𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐫𝐞 | 𝐣𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐬 𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧.

𝐱𝐯. 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐥

A/N: Content warning of not detailed blood descriptions and miscarriage.

×

Aelina remembered her sister's childbirth pretty detailed. All the castle was rushing side to side, Alicent praying for the better outcome, while Aelina and Aemond paced the room, ears carefully catching every sound behind the closed doors. And even Helaena's vision about having two beautiful kids, the sun and moon, couldn't stop her siblings from worrying. Yet, even despite everything, that day seemed like a joyous one.

This time everything was completely different. They were sitting on the floor, knees pressed to their chests, with Aelina absentmindedly playing with the ends of her brother's hair, trying to distract herself from unwanted thoughts. And then, there were Lucerys and Jacaerys, sitting side to side with Baela and Rhaena, deadly pale, the events of past hours slowly catching up on them. They were silent, mostly. Baela was still shivering, phantom tears on her face, while Rhaena nervously gripped her sister's and bethroded one's hands.

'Where is uncle?' Aelina whispered to her brother, not daring to break the silence, yet not seeing Daemon for a long time.

'He can't be...' Baela answered faster. 'He is not usually the one to be around when childbirth begins. After mom, he is–'

Aelina quickly nodded, gesturing to her so she wouldn't finish the sentence, the one that was no less painful.

Oh.

Maybe she and Aemond could go and find him, instead. Sitting like this was quite useless anyway.

'Mom is going to be fine,' Jacaerys said, either to himself or his brother.

Lucerys didn't answer, surprisingly. He was quite motionless and silent for a long time. Sadly, Aelina knew this kind of expression too well.

'She will,' she added as Jacaerys sighed with slight gratitude.

For some reasons, Rhaenyra's physical state wasn't worrying Aelina, at all. She always thought that her sister was a mighty fighter, death in labour never being her fate. But what about the girl?

'How long it usually takes...'

Suddenly, all voices and screams in the next room stopped. All of them tensed up immediately. There were no cries of a child, no words of others. And then, clear as sky and loud as thunder, there was it.

A whaling scream.

'Daemon!'

Rhaenyra howled and then, from outside there was no less anguish cry from a dragon. Something you hear when you lose your loved one.

And so, Visenya Targaryen was gone. The life that was still to be started, already ended.

It took both of Rhaenyra's boys a mere second to jump on their feet, bursting in the room, ready to be here for her, not waiting for permission or anything else.

Baela sank in her sister's arms as understatement dawned on her, Rhaena hiding in her locks, trying to hide her whimpers.

Aemond sighed, bowing his head - a small gesture you do when you lose someone in the battlefield. Aelina repeated his actions, greeting her teeth, shame choking from inside, Aegon's actions, somehow, getting on her shoulders, instead.

How could they underestimate him? And why Aelina decided to listen to Rhaenys's plan, instead of warning Rhaenyra? Or would it be the same? Would Rhaenyra still lose her daughter in the end? Thoughts were spinning in her head in an annoying melody, restless, as every single one was worse than the other.