottle of wine in her hands. ‘I'm glad I'm on time!’ she exclaimed. ‘Laena, dear, we absolutely cannot let you go into that sept sober.’

Laena laughed, ‘I suppose a cup of wine won’t hurt.’

‘Let's make it two,’ Diane said, already getting the cups. ‘This septon always bores me to death.’

***

Laena and Harwin's wedding wasn’t as big as Rhaenyra and Daemon’s was but it was still pretty fancy. Both Corlys and Lyonel were honored that not only the King allowed them to hold a wedding in the Red Keep but also showed up personally and wished all the best to the newlyweds.

‘You talked him into coming, didn’t you?’ Rhaenyra whispered into Diane's ear during Viserys’ speech.

‘I just reminded him that Velaryons might still be just a tad disappointed because of him not marrying Laena and you not marrying Laenor so we should do our best to get back their favor, considering just how important their fleet and their trade agreements are. After that, he made a logical connection himself. I'm rather proud,’ Diane smirked.

Rhaenyra knew that Diane's opinion on Viserys’ political intelligence was rather low and, if she was honest, she kind of agreed. Her father wasn’t dumb but he also didn’t seem to understand the nuances of political relationships and the importance of thinking things through, even more so when it came to decisions that impacted the whole realm. He wasn’t cruel or blood-thirsty which didn’t make him the worst King but it didn’t make him a good one either. Rhaenyra hoped she would be able to learn from his mistakes.

The Queen was also present, even though she looked like she didn’t really want to be there. Diane was starting to think that Alicent had not problems with particular people getting married but with weddings in general because, as far as Diane knew, there was no reason for the Queen to dislike either Laena or Harwin. But anyway, as long as Alicent didn’t cause any trouble, Diane preferred not to pay her any extra attention. She had half a hope that maybe after Rhaenyra and she had helped her during birth, their relationship would take a better turn, but it was not happening. Alicent seemed to hate Diane's guts as much as she had before, maybe even more now, which… meh. Diane would definitely not lose any sleep over it.

As soon as the ceremony in the sept was done, it was followed by Diane's favorite part of the wedding - drinking and dancing. Gwayne took the role of accompanying her quite seriously and even though he couldn’t keep up with her dancing, he always waited for her with a cup of something to drink when the dance ended and scared off the Lannisters who didn’t give up yet on trying to win Diane over. He also got along rather well with Laenor and Joffrey who used the wedding to catch up with Diane.

Viserys and Otto behaved like Diane had expected them to. Viserys looked generally unhappy that Diane was directing her attention at anyone other than him. Otto generally seemed fine but as soon as Gwayne took Diane's hand to take her to the dance floor or said something particularly funny that made Diane laugh, his eyes started shooting daggers.

Otto wasn’t happy with himself because of it but he just couldn’t help it. When Diane danced with literally anyone else, he knew she was just having fun. She had told him she was not looking for a husband and, maybe foolishly so, Otto believed her. But when it came to Gwayne… it was different, wasn’t it? Gwayne was his son and there were so many ways in which Diane could use him to get an advantage in their game. Or maybe - a thought that was for some reason more unsettling than the others - she might be genuinely interested in him. And Otto didn’t like that thought very much.

‘Are you having a good time?’ Diane asked, approaching Joanna who was standing by the wall with a cup of wine in her hands. Her body language didn’t read as anxious or scared so it was a good sign.

Joanna smiled at her. ‘I guess so. Laena and Ser Harwin are such a beautiful couple,’ she said, watching the newlyweds dance. Harwin looked like he was the happiest man in the whole Known World and no one could fault him for it.

‘Anyone asked you to dance?’

‘A few men but I-’ Joanna sighed. ‘I turned them down.’

‘Well, if you do not want to dance, you shouldn’t feel bad for rejecting them-’

‘I know but that's the thing, I- I kind of want to- and they all were rather nice-’

‘But?’

‘But Rick was nice too.’

Diane took a deep breath, ‘I see.’

‘And I just-’ Joanna shrugged, clutching her fingers around her cup a little bit tighter. ‘I do not know who I can trust not to hurt me. How can I? I don’t know them.’

‘Trust is hard to come by,’ Diane said. ‘If you want to dance, I suppose I know someone who I can vouch for. I don’t claim to know him in and out but he has been nothing but a perfect gentleman since I met him.’

‘I suppose I can give it a try if he is not against dancing with me,’ Joanna smiled shyly. ‘After all, it’s just a dance.’

‘Just a dance and maybe a friendly conversation,’ Diane smiled and waved for Gwayne to come closer when she caught his gaze on the other side of the room. Gwayne was very happy to get away from some guy who was apparently trying to talk his ears off. ‘Gwayne, this is Lady Joanna Lannister,’ Diana introduced him as soon as he approached them. ‘Joanna, this is my dear friend Ser Gwayne Hightower.’

‘Pleasure to meet you, Lady Joanna,’ Gwayne smiled and bowed down to kiss her hand. 

The girl blushed slightly, ‘Likewise, Ser Gwayne. Are you somehow related to the Lord Hand?’

‘Indeed. Unfortunately for everyone involved, he is my father.’

‘Before you unload all your family issues on her, you should ask Joanna for a dance,’ Diane hinted with a small smile, hoping that Gwaybe knew her well enough by now to pick up on it. ‘It is only fair.’

‘Of course,’ Gwayne nodded and then smiled at Joanna, extending his hand. ‘Would you like to share this dance with me, Lady Joanna?’

Joanna smiled and took his hand, ‘With great pleasure.’

Diane took a cup from her, and Gwayne led Joanna to the dance floor. The girl deserved to have some fun after everything she had been through, and Diane felt like Gwayne was a safe enough person for it. He might be a Hightower but he never behaved like one, and Diane didn’t feel like she was lying when she called him her friend.

‘Not on a mission to dance with all the unmarried men here this time, I see,’ the voice sounded, and Diane turned her head to see Otto standing to her right. Huh, she didn’t notice him leave his spot at the table but then again, she was too focused on watching Joanna and Gwayne dance. She was also just a tad tipsy.

‘Don't think I didn't realize that this was your way of calling me a slut in front of everyone,’ Diane chuckled.

‘And you baited me into dancing with you for it,’ Otto pointed out.

‘And you could have ignored the bait but you didn’t,’ Diane looked at him and smiled. ‘I start to think you enjoy my company, Lord Hand.’

‘What a ridiculous statement.’

‘And yet you keep seeking me out.’

Otto pursed his lips. She was not wrong per se, even if he wished her to be. But he just didn’t seem to… stay away despite having all the reasons to do exactly that. She was messing with him and he was falling for it, and he seemed to be willingly taking that fall. 

‘Just saving you from the unpleasantry of dealing with Lannisters,’ Otto said and pointed to the left in a barely noticeable way. Diane followed his gesture and indeed there was one of the Lannister brothers - Tyland, if she was not mistaken - who was eyeing her from afar and would definitely try and ask her for a dance as soon as Otto stopped talking to her.

‘How generous of you,’ Diane squinted her nose ever so slightly. Laenor and Joffrey were nowhere to be seen so she couldn’t expect the swift rescue.

‘You do not like Lannisters, do you?’ Otto chuckled. It was nice to notice something even as insignificant as that about Diane because it made him feel like he knew her at least a little and she wasn’t a complete mystery to him. But then again, it was most likely wishful thinking and he did not know her at all.

‘Does anyone truly like them?’ she asked, making Otto hum. After all, not like he could disagree. ‘Anyway, I believe you still owe me a dance.’

Otto raised an eyebrow, ‘Do I?’

‘Of course. The last time we had to cut our dance short because I flirted with you and you freaked out,’ Diane smirked.

Otto cleared his throat and looked at the dance floor. ‘If I invite you to dance, will you do it again?’

‘Do what?’

‘Flirt with me.’

Diane couldn't help a completely genuine laugh that escaped her mouth. ‘Actually, I have been doing it for a while,’ she chuckled, making Otto look at her. ‘Why should I stop? This is so much fun, even if you don’t pick up on it half of the time.’

Otto blinked a few times, processing the information. Was he really that oblivious? He knew she was trying to intimidate him every time they talked - and doing a terrific job at it - but was she really flirting? Did she mean it? Was it some elaborate plan he was not seeing? Was she just messing with him? He was just so damn confused. 

Fortunately or not, Otto was saved from coming up with an answer by one of the servants who approached them and then tapped Diane lightly on the shoulder.

‘Is everything alright, dove?’ she immediately turned her attention to Athelstan. After all, he wasn’t supposed to be at the celebration.

