#daemyra fic recs

[grandlovescheme]

Daemyra fics recs ❤️

It's been a while since I gave you some recs, so let's go through my current list of favorites. You probably know most of them but some might be brand new to people, and we have to change that! I hope you'll enjoy them as much as I do :)

ain't nobody hurt you like i hurt you by luthien_under_bough

Absolutely love this one. Both Daemon and Rhaenyra are kind of messed up and they absolutely deserve each other. No one else could handle them at their crazy. Check the tags before starting it but if it's not to your tastes try anything by this author, their writing is superb and they have bunch of original unhinged ideas that I just love 🩷 Edit: this fic is now completed!!

beautiful child by sinofthetimes

This fic only just started but I'm already obsessed. It has darker themes so again, definitely check the tags, but if you're not scared of some angst before a happy ending, give it a shot! The author's other works are also amazing (I looove crimson water), the writing is so flowery and makes you see it in front of you like a movie! 🖤 Edit: this fic was previously called back to black

Sucker Love by Cleoandfrank

I mean, Cruel Intentions siblings au?!? Yum. We have 2 chapters so far and it's completely delicious. Daemyra are their usual unhinged selves and we love to see it. Give it a try if you love drama 🧡

Armistice by ginvael

Try literally anything by this author and you'll have a great time. I love this fic especially though, mostly because of the magic system we're learning about... and the amazing slow burn that makes me giggle and kick my feet every chapter. It's chef's kiss, and it's about to get even hotter! 💛

hold the light given unto you by calenlily

Once again, this author is a gift that keeps on giving. I love all of their stories, but this one is the most recent one and it is finished, for those who find that detail important. It is delicious canonverse, married Daemyra goodness to make your days better, give it a shot! 💙

me everytime i see any of these fics/authors update

[penchanteds]

daemon / rhaenyra fic recs

watched the dragon show, became obsessed, and so here are some daemyra fic recs. original warnings apply. commentary is my opinion; go read and support authors 💗

modern au

potential by stannide

a masterpiece! required reading. this fic is probably a gateway drug, and it will ruin you for all modern aus after. the writing is luminous and intoxicating.

the beauty queen in tears by writingwhatidream

the crown meets a/b/o; there's something so addicting about this world where targaryens are modern royalty with a young princess rhaenyra at uni. the dual-pov is crafted so masterfully. [in-progress]

say my name, say it again by ineedyoursway

the prose is luscious and the story leans into the mafia-esque, age-gap vibes. it's sinister and alluring in the best ways. every single chapter takes my breath away and leaves me stunned. [in-progress]

somewhere in the haze by darkgods

corporate!targaryen is a deliciously fun modern setting, and this one peels back layer after layer. [in-progress]

scattered moonbeams by untouchable

they meet on a dating app after years of estrangement, but of course, it's so much more than that. miscommunication-fueled yearning is a gift.

ruled by siebilant 

they also meet on a dating app, but the prose in this one swelters. it's a push-pull, then take whatever you can get your hands on when it comes to these two.

anything charmtion publishes is poetry, including:

rosemary by charmtion

underbelly by charmtion

into dark, into water by charmtion

dirt nap by charmtion

(this is a non-scientific recommended reading order; the first pair has partners-in-crime family vibes, the second pair has running away-finding each other circularity)

other au

everything darkgods will ever write (consider this list a darkgods shrine), including:

a wing shaped from fire by darkgods

rhaneyra is betrothed to daemon from a young age, and a viserys consumed by dreams steps aside and crowns daemon king instead. one of my favorite characterizations of a young!rhaenyra, in all the fire and spirit she possesses as a dragon. [in-progress]

put down that gravestone by darkgods

this is probably the most beloved fic around the block. surprise, rhaenyra gives birth to daemon's twins after that fateful night in 1x04; daemon returns a decade later and our favorite scheming power couple reunites. [in-progress]

something wretched about this by darkgods

dead dove where king!daemon takes underage!rhaenyra as his ward and takes his tutelage very seriously, but he is very unserious about the extent of his feelings. [in-progress]

kiss my face and tell me i'm the chosen one by darkgods

domestic!daemyra with a brood of over a dozen little targs. after aegon ascends to the throne, rhaenyra retreats as the princess of dragonstone and slowly builds her empire. [in-progress]

a king for a queen | bone of my bone by FormerlyIR (Irony_Rocks)

a/b/o where daemon steals rhaenyra away and one of the story tags is "high valyrian as a love language" so they get it.

