#I mean this is a dragon incest show we are talking about… there are a lot of things I would not past people

[dulcewrites]

Like I don’t want to be one of the guilt trippy writers that are like “well I’ll just stop then!” Bc I won’t. I like writing and I like chatting with you guys. And despite the reservations I may have before posting something, I am pretty proud of my work

Everyone is allowed to have different opinion of my work, that’s their prerogative and right. I am aware that not all criticism is required to be constructive or “nice”. But if you don’t like it to the point where you are writing dissertations in my inbox, I think the best move would be to just not read my stuff… or hell, BLOCK me.

[paulyenvol6]

Byka Atroksia (Chapter 17)

Contains: Angst, mentions of intimacy, toxic relationships, incest, outdated ideas about marriage and sex before marriage

Wordcount: ~4.38k

Masterlist of this story

You spent the next few days flying on a cloud.

Daemon and you saw each other as often as possible, he took you to his room during the nights, fucked you on every piece of furniture that could be used, one time pleasured you in the gardens again during the hour of the owl and one time you did it in the library.

That had been perhaps the most risky place you had ever done it because usually no one would knock on his door during the night and in the dark you were almost invisible in the gardens but in the library someone could come in at any time. Afterwards you regretted it a little and swore to yourself not to be this irresponsible again but in the moment desire had overcome the both of you and you hadn't cared about anything in the world.

Daemon had initially taken you there to show you a series of books about dragon history but things had ended with you pressed against the stone wall and Daemon on his knees in front of you. You had been lucky because at one point there had been a noise (that hadn't come out of your mouth) and you had pulled Daemon away. He had quickly stood up and acted like nothing had happened but the noise had seemed to have come from another room so after a few moments Daemon had continued his work between your thighs and had eventually gifted you a magical release.

Now you were peacefully sitting in your room and read the book that you had actually borrowed from the library in the end. You had just been to the stables with your uncle and well… once again you had found yourself in Daemon's arms with his cock buried inside you. You had simply wanted to ride on a horse to the coast to watch a fleet from Driftmark arrive but Daemon had passed you and then the two of you had been a little distracted from your original plans and had ended up fucking in the old shed.

You bit your lip at the memory and had to force yourself to read the letters on the page instead of daydreaming about his cock… And his big and soft hands… You grinned to yourself and then focused on your book again when suddenly the door to your chambers was roughly opened and you heard someone enter your room with quick steps.

You turned around to see who it was and saw your sister. But she looked… furious. Shocked, and tears were swimming in her eyes.

"Rhaenyra.", you said surprised and quickly put your book down. You sat on the edge of your bed and Rhaenyra's lower lip trembled dangerously.

"How. Could. You.", she hissed dangerously quiet and suddenly there was a very bad feeling in your stomach.

"W-What do you mean?", you tried carefully and Rhaenyra clenched her fists.

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about.", she said louder and came closer to you. She almost sounded panicky and now you were really scared.

"I saw you.", Rhaenyra shouted with a deep frown and grabbed your shoulder. "How COULD you, Vhaela? Are you fucking kidding me?! With Daemon?"

You lowered your gaze and inhaled deeply. No, no, no. That couldn't be true.

"LOOK AT ME.", Rhaenyra shouted and you did as she told you, feeling frightened.

"Rhaenyra."

"NO. No, I don't want to hear your stupid excuses, Vhaela, you know how bad this is, don't you? This is sinful, a disaster!"

You tried to blink away the tears in your eyes and Rhaenyra's grip on your shoulder tightened.

"Did he force you, sister? Did he force himself on you and use you – "

"No, no, he didn't.", you quickly stated and desperately looked at her. "He would never, we simply…"

But Rhaenyra intensely looked into your eyes. "You can tell me. Vhaela, if he took you without your will, things look very differently."

"He didn't, Rhaenyra. He wouldn't have touched me if I had not wanted him to."

Tears ran up your face and you felt like your world was breaking apart. Rhaenyra knew, your sister knew about it. You just wanted this to be a terrible nightmare.

"Please Rhaenyra, I'm sorry…"

Rhaenyra exhaled loudly and took her eyes off you.

"This can't be true. It can't be. Do you know what this MEANS?", she shouted and you twitched. Rhaenyra walked towards you again and grabbed your upper arm. "Your honour is destroyed. Your virtue, your fucking life is destroyed."

You quietly cried and just couldn't look into her eyes anymore.

"Why did you do this?! And why Dameon?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It just happened.", you sobbed.

"Something like this doesn't just happen." Suddenly she was quiet and you looked up to her again. "Was this the only time? What I just witnessed in the shed, did something like this happen before?"

Your eyes pleaded to her and Rhaenyra chuckled and turned away. "SINCE WHEN? Since when has this been going on, Vhaela?"

You couldn't answer her. You just couldn't. You couldn't see the disappointment in her eyes for another second.

"Answer me, sister. WHEN DID THIS START?"

You were crying and shaking but Rhaenyra didn't care. "S-Since… since the night after Daemon returned from the Stepstones.", you quietly whispered and Rhaenyra pressed her hand on her eyes.

"No. No, Vhaela, why?!"

"I don't know, there was just something between us and… and we…"

Rhaenyra inhaled deeply and now there was something like disgust in her eyes. "Vhaela this is… This is gonna be a problem."

You nodded and pleadingly looked up to her. "I know. But please, PLEASE don't tell father. Please, he can't know." Now it was Rhaenyra who looked desperate.

"That's… too late I guess."

You widened your eyes and grabbed her hand. "What?"

Your sister chewed on her lower lip and you shook your head in disbelief. "No. Did you already tell him?"

"I-I… I told Ellion. It's only a matter of time until he knows." More tears were welling up in your eyes and you turned away from Rhaenyra.

"He's gonna kill me, Rhae. Why did you do this?"

"I- I was just so shocked and angry, I… I saw Ellion in the corridor and he told me that he was looking for you. And I just kind of said what you were doing in this moment of fury."

Your breathing was unsteady and you were fighting for more air.

"Shhh.", Rhaenyra made, who noticed your struggles.

"I'm scared.", you whispered but now you didn't find a lot of empathy in her eyes.

"You sinned, Vhaela.", she hissed. "You did something terrible and you hopefully don't think that you're gonna get away with this. Throwing yourself on our uncle like a common whore…" Her eyes looked stern and her jaw was tensed. In response you lowered your head.

"Does Daemon know? That you and the King know?"

Rhaenyra shook her head. "No I don't think so. Father is greeting Rhaenys right now. He probably doesn't even know himself yet."

Your sister exhaled loudly. "This just doesn't get to my head. You KNEW what you were doing. How could you let Daemon seduce you?"

You knew that there wasn't an answer that your sister would be satisfied with and yet you tried to explain to her.

"We were talking to each other and… There was a bond. A connection… I think."

"A 'connection' doesn't make a couple."

You nodded. "I know."

Rhaenyra looked at you angrily again and then took a step back. "I'll go now. Father is probably gonna ask for you soon.", she said coldly and everything in you tensed.

In the King's Chambers

"…and then she would take us down to the dragon pit. While my father was fast asleep in his chambers.", Viserys laughed and Rhaenys joined in.

"I remember, cousin. It was the most exciting thing for me back then. Sneaking out of our beds at night to watch dragons in all sizes and tempers."

The King grinned and wanted to say something else when suddenly the door opened. Ellion Banefort walked in, a serious look on his face which Viserys didn't immediately noticed though.

"Ahh, Ellion. We were just talking about our aunt Daella."

The Hand smiled politely but his face was tense. "Forgive me, your grace. I hate to interrupt your conversation but there is some urgent matter to discuss."

The King simply chuckled. "Can't it wait for a few hours, Ellion?"

"I'm afraid not, your grace.", he spoke. "It concerns your daughter, Vhaela."

Now Viserys frowned. "Is she alright?"

"Please, your grace, let us speak in private and I…. I'll tell you what this is about."

Viserys inhaled loudly and then stood up. "Forgive me, cousin, but this seems to be important. We have to delay our conversation, I'm afraid."

Rhaenys stood up as well. "No worries, your grace. It can wait. Daughters… they can't."

They both laughed but this time Viserys seemed a little tense. Once his cousin had left the room he turned to his hand.

"What is it, Ellion?"

He cleared his throat. "This is really hard to put, your grace."

Viserys frowned. "Just tell me, what happened?"

His hand inhaled deeply and looked at his king. "Your daughter… Vhaela. She was… seen."

Viserys chuckled sarcastically. "That sounds bad."

"She was seen… involved in inappropriate behavious."

Now Viserys smirk faded. "Continue."

Ellion sighed. "She was seen with her uncle. In the shed."

The King's face was cold. "Doing what?" There was a moment of silence.

"Can't you guess it, your grace?"

"I wouldn't be a good ruler of seven kingdoms if I acted based on guesses.", Viserys hissed and Ellion folded his hands in front of him.

"They were coupling, your grace." The hand looked pitiful while Viserys clenched his hands in fists and breathed deeply.

"No.", he spoke and smiled. "That's not possible. You've been lied to."

"No, your grace. This is the uncomfortable truth."

Viserys fastly walked around in the room and clenched his jaw. "Who made these allegations?"

Ellion sighed. "Your daughter. Rhaenyra."

He immediately stopped walking and looked at the hand. "What? Are you mocking me?"

"I wouldn't dare, your grace."

Viserys laughed out. "Then this is simply a joke from my daughter."

Ellion sympathetically walked to the king. "Your daugher didn't joke. She saw them only a few minutes ago and told me."

Viserys dangerously shook his head. "It can't be true, Ellion. Vhaela would NEVER. She would never dishonour herself, our house and the King like that."

"And Daemon…?" The King abruptly turned to him.

"Daemon is an uncontrollable, dangerous and irresponsible mess. But my daughter wouldn't let herself get seduced by him. Perhaps he has forced her. Or convinced her to let him sully her to upset me."

Ellion nodded slowly. "We should find out about the truth then."

"Yes. Yes. Get Daemon, get him to the throne room. Now. I swear to you I…. ", Viserys hissed but didn't finish his sentence. His lips were tightly pressed together and turned away from Ellion who sympathetically looked at him one more time and then left the room.

~~~~~~~~~~

10 minutes later Viserys sat in his throne and looked down with a deep frown. He was just sitting there like that, staring at the ground when the big gate opened and Daemon slowly walked in. He had his eyebrows lifted and once he stood in front of his brother sighed deeply.

"Brother."

Viserys stood up at once and rushed towards him. He grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pushed him back. Daemon almost stumbled but managed to get a hold of himself and knew that this could potentially get complicated now as he had a strong idea why his brother was that angry.

"What have you done?", Viserys hissed close to his face. "How could you? My youngest daughter?!"

His brother exhaled loudly but didn't answer immediately so Viserys shook him.

"What is wrong with you?", he shouted.

"Ohh we were simply having a little fun, brother.", Daemon said and rolled his eyes. "Something you seemed to have forgotten exists."

The King's face was drawn with anger. "I am King, Daemon.", he hissed sharply. "I have a Kingdom to hold together. I have responsibilities AND SO DO YOU AS THE KING'S BROTHER. I can't put a little fun over doing my duty to the realm AND SO CAN'T YOU."

He shook Daemon by his collar but he once again only sighed.

"I hope you're aware that you ruined her, brother. You ruined her honor and virtue. Do you think Lord Cordin Stark will wed his son to her now? A girl who's been sullied? Touched?"

"I couldn't care less about what a Stark thinks."

Viserys' hand smacked him across the face but Daemon just put up with it. Then Viserys once again grabbed his brother's shirt and pulled him close.

"Did you force her, Daemon? Did you abuse her?"

His brother frowned and looked a little disgusted. "No of course not. That wouldn't have been fun." Another slap in the face.

"Killing me won't solve your problems.", Daemon said with raised eyebrows which earned him yet another smack.

"Why, Daemon. Just tell me why.", he desperately spoke. "Why did you have to take her from me? Why did you have to ruin one of the few delights in my life? My youngest daughter. Why did you have to defile her? You could've taken every whore in King's Landing and I wouldn't have blinked with my eye. You knew what it would do to me. She's so young, Daemon and you knew how naive she is. Why did you have to seduce her and use her like that. Like a common whore."

Daemon's face went cold and he slightly pushed his brother away from him. "I didn't use her, brother. And believe me or not, I actually care about her too."

Viserys chuckled sarcastically. "You obviously don't because you wouldn't have done this if you did.", he said his lips pressed together.

Daemon didn't answer but just glared at his brother who gritted his teeth.

"You're irresponsible, evil and vicious, Daemon. You don't care about anything except yourself and your desires." His brother watched him with small eyes.

"I don't know what will happen to her now.", the King said quietly. "I don't know how to offer her a good future now and that's your fault, Daemon. There are gonna be rumours about it and at some point word will reach the lords of the great houses of Westeros."

"Wed her to me then.", his brother said. "It will restore her honour to some extent at least."

Viserys chuckled in disbelief. "You don't really think I'd ever consider this, do you? Because if you do you know me really bad." He grabbed Daemon's shoulder. "Do you think I'd let you destroy her? Let you keep her in your… nauseating environment."

Daemon looked at his brother maliciously. "Your opinions on me have changed drastically these last minutes.", he evily whispered and his brother laughed out.

"What did you expect?", he said, his face distorted with anger. "You betrayed and deceived me. You put shame on my name. You bedded my 16 years old daughter, Daemon."

"Then give me Vhaela as my wife. You can't undo what happened, brother. Wed her to me and the dimensions of your problems will be minimized.", Daemon said quietly.

"Minimized.", Viserys scoffed and then looked at his brother small eyed. "Never. Never would I give my daughter to you. I'd rather wed her to Jason Lannister than to you.", Viserys spoke despisingly.

Daemon didn't answer his brother and so Viserys pushed him back.

"You'll leave this city, Daemon. At once. I don't want to ever see you in my daugher's presence again. Go wherever you want I don't care but leave."

Daemon smirked goatingly and then turned around to leave the throne room. Viserys sighed deeply and let himself sink on the stairs that led to the throne.

~~~~~~~~~~

Daemon sat in his chambers on a chair, his legs crossed and stared at the wall in front of him. He had an apple in his hand which he didn't feel like eating so he just toyed with it.

He was deep in thoughts when his door opened and looked up when he heard someone approach him. He stared in sparkling eyes and sighed.

"Rhaenyra."

Another monologue from a dear family member about how rotten and evil he was. Very pleasant.

"I can't believe you did this, uncle.", his niece whispered and tears swam in her eyes.

"What do you want me to tell you?", Daemon rolled his eyes.

Rhaenyra chuckled loudly and took another step into his direction. "I want to know how the fuck you live with yourself?!", she shouted.

Daemon crossed his arms in front of his chest. "We were simply having a little fun, my dear niece."

"I know what this is about.", she whispered dangerously.

"So why bother to ask me then.", Daemon mumbled.

His niece took yet another step towards him and he looked up to her.

"This is about my father. It was about provoking him, taking from him what he loved. Taking from him what he wanted to protect and seeing his face when he finds out that he has failed. Failed to guard his youngest daughter."

Daemon scoffed. "Oh seven hells, I was simply coming home after four months of fighting in the Stepstone and really wanted to fuck someone."

His niece shook her head determined. "You could've taken every whore in King's Landing. Why did it have to be her?"

Her uncle shrugged his shoulders. "She was there, she looked pretty, I wanted her." She laughed maniacally and raised her hands to her face.

"That makes it even worse, uncle. You just accepted what would happen. You knew the consequences of your actions and yet just for a few minutes of relief and some fun you chose to destroy her honor and virtue and future. Just because 'she was there'."