‘Frella sent me. I'm sorry, we didn’t want to interrupt your evening but- Aemond is very fussy, I think he has a stomachache, and she can’t get him to calm down. And he is so tired but he just keeps crying, we frankly don’t know what to do,’ Athelstan finished, looking helpless.

‘It’s alright, I'll be right there,’ Diane smiled and squeezed Athelstan's hand. He nodded and left. She turned to Otto. ‘I apologize, Lord Hand, but duty calls,’ she said with a smile and headed to the exit.

‘Lady Diane?’ he called after her before she was able to go far. As soon as she turned to him, he said, ‘You owe me a dance next time.’

Diane's lips stretched into a wide smile, ‘I'll make sure you get it.’

Otto watched her leave and he couldn’t help but smile a little. He wasn’t a big fan of functions such as weddings but at least he now had something to look forward to. 

As soon as Diane disappeared from his sight, Otto turned to go back to his seat and saw Gwayne standing a few feet away with his hands crossed over his chest and his facial expression saying “It all makes sense now”.

Otto cleared his throat and nodded to him, ‘Son.’

‘Father,’ Gwayne said, still looking at him rather pointedly. 

They stared at each other for a few more seconds, and then Otto caught a glimpse of Viserys who wasn’t looking all that happy with him either. He sighed in resignation.

Gods, was she really worth dealing with all of that? This weird situation with Gwayne, and Viserys looking at him like he was a war criminal every time he as little as glanced in Diane's direction, and Daemon holding onto the handle of his sword too much for Otto's liking lately… but then he remembered how Diane laughed. And not a laugh that she used when she was putting on a show but the sincere sound that she made when Otto said something she surprisingly found amusing.

And yes, he realized, she just might be worth it.

Chapter Text

102 AC, Falley Hills

‘I did it! Look!’ Daemon exclaimed as quietly as he could, pointing his fingers at a three-year-old Diane who dozed off on his chest.

Iris, who had just walked into the room, smiled tiredly, ‘My hero.’

Falley Hills was in the middle of the cold outbreak. Nothing serious but no one was getting much sleep in the last few days. Iris was helping Haisa to treat the villages and Daemon was tasked to look after Diane and Haisa's children because Haisa's husband disappeared somewhere as he always did and they hadn’t seen him for more than a week. Daemon did a good job overall, and even though Haisa's house was a terrible mess, all the children were fed, washed, and put to bed.

‘How is she?’ Iris asked, coming closer to the bed and touching Diane's forehead to check her temperature. Their room in Haisa's house was small, but it was enough for the three of them.

‘Better… I think,’ Daemon said, then coughed a few times and sniffed.

Iris frowned and touched Daemon’s forehead as well, ‘And how are you?’

‘Splendid,’ another cough. ‘Never better.’

Iris let out a laugh, ‘Daemon, you have a raging fever.’

‘No. No! It’s just- um- really hot in the room, I'm alright, I'm-’ Daemon wanted to say something else but he started coughing again and wasn't able to finish that sentence. 

Iris carefully picked up Diane and put her in her bed so Daemon’s coughing wouldn’t disturb her sleep. When she made sure her daughter was comfortable, she turned to see Daemon making an attempt to stand up from the bed.

‘And where are you going?’ Iris asked with a small smile on her lips, witnessing how Daemon pushed himself into a sitting position but slightly overdid it and just fell back down on his other side.

‘I promised Haisa I'll help her with- with- well, with something as soon as all the kids are down. I'm pretty sure she'll remind me,’ Daemon grunted and finally pushed himself into a sitting position. ‘See, I'm all good.’

‘You haven’t tried to stand up yet.’

Daemon glared at her, ‘Whose side are you on?’

Iris laughed and came closer to the bed, ‘There are no sides, my love. And I appreciate your willingness to help but you are ill and you need rest. Haisa will understand.’

‘But I'm telling you, I'm alright!’ Daemon stubbornly insisted, grabbing Iris’ forearms. ‘Plus I really need to do something that doesn’t involve children,’ he added, hiding his face into Iris’ abdomen. ‘I love Diane and Haisa's kids are fine but I'm losing my mind here,’ he muttered into her dress.

Iris patted his hair with a smile, ‘I can sit with the children tomorrow and you can go and- I don’t know, take Caraxes for a flight if you are feeling up for it.’

‘Sounds good,’ Daemon coughed again and hugged Iris around the waist like people usually snuggle pillows.

‘But right now you need to sleep.’

‘But I'm not tired!’ Daemon protested, even though his voice sounded rather sleepy.

‘You still should get some sleep. You will feel better in the morning if you do.’

‘I still don’t want to,’ Daemon whined and moved back a little to look up at Iris. ‘I'll tell Caraxes you are bossing me around.’

Iris raised an eyebrow, ‘You know you sound like Diane, right? But she is three, and what's your excuse?’

Daemon pouted. Iris rolled her eyes and said, ‘Just trust me on this one. Go to sleep.’

‘But-’

‘No “but”s. That’s an order,’ Iris said, putting her hands on his face. ‘Go to sleep, Daemon.’

Daemon’s eyes suddenly turned glassy and a few moments later he fell back on the bed like a sack of potatoes, quietly snoring. Iris blinked in surprise and then sighed when she realized what had happened. ‘Sorry, dear, I didn't mean to do that,’ she said even though Daemon could not hear her and pulled up a blanket to cover him. ‘But you really need to get some rest so it’s alright, I guess’ Iris smiled and leaned down to kiss his forehead. ‘Sweet dreams, my love.’

***

Diane was having a picnic in one of the inner yards when she heard a sound that was something between footsteps and the rustle of leaves. Aemond was sitting on the blanket with her. At the big age of six moons, he could already sit with very little assistance and at the moment he was engrossed in playing with his toy dragon that may or may not have looked a lot like Caraxes.

Diane stroked the boy's hair before turning her head to see who decided to join them. Her heart skipped a beat.

It was the woman from her vision. Memories from seven months ago became slightly fuzzy but now that she was standing before her, Diane remembered everything bright and clearly. She was half-transparent and yet somehow Diane felt that she was present there more than the last time.

The woman smiled, and her green eyes were warm as if trying to ensure Diane that she was not a threat. ‘May I sit with you?’ she asked. The woman was speaking in High Valyrian, and Diane suddenly felt so grateful to her father for insisting she learned it. Because now she could more or less understand her, even though there was a slight difference in the way this woman pronounced the words as if she had an accent.

Diane glanced at Aemond who was still as occupied with his toy as he had been before. There was a big chance he didn’t even realize someone joined them. 

Diane turned her gaze to the woman and gestured to the other side of the blanket, ‘Be my guest.’

As soon as the woman sat down, Diane asked, ‘Who are you?’

‘My name is Aliyah Day'har.’

‘That- doesn’t help me much,’ Diane said. ‘You are not truly here, right?’

‘No. I am a mere projection. I have managed to come to you because we share blood.’

Diane frowned, ‘In what sense?’

‘I had a son. Ainar. He died a long time ago,’ Aliyah said. ‘But he had children, and then his children had children, and so on for years and years. Right until you,’ she smiled. 

Diane frowned in turn, processing the information. ‘You can't be on my father's side because it mostly just Targaryens and Velaryons so that means…’

‘I'm your mother's great-great-something grandmother.’

‘Wow, that’s- come to think of it, I don't know much about my mother's family. Only that she ran away from them.’

‘To be honest, I do not blame her,’ Aliyah chuckled. ‘Molfars have such a great legacy but after the Doom, it’s all just- focused on preserving the purity of our blood. I never liked the sound of that.’

‘Sorry, I- I'm not sure I'm following,’ Diane said, wondering whether the language barrier was the problem or Aliyah was just talking about things Diane had no idea about.

‘Your mother came from a long line of Molfars. While Valyria was still thriving, it was, of course, preferred to find a partner amongst your own but there wasn’t any law preventing Molfars from marrying a Dothraki or Westerosi, or anyone really except Valyrians. And now… some of our people managed to escape the Doom of Valyria but not a lot. And ever since they got obsessed with keeping our family lines as pure as possible,’ the woman shook her head. ‘They will just end up making us go extinct in a few centuries. And what a waste it is to let the magic of nature disappear!’

‘So… my mother was a Molfar? Just like you?’ Diane asked, trying to focus on the most important details.

‘Yes, dear. And like many others before her.’

‘But then- my father is a Valyrian, won’t it make me…’

‘A forbidden child?’ Aliyah smiled as if happy Diane was catching on. ‘Yes, you are. Don't you ever think it strange just how easy you get along with dragons… and any other creatures of nature for that matter?’