i only want your soul by sweetlovedoll

soulmatism, and the doom that befalls everyone in a three mile radius if you try to separate these two.

the tyrant king and his little queen by framboise

daemon targaryen and the boy!obsessed trope, describes how the king is endlessly doting upon his young niece-wife-queen.

the last beautiful thing i saw is the thing that blinded me by pentaghastly

more mythological dragon lore. the only way to describe this is incandescent poetry that drips down the sleeve after the first bite of an overripe fruit.

unwanted consequences by cartographies

we should all be team!rhaenyra begins to pick at the unresolved traumas around marriage and motherhood.

bad religion by stannide

a gorgeous daemon character study that unfolds through the first half of the season.

fix-it universe

crucible by stannide

sometimes we're all mad about the season 01 finale, and other times we read this as a salve for our wounds.



salt by charmtion

in the post-finale, simply unfold and dwell in the tender horror of this poetry.

bloodless by charmtion

daemon and rhaenyra survive the dance, but wounds linger and cannot be washed away.

burning times by lovily

the beautiful ebb and flow of these two losing and finding themselves in each other, hurt/comfort.

list last updated dec 2022

[sankta-wraith]

Do you have any daemyra AU recommendations on Ao3???

Do you have a specific AU in mind? Personally when it comes to Daemyra the only AU I read is canon divergence and maybe the occasional time travel. My recommendations for those two are as follows:

Conspire by RoselynnThornwood

Shameless by daemyraspower

Our Secret Moments by Luminous_ Being

Until the end of our story by bevesy

The Red and the Gold by RhaenyraTargaryensLawyer

[scratchtovoid]

📓 DAEMYRA FANFIC RECOMMENDATIONS

• Someone You Knew In Another Life by @spreta-invidia - My current obsession. I made this post just for this story! Time travel fix it fics are popular for a reason with the Dance characters but in my opinion this fic does it best. Told from different points of view, this story centers on Aegon III going back in time to tell his parents about the coming war and their own deaths! What follows is deliciously written political scheming, deep discussions of what parenthood means for Rhaenyra and Daemon, and a tender family story that brought tears to my eyes more than once.

Complete || 65 Chapters || M || 176K || (link)

• The Sacrifice and the Sea Dragon by Fayte2008 - As someone who writes alternative fantasy asoiaf fics, I’m deeply partial to any writer that dares to reimagine these characters in new fantasy settings. So discovering this short but delightful tale of Daemon being sacrificed to a sea dragon made me incredibly happy. Written like a fairy tale, this story would not feel out of place in an anthology of Valyrian legends.

Complete || Oneshot || E || 1.7K || (link)

• your ivy grows (now I'm covered in you) by @charlie-leau - Personally I think anything by this writer is well worth your time! But what I love about this story of Rhaenyra facing an unexpected pregnancy is that it delves deep into both her complicated relationship with being a mother and the stigma of childbirth out of wedlock in a world like Westeros. Despite this series being only five chapters long, the Daemon/Rhaenyra love story feels earned at the end!

Complete || 5 Chapters || E || 87K || (link)

• put down that gravestone by darkgods - This fic will always be special to me because it was the fic that really got me into Daemyra fic in the first place! I don’t think I would even be writing fanfiction if I hadn’t read this series! And that’s because it so wonderfully balances the political intrigue we know so well from canon with a deeply satisfying love story that is all about family. In this canon divergent tale, Rhaenyra gets pregnant from a tryst with Daemon the night of the brothel (unbeknownst to them both). When Daemon is sent away and Rhaenyra is forced to marry Laenor, she raises her sons as true Velaryons. That is until Daemon returns to take his place at court, and Rhaenyra finds she can’t hide her sons’ true identities from the man who sired them.