Daemon watched his niece with small eyes. "Oh Rhaenyra... you're acting like such a saint. Which is kind of funny after seeing how you treated your sister all those years. After I saw Vhaela cry so often because you used to ignore her and didn't let her near your precious little dragon." Rhaenyra pressed her lips together.

"I'm simply trying to be a better sister.", she hissed and Daemon chuckled.

"Well, you're not doing a really good job.", he said quietly.

"I may have made mistakes but she is my sister. And she means a lot to me."

Daemon suddenly got up from his chair. "She means a lot to me too.", he said angrily.

"But why did you defile her then? Why did you take into account that she would be left dishonoured after that night? Why did you just spontanously couple with her because you felt like it?!"

Rhaenyra didn't let Daemon intimidate her and determinedly walked towards him with a raised chin. He towered over her but didn't say anything for a while. Rhaenyra's eyes were flashing and she hissed her next words so quietly that Daemon almost couldn't understand them.

"Why did you want her?" Daemon looked back with small eyes. "Why is she interesting to you?" He could see how her eyes got teary and she blinked a few times.

"Rhaenyra.", Daemon said warningly.

"No.", she said louder. "She doesn't match your temper."

"And you think you do?", he scoffed which made his niece look down to the ground.

"I didn't say that.", she quietly mumbled and Daemon took a step back to walk around in the room aimlessly.

"I'm simply saying that I've never seen any kind of tension between the two of you. Vhaela can be… unexciting." Rhaenyra exhaled desperately and Daemon slowly walked towards her and grabbed her shoulder.

"Careful, Rhae.", he whispered sarcastically and his face got closer to hers.

"Don't call me that.", she said with a weak voice as this was your nickname for her but a little smirk played around Daemon's lips.

"I call you whatever I want.", he spoke and glared down at her. Her eyes flashed but something like respect could also be found inside of them and Rhaenyra chewed on her lower lip. Daemon's hand reached out to put a strand of her hair behind her ear and Rhaenyra closed her eyes.

"You're not being very nice to your sister.", he said quietly and Rhaenyra pouted.

"She doesn't deserve to be treated nicely after what she has done."

Daemon smirked and lifted her chin with his finger. "As if you never broke any rules. Any customs."

"I never did something similarly bad. I'd never act so… stupid.", Rhaenyra hissed and was still sulky.

"But you like it. You like to disobey my brother. You like to have a little fun in your life, don't you? All those traditions, rules and expectations on you… You like to break them.", he smirked. "Because you're made of fire."

Rhaenyra's face softened a little and now she only looked determined. And then without any second thought she leaned to her uncle to kiss him. It only lasted a moment though because Daemon pulled his head away and Rhaenyra glared at him. His hand left his niece's shoulder and he smugly watched her. She tried again and put a hand in his neck to pull Daemon to her but he once again denied her and took a step back.

"You think this will make me want you any more, Rhaenyra?" Now her face was drawn with anger again and her lower lip trembled.

Then Daemon turned away and lowered his head. "Leave me. Go.", he hissed and Rhaenyra shook her head with teary eyes.

"Fine.", she breathed and then looked at him one last time before leaving her uncle's chambers.

Once she was outside more tears welled up in her eyes and she couldn't hold them back any longer. The girl pressed her hand on her mouth and panted heavily while her crying echoed in the corridor. Quickly she walked to her own chambers, closed the door behind her and sank down on the floor with her back against the door. She felt terrible and just wanted this to be a nightmare.

Rhaenyra tried to collect her thoughts but they were overcast by her emotions and her crying just wouldn't stop. She had tried. She had tried to be a better sister, tried to BE a sister to you at last. When Rhaenyra had seen Daemon and you together she had felt hurt at first. Not only because the two of you had lied to and betrayed her but also because… because she felt some weird sort of jealousy creeping up on her. Daemon had granted you of his time, had put his eyes on you and done so many more, much more intimate things with you.

Rhaenyra knew that she shouldn't be envious and she definitely didn't wish to be in your position right now but she couldn't help but feel mad and hurt. Why did he do it? Why did he like you so much? And why had he never tried to seduce her? Perhaps Rhaenyra would have rejected him because she was certain that she wouldn't be drawn to such sinful behaviour but at least she would've liked to hear that Daemon desired her.

But the girl had also remembered what she had promised herself. In the recent weeks it had been her intent to treat you more nicely. After you had supposedly gone out in the city late at night Rhaenyra had felt the need to protect you all of a sudden. It wasn't always easy but she genuinely reflected herself and decided to try and be kinder and less bitter towards you. So she did, there definitely was some falling back into old patterns, but it also felt good to see the thankfulness in your eyes now and then. And now there she was.

She obviously had been furious with you but had tried to act out of decency and not because of her own affection for her uncle. And she had just failed. Rhaenyra had let her hurt control her senses and had humiliated herself in front of Daemon. She had started to act out of envy and not because she simply condemned the coupling. And then she had tried to kiss her uncle, gods be good… The ever so strong and confident heir to the iron throne felt small suddenly, vulnerable. She had messed it up once again, had let her desire and admiration for her uncle overshadow her wish to protect you. How was she supposed to rule and protect seven kingdoms if she couldn't even put aside her selfishness in this case of family intrigue?

Rhaenyra let herself sink further down on the ground and wished she would melt with the stones. Why did everything have to be so compliacted? Rhaenyra herself thought that she was able to look into Daemon's wicked mind better than you were. She even thought that her theory about why Daemon had done what he had done could perhaps really be the truth, even though deep inside she just wanted there to be a reason for why Daemon had done it. She couldn't accept that her unlce might have plainly bedded you out of lust. She found that she could see through him and understand how his mind worked and by now had hoped that this ability wouldn't allow her to feel this incredible desire for his attention anymore but perhaps she had been wrong. As it had just been proven.

Seven hells, Daemon was a manipulating tampering man who only cared about himself, Rhaenyra thought. But why had she wanted to kiss him though? Why had she wanted him to tell her he coveted her? Even more than you? She had wanted him to tell her that he preferred her. Rhaenyra's love for you had vanished and suddenly all that mattered to her was for Daemon to show her affection. She felt horrible now and pressed her hand on her tearing eyes.

[hawkdisaster]

" Aegon called Helaena stupid and weird so he never care about her. " Tell me you don't have siblings without tell me you don't have siblings. Because calling your brother or your sister stupid is like... a typical sibling behavior ? Not the nicest one, i admit, but still. Like, i have two brothers and let me tell you, "stupid" is the nicest thing i could have called them. And yes, i'm pretty sure they could call me "weird", it doesn't mean we don't care about each others (we just the worst at showing it). " Aegon raped Helaena. " Aegon, who's not into incest and was married against his will with Helaena ? Aegon, who was forced to have childrens with her when both of them were still kids themselves ? Aegon, who need to be dead drunk to have sex with his sister and wife because it's probably something expected from them ? Aegon, who wasn't surprised or even angry when Helaena roasted his ass during her toast for Jacaerys and Baela ? Aegon, who tried to comfort his sister-wife when Helaena tells him she was afraid ? Are we really talking about this Aegon ? " Helaena was abused by Aegon, she never loved him. " Helaena, who was married against her will to her brother, like he was ? Helaena, who was confortable enough to roast her brother-husband's ass in front of their whole family ? The same Helaena, who seemed pleased with herself and not afraid of possible consequences ? Is that the behavior of someone abused for you ? Helaena, who wasn't forced to act like a Queen probably should. Helaena, who wasn't dragged to war by her own brother, despite having her own dragon. Helaena, who was annoyed to see Aegon enters their children's nursery looking for their son, ready to disturb their son's studies ? Helaena, who confronted Aemond after he injured and almost killed her brother, husband and father of her children ? Helaena, who was physically abused by Aemond, the one brother we all thought unable to even think about hurting her ? Abused by Aemond, not Aegon ? Are we really talking about this Helaena ? +++ Bonus evidences from the book : - Aegon, who needed to be restrained by the kingsguard to stop him to jump on Jacaerys for dancing with Helaena. - Helaena, who was given a seat to her brother's council. - Helaena, wo was able, with their mother, to convince Aegon to send a peace offer to Rhaenyra. - Aegon, who honored Helaena after her death by declaring the title of Queen should be reserved only for her and their mother Alicent, the true queens.

[very-straight-blog]

out of all things that infuriate me in hotd, their treatment of helaegon is the most. royal incest marriage is the rarest thing in fiction. usually incest pairings are all about secrets, sneaking, hiding, stealing kisses, shame, guilt, etc. which is alright and juicy, but predictable. here they had a rare opportunuty to show the different side of it. Targs flaunt their special marriage customs, it's regal, prestigious, divine. Marrying a sister basically cements crown prince's position as next king. king and queen one body and soul. they had the chance to explore it. and failed miserably without even trying. i ship incest pairings as long as i remember and i watched a lot of stuff, but royal marriage i've seen in exactly two (2) shows and both failed spectacularly. king tut 2015 and some korean pseudohistorical soap opera. both shows were based on history and irl those kings loved their sister-wives passionately, and in both shows it was the opposite - kings were in love with some invented mary sue concubines, while queens were demoted to unwanted jealous bitter harpies. i don't get it, why even start working on the project if they hate source material? anyway, i expected a lot from dragon incest show, after all, Cersei and Jaime were not bad and sometimes even romantic. and hotd literally gave us nothing! i'd forgive hotd for being bad if they at least gave us good shippy scenes that make heart flutter but it's really nothing.

Unfortunately, I don't quite agree with you, because it seems to me that you confuse incest couples based on love and those based on duty. If we're talking about the Targaryens - yes, it was customary for them to create marriage unions between relatives, but this doesn't mean that all these unions were happy and that all Targaryens liked this tradition. I'll talk about the series so as not to confuse the sources, although Aegon and Helaena were married against their will in both variations of the story, in the book they were children, in the series - teenagers. We literally see Aegon, who doesn't want to marry his sister. Their marriage is a tragedy and a prison for both of them, this couple just doesn't have the feelings you're talking about. They're siblings trapped in this situation. Yes, I ship them - platonically, as people who don't have romantic or sexual feelings for each other, but who are still brother and sister, as well as parents of three children. They have little in common, but they're trying to find at least something for the sake of their sons and daughter. In my opinion, this is the beauty and tragedy of this couple. I also wrote about it here. But I agree that the screenwriters really didn't give us anything, even if we're talking about platonic feelings. I'd like to see the dynamics of their relationship with each other and with their children, it could be very interesting. Let's hope for something in the next episodes.

[silverystrings]

whether for good or ill

i think that there is so much tension and hatred towards house of the dragon and has been since the beginning, that hating on the writers and everyone involved has become too much. i just don’t think that sara and ryan are d&d. d&d and everyone involved in game of thrones were arrogants and misogynists and thought that they were better. i mean by the end they didn’t give a fuck that much.

but with ryan and sara, i think they aren’t those arrogants and misogynists despite the contrary beliefs. i think they geniunely enjoy the world and they tried a different approach. they are the not like the other girls. jk jk unless..

no but this particular history was difficult to do either way. we are talking about the targaryens; the incest made them mad blood purist “perception” of the audience//general/local audience. and they do start with “they are their own enemy/downfall”. so i don’t think they have forgotten that. they have “themes”. and yes they have tried to do a character arc for everyone in big and small ways. and yes hbo crossing two other episodes probably damaged this second season a lot. i mean season 1 was also like this until the last two episodes where shit it’s at its peak. and the second season probably could have ended up too in that way.

as some reactor said, it felt like in this finale everyone kind of found themselves, even more setting up to do for season three.

daemon in the finale of season 1 wasn’t really loyal to rhaenyra in the complete sense. the way he was looking at her at visenya’s funeral, the clashing in the council, the choking, the way he said “dreams didn’t make us kings, dragons did” ????????? and the scene in the second season with rhaenyra, the way she says my throne, and he throws it in her face what he thought all along, that viserys chose her because of daemon.. and then he goes to harrenhal alone, tries to be a king, gets haunted by all these “dreams” and finally understands and supports Rhaenyra fully, that she is the rightful queen, and the part they play in the greater story. we know that season 3 and potentially 4 are just deaths after deaths. and as a lot have predicted, they probably will be estranged again. but it won’t be for the throne, for the heir, for this thing that has been between them since the beginning of the show. it will be because of his daughters. (laena;have you looked after our girls)

alicent—i don’t think the writers did nothing with her. i mean they love liv and what she brings to the table and alicent. they never wouldn’t have a plan for her character. she is a character that is the only one who survives and dies the last. as i said i don’t define her character as her being a mother. in fact that’s why ryan and sara are better at bringing something different. constantly in game of thrones we have all the women or the contraversial ones like cersei or catelyn but especially cersei: have being a mother define her character. “your love for your children is the only redeeming quality. if it wasn’t for my kids i would have thrown myself off the red keep a long time ago.” there are so many scenes and quotes about cersei and her loving her children and doing everything for her children. and yes that’s great. but in the books, she wants to rule for herself because her time has come, and she doesn’t want tommen to rule or learn or anything. yes she cares deeply and is constantly concerned for their well being. but still in the show it was very exaggerated. because they loved cersei but the audience didn’t. so her one quality was her motherhood. and that’s great. but as i said sara and ryan don’t make motherhood their only quality. alicent is a child bride and she has a veeeery complicated relationship with her kids. and her crowning aegon is definitely moreso because her and otto truly believed in keeping the peace of the realm. having a female heir, war was gonna follow. so that’s why alicent did it. yes the viserys part it’s oopsies but i mean dreams and tragedy are a targaryen thing and not far fetched. so she did that. and she completely lost. and by the end she sees that this isn’t “right” and wanting war to end. she is at last herself. she did what she was supposed to do, the mission of her life, and now she is free. i am so curious to how her arc is gonna go from now. is she gonna go and meet up with daeron? maybe she will try to put him on the throne when the people turn against rhaenyra and she thinks he is the best of them?!?! i know people think her story was over in s1. i think those are very misogynistic fans. alicent isn’t a villain and it’s not gonna be one. the writers have said this since the beginning. and i for one love that. she is the most normal character in the whole show. i said what i said. otto for making her be a child bride was the worst. the targaryens and rhaenyra and daemon were always gonna be a problem for her. and she making male heirs was always gonna be a problem for them. she is free. is she gonna be like arya? idk.

rhaenyra— ooof. i think this season was her finally getting assurance that she is the “chosen” one for the prophecy and that she is the heir, not because viserys spurns daemon. and i think as daemon finally understands the dreams importance, rhaenyra also understands the dragons’s importance. i mean they completely turn the tide for her in this season. and i know how much criticized rhaenyra’s and alicent’s relationship is. but alicent coming to her at last and essentially confirming and wanting her to take the throne it’s like the last thing to come full circle. her father truly believed on her and not because of daemon, daemon finally accepts that she is the heir too and is firmly done with the “pursuit” of it. and alicent, her best friend, the mother of viserys’s other kids, her enemy, her best friend, finally “supports her”. it was a rollercoaster it’s true. but she came on top. and i think now she will not be stoping herself in blooding her hands or doing necessary things for keeping herself on that throne. i think others have done thinkpieces on how she was like sacrificing the people to claim the dragons. all those scenes. and how she will truly believe that she is that one for the prophecy and will do anything now. i think dragons dying is gonna be her weakness just as how she started to feeling powerful with the dragons. i have seen theories of fisherman lucerys. and this is exactly the type of thing that sara and ryan could do. we won’t even know what started the war in the first place. luke dying is sad, but not defining. i know it sounds crazy. but even if he died or not, the war was always gonna get ugly.