Diane did. After all, she knew that even her outgoing personality had her limits but she preferred not to question it. After all, you do not look a gifted horse in its mouth. That's just plain rude.

‘Why are you here? Why were you here the last time?’ Diane asked.

‘To warn you. The Gods are calling for you and one day you won’t be able to refuse their call.’

‘What do you mean calling? Calling how? Where?’

Aliyah smiled a little, ‘When the time comes, you will understand. The Gods aren't precisely fond of riddles. And when you do, come and find me. I’ll give you all the explanation you need.’

‘Find you? But aren't you-’ Diane faltered because she wasn’t sure whether or not it was rude to ask if someone was dead.

‘Dead? No, I'm very much alive. But I figure you’ve had your chats with the dead.’

‘Something like that,’ Diane muttered, her hands absently fiddling with her songbird necklace. ‘The Gods gave me a chance me see my mother and the love of my life one last time.’

‘They didn’t precisely do anything, they just allowed you to connect with them,’ Aliyah turned her head slightly to the side. ‘Dear, you are way more powerful than you realize. You bent the time to save your family. I’m not sure if anyone ever achieved anything like that before.’

‘Wait… I sent myself back in time?’ Diane gaped at the woman. ‘How is that possible?’

‘You wished you could have changed things or something like that. And the magic interpreted it the way it did.’

‘But the Gods-’

‘Merely helped you out. Maybe directed to when exactly you came back but no, dear, they did not send you back in time. You did it all yourself.’

‘But how?’ Diane asked. The idea of her being able to use magic seemed absurd, and yet she had a lot of weird coincidences lately that just begged to prove her otherwise. ‘Even if I have it, I do not control it,’ she looked at her hands. ‘I have no idea what it even entails.’

‘It is a shame your mother didn’t live long enough to teach you. But don't you worry, we will meet in due time and I will teach you what I know. I understand you were raised Valyrian and the Molfar culture is foreign to you but you do not strike me as a person who turns down an opportunity to get advantage over her enemies.’

Corners of Diane's mother tugged into a smile, ‘Of course, not.’ She started to quite like this woman.

Aemond suddenly started sobbing, and Diane looked down just to realize that his toy dragon slipped from his hands and now the boy could not reach him. ‘No need to fret, love,’ Diane reached out and gave Aemond back his toy dragon. The boy immediately hugged it to his chest as if he had thought he lost it forever. ‘I wish other problems in life were so easily fixable,’ Diane muttered with a small smile.

‘I am so sorry, dear,’ Aliyah said, making Diane look back at her and frown.

‘Sorry? About what?’

‘That you will have to leave your child. I am a mother as well, and even though my children are long gone, I understand just how hard it can be to leave them behind.’

‘I am not- I am not his mother, it’s just- his mother is unwilling to look after him so I-’

‘Raise him, care for him and love him?’ Aliyah finished the sentence for her. ‘If it doesn't make a woman a mother, I don't know what is,’ she added with a small smile.

Diane stroked Aemond's head and kept quiet for a while. ‘So I will have to leave him?’

Aliyah's gaze was sympathetic. ‘The Gods do not call for you out of boredom,’ she said. ‘Your future, the future of your family, the whole Valyrian and Molfar legacy… Everything is at stake. And you are the key to its salvation which means some sacrifices are to be made.’

Diane sighed, ‘I've already made plenty.’

‘There is more to come, I'm afraid. Great things always come with a great price.’

‘I should not be surprised, I suppose,’ Diane smiled but her smile was sad. ‘For how long?’ she then asked, not taking her eyes from Aemond, but Aliyah understood what exactly she wanted to know.

‘It is for the Gods to decide.’

Diane looked at her again and asked the last question she had on her mind, ‘When?’

‘Very, very soon.’

***

‘If it happened to anyone else, I would not have believed it,’ Rhaenyra said as soon as Diane finished retelling her conversation with Aliyah.

They were in Daemon and Rhaenyra's rooms. It was late evening, and Diane had already put Aemond to bed and left Frella to watch him before coming to talk to them.

‘I can’t believe I was with her for nine years and she never mentioned she was a witch,’ Daemon muttered, taking a spin around the room and obviously reassessing all of his memories of Iris. 

‘Molfar,’ Rhaenyra corrected.

‘Doesn’t matter what it’s called! She could do magic and I had no idea about it!’

‘Weren't there any clues?’ Diane asked curiously.

‘Not that I remember,’ the prince answered. ‘I mean- she was always good at keeping plants alive but I thought it was just a normal thing… even though a rose bush blooming in the middle of the cold season should have probably made me suspicious.’

Diane snorted. So that meant there had been some clues, her father was just oblivious to them or thought them to be normal things.

‘Where are you going to go?’ Daemon suddenly asked, leaning on the top of the chair. His face turned from confused to worried and Diane realized that he caught up with the fact Diane was supposed to leave soon. 

‘I do not know yet. To my understanding, when I hear the calling, I'll instantly know what is expected of me,’ Diane answered, taking a sip of her drink. She felt on edge ever since the conversation and she couldn't shake this feeling off. She did not want to leave. She knew she would because she was not the one to ignore the Gods’ calling but it didn’t mean she wanted to. For the first time in a very long time, she actually wanted to stay. She made a life for herself in the Red Keep and at Dragonstone, and she liked it. She didn’t want to leave it behind for only the Gods know how long.

‘And when will they call?’

Daemon believed the Gods meant no harm to Diane but he was still her father and the uncertainty of it all wasn’t sitting well with him.

‘According to Aliyah, any day now,’ Diane answered and then reached into her pocket to take out a few letters. ‘Here. I wrote down anything I think might be important,’ Diane passed them to Rhaenyra. ‘I wrote them in High Valyrian so forgive any of my mistakes but I have to make sure no random person will be able to understand them. There is also an outline of what I wish to be done at Dragonstone so, father, I hope you'll communicate all of it to Gerardys.’

‘What are you doing?’ Daemon interrupted her.

‘I'm covering all of my bases.’

‘What bases?’ Rhaenyra asked, and now she looked worried as well.

Diane sighed, ‘I'm… giving you everything I know in case I don’t come back.’

‘Don't- of course, you are coming back!’ the princess exclaimed.

Diane looked at her father and continued, ‘One of the letters is marked with the black cross. I ask you to keep it safe and only open it if I’m gone for more than a year.’

‘What is it?’ Daemon asked, already knowing and yet dreading the answer.

‘It’s my will.’

Rhaenyra dropped the letters on the table as if they were poisoned. She didn’t even want to think- to imagine- Diane became so important to her, the mere thought of losing her made Rhaenyra physically sick.

‘I cannot lose you,’ Daemon said, and there was so much emotion in these words that it made Diane’s heart clench. Her gaze softened. 

‘And I will do anything in my power so you won’t have to. But I don't know where I'm going or what the Gods expect of me. And I cannot let our family get destroyed again just because I'm not here to help you.’

Daemon looked at her for a few seconds and then nodded, resigning. He knew there was nothing he could say or do to change the situation, and he wouldn’t be the one to encourage his daughter to defy the Gods. After all, they rarely asked anything of them and if they did, it was of utmost importance.

‘There is something else I need to ask of you, Nyra,’ Diane took the princess’ hands in hers. ‘I know it is a huge favor but it is really important to me.’

Rhaenyra squeezed her hands, ‘Of course, anything.’

Diane smiled but her smile seemed sad, ‘Look after Aemond for me, will you? Because Alicent doesn’t even acknowledge his existence and if I am not here to raise him, you are the only person he has left. I know that's an enormous ask, and I do not wish to burden you, but-’

‘I'll do it,’ Rhaenyra interrupted her. ‘Do not even worry about it, Diane. I'll do my best. No way I can replace you but I'll make sure he is loved and taken care of, I promise.’

‘Thank you,’ Diane answered, feeling tremendous relief. Leaving him would still hurt like a bitch but at least she was sure he would be in good hands and it made all the difference.

Rhaenyra smiled and got up to hug Diane because it felt like they both needed that hug. Diane wasn’t leaving just yet but it felt like a goodbye nonetheless.

Daemon watched them from afar for a few seconds and then approached them. He sat down on a chair near Diane and took one of her hands in his. When she looked at him with slightly watery eyes, he said, ‘You will come back.’

‘Father-’

He squeezed her hand, ‘I know you will. Because I will be waiting. For as long as it takes.’

Chapter Text

Diane woke up to the sound of thunder. It was heavily raining outside and flashes of lightning lit up her rooms from time to time. She sat up. Her heart was pounding somewhere in her throat and despite the memories of her dream quickly disappearing, she knew what it meant. She had to go.