Ongoing/Hiatus || 28/45 Ch || E || 249K || (link)

• Lavender Haze by madgirlslovesong (sympathy4thedevil) - In this AU, Viserys has a dragon dream of the coming war in which he sees Rhaenyra’s death. In order to change his daughter’s fate, he names Aegon heir and grants Rhaenyra the title of Princess of Dragonstone as a consolation prize. Resigned to a life denied, Rhaenyra finds renewed freedom when Daemon arrives offering her a world of new possibilities. If you want a fluffy, sexy, what could have been for Rhaenyra and Daemon, this is the one! This fic explores life outside of court and allows Rhaenyra to see more of the world than she got to see in canon. It gives the fic a completely unique feeling. There’s also some great fun with Viserys and his reaction to Daemyra’s relationship in a follow up oneshot!

Complete || 8 Chapters || E || 96K || (link)

• Deep Tissue by @luthien-under-bough - Rhaenyra gets a massage that has her feeling especially relaxed! Just trust me on this one, you should read it.

Complete || Oneshot || E || 4K || (link)

• Blood Sweeter Than Honey Wine by Me! - Yes, I’m including my own fic on this list. If you want a taste of my writing or if you’re interested in a completely different kind of fantasy AU, you might like my twisted tale of a Prince who washes up on an island long thought to be abandoned but is actually home to a mysterious Queen with a dangerous secret!

Complete || Oneshot || E || 11K || (link)

[like-sands-of-time]

Trope reversal where rhaenyra goes to daemon, sobbing, tells him she's pregnant but the lord won't marry her and she's worried her father will disinherit her for her brother after this so daemon agrees to sleep with her, and propose marriage, claiming the "child" for his own.

Only to realize a month after the baby should be due that this normal term baby looks an awful lot like a pureblooded Targaryen not (whichever house) and they're already married and they already love each other so what is he gonna do about it? Be mad? At his scheming, manipulative, deceitful little wife? She got what she wanted and he's pleased too

[ar-feyniel]

Daemyra fic recs

I am bored out of my mind, so I decided to make this post even though no one asked for it. A list of my current favs (I have many more, trust me, but I will try to keep this list concise) 1) over the counter by AmazingAngie 1/1 (modern) This fic makes me unreasonably happy. Idk, it's just endlessly hot and positive and all the good things without being tooth-rotting. 2) give me what i want by Amazing Angie 1/1 (historical) This is so self-indulgent - like a mug of your favourite hot chocolate. Ticks all my boxes and is exceptionally well-written 3) There's Just Something About Older Men by grandlovescheme 6/? (modern) Am I biased? Yes, I am. But this is a modern AU with OC Baelon being tortured and Daemon being the perfect father and husband... The emotional maturity of this man is so hot. 4) Your Body in My Arms by grandlovescheme 1/1 (modern) Another fic I love to reread when I am feeling sad or uninspired. It's just pure serotonin, and we all love bookstores, don't we? ;) 5) the echoes of your faithless prayers by Awfullylongtime 7/7 (canonverse)

Canonverse with Daemon being Rhaenyra's prisoner on Dragonstone. It has poignant writing unique to Awfully and a beautiful ending. 6) The king's song is a battlecry by Awfullylongtime 14/? (canonverse)

King!Daemon AU. Brilliantly written and has so many tropes I enjoy. Captivity, bondage, mind games. Gods, I love it so much! 7) i got a bad desire (baby i'm on fire) by luthien_under_bough 9/? (modern)

The true OG of maybedaddy AUs - the one by luthien. It has a perfect mixture of angst and smut - the author is a pro in writing these complicated feelings. 8) ain't nobody hurt you like i hurt you by luthien_under_bough 6/6 (modern) Daemyra being a mess - cheating on their spouses, trying to figure out their feelings, hurting each other as a form of revenge. It was recently completed, and it's just so, so good!