i think these are the big characters of the show. and others are all also in personal journeys. rhaena finally having a dragon and being “useful”, criston accepting his faults (i mean alicent’s brother questioned him in front of everyone, pissing in his honour as a knight, the thing he was obsessed with, almost killed himself over, killed joffrey over, is now accepting his faults and accepting his death, he fought in wars before but wanted something more for his name, and he lost all of it to the dragons. he is defeated in every sense. his only arc is fighting as he was before the kingsguard. we have helaena who again isn’t defined only by a tragedy as sick as b&cheese. she still touches jahaera after. she is a dragon dreamer. and i don’t want her to just kill herself because of sadness. i know that we criticize the show for the grief and how quickly it’s over. i do agree too. but again i m not gonna define them by it. helaena speaking to daemon and aemond knowing how their fates are intertwined or rather their deaths. why did they do this? i guess helaena never being heard for her dreams and she now herself reaches out at the end to speak her “wisdom” and is actually listened and believed by both of them. it’s some sort of progress. but doesn’t she see herself is the question? possibly the same day too?!? hmm. aegon and aemond. i think everyone has said a lot abt them. tragedy is always gonna be present in this show. shakespearean tragedy. and also everyone is grey. we see the tragedy of both of them bc they never were suited for the throne. and that power.. absolute power as otto says.. especially in this family period and in this war.. it was gonna be poisonous..

idk i get all the complaints.. but as i said i could never treat them as d&d. especially for the female characters. they are actual characters. and yes i was mad too, at the “women peace and men bad bc war”.. but that is present in the book too. it’s the women who bind the wounds. and i did want to see mother playing this game for her son, rhaenyra wanting the throne for herself and being vengeful. and i think we will see that. but in different ways. not in obvious ways, in caricature like ways. and men did want war and were thirsting for war. so much peace that the last “war” was with maegor. so everyone jumped at the chance to write songs for them without knowing the cost of war especially with dragons. this isn’t a theme only in hotd but in asoiaf too.

i think they and the adaptation has flaws.. but i can’t call all of it shit or soulless. it was always gonna be a hard story to do. especially in the pov of the targaryens. they are their own downfall and so are the dragons. that’s how it’s gonna end hotd and same with every adaptation.

i m almost excited for a knight of the seven kingdoms, but man not for aegon the conqueror one. i genuinely think we don’t need it. and everything post dance is so much more interesting so i won’t be mad at those adaptations. but again grrm is never finishing those books. and so sometimes the question does arise of what’s even the point of these adaptations. i guess we just can enjoy them but even that is a crime. however picking the story where all the dragons die isn’t a bad idea for a show. especially with the events of asoiaf and game of thrones. it’s just that the “heroes” are not obviously targaryens and so it’s kind of hard and depressive to enjoy them. idk idk idk and just thinking abt the years its gonna take to make these other seasons it’s insane. insane for the fandoms and not normal people obviously 😭

[lizzie-queenofmeigas]

https://www.tumblr.com/lizzie-queenofmeigas/756279777718075392/incest-and-age-gaps-dont-make-a-relationship

Same anon here, you and your mutuals just seem to refuse to understand that while other characters in the story - like daemon, viserys and Rhaenyra herself consider her “a grown woman”, so in the context of the story daemon didn’t do anything wrong - the viewer is still supposed to understand that Rhaenyra is still a teenager - regardless of what society considers her as.

I mean we see 17yo alicent with a child and heavily pregnant. The characters don’t see anything wrong with that, but the viewers should understand it’s messed up because she’s still a child herself.

Dany marries drogo at 13. She gets pregnant at 14. Again, the characters themselves don’t see anything wrong with that - but the readers def should realize a 14yo with a child is fucked up.

And btw @darklinaforever , child marriages are still very much a thing in today’s world. 14yo girls are still married off and have children. Are they different from “today’s teenagers?” That’s such a crazy and ignorant take. Before suggesting I open a history book maybe open the news and see what’s going on in other countries.

There’s nothing wrong with shipping daemyra. Hell, I enjoy the ship. But let’s not pretend the relationship is healthy - especially when he physically assaulted her.

Again, complain about the way George writes this to be the norm.

Daemyra doesn't have anything wrong with it, and I'm talking about the actual couple, not whatever the show is. He doesn't abuse her in any way and during their marriage they are mostly a healthy couple. People are just hyper alert nowadays about age gaps, but it doesn't make a relationship grooming or abuse just because they have an age gap. And I mean people older than sixteen.

And yes, the teenagers in that world act very differently to the ones in our world. They fight wars, build empires, do politics and tame fucking dragons.

[atopvisenyashill]

Dany's reaction at Viserys's death and later on her guilt over it is perfectly understandable and is one of more tragic parts of her story. As someone who believes in her show ending, I despise that particular scene is taken as her foreshadowing for madness. She was an abuse victim and anyway she reacted was valid. And I don't even think she will ever truly go mad because I believe targaryen madness is extreme obsession with any particular thing (be it dragons or power or prophecy or supremacy or incest) so that all targaryens (even 'normal' ones like aemon, rhaegar, jaehaerys) have this tendency and it can go on to become full on lunacy if not curbed.

Yeah, like what Viserys represents is Dany's ability to completely recast her own memories, a way of showing memory is very fallible (i've mentioned that a lot with Ned, Bran, Theon, Sansa, and Dany is a big example of that as well) wherein she really recasts herself as having so much more agency while she's Drogo's wife than she actually had (something we see echoed in a lot of the wives of very domineering husbands see also: alysanne and jaehaerys, or the annoying way barth talks about alyssa velaryon). I think dany (and the audience) really put the blame for this on her when in reality like......genuinely what was she supposed to do here. Viserys violates a very deeply held social and religious custom of the Dothraki by baring steel in Vaes Dothrak, and Dany is one (1) person with not a lot of influence, no martial training, and no dragons. Beyond that, he has physically assaulted her while she's pregnant once already and now he's holding a deadly weapon to her face. Like. What was she supposed to do to stop this even if she wanted. What on earth could she have done, really. "Please kill him in a slightly more humane way" Drogo is not fucking listening to that and like, it's not to say that the way Viserys dies isn't violent as fuck but like...the alternative is like, dragging him out of Vaes Dothrak to cut off his head, which may technically hurt less but is probably much more traumatic on the whole, or just straight beating/strangling him to death which is also like, incredibly violent and will take much longer anyway. So it's sort of like, well even if she wanted to save him she has no ability to do so!

And beyond that, imo, it's the same as Cersei killing Robert or Arya killing the boy in the stables. Do I worry about the way becoming an out and out murderer will affect them psychologically? Yes, because regardless of why you're killing someone, taking another person's life has a massive affect on your mental and emotional state for a reason. But do I blame either one for this action? No not even a little. Arya is panicked, she knows it's likely if she's caught at best she's a hostage, but who even knows what's going to happen if she gets caught because she's not totally sure what's happening right now. She panics, she kills the boy mostly accidentally, she runs off. That's clear cut self defense right there. And as for Cersei, again, what the fuck is she supposed to do. Her husband is beating and raping her and she has no recourse for this because it's not a crime for a husband in general to beat and rape his wife, and it's certainly not a crime for the King to do it. Her father will not help her because he does not care. If she lets Jaime kill Robert, they are completely fucked. Yeah, hell yeah she kills him, she doesn't have another option if she wants his abuse of her to stop.

It's the same here. Yeah, I think Viserys being murdered in Dany's name has a massive and terrible affect on her psychologically because it's another nail in the coffin of "safety and strength = violence and cruelty" conflation in her mind, and this is her last tie to home, it's her last tie to her family, to her house, to her mother, to Westeros, and that "last dragon" sequence that follows I think is her psychologically accepting that like, To Be The Last Dragon, To Be Any Dragon means you must accept violence and cruelty as your first and main tool to protect yourself (and violence and cruelty can certainly be useful tools but they should not be your only ones. but how could she ever know this when every mentor she's ever had has shown her that the only effective tools are to be cruel before someone else can be cruel to you). But Viserys' death is not her fault, it's not anything she could have stopped, and it doesn't inherently doom her because she is purposefully detaching her emotions from this moments and dissociating over the fact that her last known living relative was just brutally murdered by her husband in her name in front of her, and then her husband promises her what she has always wanted which is a home and a protector and an advocate.

The person responsible for Viserys' death is first and foremost Viserys himself for being a complete idiot and secondly Drogo's fault. Dany cannot stop it, she has nothing to do with it, and she shouldn't be blamed for feeling some sort of relief that a man who regularly physically, sexually, and psychologically abuses her is dead. Who gives a shit man, she literally murders her slave several chapter later.

And as for the Targaryen madness, it's like......idk why it's just so hard to grasp for so many people (this isn't a dig at you, specifically anon, obviously) that mental illnesses often run in a family, incest often makes this worse because you're not introducing anything new to the gene pool, and trauma of any sort can set off severe mental illness issues in just about anyone. As I said before, I think Dany's problem (very similar to Rhaenyra which is why I again find it mind boggling that people will be like "nyra is a tyrant but dany is a hero" when these women have the exact same issue) is that she has consistently conflated cruelty with strength in her mind. She has very little control of her temper, and often rationalizes her actions and the actions of the people around her as being necessary despite there being a lot of other, better options available. She doesn't think long term as much as she should. She has access to a "weapon" of sorts that can do an extreme amount of damage in a very small amount of time, with the added problem that she has an emotional and magical link to that weapon. The dragons only seem partially sentient and that "part" that is sentient is like a manifestation of their dragon rider's id.

That's just so much cooking in her mind, psychologically, and she's kind of born already screwed because her family has a history of mental illness. And tbc I don't think this means that like, mentally ill people should be shut out and barred from society because um, that means MY ass would not be allowed out but it does mean that in a world where certain people are granted certain massive privileges like access to an army or fantasy nuclear launch codes, and there's no check to that power, and there's no safety net, and everyone is using you and your dysfunction for their own gain, the worst parts of your psyche can be enabled until there's a snowball effect of violence. this isn't even like, something just this series; look at the large amounts of disabled and mentally unstable monarchs we've had in history, ask any millennial on lexapro with divorced parents how they feel about their mom's drinking or their dad's bipolar disorder, and you'll get the idea that without support, in a society that enables our worst behavior, someone with a family history of illness can find themselves in a really fucked up situation and that's just like, the tragedy of being alive.

Dany, Theon, Cersei, Ned, Tyrion, Aerys, Aegon II III and IV, on and on, they are of course responsible for the harm they cause, and they are all really screwed from the start and that's tragic, but it's not inevitable that they fail or lose their minds so much as it's an indictment of the way we treat each other as a species.

[dragon-of-the-soutn]

So recently I’ve been seeing a lot of people (mainly on HOTD tick-tock) say that one of the reasons they are ‘team Black’ in the show is because those characters such as Daemon, Rhaenyra and Corleys tend to be more in touch with and happy to embrace there Valyrian customs and heritage. While characters like Aegon, Aemond and Helaena are just blond Hightowers who don’t know what it means to be ‘true Targaryens’ or have been ‘raised wrong’ in terms of there Targaryen heritage.

(Please note that this is going to be a longish post that will be discussing lore from ASOIAF found in books and other material such as the world of ice and fire but because most of this discourse is happening around the show I’ll be discussing the characters as they are displayed in the show.)

Now there is so much to unpack in that but I think the most import thing to talk about is what Valyria and that culture truly was. Because yeah the dragon riding and blood magic is very cool but on the flip side Valyria was an empire that conquered the known world through bloody conquest. Then enslaved there new and unwilling subjects and put them to work in mines and in a hundred other horrible places. These mines were death sentences for the slaves who worked there as they were forced to dig for gold and jewels beneath volcanos such as the fourteen flames, where the Valyrian built there capital city’s on top of those fourteen volcanoes. And it’s suspected that they kept them from erupting by using blood magic and sorcery which was fed by there slaves who were unwilling sacrifice in those rituals.

In the books and show itself the Roynar who are the ancestors of much of Dorne and House Martell itself came to Westeros because they were fleeing Valyrian conquest. The free city of Braavos was founded by slaves who escaped Valyria, it’s the main reason the city is one of the few places in Essos that is staunchly opposed to slavery.

Now while this is technically unconfirmed (this is info given to Arya from a Faceless man) it’s believed that the cult of the Faceless Men was founded in the Valyrian slave mines because each slave was praying for death, so as a kindness the first Faceless Men gave it to them.

Then we have the incest. Believed to have been practiced to keep the dragon riding bloodlines strong, controlled and kept in certain families. Now I don’t think this is a hot take but incest is bad. In any context it’s bad. Please don’t go around snogging your relatives.

The blood magic is interesting as it appears that in ASOIAF most of the magic systems whether they be Green seeing and tied to the Old Gods or fire magic and tied to Valyria are based in blood. For example a prevalent theory is that the early Valyrian’s tampered with there blood so that it was easier for them to bond with dragons. Personally I don’t think there’s anything special in Valyrian blood. I think they probably did mess with it as we can see through some Targ stillborn come out having dragon like features, but at the end of the day anyone in ASOIAF can do some level of magic as displayed in characters like Marwin the Mage (who is most likely half Hightower btw) and even Jaime Lannister who had a prophetic dream but only around a magical thing which was a weirwood stump. And the Targs (particularly the early ones) were always around dragons which in this case are the magical objects along with having messed up blood magic blood. Which is cool but can’t be good for them. Also Green Seer magic seems to involve cannibalism which again is bad!

Also the doom of Valyria occurred because these people decided to build there major city atop 14 active super volcanos and then dug into the super volcanoes thinking everything would be fine and dandy. They were killed because of there own hubris.

Which is how we get onto the idea that the Hightower’s somehow ‘infected’ and ‘poisoned’ the Targaryen bloodline and ruined everything for everyone. Which is a very dangerous line of thinking even when we’re just discussing a book series. It leads into ideas of blood purity which again are disgusting and horrible and should never be considered good. Ever.

The Hightowers are not the reason the Tags rotted away. They were always rotting. Also Viserys made the choice to marry into the Nobel House with the most ties to the Faith of the Seven. We can argue about how much influence Otto had on the matter and obviously he did but at the end of the day Viserys still made that decision. He could have put his foot down and said no but he didn’t. Like he married a fantasy catholic and now everyone is shocked that the fantasy catholic is serious about her religion.

Also the reason Aegon, Aemond, Daeron and Helaena ‘act like Hightowers’ is because Alicent raised those kids not Viserys. Whatever you think about Alicents parenting she at the bare minimum parented. Viserys ignored his children from his second marriage in favour of trying to sooth his guilt over murdering Aemma and he focused his efforts on Rhaenyra and her children. So yes ‘the Green’ kids act like Hightowers because guess what Alicent was the only one who put any effort into raising them and raised them the only way she knew how, as Hightower. But like also her kids all ride dragons, Alicents grandkids are bonded to dragons. They are Targaryens. Even without the dragons they would still be Targaryens. And if we followed that logic than every Targ born after the dance wouldn’t be a ‘True Targaryen’ because they didn’t have dragons or were half Martell or Blackwood and those families have ‘poisoned’ the Targ bloodline. I cannot stress enough how gross that line of thinking is even when we’re using it to discuss a book series.

And the characters in the story who are the most fascinated by the lost glories of Valyria such as Viserys and Daemon are focusing on the lost prestige of there ancestors dead empire. They either don’t think about the horrors of what that place was, or there fine with them which says a lot about there characters and the way they view themselves and the people they rule.