Now.

Diane hastily climbed out of her bed. Aliyah was right. When the Gods called for you, their message was pretty fucking clear. She was glad that Aliyah gave her the heads-up if she was honest because she didn’t have to waste time on packing a bag now or scramble to put her affairs in order. Everything had been packed and done for a few days now and the only thing Diane had left to do was to say her goodbyes.

After getting dressed, Diane went right to the cot where Aemond was sleeping. He didn’t seem to be disturbed by the lighting or thunder and Diane was grateful for it. She kneeled before the cot and gently stroked the boy's hair so as not to wake him. She wished he was awake so she could hug him one last time but it was better that he was sleeping.

Aemond was too young to understand where she was going or why, and even though disappearing in the middle of the night seemed cruel, it was the best of two bad options.

‘When I come back… if I come back, you won’t even remember who I am,’ she whispered, feeling the tears swell in the corners of her eyes. She might not have birthed him but she was there for him ever since he took his first breath and leaving him now felt like ripping her heart out. Diane knew Rhaenyra would look after him and it brought her comfort but it didn’t mean she didn’t want to weep at the sheer thought of how much of his life she was going to miss.

The thunder roared again as if urging Diane to hurry up, so she got up and leaned down to kiss Aemond on his forehead. The boy made a sound in his sleep. ‘Be a good boy, Aemond, and remember then no matter where I am, I will always love you,’ she whispered. Then she left the room to get Frella.

***

Diane tried to stay focused, going through the corridors of the Red Keep, but it was hard to do that while tears kept running down her face. She knew how to suck it up and keep going. She had to do it plenty of times before, but it didn’t mean it didn’t feel like absolute agony every fucking time.

Frella willingly came to look after Aemond till the morning. Diane had told her before that one day she would have to hastily leave and that she needed her help with Aemond. She hadn’t told her where she was leaving but it seemed like Frella figured it was a sensitive topic because she didn’t ask even though she had the chance. And now Diane was going to the servants’ quarters to get Athelstan because she could really use his assistance. Also, the boy had been a good help and a great friend to her so she couldn't just leave without saying goodbye to him first.

Diane probably wasn’t paying as much attention as she usually did because she ran right into someone as soon as she turned the corner. Two hands immediately steadied her by her shoulders.

‘Lady Diane?’ Otto sounded surprised and fuck, of course, it was him. Who else would she run into when she really didn’t want to run into anyone?

She glanced at him and nodded, ‘Lord Hand,’ before making an attempt to walk past him. He didn’t let her.

‘Are you alright?’ Otto asked, his eyes searching her face. She knew he could see she was crying. She hated the fact that he didn’t seem to be willing to just let it go.

‘Yes, I'm fine, thank you. Now, excuse me,’ Diane wiped away a tear and walked past him. For a few seconds, she thought she got rid of him but, of course, she did not. He was not a man to give up so easily.

‘Wait,’ he called after her but Diane just kept walking. She didn’t have time or energy to talk to him right now. She was following her plan because it was the only thing that didn't let her fall apart. She always did that in a crisis. And Otto was interfering with this process.

There was a sound of footsteps that followed her. ‘Just stop for a second,’ Otto asked but Diane shook her head and kept walking, hoping he would give up if she ignored him long enough.

‘Oh, for Gods’ sake, Diane!’ Otto exclaimed, and suddenly there was a hand grabbing her shoulder and tugging at her, forcing her to stop and turn to face him.

‘What?!’ she exclaimed right into his face because what right did he have to follow her like that?! She didn't want him here. She didn't want him to see her like that because she hated showing weakness. Even in the moments when such weakness was justified.

Otto looked her in the eyes and had an absolute gal to say, ‘I'm worried about you.’

And he sounded so fucking sincere , Diane's brain short-circuited for a second. She knew she had ignited an interest in him, a healthy or maybe not-so-healthy sort of competition in the last few months. She knew he liked her. She knew he liked playing their game. She suspected that he most likely wanted to fuck her.

What she didn’t expect and could in no way predict was that Otto seemed to start caring for her. And from the look on his face, he wasn’t all too happy about it either. But, to his defense, he just couldn’t help it. Diane was always so collected and put together and now he ran into her way past midnight and she was fucking crying . He just couldn’t go with his night as if nothing happened because something definitely happened.

‘Why can’t you just leave me alone?’ Diane asked. For a second Otto thought she was going to slap him. Or something worse, her reputation amongst the golden cloaks considering.

But she didn’t.

Suddenly her hands were grabbing his jacket, and she was tugging him down and before Otto could even process what was happening, her lips were on his and she was kissing him. And the only thing that his body and mind could agree on at that moment was to kiss her back.

There were, of course, a thousand reasons why he shouldn’t have. But they weren’t even in the back of his mind as long as he kept kissing her so he did just that, putting his hands on her waist and pulling her closer.

Diane thought it would be easy to kill him like that. Not like killing him any other time would have been hard but right now it could have been especially easy. She could plunge her Dragon Claw into his liver and he would be gone before he even realized what she had done. Or cut his neck in just the right place so he would bleed out within minutes. It would take a little bit more maneuvering but she was certain she could pull it off.

However, she decided not to take this opportunity. She wasn’t precisely in the killing-and-hiding-the-body-afterwards mood and besides Otto turned out to be a rather good kisser. Talents in unexpected places and all that.

So Diane put her hands on his face and gave it a few more seconds before she broke the kiss and leaned back. Otto's hands tightening on her waist didn’t let her go very far though. He opened his eyes and just stared at her with the intensity of a person who would like very much to go back to what they were doing but couldn’t quite believe that they had been doing that . For a few seconds, the only thing that interrupted the silence was their breathing.

Otto took a deep breath and opened his mouth to say something, but Diane beat him to it. ‘Now I need you to go back to your tower and do not ask any more questions,’ she said. 

She expected an argument. Or at least some kind of protest on Otto's part. But instead, Otto's eyes suddenly went glassy and his hands fell from her waist as if someone cut the strings. He took a step back, his face completely blank, then turned and walked away in the direction of the Tower of Hand without saying a word.

Diane blinked a few times in confusion and then looked at her hands. She did something, didn’t she? But she was not sure what and that was annoying. What use was this magic to her if she could not control it and it just randomly happened? And yes, at this very moment, it happened to be useful, but it was unsettling nonetheless.

Diane shook her head. She could think about this later because now she did not have time for that. So she nodded to herself and rushed in the direction of the servants’ quarters.

***

Daemon and Rhaenyra got woken up by someone rather actively tapping on their legs which was followed by the roar of thunder.

‘What the-’ Daemon set up, his hand almost automatically going for the Dark Sister.

‘Father, Nyra, it’s happening,’ Diane's voice sounded, and Daemon relaxed a little.

‘What's-’ Rhaenyra was interrupted by a yawn. ‘What's happening?’ she asked sleepily and sat up. Daemon yawned as well, rubbing his eyes.

‘The Gods are calling. I need to go. Now,’ Diane answered, and they both suddenly became very awake.

Daemon blinked a few times, taking in Diane standing near the foot of the bed with a bag hanging from her right shoulder and Athelstan holding another bag in one hand and a torch in the other.

‘Right now?’ Rhaenyra asked. ‘In the middle of a thunderstorm?’

Diane glanced out of the window and then back at the princess. She didn’t look all that confident when she said, ‘It seems so. It doesn't feel like I can wait.’

‘Alright. That’s alright, we will see you off,’ Rhaenyra said, getting out of bed and trying very hard to act like she was not freaking out. They knew this was coming and Diane had to leave soon but now it was actually happening and Rhaenyra couldn’t remember when was the last time she felt so fucking terrified. She couldn’t even imagine how Diane felt.

‘Where are they calling you?’ Daemon asked, getting up as well and putting on his clothes. When the answer didn’t come, he looked up at his daughter. ‘Diane?’ he asked, noticing how she worried her lip between her teeth. ‘Diane, where are you going?’ he asked again.

Diane looked at him and said, ‘Valyria.’

‘What?!’ Daemon and Rhaenyra exclaimed simultaneously.

‘You can't go there!’ the prince added.

‘Not like I have a choice in that matter, father.’

‘But no one has ever come back from there!’ Rhaenyra said in horror, glancing from Daemon to Diane. ‘Not after the Doom.’

Diane sighed, ‘I know. But the Gods are calling. And they are calling me there.’

‘Are you sure?’ Daemon asked, his voice quiet.