[spreta-invidia]

Do you have a daemyra fic rec list please? I’m desperately searching but they don’t live up to what you write I love your writing so much !! ❤️

Thank you so much!!! <3 That means so much to me! Thank you for reading and loving my writing.

I didn't have an actual Daemyra rec list, but I put a short one together today! There's so much fic in this fandom that I love, and so much that I have in my tbr queue also!

One Shots (canon or canon AU)

Those Happy Golden Years by SeveDeChampagne: This is actually a series of one shots set between episodes 7 and 9 that I think are just lovely. This is also maybe my favorite subgenre of Daemyra fic?

girls have their secrets by ginvael: This fits the subgenre above also! This is more focused on Rhaenyra, Baela, and Rhaena, and their relationships as the girls grow up. I really love ginvael's writing.

watching, always from the outskirts by vintagemocha: This is Alicent POV, but hear me out- it's great. The outsider POV works so well here to show Daemyra through the years.

burn for me by luthien_under_bough: Dark young queen Rhaenyra demands a special declaration of fealty from Daemon. Luthien's writing is so, so good basically always, and in this piece what got me was her use of detail. Also. Hot.

Multi-chapter (canon or canon AU)

Lavender Haze by madgirlslovesong: I think this is my favorite take on the idea of a disinherited Rhaenyra. This fic pairs really wonderful emotion with really interesting plotting/politics, and some excellent Daemyra content.

Bigger than the Whole Sky by CharlieLeau: Would you like your heart to be broken and broken and then mended? Then this is the fic for you! Instead of bearing her three sons during the ten year separation, in this fic Rhaenyra suffers a series of miscarriages, so the Rhaenyra Daemon reunites with is very different than in canon.

WIPs (canon or canon AU)

Threads of Black, Threads of Green by madgirlslovesong: I described this the other day as "if HotD was actually like ASOIAF" which is probably the highest compliment I can give. The hunt for the white hart inspires Rhaenyra to step up her political game. I caught up with this over two nights and I was so tired at work. Worth it.

Battlefields by calenlily: I'm a sucker for warrior Rhaenyra, but especially in the way calenlily does it here: very much a young woman in a new arena, with missteps and moments of glory both. Super excited for the rest of this. (Calenlily is another writer whose work I enjoy very much!)

Maternal Love by ginvael: An Aemma fix-it! I LOVE time travel fix-its, and this is one of my favs. There are some excellent moments between Aemma and Rhaenyra here.

Speaking of time travel fix-its... I think these two are abandoned, but I love what's there: Beyond the Black Door and five seconds later.

Modern AUs

Petrichor by sweetestsorrows: Really great Rhaenyra POV that takes the reader on a seven-year roller coaster through her relationship with Daemon.

entropy by firecollide (WIP): One of the first modern AUs I read in this fandom! In addition to being super fun, this fic also reignited my love for Arctic Monkeys.

This is definitely incomplete as lists go. I am perpetually behind on things and sort of a sloppy bookmarker (and also not a great comment leaver, though I am trying so hard to get better at that- it means SO much to me when people leave comments that it's almost talked me out of the incessant "oh god why does anyone care what you have to say, ugh you're probably sounding like an idiot" that goes through my head often/always tbh). There are gaps in here I should fill, and some fics are not available right now that any list of my favs feels naked without (High Hopes, I'm looking at you).

Let me know if you love any of these in particular! <3

[luthien-under-bough]

Whenever I get overwhelmed by negativity in the fandom, I am reminded that I have made some truly wonderful friends here, and that is more important than any of the noise. I received three incredible gift fics for my birthday, each one completely different from the other, and yet all perfectly tailored to me. Not only am I blessed to have such talented writers as friends, but it gives me the warm fuzzies to know that they get me. 🫶

Now, give yourselves the gift of reading these fics! But please read the tags because if you also know me, then you know that my favorite flavor is extreme angst (and Daemon being an unrepentant slut).