I repeat Valyria was not a nice place. It was not a good place. It’s an interesting place and it’s affects on the Targaryens are fascinating and I would love to learn more about it but it was an evil empire.

The closest thing we have to Valyria remaining in the books is the free city of Volantis. Which is an old colony of Valyria, still has none dragon riding descendants of Valyria living there and is the biggest slave city outside of slavers bay. Volantis is a horrible place.

My point is placing Valyrian and in a sense Targaryen customs and heritage on a pedestal means that we ignore all the dodgey and horrifying stuff that entails or at the very least don’t look at it critically and that’s not good.

And yes this is only a book series so we don’t need to be so serious, but I would make the argument that when one of your major reasons for supporting one side in a conflict is because there more ‘pure anything’ than another then you need to take a step back and reevaluate.

[horizon-verizon]

It's amazing how you talk about misogyny to mask your own misogyny towards a female character. You think you can end your ridiculous essay with "she's just empty and not compelling" then blame it to sexism and the writers. All you have to say is you hate that they gave Helaena a compelling ability that you wish your favs have. Have you actually seen the next seasons of this show to know they're not doing anything with her character and the dreamer ability itself? You know you're going to be so disappointed with your wishes. You're just seething they didn't give show Dany the dreamer ability and projecting your spite towards Helaena. So transparent.

Well this is awkward.

You're just seething they didn't give show Dany the dreamer ability and projecting your spite towards Helaena.

Let's say that them not giving show Dany her canon dragon dreams was part of my thoughts when I was writing the post you respond to.

Dany actually had dreams...while canon Helaena, you and no one can ever prove that she did, so the real question is why is there a discrepancy in your mind as to why Dany shouldn't/couldn't have her canonical dreams while a less important character like Helaena should/could? Makes no sense.

I don't really care or feel strong emotions for or about Helaena bc she doesn't do much. Not because she is on the green side and little to do with her own choice in the matter. GRRM clearly uses her to make other characters compare Helaena to Rhaenyra, the Shepherd, the coming Dragonpit disaster, the degredation of Rhaenyra's control over KL, etc.

Also, why do you think it' a good thing or acceptable that they removed Dany's dreams, which are critical to understanding her arc, the Targs, the climatic catastrophe that is the Others, AND as this is a fantasy series...we need magical elements?! So, back to the discrepancy, I rather think it is you who is showing a bit of sexism: bc unlike Helaena, Dany is not a girl-woman who succumbs to the patriarchal violence but fights back and is going to enact revolutionary violence. If you say "Dany is an incest child", you should know that so are a lot of Westerosi people AND Dany is still that revolutionary, anti-exploitation figure.

It doesn't sound like you care much about "truth" or bigotry, so much as you are entertained and validated in the bigotry you already carry.

Have you actually seen the next seasons of this show to know they're not doing anything with her character and the dreamer ability itself? You know you're going to be so disappointed with your wishes.

If it takes 2 seasons to properly distinguish a character (aside from establishing that they have an ability) as to what kind of person they are and that you had since the second half of the first, you've done something wrong. So, yes, HotD dropped the ball and it does have to do with sexism either on the writers or the execs, like how Legend of Korra wasn't given as much of a chance as it should have been. Whether bc of production stuff or imagination. Espec since there have been characters people actually made into real people in just s few scenes (the rest going off from that point) and that has not happened for Helaena yet...when it should have in the first season. And if you say "bc studios and execs are cutting down stuff for costs", then that just hammers in the point that this is not a good story bc it was not allowed to breathe and develop. It's just unearned spectacle after spectacle.

Right now, Helaena is still just a person who says stuff and people ignore or to characterize/reflect more on Aegon and Jacaerys (dance scene).

All you have to say is you hate that they gave Helaena a compelling ability that you wish your favs have.

If you only talk of Dany, no, already explained above. If you mean the blacks, no, bc i think that no one should be having dragon dreams amongst them. This is supposed to be an uncommon ability and none of the characters of the orig canon Dance story show signs of having these dreams. I'd rather we focus on story given. The anon who's ask I link first above reminded me of Duncan (Maekar's son) and Patchface and how this adaptation could have made their Helaena more interesting while keeping her dragon dreaming. I still prefer the canon a little more, but with their post, I'm much more amenable to vision-having!Helaena as long as she's the only dragon dreamer and she has actual dreams and not Raven-Symone visions where she's fully awake for them. You can go check that post out. Or don't, not my issue.

[damn-stark]

Chapter 6 The white wolf & The white dragon

Chapter 6 of Sandstorm

A/N- since it’s my birthday I released it earlier. Also I CAN'T WAIT TO WRITE THE NEXT CHAPTER, some things are gonna change from what’s on the show, be ready!

Warning- Y/N has a son, swearing, fluff, incest, ANGST, slowburn, talks of pregnancy and abortian.

Pairing- Jon Snow x Targaryen!fem-reader

Episode- 8x02 & only small part of 8x03

(Let me know if you want to be tagged)

————

What is a lion without its pride?

Nothing but a lonely wanderer vulnerable to other lurking predators.

That’s what Jaime is now, nothing without his sister or father to keep him from death.

“When I was child, my brother would tell me a bedtime story,” Daenerys interjects in such a venomous tone that frightens you for obvious reasons. “About the man who murdered our father.”

Yeah because he was such a great guy. Please.

“Who stabbed him in the back and cut his throat. Who sat down on the Iron Throne and watched as his blood poured onto the floor,” she continues. “He told me other stories as well. About all the things we would do to that man once we took back the Seven Kingdoms and had him in our grasp. Your sister pledged to send her army north.”

Jaime nods, “she did.”

Daenerys scoffs. “I don’t see an army. I see one man, with one hand. It appears your sister lied to us.”

Yeah well is anyone really surprised? You definitely aren't.

“She lied to me as well,” Jaime interjects. “She had no intention of sending her army North. She has Euron Greyjoy’s fleet and 20,000 fresh troops. The Golden Company from Essos, bought and paid for…”

You scoff at the sound of his words that only proved your concern right about not trusting her.

You look over at Jon to share your proud look after being right, but just as he feels your gaze and looks, he quickly averts his gaze and stiffens.

Did something happen between last night and this morning? He never came to your chambers at night like he said he would, he didn’t attempt to talk to you earlier either, he’s been…cold, distant.

Maybe the news of the baby did actually upset him now that he’s had time to really think about it.

And if he is, he only needs to say the word…

“We?” You catch Daenerys snap back to something Jaime had said.

“I promised to fight for the living,” Jaime explains to her, “I intend to keep that promise.”

Daenerys looks over at you, and you slowly look over at her to share the same angered look.

“Your Grace, I know my brother,” Tyrion cuts in, causing you to snap your gaze over to him and snap back.

“Like you knew your sister? You don’t get to speak on this matter. He is your brother.”

Tyrion lowers his gaze and sighs deeply before continues regardless. “He came here alone, knowing full well how he’d be received. Why would he do that if he weren’t telling the truth?”

“Perhaps, he trusts his little brother to defend him, right up to the moment he slits my throat, or stabs my family through the back.” Daenerys counters spitefully.

“You’re right,” Sansa pitches in. “We can’t trust him. He attacked my father in the streets. He tried to destroy my house and my family, the same as he did yours.”

“Don’t you want me to apologize?” Jaime interrupts, making you furrow your eyebrows and narrow your gaze deeper. “I won’t,” he continues. “We were at war. Everything I did, I did for my house and my family. I’d do it all again.”

You scoff before you lean forward on your chair and clasps your hands on the table to then interject. “So you’re saying you’d break your promises, sacred oaths? You would let my family get killed all over again? All for what?” You spat. “Three seconds of glory?”

“The King was mad, he would have—”

“I don’t give a shit about King Aerys,” you cut Jaime off, and earn a side glare from Daenerys. “He was a cruel man. Mean to his own kin. It’s said my own father planned to overthrow him. So I don’t care about that old fucking King, I am talking about my family, my mother, my five year old sister and baby brother, Ser Jaime.” You slowly stand up as you begin to scowl. “The ones you promised to protect,” you continue to spat, causing Jaime to blink rapidly and go rigid as you catch him off guard with your comment.

“Tell me,” you say and lift your chin to look down at him. “Tyrion Lannister, what is it that happened to my family? What is it that your father order happen? What is it that Ser Jaime Lannister let happen?”

Tyrion clears his throat, “I wasn’t there, Princess.”

“Say it,” Daenerys commands him.

Tyrion let’s out a deep sigh and parts his lips to speak, “it’s said that…the Mountain smashed prince Aegon's skull in the wall in front of his mother. That Princess Rhaenys was dragged from under her fathers bed and stabbed fifty times…and that Princess Elia was…raped and murdered.”

You hum and tilt your head as you keep holding Jaime’s stare. “Yes,” you mutter. “So Ser Jaime, would you let that happen again? Would you break that promise?”

Jaime’s gaze falls, and now he has nothing to say back in his own defense. It makes you proud that you can cause such an effect on such a proud man, that you can leave him speechless.

“The things we do for love,” Bran suddenly interjects, making everyone around the table including you to look at him.

And he doesn’t add anything else to his comment, he just awkwardly leaves it at that; Jaime doesn’t say anything either, so you just take a seat and let out a small sigh to try and keep the bad memories away.

“So why have you abandoned your house and family now?” Daenerys asks.

“Because this goes beyond loyalty,” Jaime responds and glances at his side. When you follow his line of gaze you see him looking at Lady Brienne—“this is about survival.”

You hum at his comment and sit back in your chair, catching in that moment Lady Brienne stands up.

“You don’t know me well, Your Grace, Princess,” Lady Brienne adds and walks to the center. “But I know Ser Jaime. He is a man of honor. I was his captor once. But when we were both taken prisoner and the men holding us tried to force themselves on me, Ser Jaime defended me. And lost his hand because of it. Without him, my Lady, you would not be alive,” she says and glances over at Sansa. “He armed me, armored me, and sent me to find you and bring you home because he swore an oath to your mother.”

You break your gaze away from Lady Brienne to drift your gaze to Sansa, seeing her gaze drop and her face express distraught.

“You vouch for him?” Sansa queries and blinks to look at Lady Brienne.

“I do,” she says.

“You would fight beside him?”

“I would,” Lady Brienne says with confidence, making you feel…indifferent about her. Not in a bad way, just different. Maybe more respect for her.

“I trust you with my life,” Sansa continues. “If you trust him with yours, we should let him stay.”

Daenerys snaps her head in Sansa’s direction with disbelief, wanting blood as revenge and not pardon.

“What do you say about this Princess?” Daenerys asks you as she looks ahead at the man in trial.

You blink and look at Jaime too, you play Lady Brienne’s words in your mind, as well as Sansa’s. Even if anger wants to get the best of you, even if you crave to also burn him alive, you step back and don’t let your emotions cloud your judgment. You couldn’t.

“If Lady Sansa vouches for Lady Brienne,” you interject with a sigh. “Then…I second it. He can stay. Besides, we will need men for the battle to come. I do hope you keep your promise now, Ser Jaime.”

Daenerys shoots you another side glare before she hesitates for a moment, and then finally adds her last word. “Very well.” She then looks over at Greyworm standing at the other end of the table, and with her look alone, he grabs Jaime’s sword to hand it back to him.

The meeting is disbanded after that, Jaime bows and gives his thanks to the Queen, and Sansa leaves the hall first. Daenerys turns to look at you, but you quickly avert her gaze and look at Jon. Yet he hardly meets your gaze before he walks past you without a single word. He just leaves. Daenerys leaves after that, leaving you to stand alone at table with two options, walk after her and argue about this affair, or go after Jon and interrogate his weird behavior.

Yet as much…as you care for Daenerys, he means more to you. So you go after him.

Thankfully he doesn’t make it far, but when you see him down the hall you do see him talking to Sansa.

“Princess,” she greets and ends whatever it is she was talking about with Jon when she spots you approaching. “Or should I call you sis—” she cuts herself off as she catches Jon’s pointed glare due to her lack of discretion. “Princess,” she corrects herself with a teasing smirk.

You stop just beside them and glance at Jon one more time before you meet his sister's gaze and greet her back.

“Lady Stark.”

“I admire your choice,” Sansa says. “I’m sure it wasn’t easy. And for that I’m sorry.”

You clasp your hands together and offer her a gentle smile. “Thank you, and it wasn’t easy. But my uncle Doran, would say not to let my vengeance cloud my judgment. No matter how much I wanted Ser Jaime to burn alive.” You scoff. “Besides I also like to think about Rhaenar, what my actions teach him.”

Sansa hums and offers you a kind smile. “I like that.”

You shoot her a smile. “Thank you,” you mutter.

“Hm…” she trails off and looks between her brother and you before she continues. “Well, I will leave you two be.” She begins to smirk and steps back. “I hope we can talk later, Y/N, so you can show me your dress.”

You smile wider and nod eagerly. “Of course, I would love that.”

Sansa smiles softly one more time before she turns and walks away. Once you can no longer see her anymore you look to your betrothed and add a comment hoping that can break this weird tension. “She seems excited.”

Jon hums and slowly meets your gaze with a very strained smile. “I haven’t seen her this excited in a long time, so maybe I should thank you.”

You scoff and shake your head as you feel flustered by his comment. “I try my best,” you tease him, and earn a more genuine smile. But even then he can barely hold your gaze, so you immediately probe and don’t hold back anymore.

“What's wrong? You’ve been distant, kind of cold, did something happen?” You want to ask about the baby, but it’s dangerous to ask in such a public hall.

Jon knows that and grabs your hand to walk you down more stone halls, past doors, down steps, until finally he reaches his chambers and walks you in there. When he closes the door though he remains quiet, distant still.

“Jon,” you whisper and keep your distance. “What’s wrong? If this is about the ceremony we can have it some other day…” you blink and sigh. “And if it’s about the baby then…the maester said I should talk to him soon if I change my mind.” You flicker your eyes up and see him averting his gaze.

“Jon,” you whisper and finally approach him. “Please talk to me.” You grab his hands and he finally blinks and meets your gaze with a deep frown and a melancholy look that makes you catch your breath.

“It’s not about the baby…” he says. “It’s about me….Sam told me about my true parentage last night.”

Has he been brooding about that? Is that why he never went to your room?

“Really?” You sigh with relief. “That’s good. I mean…right?”

Jon swallows thickly and continues without expressing any sort of happiness. “My mother,” he says. “My mother is Lyanna Stark….”

Your own relief begins to dwindle and your heart strings begin to twist as you wait for the next part, the part of the father…because there’s so many answers that can be said.

“And my father. My true father is…Rhaegar Targaryen.”

You blink in disbelief and pull your hands away from Jon’s as you feel your heart sink to your stomach at the sound of his revelation, at the meaning behind it.

Rhaegal…that explains that.

And your father…he…While you and your family were trapped in the Red Keep belittled by the man he called father, he was out having a child with her….he was…what? Enjoying his life? Breaking his vows to your mother?

“I know—”

“What?” You cut him off sharply with tears stinging your eyes as you held them back. “Did they marry, or did he take advantage of her? Can Sam tell you that?”

Jon sighs and averts his gaze. “They married,” he whispers.

Stupid fucking bastard.

Your mother, Aegon, Rhaenys, they died, you almost died because he was chasing after some younger woman. Because he preferred her.

“I’m sorry,” he says as if he’s the one to blame for the discretions of his father and mother.

And maybe you should blame him too, hate him because he was born out of that love they kept a secret. But in all honesty…maybe you’re a fool because you can’t…you can’t bring yourself to hate him, only them.

“It’s not your fault,” you assure him quickly and meet his gaze without tears brimming your eyes. You just can’t cry or get angry about this subject in front of him.