‘Yes. I wish I weren’t but I am,’ Diane answered. ‘Look, I know the weather is bad… you don’t have to see me off or anything, I just came here to let you know I'm leaving-’

‘Nonsense, Diane, of course, we will see you off!’ Rhaenyra insisted. ‘We are not leaving your side until you get on Silverwing.’

The corners of Diane's mouth tugged into a small smile. ‘Thank you,’ she said.

She knew she would have to go on this journey alone but it brought her comfort that her father and her best friend would stay with her for as long as possible.

***

When they got to the Dragonpit, the first thing the dragonkeeper on call told them was that all the dragons were extremely restless. He blamed it on the thunderstorm but Diane had a feeling that the dragons felt Gods calling for her as well. After all, they all remembered the events of the previous timeline so it wasn’t a stretch to assume they were connected to the Gods in some way or at least extremely favored by them.

When Diane got to Silverwing, she realized that she wasn’t the only one who was saying goodbyes tonight. Both Syrax and Caraxes were awake and the way they snuggled their heads to Silverwing… it was safe to say that it broke Diane's heart just a little bit more.

She wanted to say that she was sorry. That she didn’t mean to take Silverwing away from them. That she wouldn’t if she had any other choice but it seemed like it was unnecessary. Diane had a feeling that the dragons understood. That Silverwing would never leave her side in the face of adventure such as this. And Syrax and Caraxes understood why they couldn’t stay. Just like Rhaenyra and Daemon understood. They were definitely not happy about it but they would not stay in the way of the Gods’ calling.

‘Hey there, my favorite girl,’ Diane smiled when Silverwing was done saying her goodbyes and came towards her. ‘It seems like we are in for an adventure,’ she said, giving Silverwing's face a scratch. ‘But with you by my side, I think we'll get through it,’ Diane added. Silverwing made a sound of agreement.

The dragonkeeper and Athelstan helped her to attach her bags to Silverwing's saddle and there was no more time left to postpone the inevitable.

‘Hey, do not look so grim, dove,’ Diane poked Athelstan on the nose, making him smile. ‘I'll be back before you know it.’

‘I highly doubt that,’ Athelstan sniffed despite himself and it was obvious he was trying very hard not to cry. He might not know much about Targaryen or Valyrian history but he knew that Old Valyria was a hostile place that no one ever came back from and Diane was going there.

‘Take care of yourself, Athelstan,’ Diane smiled a little, putting her hand on the side of his neck in an attempt to reassure him. It was hard to do so because even she didn’t know what was going to happen, but she put on a brave face for the sake of everyone she was leaving behind. ‘I talked to my father. He will take you into his service for the time being so your pay won’t suffer without me here, alright?’

Athelstan nodded, ‘Thank you.’

Diane looked at him for a few seconds and then said, ‘Come here, dove,’ pulling the boy into a hug. He immediately hugged her back, hiding his face in her shoulder. ‘Just keep a few blueberry scones nearby at all times and you shall be fine,’ she added, making Athelstan snort.

‘Will do.’

The next one was Rhaenyra who didn’t waste much time and pulled Diane into a tight hug as soon as Diane approached her. ‘Promise to be careful,’ the princess asked, her fingers digging into her friend's shoulders just a tad too much.

‘I promise,’ Diane whispered and then leaned back to look Rhaenyra in the face. ‘I want you to know that- whatever happens to me- or in your future- never stop fighting. I have been astonished by the fire in your eyes since the day I met you and I know you have a great future ahead of you. I know you will be a wonderful Queen and I want you to fight for it tooth and nail.’

‘I will,’ Rhaenyra promised, squeezing Diane's hands. ‘And you will be right there with me because you will come back, do you understand? You are coming back. Your Queen commands it,’ she added with a small smile, her eyes filled with tears.

Diane also smiled, ‘And I have never disobeyed my Queen's orders.’

She squeezed Rhaenyra’s hands one more time before letting her go and taking a few steps towards the place where Daemon was standing. All of his body was rigid and his face was unreadable, and frankly, Diane wasn't sure what to say to him. He didn’t seem to know what to say to her either.

So Diane said with a small smile, ‘Don't do anything crazy while I'm away. Or at least make sure you have someone to cover for you.’ 

‘When have I ever done anything crazy?’

Diane let out a laugh, ‘If I start naming all of it, we will be there till the sunrise,’ she reached out to squeeze his hand. ‘Take care, father.’

‘You too.’

Diane nodded to him and walked away, heading to Silverwing, because she knew if she prolonged that moment, it would only hurt all of them more. She just had to get on with it.

Diane almost reached her dragon, who was ready to take off at first command, when she heard her father’s voice, ‘Diane, wait!’

She turned to see what was going on, and then Daemon ran up to her, immediately grabbing her by the shoulders.

‘Father?’

‘I- I don’t know how to let you go,’ he stammered. He looked panicked.

‘But you have to-’

‘I know! I know but I can’t- I-’ Daemon’s eyes frantically searched Diane's face. ‘You- you were my little girl, and then I went to war and- and then you came to me with such a brilliant plan how to end it- and you were already a woman grown- talking about the horrors I've never wished for you to experience- and I accepted it because- well, because what choice did I have? You say we are the same age now and all that- but- but you are leaving for probably the most dangerous place there is- and I can’t come with you- and- how can I let you go? You're still my little girl-’ Daemon’s voice broke on the last words.

Diane looked at him and realized that the last time she saw her father so open, so vulnerable before was at her mother's funeral. When he couldn’t even say Dracarys, and she had to help him out. Even all those years later, she still remembered that day like it was yesterday. And now Daemon looked the same, terrified out of his mind that he would lose her as well.

And it definitely didn’t help her keep it together because she was barely holding back tears before and no way she could keep doing it now. So Diane sobbed and threw her arms around her father who immediately hugged her back as tightly as he could.

At this very moment, Daemon regretted that he didn't hug his daughter as much as he could before. He did it plenty when she was a child, he was definitely not stingy with his affections towards her, but as she started growing up they kind of… drifted apart a little. Diane was figuring herself out as a person and he… well, he wasn’t sure how he should behave himself. His mother died when he was three, his father wasn't precisely a hugger and the most he used to get was a pat on the shoulder, and Iris was not there to help him out either. Some might say he took the easy way out. Right now he wished he did not because this might as well be the last time he hugged his daughter, and the mere thought of losing her forever terrified the life out of him.

‘I love you, dad,’ Diane whispered, not willing to let go of Daemon just yet.

‘I love you too, little one,’ the prince answered, and he didn’t call her that in a very long while.

Daemon wasn’t sure how long he just stood there, holding her, but then Silverwing nudged him with her tail (which ouch) and he knew it was time for Diane to go. So he leaned back, wiped away a few stray tears from Diane's cheeks, and said, ‘The weather is not really flight-appropriate right now so be careful.’

Diane smiled, ‘Always.’

Then she got on Silverwing and they took off. Daemon watched them fly away until they completely disappeared into the night.

Chapter Text

The first few days after Diane left were pure agony. Both Daemon and Rhaenyra didn’t know what to do with themselves, full of restless energy without anywhere to truly direct it. Rhaenyra caught Daemon plenty of times looking at the sky at different times of day and just… waiting. As if hoping to catch a glimpse of Silverwing but there was none.

They lied to everyone that Diane went to Essos on some urgent business that had something to do with Dragonstone. Daemon and Rhaenyra never agreed on the specifics of that lie so the princess was pretty sure their answers might have contradicted each other but she wasn’t able to worry about that at that particular moment. All her thoughts were consumed with worry for Diane.

The only ones who were told the truth about where Diane went (except the ones who already knew) were Gerardys and the High Priest of Dragonstone. Daemon flew there the next day to pass along Diane's instructions. Gerardys was sick with worry while the High Priest said he would pray for Diane's safe return, making Daemon feel just a tiny bit better.

While Daemon was at Dragonstone, Rhaenyra had to tell the children that Diane would be absent for a while. She wasn’t looking forward to it but it needed to be done. Aegon was understandably upset so Rhaenyra had to give him lots of cuddles to console him. Helaena, on the other hand, did not seem to be all that affected by the news. But she was only two so Rhaenyra wasn’t sure how much she understood. The princess figured that probably not a lot when in response to the news Helaena drew a circle in the ground with a stick, pointed at it, and said, ‘Seven,’ before toddling away. But, all in all, Aegon and Helaena took the news rather well.

The same couldn’t be said about Aemond. The poor boy was inconsolable. He constantly cried and the only times he didn’t cry was when he fell asleep from exhaustion just to wake up a few hours later and start crying again. Frella did her best to calm him down but nothing seemed to be working.