If It Makes You Less Sad, I Will Die By Your Hand by ErisAvatar

put me back in it by @ar-feyniel

Under the Sea by @anamazingangie

(I also enjoy that each one has a title from a song that I love, each from a vastly different genre. 🎶)

[baxterbella24]

My Favorite Daemyra Fanfics

Here's an updated* and better curated list of my (very personal) favorite Daemyra fics, WIPs and finished, in no particular order. I offer a few words on each on them, mostly my own opinions and impressions, please click on them if you want a proper synopsis. Other than 100% finished stories, I tried to stick to fics that either stand on their own despite having room to continue, or are frequently or regularly updated, so there's less chances you get invested in something that might never get a proper ending.

I'll welcome and thank any recs too, ofc, I'm always eager to read new material and depictions of them, especially (almost exclusively, in fact) modern AUs. I'm open to different family dynamics as well, especially siblings, biological or otherwise (I include two great ones here, btw). Currently, I'm leaning toward more mature stories, with a Rhaenyra facing adult conflicts rather than just age gap PWP with feelings. I'm still a smut enjoyer though, don't get me wrong, lmao.

Well, nothing more to add for now, so... here we go!

Back, Baby by velvetwoman: Modern AU. Heart-wrenching, but beautiful one-shot. It's kinda finished, the ending is really bittersweet, but author promised a follow-up that hasn't come out, though I refuse to lose hope just yet (I just need to believe, please let me be). It features underage sex, so be warned.

entropy by firecollide: Modern AU. WIP. Musical references, especially Arctic Monkeys. Starts as a texting fic, and turns into a Daemon/Rhaenyra POV multichapter piece. They get together/fall in love quite fast, although it gets quite angsty at a point and remains like that. I only recommend if you're patient and want more than just fluff and smut, character growth specifically. Best Daemon depiction for me, complicated and heartbreaking, because I do relate to Rhaenyra a lot as well.

Ānogar Hūra by sweetestsorrows (katschako): Modern Mafia AU. Finished. Succession, violence, murder, betrayal, lots and lots and lots of smut. I particularly love how their relationship develops from them getting off on fighting and exasperating one another to them falling in love but keeping that feisty and explosive dynamic in bed. Daemon is a very strong dom in this, though deep down he's a very caring and considerate partner.

Our Violent Ends by grandlovescheme: Vampire AU. Finished. Also modern. Or kind of. The starting point is in canon timeline, but the story stretches across space and time because, of course, our two favs are not exactly mortal anymore. Enemies to lovers trope, and as we all know, those are the type of stories in which the smut is the hottest and most satisfying you could ever hope for. I also strongly recommend all of this author's works, she's very talented and will be appearing again in this list.

Passion driven by ginvael: Modern AU. Finished. This is a really fun fic that involves cheating, a "has his cake and eats it too" version of Daemon that's infuriating and sort of endearing at the same time. Mysaria is a really cool character in this, I personally missed an insight on how her character ended, but the lack of it doesn't really take anything away from the story as a whole, so no biggie.

High Hopes by grandlovescheme: Modern AU. Finished. I'm not quite sure, but I think this is the fic that started a sort of subgenre of Daemyra fics with the "Rhaenyra runs away from home for x reason and finds shelter in her estranged uncle's home" trope. Both characters have their issues and are both beautifully written from beginning to end. It's a very slow burn, but it sure pays off, so your patience will be rewarded.

a safe space / a warm hug by themilkteeth: Modern AU. Finished. Sugar daddy story, but with a different daddy (Daemyra endgame tho, don't get confused). I love how things are described in this, the colors, atmosphere, smells, tastes. Just a one-shot, but it honestly feels like more than that in the end.

If I Could, I'd Get You the Moon by grandlovescheme: Modern AU. Finished. Daemyra are siblings and I've never imagined I'd be into this the way I am, but here we are. The push and pull between these two is "deliriously" fabulous, the smut is hot af, and the way the characters act feels so frustratingly real it hurts me and gives me life at the same time. I'm in love with Rhaenyra in this one, she's not only the gaslight-gatekeep-girlboss we all know and love, she's also unapologetically kinky in such a pure and wholesome way, it's truly fascinating. She's everything, really. Also, Baelon and Alyssa couple goals.