Also there’s matters to consider now, like how Jon is your half sibling….

Not like it bothers you whatsoever though. By law he is still a bastard, marriage or not his mothers marriage to Rhaegar doesn’t count. The people are probably willing to turn the blind eye just to have him be King, but if they follow the law then the marriage doesn’t matter. Plus, he wasn’t raised by Rhaegar, he only knew of his true father until last night, so it shouldn’t bother him—then again people from the North are different, they don’t share the same…morals you do as a Valyrian.

“So…then does it bother you?” You ask and go serious. “That we share the same father?”

Jon lets out a deep sigh and walks past you to watch the flames dance in the fireplace. You turn and watch him brood for a second before you walk after him, but keep your distance for his own sake.

“He never raised me, I never even met him,” Jon argues. “Ned Stark raised me, he is my father, but…”

He’s going to say he can’t isn’t he?

“…doesn't it bother you?” He suddenly asks and turns around to face you with his face contorted in that same sad look he always seems to carry.

You blink and look at the floor as you clasps your hands together. “Rhaegar may be blood of my blood, we may share the same name, he may be the reason why I am here, but I don’t respect him.” You look at Jon and face him with tears in your eyes now.

You just can’t hold them back.

“He’s the reason I don't have my mom, my sister, my brother, he’s the reason I had to escape home,” you continue. “He destroyed my life…he will never have my respect. My uncles are the father he never could be. So no, it doesn’t bother me…but you,” you utter unsurely. “You can’t just stay with me because of the baby, I can’t make you do that, so tell me the truth, be honest, does it bother you?” You ask with a fearful gaze.

Jon lets out a deep breath and keeps his gaze lingering on you for a moment before he looks at your belly, and then drops his gaze.

Out of fear of his response, of his reaction, you begin to fiddle with your rings and hold your breath in hopes he doesn’t break what you do have, that he doesn’t break the promise of an eternal life together.

“Why don’t you care?” He mutters and meets your gaze. “Knowing who I am means I am now a threat to Daenerys, to you and Rhaenar.”

“Right now?” You say softly. “Because my love for you means much more than a stupid iron throne.” You breathe out shakily and see his eyes soften. “If you were to tell me to leave it all behind, if you asked me to stop fighting and have a life here, I would. It all means nothing without you. I don’t want to lose you. That’s why.”

“I am not Stark, not really, nor am I a Targaryen, I don’t think I would ever consider myself that. I have no reason to go against Daenerys or you, nor do I want you to stop fighting because of me,” he says and takes a step closer to you, making your heart finally begin to unclench. “So…no…it doesn’t bother me. I don’t want to lose you. Or our family.”

You smile softly yet you don’t find relief yet as you do remember about your other problem.

“And what about Daenerys?” You press seriously. “Will you tell her?”

Jon sighs and nods hesitantly. “I have to. I’d rather she hear it from me. So please let me talk to her.”

You nod as you find trust in his words, only because you don’t want to face her wrath when she finds out. It’s a miracle she accepted you to be at her side knowing you are her brother's offspring, “the rightful heir”.

Then again it’s not like she had any other blood family besides Rhaenar and you…she’d be foolish not to let you in.

“All right,” you sigh but squeeze in one last question. “And your family?”

“I’ll talk to them too. Soon.”

You let out a relieved breath and let your eyes linger on him for a moment before you both give in to desire and close the gap and crash your lips together. He grabs your waist, and you grab his cheeks and linger in the feeling. As he does too.

Your heart flutters, and your body finally untenses as you’re no longer frozen with fear.

“So,” you whisper against his lips. “Am I still wearing that dress or should I look for someone else to marry? The Baratheon bastard isn’t so bad on the eyes, hm.”

Jon scoffs in distaste. “Yes, the ceremony is still happening, I’m still going to marry you.”

You grin softly and tilt your head as you caress his cheek.

“Rhaenar is excited,” you mention. “I told him last night, he’s excited to present me to you.”

Jon smiles softly. “That’s good.”

You hum and let your eyes linger on him for a moment longer before you pull away from him. “I need to go to my chambers and do some stuff. Maybe rest for a bit.”

Jon's eyes instantly express concern as he glances down. “Are you okay?” He asks.

You nod. “I am. These early stages are just hard, so I need to rest for a moment.”

Jon caresses your cheek and nods in comprehension. “All right. I should go too before people come looking for me.”

You press one last kiss on his lips before you pull away again for good this time and leave without another word. He doesn’t follow, nor does he ask to walk you—not like you want him to walk you. You want to be alone. You need to be alone. The anger you feel for your father still burns fiercely within you, the truth still hurts you. The realization of what happened after he left stabs deeper into your heart, welling your eyes with more and more tears the closer you get to your room.

Yet you don’t let those tears out in the hall, you clench your jaw and breathe heavily. You don’t run to try and reach the intimacy of your room faster, you just stride there quickly and see every bit of your surroundings blurry.

That is until you reach your room. Those tears you held back come out as an angry sob, and those deep breaths begin to tremble. All you want to do is lay down and cry, cry until you can't shed another tear. Yet right away you’re reminded of something you had held dear to your heart.

You swipe a blade from your desk and storm over to the end of your room to uncover your fathers painting.

And now as you see his face, as you see his eyes, all you feel is utter disgust and burning fiery. That spark that was the love you held for him was completely blown out leaving nothing. Not even the good memories you cherished. Nothing.

So it’s easy stabbing the blade through his face, it’s relieving slicing the stupid painting over and over again until his face can no longer be put together, until it’s no longer recognizable. And not an ounce of guilt hits you when you grab it and examine the damage. You actually smile as tears come out of your eyes.

“I will get whatever you never could, father ” you mutter to the shredded painting. “For me. For my mother, my sister, my brother. Not you. Never you,” you spat and lift your gaze to watch the flames dance in your own fireplace.

The flames brighten your eyes and the smirk on your face.

“I hope you’re burning in all seven hells,” you grimace before you throw the painting in the flames.

You wipe the tears off your face and watch the painting wither away until there’s nothing but ashes. After that you clear your throat and walk over to look at yourself in the vanity.

Your face is red, and your eyes still gleam from the tears you had shed. The heartbreak is clear. Luckily, the coldness disguises your redness as simply that. And the heartbreak that is so clearly featured within your gaze can just be worry.

And people believe that, when you step out in search of Rhaenar no one bats an eye, not even those who you had traveled with. Not even Rhaenar himself.

Then again you wouldn’t let them see you down, they can’t see you down. And as of your son, well he was busy reading with Ser Jorah.

“Am I interrupting?” You make yourself known.

Both Ser Jorah and Rhaenar look back at you, and the boy quickly smiles, but doesn’t ask any questions.

It’s good though, to tell him the truth about his grandfather is something you don’t need him to know yet.

“Mother!” He greets you happily. “And no you’re not, Ser Jorah was just helping me with my studies.”

Ser Jorah stands up and nods as he smiles timedly. “A good prince needs to be well taught of his country's history.”

You nod in agreement. “Yes. Even if that boy doesn’t much like to study.”

The orange dragon, Helios, flaps to the little boy's shoulder and tilts his head as he sees you.

“Well,” Rhaenar scoffs. “There are better things to do.”

You roll your eyes and Ser Jorah chuckles quietly.

“I hope I can take my son if that’s okay,” you interject.

Ser Jorah nods right away. “Of course, Princess. We have been studying for quite some time, he deserves a short break.”

You hum and step aside to watch Rhaenar run out of the library with his dragon on his shoulder. You offer Ser Jorah a small smile before you follow your son out to the hall and begin to lead him towards the chambers where the dragon eggs are kept.

“Mother,” Rhaenar asks as you walk down the hall. “Why is it…” he pauses and lets out a deep sigh. “Why is it that the people here don’t like talking to me? I mean the Stark’s do, but the others, their people…they give me weird looks all the time, and all the other kids avoid me, even when Helios isn’t with me.”

You blink rapidly in disbelief and swallow thickly.

All the dirty looks, the looks full of judgment and hate is something you noticed, but after riding here you just ignored them, there was no point. And it’s like Jon says, they’ll warm up with time.

Yet hearing that Rhaenar gets those same looks, hearing that he’s been avoided because of who he is, what he looks like lights an anger within you that is unlike any other.

However, you can’t let that grow bigger. No matter how much it tempted you.

“Well,” you mutter as you come up with a good answer. “People here don’t normally see people like us. That’s all.” You glance at him and see him stare down as he listens to your every word. “You just need to give them time, okay? Continue to be kind like you are already, and if anyone dares to say anything tell me right away.”

Rhaenar looks up at you and gives you a partial smile as he nods in agreement. “All right,” he whispers. He then blinks and begins to smile. “When are Sarella and Elia coming? I want to see them. I want them to see Helios.”

You scoff softly, “soon.”

The chamber now stands dead ahead, and two Unsullied stand guard out the door. It’s a miracle Daenerys didn’t keep them in her quarters, she took them as if they were actually hers, when it wasn’t even her dragon who birthed them.

“Why are we here?” Rhaenar asks as the guards grant you access. “Did one of them hatch?!” He exclaims and runs to the heating pots. Yet when he opens them he finds both of them still over the kindling. “Oh.”

You clasps your hands in front of you and make sure that you don’t hear anyone approaching before you interject, “if you could pick between the blue or the silver one, which one would you pick? Hm?” You ask and slowly walk to the end of the table.

Rhaenar lifts his head and furrows his eyebrows in confusion. “Mother,” he mutters, whilst his dragons hops on the table to approach the pots. “I already have a dragon.”

You scoff softly and nod. “I know that,” you tell him. “But if you could pick one for someone else, which one would you pick, hm?” You begin to smile wider and slowly put your hands over your belly.

Rhaenar blinks and keeps still for a second before he turns on his heels to examine both dragon eggs.

He looks at the one that gleams silver, and then looks at the blue one that gleams like a beautiful sapphires. His dragon leans his head in the pot of the blue one, and doesn’t even react to the steam that blows out.

“I suppose,” Rhaenar says slowly and walks towards the blue dragon egg. “This one. The blue one.”

You grin and hum. “That’s a good one. I know it will be a beautiful dragon.”

Rhaenar blinks and looks up at you to meet your gaze. “Why do you ask?” He probes.

You peer back at the closed door and hear if anyone is approaching. When you hear no approaching footsteps you walk to him and begin to whisper so the guards won’t hear.

Alas, maybe you should have checked, because sometimes there are steps that aren’t heard echoing on the ground when someone wants to be discreet.

“Well…I recently discovered something…soon enough, in nine months or so, you will be a big brother.” You begin to fiddle with your rings and watch him lower his gaze as he thinks of what you said.

“A brother,” he whispers and hums before he lifts his gaze and slowly begins to smile before he wraps his arms around you.

You sigh in relief before you giggle and immediately return his embrace. “Does that make you happy?” You ask.

Rhaenar nods and pulls his head back to meets your gaze. “Yes! Yes! It means I finally won't have to be alone. And I can ride my dragon alongside my brother.”

You scoff. “My Sunspot, we don’t know if it’s a boy or girl yet. Not until it’s born.”

Rhaenar shrugs. “It doesn’t matter! It means I will have someone to talk to.”

Hearing him not be disappointed over the news makes you happy. For so long he’s been the only child that you worried he’d take the news badly. Then he still doesn’t know who you’re with.

That’s what he realizes now too.

“And…” he lowers his voice as his smile begins to fade. “Who is the baby’s father? Is it Jon? Is that why you’re getting married?”

You smile softly and nod. “Yes. That’s one of the reasons.”

Rhaenar grins again and jumps back to look at the blue egg. “That’s good. I like Jon. He’s very nice.”

“Yes,” you agree, “he is, isn't he?”

“Can I show him the egg I chose for my brother?”

You roll your eyes and scoff at his insistence, but don’t correct him anymore. “Yes, you can.”

“And aunt Dany! I’m sure she’ll love to know—”

“No,” you snap and crouch down to grab his shoulder and turn him not face you. “You may not tell her or anyone else, not even any of the Stark’s. Jon will tell his family, I will tell ours when the time is right.”

Rhaenar goes serious and quickly nods in agreement. “Yes, mother.”

“Swear to me,” you insist. “Swear you won’t say a word. I’ll tell you when you can speak of it. Okay?”

The boy sighs and nods in comprehension.

“Good,” you sigh. “Now let’s go. There’s plenty to do, and people will come look for us.”

Alas, just as you walk out of the room you catch Jon approaching the room. When he spots the both of you he stops and faces you with a sad look on his face, as if he just received the most terrible news.

“What is it?” You ask right away as you approach him.

Jon lets out a sigh and mutters, “the dead are coming.”

——

“They’re coming. We have dragon glass and Valyrian steel. But there are too many of them. Far too many. Our enemy doesn’t tire. Doesn’t stop. Doesn’t feel….”

Perhaps illusion is what kept you thinking they’d somehow take months to get here, blinding illusion. But they’re here now. Only hours away. And with their arrival the plans to marry are foiled.

Which is probably something stupid to be angry over, but it was a beautiful desire.

“We can’t beat them in a straight fight,” Jon continues to say to those gathered around the table.

“So what can we do?” Jaime asks.

“The Night King made them all. They follow his command. If he falls…getting to him may be our best chance.”

You sigh and clasps your hands together to begin fiddling with your rings as you interject, “if that’s true, he’ll never expose himself.”

“Yes, he will,” Bran cuts in, making everyone look over at him by the fireplace. “He’ll come for me. He’s tried before, many times, with many Three-Eyed Ravens.”

Whatever that’s supposed to really mean.

“Why?” Sam asks what everyone is thinking. “What does he want?”

“An endless night,” Bran answers, creating chills down your spines. “He wants to erase this world, and I am it’s memory.”

You swallow thickly and begin to clench your hands to fists.

“That’s what death is, isn’t it?” Sam continues to say. “Forgetting.” He looks around the table, and you all slowly look at him. “Being forgotten. If we forget where we’ve been and what we’ve done, we’re not men anymore. Just animals. Your memories don’t come from books. Your stories aren’t just stories. If I wanted to erase the world of men, I'd start with you.”

He’s got a nice way with words you have to give him that.

Maybe that’s why he wants to be a maester.

“How will he find you?” Tyrion cuts in to ask Bran.

“His mark is on me,” Bran answers and lifts his sleeve to show off a red bruise formed as a handprint. “He always knows where I am.”

“We’ll put you in the crypt, where it’s safest,” Jon assures his brother.

Yet his brother rebuttals.

“No. We need to lure him into the open before his army destroys all…..”

You stop fidgeting and slowly look up at him….

There’s heavy sheets of snow on the ground, the sky is dark; in the middle stands a large weirwood tree, around it are skulls. Dead.

“In the Godswood,” you interject.

Bran might’ve not been in your dream, but this…this is what the dream means.

Bran and everyone looks over at you, and the boy nods.

“Yes,” he says, “exactly.”

“You want us to use him as bait?” Sansa snaps, grabbing your attention.

“We’re not leaving you out there,” Arya also chimes in.

“He won’t be,” Theon suddenly cuts in. “I’ll stay with him. With the Ironborn. I took this castle,” he says and looks at the boy. “Let me defend you now.”

Without a word Bran nods in agreement, and Theon does as well, bringing a silence that lets you continue to focus on the next plan.

“We’ll hold off the rest of them for as long as we can,” Ser Davos inputs.

“When the time comes,” Tyrion adds. “Ser Davos and I will be on the walls to give you the signal to light the trench.”