Rhaenyra tried to be of use but she didn’t seem to be able to calm Aemond down either. And this whole situation was in no way helping the princess’ already fragile emotional balance. So on the third day, while rocking the crying boy in her arms, Rhaenyra broke down crying as well. 

‘I know I'm not her. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry,’ she sobbed, hugging Aemond to her chest. There was nothing, absolutely nothing Rhaenyra could do to bring Diane back sooner or at all for that matter. And the uncertainty of it all was nerve-racking, crushing, fucking terrifying. What if Diane died there? What if Diane died and they would never know about it, helplessly waiting for her to return for the rest of their lives?

Rhaenyra didn’t know how long she cried but when she finally managed to get her emotions under control, she realized that Aemond wasn't crying anymore either. She looked down and saw him looking back at her with his big, watery eyes.

‘It's alright. It’s alright, we will get through it,’ Rhaenyra whispered, more to herself than to the boy. ‘We will get through it, she will come back and everything will be alright,’ she continued, rocking Aemond in her arms. ‘She will come back.’

Apparently, Rhaenyra passed some kind of test because after that evening Aemond seemed to be more willing to calm down in her arms than before. He was still hard to console and it was tremendously difficult to get him to fall asleep at night but at least they were making progress. Rhaenyra kept falling asleep on the couch in the nursery when Aemond finally decided to drift off because she was just too exhausted to make a journey back to her bedchamber.

‘It can’t go on like this,’ Daemon said one early morning after Rhaenyra spent another night on a rather uncomfortable couch. He was standing in the doorway of the nursery. ‘I wish to go to sleep in my bed with my wife-’

‘Yes, I know. I'm sorry, I'll try-’ Rhaenyra sighed, rubbing her eyes. 

‘-so I've ordered Aemond's cot to be put in our rooms,’ Daemon finished before the princess could say anything else.

Rhaenyra blinked at him, for a second thinking that she heard him wrong. ‘What?’

‘The servants will move his cot to our rooms,’ the prince repeated, coming closer to his wife and lowering himself on the couch next to her.

‘But- you know he doesn’t sleep through the night yet, right?’

‘I do. In fact, with how loudly he cries, I believe the whole castle knows.’

‘He'll wake you up,’ Rhaenyra said to make sure Daemon fully understood the situation he was putting himself in.

‘Oh, most definitely.’

‘And you are alright with that?’

Daemon reached out and took Rhaenyra's hand in his, ‘We will have to make do.’

‘Why?’

‘Because that's what Diane would have wanted,’ the prince answered with a sigh. ‘And well… I kind of got the idea that he is my grandson so I feel responsible.’

It made Rhaenyra smile. ‘I love you so much,’ she said, tiredly putting her head on Daemon’s shoulder.

‘Love you too, my little dragon.’

***

Diane's absence in court was very much noticeable. It wasn’t precisely apparent but Viserys didn’t seem to realize just how used he was to seeing her here and there during the day until he could no longer do so. And, of course, he missed them spending evenings together. 

All of his wounds closed months ago and because he followed the instructions from Dragontemple, he had no new ones yet. Viserys understood that he was not cured and that the Battle Curse was still sitting inside of his body, just waiting for a chance to show its ugly face again. But at least he wasn’t experiencing any uncomfortable symptoms at the moment and he would take it as a win.

At first, Viserys thought that as soon as he got better Diane would stop visiting him because there was no need for it. But then she kept returning and he surely wouldn’t be the one to send her away, considering just how much he enjoyed her company. The King even started to suspect that Diane enjoyed his company just as much and maybe there was a chance for their relationship to grow into something more…

And then she went to Essos.

Daemon told him it had something to do with Dragonstone’s trade agreements with Free Cities. His brother was rather vague and Viserys wasn’t interested enough to ask clarifying questions. He did express his concern over the fact that Diane went there alone though. She was a young, unmarried lady, after all. If she wanted to do political work, she should at least have people escorting her! It was a matter of safety.

‘Believe me, brother, she knows how to look after herself,’ Daemon answered. ‘And she will draw way less attention to herself if she is alone.’

If Viserys knew his brother better, he would have noticed a look of worry and maybe even fear in Daemon’s eyes but he did not. He was too engrossed in self-pity over the fact that Diane wouldn’t keep him company any longer. And the King believed he had all the rights to feel like that! 

Days turned into weeks, and neither Daemon nor Rhaenyra seemed to have a straight answer to when Diane was coming back. They told Viserys that Diane sent them letters frequently, updating them on all the developments in negotiations, so there was no need to worry. And then they rushed to change the subject.

To take his mind off things, Viserys always retreated to his model of Old Valyria. Building it always brought him comfort. And yet he found himself reluctant and even unwilling to move the figurines inside the model from places where Diane had placed them the last time she had been in his rooms. It slightly interfered with the whole process because the figurines weren’t placed in the most convenient positions but Viserys didn’t seem to have the heart to erase Diane's presence there. She was the first person since Aemma to make him feel truly cherished and understood, and it made Viserys miss her even more.

***

Daemon was perplexed by the fact that no one seemed to notice that Aemond moved from the nursery into his and Rhaenyra's rooms. Well, Athelstan knew because he helped them out a lot, and Frella knew because she was responsible for Aemond as his wet nurse, but other than that people just didn’t seem to… pay attention. Daemon and Rhaenyra weren’t broadcasting it either but weeks went by and neither Viserys nor Alicent questioned where the fuck their son was spending his nights.

Their level of care for their child was astonishing, truly.

‘Good morning, Lord Commander!’ Gwayne rushed to greet Daemon as soon as the prince entered the courtyard. ‘And oh- hello?’ he said unsurely, looking at the child that Daemon was holding. The fact that Daemon was holding a child was already unsettling let alone the fact that he brought him “to work”, so to speak.

‘Prince Aemond will be joining us today,’ Daemon informed him. ‘Here you go,’ he then proceeded to pass the boy right to Gwayne who had no other choice but to take him. Aemond went surprisingly willingly, too occupied with his toy Caraxes to care who was holding him at that moment.

‘I- I don’t think golden cloaks have a protocol for that,’ Gwayne said, holding the boy rather sheepishly.

Daemon snorted. ‘Well, he is your nephew, isn’t he?’

Gwayne looked at the boy in his arms who he was seeing for the first time in his life then back at his Lord Commander. ‘Yes?’ he said but it sounded more like a question.

‘Then use this opportunity to get to know him better,’ Daemon clapped him on the shoulder. ‘Where are the recruits?’ he then asked.

‘Second door to the right,’ Gwayne immediately answered because knowing that, unlike knowing how to care for an eight-month-old, was in his job description. ‘Um- doesn’t he have a wet nurse?’ Gwayne asked when Daemon proceeded to leave him with a child.

‘She took a few days off,’ the prince answered without turning back and then disappeared in the corridor. 

Gwayne looked at Aemond. Aemond looked back at him. They stared at each other for a few seconds.

‘Wanna see where we keep deadly weapons?’ Gwayne offered. Aemond's eyes lightened up as if he understood what he was asked and he blabbered something excitedly. ‘Alright, maybe we can find a common ground,’ Gwayne chuckled and started to move in the direction of the armory.

***

Gwayne looked up from watching Aemond playing with a dagger on the floor when the door suddenly opened. Joanna's head popped inside. ‘Oh, hi,’ she blushed slightly when she saw Gwayne.

He smiled, ‘Hello.’

‘We have been looking for- oh, there he is,’ Joanna smiled as soon as she noticed Aemond but then her face turned concerned.

Gwayne immediately realized what was wrong. ‘Oh, no, don’t worry, it’s dull,’ he rushed to assure her that the little prince was not in any danger of killing himself. 

Joanna frowned and stepped inside the room, ‘What do you need a dull dagger for?’

‘Some recruits are idiots. Usually, we spot and kick them out during the first few days of training but before that, it’s unwise to trust them with actual weapons. So we have like… dull and wooden ones,’ Gwayne gestured and the pile of wooden swords in the corner.

‘That's smart.’

Gwayne smiled, ‘It was actually my idea so thank you.’

‘Oh, right,’ Joanna seemed to suddenly remember something and proceeded to look out into the corridor. ‘Hey, Elinda. Tell Her Grace I found Prince Aemond.’

A few minutes later Rhaenyra came into the armory. ‘Thank you, Ser Gwayne, for looking after him,’ she smiled, leaning down to Aemond to check that the dagger that he was holding was in fact dull.

‘It was not a hardship,’ Gwayne answered. ‘We found some things in common.’

‘I believe my husband also didn’t leave you much of a choice.’