Bad Vibes by sweetestsorrows (katschako): Modern AU. Finished. Twins at college. From the amazing author of Ānogar Hūra, filled with angst, guilt, passion, jealousy and all those equally beautiful and nasty feelings. Another one-shot that feels much more than that and could totally have a follow-up, in my humble opinion.

Violet-Eyed Jealousy by ginvael: Canon Divergence AU. Finished. A pretty interesting premise, with low honor Daemyra going for it despite knowingly hurting Daemon's OC son's feelings. Very twisted and with a bittersweet, partly tragic ending, but definitely worth the time.

Dream a Little Dream of Me by sweetestsorrows (katschako): Incubus AU. Finished. Similar to Vampire AU in that both fics start in canon timeline (this one follows book canon to a T). Daemon is doomed to live for all eternity, never able to find peace until he finds Rhaenyra again to try to make things up to her after all that went down in the war and their tragic canon endings. It's a fascinating story, haunting, emotional and beautiful.

*Jan 3rd, 2024.

[landing-amongst-the-planets]

Adult Daemyra Fics

Does anyone have fics with Rhaenyra as an adult (so Emma!Rhaenyra)? It can be based off of the books too, as long as it’s in the age range that Emma played, cuz I like imagining that more when I read! Daemon can be the age he is, or younger, or older, whatever, but Emma!Rhaenyra please! Any AU, time period, canon divergence, etc. works!

Some great ones I found, for anyone else who likes Adult Daemyra, were:

“Haunted | The Rogue Prince’s Delight” by lynne17 (https://archiveofourown.org/works/42111927/chapters/105759318#workskin)

“put down that gravestone” by dark gods (https://archiveofourown.org/works/42366309/chapters/108126348#workskin)

“the same skin” by stannide (https://archiveofourown.org/works/43642030/chapters/110458843#workskin)

“Those Happy Golden Years” series by SeveDeChampagne (https://archiveofourown.org/series/3148791)

[grandlovescheme]

The story you are looking for with Little Rhaenyra talking of marrying her favorite person is: Make Me Your Wife by Framboise

It's really quite adorable. There's too few little princess stories, that are just fun reads. There's also:

Presence by Calenlily, and Again by the same author. Both are sweet for different reasons. One Daemon comes home, the other he is leaving and she's sad.

Anyone have any other favorite stories like these? No grooming recs though please, pedo not my thing :)

Ah! So it's like @lostmykiliel said, thank you anon for confirming. So happy we managed to find the fic! I love Calenlily's stories! 💕 More little princess Rhaenyra recs, anyone?

[anamazingangie]

all daemyra edition 😎

Long Fic: My longest fic is Significance at almost 90k!

Ficlet/Drabble: I deleted my collection on Ao3 but my prompt fills for tumblr all count as 'ficlet's' I think.

Extra Kinky Fic: I think Trials, the insertion kink is strong.

ABO: not for long!

Gift or Exchange Fic: I wrote Definitions for a V-day exchange! Most recently and more casually I wrote closer to god  for luthien.

Unhappy Ending: All Dragons go to Heaven, mostly Rhaenyra POV in canonverse :( Very different for me, I'm usually super HEA minded.

Gen Fic: Idk if this counts because the fic is still very much daemyra, but my closest and most wholesome work is probably Finders Keepers which is about them acquiring all the green children and raising them.

Universe Fusion: I've written a lot of AU's inspired by other worlds with elements of Westeros, but idk if those count? The first one that comes to mind is magically meant to be which has major Cinderella elements.

Canon Divergence AU: Throwback to my first fic! Baelon!Lives, au from there. the end of a dance and the beginning of something better.

Archive Warnings Used:

Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings / Most of my fics tbh

Major Character Death / I think the one I linked for unhappy ending is the only real one? But also Anything, I guess.

No Archive Warnings Apply / Premium my beloved!

Rape/Non-Con / A couple now, but Rogue Prince most blatantly.