“Ser Davos is perfectly capable of waving a torch on his own,” Daenerys counters him. “You’ll be in the crypt.”

If it were up to you he could stay up and fight, he may be smart, but he hasn’t been so lately.

Regardless, Tyrion seems to find offense to Daenerys' command and awkwardly turns to face her to try and persuade her otherwise. “Your Grace, I have fought before, I can do it again. Alongside the men and women risking their lives.”

“There are thousands of them and only one of you,” Daenerys cuts him off. “You can’t fight as well as they can, but you can think better than any of them. You’re here because of your mind. If we survive, I’ll need it.”

“May I be with Ser Davos?” The young voice beside you interjects.

You scoff and look down at your son as he keeps his gaze fixed on the map. “No,” you quickly answer him. “No. You are the heir to Daenerys, and far too young, you’ll be in the crypts.”

The boy shoots you a narrowed look. “But mother, I am not a boy any more. I can help as well.”

You keep your mouth shut and just raise your eyebrows as you shoot him a pointed glare.

He parts his lips to argue, but as he watches your look he shuts his mouth and just huffs.

“I’m sure they will need you down at the crypts,” Jon tries to assure him, pulling your gaze to him. “Whatever happens, you can keep them safe. You and your dragon.”

Rhaenar keeps his eyes down and just sighs, “I suppose.”

You share a soft thankful look with Jon and lets gaze linger before he looks away.

“The dragons should give us an edge in the field,” Ser Davos breaks the tension between Jon and you.

Jon looks back at the table and interjects. “If they’re in the field, they’re not protecting Bran. We need to be near him. Not too near, or the Night King won’t come.” He exhales deeply. “But close enough to pursue him when he does.”

You hum in agreement, and Jon passes you a displeased look when you do.

“Dragonfire will stop him?” Arya asks and looks to Bran.

“I don’t know,” he mutters. “No one’s ever tried.”

Well that’s assuring.

“We’re all going to die,” the big ginger man, Tormund interjects bluntly, pulling your immediate attention. “But at least we’ll die together.”

You scoff in amusement, and muster a partial smile.

Yet as you do smile Daenerys passes you a judgemental look that makes you go serious.

“Let’s get some rest,” Jon says and ends the meeting, letting you grab Rhaenar’s shoulder to walk out with him, catching from the corner of your eye Jon following close behind.

Since the people are all walking out and following you both, you make sure to walk somewhere discreet, somewhere far from curious eyes and passersby to meet up.

Once you’re isolated Rhaenar breaks away from you and turns to face Jon with a grin.

“Jon!” He exclaims. “Guess what?!” He says with his eyes wide with excitement. “I picked a dragon egg for my brother.”

Jon eyebrows furrow as he retorts, “brother?” He scoffs. “What if it’s a girl?”

Rhaenar scoffs and brushes him off. “It will be a boy, I’m sure.”

You roll your eyes, but can’t help but smile.

“Well, we’ll see when the baby is born,” Jon counters him. “Won’t we?”

“Sure,” the boy shrugs him off again. “But will you want to see the egg I chose? Maybe after the battle is over?”

Jon smiles softly and nods. “Of course I would love to see it.”

Rhaenar smirks and steps away from Jon and you. “Now may I prepare for this battle? I have new armor I want to wear.”

You nod, and the boy runs off, leaving Jon and you alone. And right away he expresses that displeasure he felt before.

“Mayhaps you should go to the crypts too,” he suggests—no actually not, he's giving a discreet order.

“I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you and the baby.”

You check if anyone is nearby, and when no one is you step towards him and fix the collar of his shirt as you meet his gaze. “Eraxis won’t fight unless I’m with her, and we need her out there. You need me out there. I can’t just sit back and listen to everyone risk their lives, I can’t sit and just let you risk your life. What if I lose you because I’m down there? What then?” You argue. “You’ll have me raise this child alone?”

“You’ll have Sansa, Arya,” Jon interjects with his gaze on yours as if that is meant to assure you. “The entire North. And you’ve done it before and you’ve done a great job.”

You shake your head and grab onto his jaw now. “The baby will need their father. I need you,” you snap softly.

Jon caresses your face and leans in to rest his forehead against yours. “Swear to me you’ll be careful,” he says.” The moment you see things go to shit you run the other way.”

You let out a deep sigh and nod, even if you really don’t intend to run. You just can’t argue all night.

“So…” you change the subject. “I suppose the wedding is off then?”

Jon scoffs and smirks softly. “It doesn’t have to be. I mean we probably won’t have a wedding night or a feast.”

You giggle. “No wedding night? Well then it’s a damn good thing we’ve had that already.” You grin and press a kiss on his lips, feeling him grab onto you tighter before he pulls back and faces you.

“If you want we can marry right now, I’ll gather my siblings. You can gather Rhaenar, and we can marry, if it’s what you want.” Jon suggests.

Marry amongst the chaos, moments before battle?

You may never have dreamt of a perfect wedding because the truth is you never expected to choose your suitor. When you met Jon, when you accepted his love and let yourself love, there was a picture in your mind, but now….

Now in the middle of this chaos, not knowing whether either of you will survive the night, the promise of forever under the eyes of the gods sounds like the sweetest bliss. Perhaps the only one you’ll ever feel.

“Okay,” you whisper with excitement. “I want to do it. Let’s do it.”

——

*LATER*

“Beautiful,” Sansa whispers and smooths out one more invisible wrinkle on your cream colored skirt. “Truly.”

You look away from your rings and meet her glimmering gaze. “Thank you,” you whisper.

Sansa studies you one more time, she takes her time to study the beautiful work of the skirt, the soft red flames designed to the bottom of the skirt, the long train that spread out over the floor, the small embroidered dragon on the bosom of the dress and the sun that it wraps around demonstrating two of the houses you’re a part of. She looks at your reflection, at the dragon wings embroidered on your back, and then looks back at your face.

“I’m sure you’ll give Jon a heart attack,” Sansa teases.

You smile softly. “If he doesn’t have one what’s the point?”

Sansa laughs softly and takes one step towards you and unhooks a wolf pin from her dress to pin it on a sleeve of your dress.

“There,” she says and presses it as she meets your gaze. “Now you’re ready.”

You look down at the silver wolf and feel your eyes sting.

“Why?” You whisper in disbelief. She’s shown not to like Daenerys for what she demands from Sansa, you are on Daenerys side, why is she so nice to you?

“Why what?” She queries.

You lift your gaze to meet hers. “Why be kind to me? I mean it seems that you don’t really like Daenerys, so why be nice to me.”

Sansa scoffs, “you were the first one to truly tell me you felt sorry,” she shares softly and holds your gaze. “Back in King’s Landing. Everyone else didn’t say a word, they hated my family, so they treated it as a victory. There were even some who said they were sorry but never meant it. Not you though, you were really sorry, perhaps the first one to be sorry for me. You were kind when I needed it the most. That’s why, because you are a good person.”

Your breath gets trapped in your throat at the sound of her sincerity, and more tears gloss over your eyes, real tears that really hurt your eyes not to let fall. She didn’t answer your question regarding Daenerys, and it seems she won’t so you leave it be and offer her a soft smile before you can’t help but wrap her in an embrace.

Sansa gets surprised, but after a small exhale she returns your hug and squeezes tight.

“Be good to my brother,” she whispers as she keeps you in her arms.

You scoff softly and nod. “I will, I swear. He’s…very special to me.”

Sansa pulls back and offers you one last smile. A knock then raps on the door, and you slightly stiffen hoping it won’t be anyone unwanted, but muster the courage to get the door; Seeing that it’s only Rhaenar.

“Come in,” you say and step back to not been seen in case anyone passes by.

“I’m ready,” he says and closes the door for you. “Are you…” he trails off as he lays his eyes on you and smiles a very sweet smile. “You look very beautiful mother.”

You grin brightly and feel your heart skip at his sweet comment. “Oh, why thank you, sweetling. And you look very dapper yourself in your armor.”

Rhaenar scoffs but can’t help his little smirk.

“Are you ready?” He then asks.

You let out a soft nervous sigh and nod. “I’m ready.” You look at Sansa over your shoulder and probe. “Are you sure they won’t see us?”

Sansa nods right away. “I’m sure,” she assures you. “But if anything, here,” she trails off and walks to a rack to grab a long cloak. “Just so you can feel assured.”

You take it from her and throw it on, making sure that every inch of the dress was covered in case you do run into someone that can’t know quite yet.

“Okay.” You say again, but for the final time. “I’m ready. Let’s not keep him waiting anymore.”

Rhaenar shoots you an excited smile, and Sansa is the first one to walk out, letting you and Rhaenar follow after her through more discreet halls that lead outside to the Godswood where Jon is waiting.

And luckily her path is short, you don’t run into anyone, but…now all you feel is your pounding heart, your spinning mind, and your nervous and shallow breaths when you step outside to the evening that slowly brought the night.

It seems that Eraxis can sense your high stressed, and excited emotions because she flies overhead and begins to circle the Godswood. If she could she’d probably land within the grounds, but she’s far too big to do so, so all she can do is circle from above and keep a watchful eye.

“Here,” Sansa sort of startles you as she comes to a stop just outside the entrance into the Godswood. “I can take the cloak now.”

You scoff softly, “right,” you whisper and slide it off your shoulders, filling the coldness nipping at your sleeveless arms.

“It’s okay, it will be okay,” Sansa assures you as she notices your emotions.

You meet her gaze and hum.

She smirks and steps back. “I’ll see you in there.”

You hum again and watch her disappear within the grounds of the woods. And once she is gone, once you make sure you won’t run into her you let out one last deep breath and expel all your nerves, after all Jon isn’t a stranger you’re suddenly matched with, you know him, you love him already, he’s the love your life…a comfort in the chaos…

You smile softly and glance up at Eraxis one last time before you meet Rhaenar’s gaze. “Ready?” You probe.

Your son offers you a sweeter smile and nods eagerly before he turns to face the Godswood, and then walks you inside.

The walk is not long or rushed, it’s calm. For what awaits everyone tonight, it’s all forgotten right now at this moment as you walk down the snowy path to the Heart Tree, as you see Jon there waiting in front of that red leaved Weirwood tree with his eyes soft and full of love the moment he sees you. There’s only peace, solace. No war, no Night King, no one else but you and him as you walk to him.

Once you do reach him, once you stand close you don’t feel nervous anymore, not even if you see his family, Theon, his friend Sam watching and his very pregnant…wife? Paramour? By his side. You feel at peace and excited, smug even when you see Jon catch his breath.

“Who comes before the Old Gods this evening?” You hear Arya ask, and finally notice that she had stepped forward.

“Y/N,” Rhaenar announces like he was told to say, “of the House Targaryen and House Martell. Whoms here to be wed. A woman grown, generous, true born, and noble. She comes to beg the blessings of the Gods. Who comes to claim her?”

You smile softly and watch Jon take a step forward, leaving his white wolfs side. “Jon, of House Stark,” he says, “Lord of Winterfell, and Warden of the North. Who gives her?” He asks as he keeps holding your gaze.

“Rhaenar,” your son shares happily. “Of House Targaryen. Heir to the Queen.”

“Princess Y/N,” Arya interjects. “Will you take this man?”

You take a step forward and grin brighter. “I take this man,” you agree without hesitation.

Jon lips tug wider as he gaze lingers for a moment longer as he takes your hand. You gently secure yours around his to walk closer to the Heart Tree and kneel before it.

You both then bow your heads as a token of submission, and join in prayer.

It’s not something you’re accustomed to but you only think of a simple prayer in hopes that his life nor the lives of the ones you care about get taken tonight, and that this baby within you is born healthy. That’s all.

After he’s done with his prayers he helps you to your feet and turns to face you with your hand secured in his. He caresses your face gently before he steps back to take off his fur cloak and walk behind you to carefully place it on your shoulders.

Supposedly what follows is him carrying you to the feast, but well that can’t happen tonight, so he stands before you and shares a lingering and enamored gaze before you close the gap to steal a sweet and deep kiss he quickly returns.

He cups your cheeks and deepens it more, making sure to savor what could be your last kiss ever. When he pulls back the few people that are gathered clap, and you remain in front of one another and press your foreheads against each other to cherish this moment. This blissful moment that is soon filled with the sound of Eraxis song, and Jon’s wolfs soft beautiful howl.

“I love you,” you murmur.

Jon smiles softly. “I love you,” he whispers against your lips.

You cup his jaw and caress his cheek one last time before you both pull away and face your families.

“Congratulations,” Sam is the first one to tell Jon as he walks to him and gives him a quick embrace.

Jon scoffs softly and pats his friends back. “Thank you, Sam.”

Sams paramour approaches you with a beaming grin and curtsy’s. “Congratulations, princess.”

You grin in amusement and offer her a thankful nod. “Thank you. You’re very sweet.”

The woman offers you one last smile before she steps away, letting Jon speak now.

“Thank you for attending, now I hope you all can keep your promise and keep the ceremony a secret until we can tell the Queen and everyone else.”

His family share a knowing look, and Arya is the one that speaks for her siblings. “Of course we will.”

Jon's eyes drift to Theon, and the man offers Jon a stiff but assuring nod. When he looks to Sam, he immediately nods and assures him too.

“I swear. We swear.”

Jon nods, and now the reality of what you’re going to face hits again. That beautiful short lived bliss wears off and doom and dread hits you harder than ever.

This might be the last time you ever see Rhaenar and Jon. This might be your last day.

“Jon,” you call out before you can leave the Godswood.

He looks over and stops in his tracks as you slow down to a stop.

Rhaenar catches you fall behind and looks back.

“It’s okay, go, get Helios and meet me in my chambers.”

The boy nods and begins to walk off, but Jon then stops him. “Wait.”

Rhaenar is caught off guard, but waits where he is and watches Jon approach him.

“I just want to wish you good fortune,” Jon says as he stops before the boy. “You’ll be down protecting people at the crypts so it’s my last time seeing you until the battle is over.” He hesitates but after a small breath he cups the back of the boy's head and offers him a gentle smile. “It’s okay to be afraid, remember?”

Rhaenar sighs shakily and nods in comprehension.

“I hope you make it,” Rhaenar tells Jon. “And kill that ice bastard.”

You and Jon chuckle as Rhaenar smiles.

“I will,” Jon assures the boy and pulls his hand back to step away. “Now go on, listen to your mother.”

Rhaenar steals a glance at you one more time before he walks off, letting Jon face you again.

“Will you tell me that it’s okay to be scared,” you whisper as he gets close to you. “I’m meant to be the face of bravery, I’m a princess, a dragon rider, I am meant to inspire people, but…I’m scared.

Jon offers you a sweet smile and grabs your fidgeting hands. “That means you’re not stupid,” he says and lifts your hands to press a kiss on your knuckles. “And people will understand your fear, we’re fighting the dead. As long as you fight, the people will follow.”

You lower your gaze and let out a soft shaky sigh. “Will you promise me that you’ll stay alive?” You ask for comfort.

Jon cups your cheeks and whispers, “I will try.” He then lowers his hand and rubs your belly. “By the way, you are breathtakingly beautiful.”

You grin shyly and meet his gaze. “Thank you,” you retort and lift your hand to cradle his cheek. “I’m glad that the truth didn’t change us.”

“I told you,” he sighs. “I won’t consider myself a Targaryen. Never.”

You begin to smirk. “Not even now that we’re married? You can be Jon Targaryen, husband to Y/N Targaryen.”

“You would like that wouldn’t you?” He quips with a partial grin.

You nod. “Very much.”

Jon grins and then steals one last lingering kiss from you, making your eyes instantly fill with tears.

“I love you,” he murmurs against your lips. “So much.”