They had rather little sleep last night and Rhaenyra was very reluctant to get out of bed in the morning so Daemon said he would find someone to babysit Aemond for a while. She was so tired that she didn’t question it at the time but after a few hours of - gorgeous, blessed, uninterrupted - sleep and a rather large breakfast Rhaenyra decided it was time to find out who Daemon tasked with looking after Aemond and relieve them from such duties.

Gwayne chuckled, ‘Well, it’s hard to say “no” to the Lord Commander.’

‘Well, you can be free to attend to your actual duties now. We will take it from here.’

‘Thank you, my princess,’ he bowed slightly. ‘But before I leave, may I inquire about something?’

‘Yes, what is it?’ she asked, picking Aemond up. He was getting heavier and heavier by the day but he was still light enough for Rhaenyra to pick up and carry around on her hip without much effort.

‘It’s about Lady Diane… I've written her a few letters and she hasn’t responded to any yet. I do not want to be presumptuous or anything but she doesn’t seem like the person to ignore them,’ Gwayne said, obviously slightly uncomfortable.

‘Yes, she does not,’ Rhaenyra muttered to herself.

‘So I was wondering whether or not you know when she is coming back? Because I- well, in truth, I'm a little bit worried.’

Rhaenyra was worried about Diane more than a little so she understood where Gwayne was coming from. They seemed to become friends with Diane lately and he seemed like a nice enough person so the princess could believe that he was truly worried about her. But Rhaenyra still couldn’t tell him the truth.

‘I'm afraid I do not know. But you shouldn’t take the lack of her response to heart. She is just extremely busy with all the tasks my husband asked her to complete. I hope you understand.’

Gwayne nodded, ‘I do, of course. Thank you, Your Grace.’

Rhaenyra nodded and walked out of the room with Aemond in her arms and her heart heavy. Neither she nor Daemon tried to write to Diane because they didn't know if they should but if Gwayne did and got no response then Diane was most likely not getting the letters. And this made Rhaenyra worry even more.

***

Otto wished very much that he could say that Diane's sudden departure didn’t affect him in any way. But he couldn’t. Because things were not adding up which usually meant something was happening and he had no idea what.

Viserys did seem to be in rather low spirits these days (which only confirmed Otto's suspicions that Diane was in fact the King's mistress) but he also seemed to believe the story Daemon told the court about Diane leaving for Essos for urgent Dragonstone-related business. Otto, on the other hand…

In the last two months, he heard four different versions of what exactly this “business” was and they all contradicted one another. In addition, none of them sounded like a plausible explanation as to why Diane had to leave so hastily and for so long. They sounded like weak excuses to hide the truth which they most likely were.

Otto would never claim to fully know Diane Targaryen because this woman was the biggest mystery he had ever encountered, but he liked to think that he had at least scratched the surface. And Diane he knew would never leave Aemond for so long unless she had no other choice.

He also could not dismiss the circumstances of their last meeting. Diane was crying which he had never seen her do before and she was rushing somewhere. It would have been stupid for him to think it wasn’t in any way linked to her sudden departure. But in what way?

If it had happened during Jaehaerys’ reign, Otto would have assumed that Diane was with child and was sent away from the prying eyes of the court. But if she was in fact pregnant, the child would almost certainly be the King's (because Otto's sources in Flea Bottom assured him that Diane had only been seen with women), and despite Otto's hate for Daemon, he had to acknowledge that the prince loved his daughter very much. So Daemon would never do that to her, even if she had a child outside of marriage. He was actually more likely to force Viserys to take her as a second wife than send her away. Plus Diane was not the one to go quietly. If she was cast out of court, she would have made it everyone else's problem.

So that theory Otto had to cast aside which left him with almost nothing except for a lingering memory of their kiss. It was another thing that did not fit the picture. Because why would she kiss him? If it was meant to be a distraction… well, it obviously worked but surely she had other means at her disposal. Otto couldn’t wrap his head around it, couldn’t explain it which only contributed to another problem he had.

He couldn’t stop thinking about it.

And not in an I-want-to-know-what-she-is-scheming kind of way but in the I-can't-get-her-out-of-my-head kind of way. He seemed to remember every detail: how she tasted, how she smelled, how beautiful she looked in the dim light of candles. His thoughts kept coming back to Diane during the day and at night, when he was working and when he was alone, when he was awake and even when he was sleeping. And it was driving him insane.

If her plan was to drive him out of his mind, then she was fucking succeeding. Because Otto didn’t remember himself ever obsessing over anything the way he was obsessing over her. And he couldn’t for the life of him understand why the fuck did he leave her there? Why would he do that if he didn’t get any answers he needed? Surely, the kiss wasn’t that good… 

Alright, it was. It was that good but he still couldn’t explain why he left afterward without even trying to get more information out of Diane. That was just so… unlike him. As if some unseen forces made him do it (which was a ridiculous notion, yes, but he just didn’t have any other explanation). And the question “What would have happened if I stayed?” bugged him more than it probably should.

‘Are you listening to me, father?’ Alicent's voice brought Otto back to the present and he realized that he was staring at the figurine of a red and black turtle on his desk for way longer than was probably appropriate and didn’t hear a single thing his daughter said in the last few minutes.

‘I apologize. My mind seems to be elsewhere today,’ Otto said, glancing at Alicent and then going right back to staring at the turtle. 

The Queen followed his gaze. ‘Oh, this one seems new,’ Alicent remarked, noticing the turtle. ‘How long have you had it?’

‘A while.’

‘Why is it not with the others? We should put it-’ she reached out to take the turtle.

‘No, don’t-’ Otto exclaimed before he could stop himself. Alicent's hand stopped midway to the figurine, and she looked at him, confused. ‘I like it where it is,’ he added, trying to deescalate the situation he put himself into.

‘Why?’

‘It’s a gift.’

Alicent frowned, ‘From who?’

Otto looked slightly troubled for a few seconds, as if trying to find the right words and failing to do so, then sighed and said, ‘A dear friend.’

***

Daemon was woken up by his head suddenly hitting the table with a loud bang. He immediately sat up straight, his mind still half-asleep but all of his body on high alert.

Everyone at the Small Council looked at him in confusion. Well, everyone except Rhaenyra who looked concerned.

‘Are you quite alright, Daemon?’ Viserys inquired carefully.

The prince blinked a few times, then slightly relaxed in his chair and rubbed his forehead. ‘Yes, I apologize. I must have fallen asleep for a second.’

‘Do we bore you that much?’ Otto scoffed.

‘Fuck you. I would see how you would act after staying awake all night with a child,’ Daemon grumbled, not having the energy to be really mad at Otto at that moment.

‘You didn’t get any sleep last night, did you?’ Rhaenyra asked, her hand coming to stroke Daemon’s shoulder.

Aemond was currently teething and no one was having a good time with that. Frella was very reluctant to breastfeed him now because he kept biting her with all his newly acquired teeth but he wasn’t ready to fully move on to normal, adult food so they had to make do. In addition, the poor thing was so uncomfortable that he even developed a slight fever and wasn't sleeping at all unless he was held. 

Last night, when Daemon came back from his Lord Commander duties, he found Rhaenyra completely exhausted. She said she sent Frella away because the wet nurse was so tired she kept walking into things and the princess didn’t trust any other nursemaids with Aemond. Daemon supported her decision because overworking people who looked after your children was not the best course of action but it also left them with a very fussy nine-month-old.

Daemon was a good husband. Well, at least he wanted to think about himself as such. So he volunteered to take the first “shift” with Aemond. After all, when Diane was little Iris and he did it all themselves. They didn’t have nursemaids and servants around to help them out so Daemon had a wide albeit slightly dusty range of skills in child care. That's to say he was rather confident in his abilities for the night so he gave Rhaenyra a pillow and sent her away to sleep on the couch in the next room for a few hours. But as the night rolled Daemon didn’t have the heart to wake up his wife because he knew just how tired she was so he stayed up with Aemond until Frella came in the morning to save them.

Which resulted in him falling asleep right in the middle of the Small Council meeting. Daemon yawned.

‘I think we both passed out for like twenty minutes right before the sunrise but do not quote me on that,’ he answered. 

Rhaenyra smiled a little, ‘My hero.’ 

She didn’t know it was possible to fall in love with Daemon more but apparently, it was. The prince smiled back at her because, well, it felt nice to be praised for a job well done, and Daemon didn’t usually get much of that.

‘Daemon, what child?’ Viserys suddenly asked, reminding the prince that unfortunately his beautiful wife was not the only person he was in the room with.