You swallow thickly as you hold back your tears and reply, “I love you too.”

Jon pulls you in for one last lasting embrace before you break away and go your separate ways before the battle begins.

Now rather than wearing a wedding dress you have armor protecting your body. How sad is that?

Instead of a feast you’re holding your son tightly in your arms with tears welled in your eyes for what could be the last time. He usually complains that he’s getting too old to be treated like a child, but today as you wait for those horns to blow to announce the beginning of an end, he lets you cuddle with him. And his little orange hatchling nuzzles himself in between the both of you too

“Will you sing to me?” You ask Rhaenar quietly as you stroke his curly hair. “One more time.”

Rhaenar lets out a small breath before he begins to sing the song he loves in High Valyrian.

His voice quietly carries throughout the room, lolling his hatchling to sleep, blocking out the shouts from outside as people still worked, as they gathered. He had a way to make you forget for a moment the dread, and the violence that ensues.

For a moment there was peace as he sang the song. For a moment.

And then reality broke the short peace as horns were blown.

“You have your weapons right?” You ask as you both stand to your feet.

Rhaenar points to his dragon glass sword and pats his dragon glass daggers, and nods in confirmation. And you study his new shiny silver armor to check that everything was strapped and tight.

“Good,” you whisper and brush his bangs back.

“You?” He probes. “Do you have your weapons?”

You smirk and point to your double bladed dragon-glass spear by the door and pat your daggers, and nod in confirmation. “Yes I do.”

“Okay,” he sighs and walks out first, making sure to take Helios and grab his spear on the way out. You take yours too and walk him all the way to the crypts first, even if his guards were going to escort him and be with him until the battle was over.

Once again, he would’ve minded any other time, but not tonight. Tonight he hesitates to leave your side when you do reach the crypts. He looks down at the torch lit pathway and lets out a deep sigh before he turns to throw his arms around you.

“I love you, mama,” he mutters.

You laugh softly and hug him back tighter. “I love you too, my sweet boy.” You put on a brave face so he won’t feel as afraid and pull back to take in his beautiful tan face, his sweet brown eyes, his dark curly black hair, and his sweet brave smile before you press a kiss on his forehead and linger there for a moment longer. “Take care, swear to me.”

Rhaenar pulls back and offers you an assuring nod as a tear rolls down his cheek. “I swear,” he murmurs. “And you take care too. And keep my little brother safe.”

You chuckle breathlessly and nod as you step back before you stay down there with him to make sure he makes it throughout the night. “I love you my sweet boy.” You tell him one last time and wave before you turn around and head for Eraxis.

And luckily on your way out you run into Daenerys and Jon going to the same place. However, the moment Daenerys sees you she looks at you up and down before striding away faster.

You quickly look to Jon to ask what happened in a speechless manner, and all he does is sigh deeply and frown, letting you know that her reaction wasn’t due to anything good.

He probably told her about his parents, who he is.

Why couldn’t he wait if there is a tomorrow? At least then things wouldn’t be so tension filled at the moment of battle.

However, once you’re on Eraxis’s back flying over the armies formed in front of the castle, that anger you knew she held, that tension, none of it mattered. It all ceases to matter. Especially when you land on the snowy hill that overlooks it all; the castle, the armies that await for the dead, especially when all you hear is nothing but a dreadful silence.

All that matters is the dead, and you.

Even if you can’t see them below due to the darkness that envelopes the land, you know that now nothing stands between you and them. It was now or never, this fight.

You try to pump yourself with hope and desperation to win this fight. As flames light the Dothraki’s weapons below, that hope only grows.

Alas, when the Dothraki ride forward and every single flame gets snuffed out that burning hope falters. Once there’s darkness again, you’re rattled, more afraid. Yet anger also begins to take root.

That same anger is something Daenerys displays right away without a fault when she sees her people dying. And when she tries to act on it and get on her dragon to join the battle Jon stops her.

“The Night King is coming,” he tells her as he grabs her arm, making you narrow your gaze as you can’t help your jealousy from sprouting.

“The dead are already here,” Daenerys snaps back and yanks her arm away to turn away. She meets your gaze briefly but doesn’t add anything and continues towards Drogon.

Once her back is turned Jon and you meet each others gazes and share one last lingering and longing look before you climb on Eraxis.

You proceed to strap yourself on to secure yourself on your saddle, and then pat your dragon's neck for comfort as the wind brings the sound of the dead’s growl and groans the closer they get to the castle.

Now there’s no escaping them. They’re here, and you’re ready.

“<Fly,>” you order Eraxis.

.

.

.

.

A/N- Daenerys knows who Jon is, imagine when she finds out her niece is pregnant with his baby, and that they got married in secret 😗🫣 dance of dragons 2? 😗

Tagged: @watercolorskyy @jessimay89 @cecespizza01 @theroyalbrownbarbie @crybabyatthediscooffandoms @neenieweenie @midnightpantherxo

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I Loved You Like the Sun

a/n: me hurriedly watching youtube videos on what happens during the dance of dragons so i can continue writing this story (which also means we’re going my version of book canon) should i probably wait until season 2 of the show comes out? maybe. but i love my babies and this fic and idk if i can do that so i hope you all enjoy a very angsty chapter!!

also apologies for this chapter being kinda short i just thought that was the best place to end it

disclaimer: i SUCK at angst so bear with me pls

warnings: incest, angst, the girls (+ daemon but tbh the girls) are fightinggg, swearing, mentions of violence, mentions of death, tell me if i missed anything!!

Chapter Twenty Four- Pawn

—-

“It’s no easy thing for a man to be a dragonslayer.”Daemon starts, hands digging into the table. “But dragons can kill dragons, and have. The simple truth is this: we have more dragons than Aegon.”

“Viserys spike often of the Valyrian histories. I know them well.” You watch, from beside her, as Rhaenyra takes a deep breath. Her crown discarded in the warm firelight.

You are not a warrior, you know nothing of battle and what it means to kill a man. You have only seen two dead bodies in your life. Your mother’s and your husband’s. You do not know death, other than the feeling when you are away from them, and you do not know war, other than the battle between your head and heart.

Your heart screams to be done with all this war, to marry Aemond because although you will not live for the rest of your life, you children will be safe. And that it all you could ever ask for. But your mind knows that surviving is not living. You would whither with Aemond like you did with your first husband. Your children be deprived of their mother.

You wish war had not come to Westeros. But it is here, and you know you must choose.

“When dragons flew to war… everything burned. I do not wish to rule over a kingdom of ash and bone.”

“Are you considering the Hightower’s terms, Your Grace?” A lord speaks, and Daemon straightens.

“As Queen, what is my true duty to the realm, Lord Bartimos? Ensuring peace and unity? Or that I sit the Iron Throne no matter the cost?”

You stare at Rhaenyra.

You are being a hypocrite, you recognize this, but it is different when Rhaenyra accepts that you marry Aemond. It is as if she has grown born with you, does not want you, does not love you. And even though she assured you just earlier that day, you wonder if she has gone back on her promise.

You think a tear falls down your face.

“That’s your father talking,” Daemon hisses, taking a step back from the table.

“My father’s dead.” Daemon walks around the table, towards the roaring fire. But you are frozen. “And he chose me as his successor… to defend the realm not cast it headlong into war.”

“Well the enemy have declared war! What are you going to do about it?”

The room is filled with tense silence, and you fight back tears.

“Clear the room.” The shuffling of feet, the undeniable breaking of your heart fade into one.

You watch through blurry eyes as Daemon paces, and Rhaenyra walks over to him.

“Y/N, sweetheart, we’ll come to you later. No need for you to see this.” Daemon says, dismissing you with a sigh and a hand through his hair. He speaks from habit, and you can tell he is more focused on fighting with Rhaenyra than you. You should heed him. Think, calm yourself.

But you are hurt, and you wish to yell and scream like a wild woman.

“No. No, no, no,” you repeat, walking over to them.

Daemon looks up as you walk over, brow furrowing as he sees the state you are in. Betrayal and sadness runs in your veins, but it is as if your arteries have burst and the blood is collecting under your skin. And you are paper thin- it is easy to see through to your anguish.

Rhaenyra turns at your quick footsteps, and you barrel into her, grabbing her biceps.

“You- you wish to fucking throw me out? Sweep me aside like I am trash? I am the mother of your children, your wife, who you swore to protect and love.” Tears stream, and you can barely make out Rhaenyra’s shocked face. “I have loved you all my life. And now… now you wish to accept their terms and marry me off to that one-eyed swine!” Your fingers dig, and some part of you that will always love her hopes you are not hurting her. You just want her to listen to you, to see you. “What have I- what have I done to-”

And with a wild gasp, you pull away from her and curl in on yourself, sobbing and screeching because you do not know what you have done to make her do this to you.

“Y/N,” Rhaenyra says, and you feel her reach for you through your hair, untamed and hanging over you like a curtain.

Her hands cup your face, and you let her, because you’ll always love her. Through your hiccups and wild sobs, you hear her voice fill your ears, see her lips move.

“I would never do that,” she hisses. “If were to accept their terms, you would not marry him. Do you hear me? I wouldn’t fucking- they can’t take you from me again. Trust me,” she implores, but you are sick with it. With your own pain, your own memories.

Finally, when you have the strength to look up and face her, half of you is surprised to find her concerned, eyes darting back and forth. She brushes damp hair from your forehead, slick with tears, shushes you with a pout of her pretty mouth.

“Why would you ever think that?” She tilts her head, smiling fondly, like you are a young child who has just made a mistake. “You are my sun, my beacon, I rely on you to guide me home.”

You pull away from her, watch with apathy as her face falls. Hands still outstretched, still reaching for you, as if she will blink and you will be back in her arms again.

“Y/N, I-”

“You’re a fool if you think they will let us keep her.”

Rhaenyra’s face hardens, no more sweetness, rounding on Daemon with the fury of a thousand dragons in her eyes. How she has looked at him all day.

“I will make them.”

He scoffs, a cruel, hostile thing. “With what power? You are surrendering if you agree. You are giving up each wisp of power we are barely holding onto.”

“Fine. Fine, Daemon, tell me what you would have me do.”

“I would have you attack, act first, ensure that our family and our wife will be safe and where they belong.”

You watch as she studies him for a second, lilac eyes trailing up and down his figure. She turns away.

“Alicent is not cruel.”

“Perhaps,” your husband agrees. “But her father is. Her father has impressed his cruelty onto her. Whether you want to believe it or not.” You watch as he sighs again, runs a hand through his hair, and you swear his hand shakes. “It is good, politically, to marry Y/N to him. Otto is a cunt, but not a fool. She represents everything. She rides Cannibal. She is our life. Our fucking marriage to her represents Targaryen heraldry, open-mindedness that Otto cannot have.”

He lowers his head, but looks up at you through his lashes. Your tears have long since ebbed, cut off by him, because you have always been water and he is your dam.

“Aegon’s claim rests on the fact that you are a woman. What you need to do, Rhaenyra, as Queen, as my Queen, is let me go to the Riverlands-”

And with that, whatever spell he had woven with his seminal words and calming presences breaks.

“Do not act as if you are innocent.” His eyes narrow on you.

“I never claimed to be anything than what I am, darling.”

“And what are you? The perfect husband, the dashing warrior?”

“No-”

“Right. Because a perfect- not even a perfect husband, but a good husband would not abandon us in times of war. Would not leave us vulnerable, and fucking lonely.” You feel ashamed at how your voice cracks at the end, tears flowing freely because Daemon is no longer your dam, he is your source.

“I know you don’t wish for me to leave,” he says, slowly, carefully, “but you- both of you- must have realized by now that not even death could tear me away. I would simply crawl back. My love for you two goes beyond fucking breathing.”

But even at his kind words, sparking bright images in your eyes, you and Rhaenyra stand stiff.

But suddenly, Rhaenyra’s sigh breaks the silence.

“Please. I do not want us to fight. Let us be on the same side, so we can focus on the real war, on what is actually in front of us.”

“So you will fight?”

“I will not tear our family apart.”

And that answer seems good enough for Daemon, because he quiets, folding his hands in front of him. His eyes meet yours, through the darkness, the faint orange glow, the sound of crackling wood in the air.

“I do not want to leave.” Is all you can think to say.

“You won’t.” Rhaenyra assures, taking a step forward. When you don’t react, she takes your hand in hers. Thumb rubbing comfortingly against your skin, and the tension seeps from your body.

“And I do not want Daemon to leave.” Rhaenyra leans forward, brushes your hair back, places a feather light kiss upon your warm neck. “But if you truly believe it to be the best course of action, I’ll support it.”

Daemon joins you as well, grabbing your other hand to press a kiss to your knuckles. When he speaks, he is resigned, bored. But not with you. Never with you. Never with Rhaenyra.

“That is the thing about war, love. You never truly know what is the best way.”

—-

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[hello-nichya-here]

Why do Rhaenyra and Daemon get away with publically marrying each other while Jaime and Cersei had to pretend they weren't in love? I know HOTD and GOT are different shows, but it is still meant to be the same universe and timeline, and I found that incosistency a bit distracting.

It isn't an inconsistency. Yes, it is the same universe, but there's nearly 200 years of history in between these events AND a huge difference in how much political power each couple had.

Rhaenyra was the king's daughter and heir, and Daemon was pretty high up in the sucession line himself. Viserys originally didn't want them to get married, but he eventually allowed it, and nobody can talk shit about something the king aproved. Their family already had a history of incest, and was at the height of it's power. Also, they both had DRAGONS.

It was said many times in the books that the Targaryens answered to neither Gods nor men, and we even had Jaime using "but the Targaryens did it, why can't we?" as an argument to Cersei, only for her to point out the obvious: because they are NOT Targaryens.

Their family was not exactly well liked by the other nobles, they did not have absolute power like the Targaryens had, they have no super weapon that will just burn their enemies alive in seconds, and, to make matters worse, their children were living proof that they commited TREASON against TWO kings (Robert and Stannis) and that Ned Stark's execution was unfair - which could easily make people side with them in the war between the two houses.

Is it unfair that Jaime and Cersei had to hide their love? Yes. Is it super hypocritical of people to give them shit for it when they turned a blind eye to the Targaryens doing that for 300 years? Yes.

But all of that is by design. It's not the writers for the shows or George R.R. Martin contradicting themselves. The double-standards are not a mistake, they are the very point the narrative is making: the more power you have, the more "immoral" things you can get away with because telling you "no" might means getting executed and very few people are stupid enough to try that.