Daemon looked at his brother like he was dumb. ‘Aemond, of course. Why would I stay up all night with some random kid?’

Viserys looked even more confused. ‘Why would you stay up all night with Aemond?’

‘What do you mean why? Because I can’t sleep with a child screaming his lungs out near my bed. Can any of you?’ Daemon looked around the table, honestly not getting why they were all so confused. Then he looked at Rhaenyra, ‘He is so loud.’ 

The princess smiled, ‘That he is.’

‘He has the voice range of a fucking opera singer,’ Daemon said and then blinked as if a genius idea suddenly lightened up in his head. ‘We should hire him a tutor.’

‘What tutor?’

‘In… opera singing or whatever it’s called. We can't let such talent go to waste. And they usually fare well in life, don't they?’ the prince said, and Rhaenyra couldn’t quite understand whether or not Daemon was serious about it. Because it was a rather weird suggestion that came out of nowhere but it sounded like something he could actually say. And it didn't even sound all that bad, to be honest. After all, Aemond was Viserys’ second son and fourth child so he wouldn’t be inheriting anything. And it could give him something to do…

Ugh, sleep deprivation was no joke, and, considering the last few sleepless days and nights, Rhaenyra wasn’t sure who was going crazy: she, Daemon, or both of them.

So she said in case her husband was serious, ‘I'm afraid he is too young for that. Maybe in a few years?’

Daemon looked like he was considering it but he wasn’t able to say anything else because Otto suddenly coughed, making them look at him.

‘I apologize for interrupting… whatever that is,’ the Hand said, giving them a weird look. ‘But I just want to make sure I understand. So Prince Aemond is staying with you? In your bedchamber?’

Daemon blamed sleep deprivation but it was only then that he caught up with why the Small Council found it so weird he stayed up all night with Aemond. They weren’t confused as to why he stayed up with a child but with why the fuck he was anywhere near Aemond, to begin with. Well, that made sense. Couldn't they be more clear in their confusion, honestly? He was obviously not on his best game that day. And he also needed a nap.

‘Only during the night,’ Rhaenyra saved him from the need to answer and thank the Gods because Daemon kind of forgot what the question was.

Otto frowned, ‘Since when?’

‘Since Diane- uh, since Diane left for Essos,’ Rhaenyra said. Otto gave her a suspicious look. It was obvious that there was something more to Diane's sudden departure and the princess obviously knew what was going on but he couldn’t really call her out so he stayed quiet. 

Rhaenyra looked at her father. ‘I know it's unusual but- you know how the poor boy is attached to Diane. He has such a hard time with her being away and I just couldn’t let him suffer. I hope you don’t mind, father. Usually, we get on with him pretty well, he is just going through a tough time right now. The wet nurse says it’s always like this when the first teeth come out,’ she smiled a little, hoping that her acting all sweet would work on Viserys and he would not object to her (and Daemon by extension) caring for Aemond. She would do that even if he was against it because she promised Diane but she would prefer not to sneak around.

Fortunately, Viserys was very easy to manipulate. His gaze softened. ‘It's a good thing you take interest in your younger brother, Rhaenyra,’ he said. Then he looked at Daemon who made an unsuccessful attempt to hide another yawn. ‘I believe we should finish our meeting for today.’

‘But, Your Grace, we still haven’t-’ Otto started but the King cut him off.

‘It can wait till the next time. Meeting adjourned.’

‘Come now, you should get some sleep,’ Rhaenyra said quietly to Daemon when everyone got up and started leaving.

‘I still-’ yawn. ‘-have to do… something with the golden cloaks. I’m sure I’ll remember what exactly as soon as I get there.’

‘I'm pretty sure Ser Harwin can manage today without you,’ the princess said, getting up. ‘ Now, off to bed with you.’ Daemon still didn’t look entirely convinced so Rhaenyra added with a mischievous smile, ‘I’ll let you use me as a pillow.’

Daemon immediately became much more agreeable, ‘You should have led with that.’

Chapter Text

Rhaenyra blamed the fact that she was extremely busy the last few months with worry for Diane, and caring for Aemond, and the meetings of the Small Council, and the charity project Daemon and she started in the city which basically meant ensuring that people had clean water. Because she always paid attention to this kind of stuff, even more so since she got married, so it was rather out of character for her to miss something like this. But she did.

She didn’t have moonblood for a while now and Rhaenyra only realized that when Elinda complained about her cramps. The princess absently advised her to put a hot compress on her stomach while trying to figure out when was the last time she bled. She definitely bled after Diane left which was almost five months ago. Maybe even a few times. But then Aemond started teething, Daemon and she were extremely sleep deprived, days blended together… 

Oh Gods, she didn’t bleed for at least two months. And even one missed moonblood was enough to indicate she was with a child, right? She missed two. Three, maybe, the few weeks during which Aemond was teething were no more than a blur in her memory. But at the same time, Rhaenyra didn’t notice any other signs that could indicate pregnancy.

The princess remembered her mother struggling with pregnancy from very early on so she knew the usual signs. And she didn’t have any. No morning sickness, no fatigue, no food aversions, no weird cravings, no… Rhaenyra touched her breasts. Well, they felt slightly tender but not enough to be really uncomfortable. Hmm…

In the end, the princess decided that the best course of action was to consult someone who was actually an expert in such things. So visiting Haisa it was.

***

It was an early evening when Rhaenyra walked into their bedchamber and saw Daemon near the window, just standing there and staring into the distance. An opened letter was on the table nearby, and Rhaenyra didn’t have to look closer to know what it was.

‘You opened it, didn’t you?’ she asked. Diane was gone for almost five months but Rhaenyra clearly remembered that she had asked them to open this particular letter only if she was gone for over a year.

Daemon sighed, still staring at the sky, ‘Yes.’

‘And?’

‘And it started with the words “Caught you, father. I knew you wouldn’t be able to wait the whole year”.’ 

Rhaenyra smiled a little. It was so like Diane to start her own will with a joke in an attempt to cheer Daemon up. Then she glanced at the letter. She was not ready to read it, not yet, so she went to her husband and put her head on his shoulder as a way to comfort him.

‘She will come back,’ Rhaenyra said, trying to sound like she had no doubts about that. ‘After all, she came back in time. One might argue it’s harder and less likely.’

‘Yes… but she was bitten in half by the dragon first.’

Rhaenyra squinted her nose. Yeah, it was best if Diane did not repeat that. Daemon sighed again. ‘I just wish we could have… at least some clue that she was alright. I'm not even asking for a letter, a simple note with “I'm fine” will suffice.’

‘She might not have ravens there…’ Rhaenyra offered. ‘Or… I don’t even know, I have a hard time imagining what Valyria looks like now.’

‘It’s full of horrors,’ Daemon said. ‘At least, that’s what Septon Barth believed.’

Rhaenyra frowned, ‘Who?’

‘The septon who tended to Aerea.’

‘That’s uh- that's the girl that disappeared with Balerion for more than a year? The one that mysteriously died?’ the princess asked. She studied their family, of course, but she couldn’t possibly remember everyone.

‘Yes. It was always kind of believed that Balerion took her to Valyria. And then when she came back she was- give me a second,’ Daemon walked to the table, opened a book, turned a few pages, and then read out loud, ‘We have told the world that Princess Aerea died of fever, and that's broadly true, but it was a fever such as I have never seen before and hope never to see again. The girl was burning…’ he turned to another page. ‘There were things inside of her, living things, moving and twisting, mayhaps searching for a way out… worms with faces… snakes with hands… twisting, slimy-’

Rhaenyra suddenly shut the book, making Daemon blink. ‘Why are you torturing yourself?’ she then asked, her eyes full of worry. And not only for Diane but also for him.

‘I do not-’

‘Yes, you do. You are reading about such horrors, and we don’t even know if what's written there is true.’

‘Well, as far as I know, Septon Barth was usually accurate-’

‘That’s not-’ Rhaenyra huffed in frustration. ‘Even if we assume it’s an accurate recalling of events, no one really knows where this poor girl was for more than a year. She survived this year somehow, didn’t she? She only died when she came back and we have no way of knowing where exactly she got… infected or whatever happened to her. She might have been in Valyria. Or maybe she went to the far south of Sothoryos. We don’t really know what's there either, do we? And they have like… vampire bats, and weird lizards, and- and long snakes by the way! Who knows, maybe some of them have arms? And so many diseases that going there is like playing death roulette. And don't get me started on Ulthos which might be even more weird and dangerous!’ Rhaenyra finished her monologue by taking a deep breath. 

Daemon just dumbly looked at his wife for a few seconds and then asked, ‘What's Ulthos?’