[trans-elrond]

game of thrones or house of the dragon for the ask game? if u haven't seen them idk 😭

i have only seen the GOT pilot and it was probably 8 years ago! oof I’m sorry to fans of GOT but i’m mostly of the opinion that… while the acting seemed mostly good, costumes and plots seemed overall fine till the final season, unfortunately the writing was super misogynistic and chock-full of unnecessary brothel exposition (sexposition IS the funniest term to have come out of this) and sexual assault scenes so I don’t think I’ll ever be watching the show itself, and I do believe GOT negatively contributed to a grimdark ugly unpleasant trend in fantasy fiction that I despise. that said:

westeros, GRRM’s attempt to do fantasy war of the roses. there’s the ice zombies in the north, there’s a wall guarded by Sean Bean and family, including Jon Snow, Ikaris from Eternals, Sansa Jonas Brothers Wife, and Arya who is def the coolest. and Bran who gets visions and becomes king at the very end of the show, which pissed a lot of people off and has been widely regarded as a bad idea.

there’s Cersei the queen who’s doing an incest with her brother Jayme, and they have some horrible children she passes off as the king’s kids, including the sadist Joffrey. and there’s Daenerys whose brother trades her off into marriage with Jason Momoa i mean Khal Drogo except then he dies and she raises dragons and conquers the world but then she also does an incest, and Jon Snow kills her for the good of the world. I think. I did not really follow the final season.

side note: im an archaeologist by college major, and super duper into fantasy world demographics as a hobby, so I have read all the online critiques about how Westeros does not work as realistic fantasy and laughed at it all. the armies are absurdly large, there isn’t infrastructure for food production especially in the face of a long winter, the population demography as a whole does not work; and don’t get me started on the horse nomads not making any logistical sense. this would not matter at all because I believe in suspension of disbelief, except for the fact that GRRM makes himself obnoxious talking about how Realistic his world is compared to say, Tolkien not explaining Aragorn’s tax policy, which is just patently ridiculous. so I do tend to drag GRRM on the worldbuilding. it’s stupid. he needs to do better demography if he wants to claim realism. or he needs to own up to the fact he’s very, very generously handwaving it all for the cool factor.

anyway not to beat dead horses but the funniest thing was that Ed Sheeran and Of Monsters and Men cameo, instantly dating the show forever. also the Starbucks cup mistake was hilarious. also are we talking about the racism re: sand snakes exoticism, slave nation issues, treatment of Greyworm and Missandei yet or nah?

anyway, if you haven’t already been able to tell, im a Tolkien girl. sorry if I dragged your fave but it is NOT for me 😂

[fatesdeepdive]

Entry 116: Oh No A Shocking Unexpected Twist

Revelation Chapter 24: Days Lost

The gang is going through…some building (presumably Anankos’s castle but it didn’t show them entering or mention they’re in the castle) when the lights go out. The lights turn back on, showing Corrin is somehow separated from the group, and a cutscene plays as Mikoto's ghost appears.

Corrin, much smarter in this route, instantly realizes this is one of Anankos’s tricks. Mikoto insists Corrin can trust her and Corrin gets furious for using their mother’s voice against them. Corrin walks up to Mikoto and swings Yato, stopping inches from Mikoto’s head. Mikoto does not try to dodge.

Mikoto says that she’s a puppet of Anankos, but still has free will somehow. Corrin believes her, which is dumb but completely justified considering it’s been at most a few months since Corrin watched their mother be brutally murdered. Corrin makes their way back to the team and the map begins.

This map is…interesting. It encourages the player to stealth around, avoiding enemies. Running into enemies summons stronger enemies. It’s a neat idea that I completely ignored. Also interesting is the door gimmick. Spread throughout the map are pairs of doors. Mikoto tells you the correct door that leads you further into the map. If you chose the wrong door, all of your units take a ton of damage. Mikoto lies about the last door, because spoilers she’s evil how shocking. When Mikoto fights Corrin, she says that they can all be together with Anankos now. She does not mention that Anankos is Corrin’s dad, because screw that plot point.

Actually, wait. Time out. Should have realized this a long time ago, but doesn’t Corrin being Anankos’s child but staying with their adoptive siblings defeat the whole Birthright your family is your blood thing? How is it that this game started with “Chose between birth family or adoptive family” then at the last minute switch to “It is mandatory to side with your adoptive family because your birth father is a dick”?

Anyway Mikoto dies again. Corrin and the Hoshidans mourn her. We did this exact scene last chapter. As she dies, Mikoto reveals that she is actually Arete’s sister. Meaning that Corrin and Azura, canonical first cousins, not only can get married, but are actually encouraged to be the game’s narrative. Someone at Intellegent Systems really likes incest.

Right before she dies, she mentions that a powerful servant of Anankos is the boss of the next chapter. Would’ve been cool if you told your kids who before you send them into this emotionally taxing battle, Mikoto.

Support: Kagero/Odin

C: Kagero paints a half-dragon/half-caterpillar monster she calls a silkwyrm. Odin thinks it's cool and steals the painting.

B: Odin attempts to summon the silkwyrm. Kagero likes the idea of unleashing an evil monster and tells him to keep trying.

A: Kagero covers the painting with literal blood, sweat, and tears to help Odin's spell. Odin continues failing because he isn't a very good mage.

S: It rains, erasing the silkwyrm from the painting. Kagero, having faith in Odin, believes that the silkwyrm was actually summoned. Odin proposes on the spot. Review: This is weird, but Kagero liking Odin and buying his bullshit strangely works.

Support: Subaki/Nyx

C: Subaki offers to introduce Nyx to everyone because he thinks she looks lonely. Nyx says she likes being isolated. Subaki asks if this is because she's an old lady who looks like a little kid.

B: Nyx drinks coffee. Subaki takes a sip and hates it because it's so bitter.

A: Subaki makes homemade coffee so he has an excuse to talk to Nyx.

S: Subaki tries to introduce Nyx to matcha tea. Nyx says she can't be close to anyone, but Subaki says he has feelings for her. Nyx says she doesn't have room in her life for romance, so Subaki settles on friendship. Then the status screen updates to say they are married.

Review: Kinda bland.

Support: Effie/Hana

C: Effie saves a Nohrian pinned under a crashed carriage. Hana says that she wants to train to obtain superstrength like Effie.

B: Hana is unable to keep up with Effie's massive diet.

A: Effie makes Hana run fifteen miles while carrying weights. Hana surrenders and says Effie is better than her. Effie points out that Hana has better speed and skill growth rates. Plus she's determined.

Review: Not bad; Hana being miserable about Effie's inhuman workout is fun, although the end is a bit sappy.

Support: Charlotte/Rinkah

C: Charlotte assumes Rinkah is only acting tough to attract boys and tells her it won't get her anyware. Rinkah tells Charlotte that people like Charlotte who pretend are the lowest of society. Charlotte challenges her to a training contest to settle their disagreement.

B: Charlotte and Rinkah train until they are exhausted. Rinkah respects Charlotte now.

A: Charlotte explains she learned the value of hard work because she grew up poor and that she sends money to her family. Rinkah decides they're friends.

Review: Rinkah hating Charlotte for being fake as shit sounds good, but this one is really short and barely anything happens.

[lemonhemlock]

sorry I come busting in like this and honestly, you're free to delete this anon if you don't want this rant to clog ur tl and nice blog. <s>-ing it so it takes up less space. this will only be half comprehensive if at all lol can't be bothered sorrz but I'll try to approach it with as much sincerity as I can muster

"you can’t apply real world logic to the fake tv show"

we all unconciously apply "real world logics" to the fiction we read/see/talk about all the time. it's how we make sense of the fiction we read and the millions of opinions thrown at us.

what is implied by "logic"? I'm sure what we understand as our "real world logic" is vastly different from person to person. in my world cousin incest is encouraged. in my world my mother was married of at 15 to a 30 year old. does "logic" mean "modern belief system"? again I'd wager you use your modern belief system to interpret your fiction as well. (hell, historians/academics/anthropologists are trained to refuse the urge of applying modern belief systems and cultural universalism because doing that is so ingrained in us as humans to the point entire belief systems are build on it.) unless you're doing some specific reading feat. your applied academic theory/philosophy/politic/thruline of choice.

if the meaning of "you can’t apply real world logic to the fake tv show" is "oh 10 yos were historically expected to b breeding eager! (again what history are u using? surely not the one grrm is using.... which is barely any. if one at all lol) so don't question it! move on to the next scene - oh look a grown ass man kicking and manhandling an alcoholic child! they dont make them badass lil kids like they used to! oh look the gay man is sad bcs he cant make babies in the pseudo-historical fantasy world :( :D haha surely never happens in our real world! i mean back then, sureeee, but not today!" dont get me wrong. nobody HAS TO be appalled by 10yo aemond just as nobody has to be appalled by 14yo alicent being "groomed" either. because remember that's the "applied-real-life-logic" fallacy! wouldn't want to do that to our precious incest drama. keep ur brain at home when u visit the dragon and incest and child grooming show guys!

is my pointing out that aemond might be written as a character study or perhaps even a cautionary tale abt boys indoctrinated at a young age "applied-real-life-logic"? that's just a reading of a modern text parading as a historical text (!) with a consciousness towards the present modern issue of historical revisionism among young people. grrm loves his dragon, he loves his operatic incest dramas, but he also loves his societal critic. and sometime she mixes them all up for funsies. or is asoiaf and co's anti-war stance smh not "applied-real-world-logic"? or is being appalled by war somehow an acceptable presentist reading and cultural universalist stance but being appalled by a 10 yo groomed by adults around him to fuck good and make pure babies all while spewing supremacist shit is not? or was it the clumsy form and casual tone of a 50 words anon written in maybe 5 min of the latter that's not to ur liking

the characterization of aemond as a 10 yo was not pulled outta thin air either. my pointing out that aemonds speech and behaviour at 10 have much in common with 4channers and lil wannabe hitler youths is not that far fetched. sure you're free to disagree but throwing that "apply real world logic" falacy at someone for a reading you disagree with is just vacant. aemond is not a historical figure in which case I would be deeply averse to presentism and universalism and would be much more cautious in my reaction/tone towards behaviour that I deem deeply disturbing on various levels.

Of course I'm not going to delete your rant; you took great pains to write it and your points are as valid as anyone else's. Thank you for being so open with aspects of your own culture. I do agree with your stance that we are inadvertently influenced by own belief system whenever we interact with a piece of media or a written text. This fictional universe exists in the here-and-now and it would be kind of pointless if we weren't ever allowed to analyse it through a more sophisticated modern lens & just kept everything at "medieval morality" level all the time, so as to not be anachronistic.

However, I do feel like these two views can be reconciled somehow. I honestly think what the anon was trying to convey by the "real-life logic" comment was that 10-year-old Aemond is, in effect, also a prop for the showrunners to introduce narrative or thematic elements that they may want to develop later, not just a random little boy parroting ideology he doesn't fully understand.

Thus, little Aemond can be propagandized by other family members into believing Targaryen hype, including the joys & wonders of targcest, agreed. But, at the same time, he is also a character in a TV show, whose lines are written by someone, with framing decided by someone. There is authorial intent behind his appearances on screen, not everything is naturalistic, so to speak. And sometimes decisions pertaining to characters (especially those with little screen time) tend to be strategic. Meaning that, yes, the show is pointing out the consequences of targcest fascistoid indoctrination. But, it is also possible it wants to lay the building blocks for a future Helaena-Aemond dynamic and is using that scene to shoot two birds with one stone, so to speak.

Which is to say that if the authors (scriptwriters, directors, producers) wanted to introduce the audience to the possibility of helaemond, this is one way to do it. Little Aemond is being directed to stare wistfully at Helaena while imagining how cool it would be to marry her. Grown-up!Aemond is being directed to move his whole-ass chair and stare like a weirdo at his sister dancing with Jace. It's disruptive in the dinner table landscape, especially when compared to Aegon's reaction.

This is where subtext comes into play. And, because we're speaking of cues and innuendo, different people may interpret it differently. This is not to say that helaemond is a certainty, only that various visual storytelling hints have been employed, should they want to pick this thread up again in the future. I doubt that these two actors just so happened to come up with these acting choices on their own in one big coincidence.

If this were real-life and Aemond an actual person pining after his sister, perhaps these interactions wouldn't have occurred in the same manner. He would have looked at Aegon when having a conversation with him. He would have kept an eye on Jace and Helaena without physically moving his chair. These can very well be details added by the show-runners to subtly communicate something to us. Of course we can disagree on the nature of that information, but, from a logistical standpoint, it makes sense that they'd want to keep their options open, test the waters, and only in later seasons commit to a a certain path.

[wizardrps]

Wanted: RP Partner(s)

Howdy! So long story short, I am once again getting back into roleplaying, and so I thought I'd make this silly little side blog to try and find some people to roleplay with! Soooo let's get on with it!!!

About me:

My name is Jessie, I'm nonbinary, and my pronouns are they/he! I'm a current college student, so I tend to get very busy out of nowhere. My style is what you'd call advanced literate/novella. I write only in 3rd person. I also have a habit of writing a lot. I have been writing and roleplaying for 10 whole years (I have a lot of stories about my rp history. It's kind of embarrassing lol).

As a little disclaimer regarding my response timing: like I mentioned, I'm currently in my undergrad and my schedule can be hectic. Some days, I'm not busy at all and that means I'm free to respond whenever. However, some days I'm super busy and cannot respond. I try my hardest to be as open and communicative with my roleplay partners as possible. That being said, I do not expect a response immediately after I respond. Take as much time as you need! I know that you have a life outside of roleplaying just as much as I do.

Preferences for Roleplay Partners:

I am over 18, so I am... a little uncomfortable with roleplaying certain themes and topics with people who are underaged. Under no circumstances will I roleplay NSFW with a minor. Please, for the love of all things that are good, do not lie about your age just so you can roleplay NSFW with me. I was 14 at some point too and got upset when adults wouldn't roleplay with me either, but trust me when I say it has nothing to do with your maturity or you as a person. It is for both of our safety and well-being.

As for the topic of NSFW, no porn-without-plots. I don't mind nsfw, but I really don't like it to be the bulk of a roleplay. It gets boring really quick for me.

Please be literate! I'm definitely not an amazing writer and don't expect you to be one either. I'm not a stickler for grammar or stuff like that, but literacy is important to me.

Last but not least, someone who is willing to talk OOC! The most fun I've ever had with roleplays was when I've roleplayed with people who have talked to me OOC. Whether it's about the roleplay or anything about your life, talk to me!!! We don't have to be best friends, but I like to think of roleplaying as a good way to make some really cool friends that I can basically work on a story with :) There's no obligation to always be talking to me, but talking from time to time is nice.

The fun stuff!!! What I'm looking for:

Fandom or OC! I lean towards OC, but if there's a fandom we both enjoy that I can comfortably write a character from, then let's do it! My main genres of interest are: high/dark fantasy, modern fantasy, horror/psychological thriller, pretty much any historical fiction especially if it is medieval or takes place in the last 200 years, some sci-fi, or anything that gives Life is Strange vibes. I'm down for realistic fiction settings, but I usually prefer the other stuff.

Ships. As a queer person, I prefer lgbt relationship dynamics. I'm comfortable with straight ships, but they're just not what I'm used to. Most of my OCs are guys, but I have gals, nonbinary, and trans people also thrown into the mix of my endless batch of OCs. Also, platonic ships are welcomed!

Fandoms:

If you are looking to roleplay a fandom, here's what I'm currently into/what I'm willing to roleplay! A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones, the Witcher(show, books up to a certain point I left off at lol), the Elder Scrolls, Dragon Age (all 3 games), Hannibal, and Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit (movies and books I guess?)

No/no's:

Things that will get you immediately blocked if you try to pull include: non-con, incest, s/a, children in any sexual context, or any fetishes that have to do with bodily fluids.

Things that are iffy/icks: romanticization of mental illness (i.e. if you haven't done the research to be able to correctly pull of an interpretation of a character with ASPD, don't do it), abusive relationships, and dub-con.

Disclaimer: these are things that I am not okay writing into detail about. For example, if your character has a past of being abused, I am okay with having the subject touched upon. However, I am not comfortable writing an abusive relationship where my OC is abusive towards yours, or vice versa. Please just be respectful and speak to me OOC prior to bringing up any of these subjects.

Anyhoodles, that's about it! Sorry this post is long and drawn out. If you're interested in roleplaying, please interact with this post via comment or like, or message me! My main means of roleplaying is through discord. My discord tag is WizardLizard#2018. Please bare in mind that I get busy (and last time I made one of these posts I got absolutely swamped with responses and got overwhelmed), so it might take me a little while to get back to you! No matter what I will respond, though!