 Underage / A lot of my fics have canon-typical underage which is why I use "choose not to use warnings" but things like this  is a modern AU with that warning because Rhaenyra is 17.

Trope That Makes Me Icky: Cheating! I've written it a couple times now but Being Strong was the first. I also dislike parent/child incest a lot in every other fandom but have written it in it's a dream and it's a bit of a dance .

Character-centric Fic: The crisis verse as a whole is quite Daemon-centric. Practice is unique because it is Alicent-centric.

This was fun! 🥰 | BLANK TEMPLATE HERE from @the-ace-with-spades

[lady-phasma]

I can't find the author on Tumblr but I have a fun smut fic rec from AO3 (link below).

"Set Me Alight" on AO3 by piantig

This is the lovely author's note

This is five kinks under a trench-coat masquerading as a story. Mind the tags and enjoy.

[consistentsquash]

HOTD Fridays - Detailed Fic Rec - Coda

Link - Coda

Length - 25000 words. Rated M.

TL;DR - Ossuarium's Coda. This fic is straight up a coda. It's a lookback at the beautiful lore, characterizations, relationships and the spectacular plot that we got to read and fall in love with.

We get 13 POVs corresponding to the 13 people Daemon loses. Really a subversion on the hero's journey recipe. Antihero's journey? Also feels like Major Arcana? Maybe? Don't quote me on that though.

Alysanne. The Guide. - She is intense and formidable. We get to see how she connects with Daemon and essentially teaches him everything about their family/dragons. Later on, when Daemon is teaching Rhaenyra or Baela we can see a lot of her influence in him.

None of Alysanne's children had tolerated Dragonstone well. Her grandchildren; Rhaenys and Daemon took to the sorcery-warped hold as if they too were fused of blood and black stone by spells of fire.

2. Baelon. The Father. He is totally lost after Alyssa's death and kind of hopeless at raising his kids. But he wants to be there for them. He tries! The type of father Daemon becomes is essentially following Baelon's example.

Baelon woke in the nights with terrible visions of Balerion taking Viserys to hell as he had taken Aerea, and of Daemon dying with a bolt in his throat while Caraxes munched on goats.

3. Jaehaerys. The King. He is trying his best to fix things in the realm but that has a big cost because he loses his children + wife's love. He has 13 kids. The 13 wounds Daemon ends up with is essentially a callback to the 13 kids Jaehaerys loses. Their relationship is messy peak family drama but with Love in capitals.

They said that Jaehaerys loved his grandchildren more than he had loved his children. His grandchildren were what remained of Alysanne; he loved them in guilt and remorse and regret.

4. Aemma. The Sister. Daemon had a sister. It was Aemma. They both love Viserys. They both love Rhaenyra. They are on the same wavelength. It's what Aemond and Helaena can be if they weren't like in the middle of a war with some crazy parents. This is the saddest POV, IMO. But it's also the most character revealing.

She was Dim Daella's daughter. Daella had been married in the Sept of Dragonstone because she could not bear the sounds of crowds. There had been no bedding ceremony, because Daella could not have borne the shame of it. Grandmother had suggested that for Aemma's wedding, but Grandfather had refused her flatly. The realm must celebrate, he had said.

5. Rhea. The Wife. She is doing her best to save her household/herself from Daemon's mood swings and general awfulness. Because it's not like he's a good husband or anything. But they have a pretty decent working partnership. They actually care for each other in their own weird way. Rhea's rune knife is Daemon's last weapon in Ossuarium and we get to see them bonding over it. It's really bittersweet.

In a long wedlock, one counted what one had. Oh, she would be bitter and resentful soon, and she would meet his cruel words with her own, but right then, for a brief spell, there was peace and quiet.

6. Laena. The Lover. Honestly Ossuarium's Laena is the best. Rhaenyra loves her. Daemon loves her. It is perfect compersion/Book!Laena dynamics with Rhaenyra. I really love her POV because Rhaenyra was capable of making good female friends outside Alicent. Also because Rhaenyra and Daemon are more than just their relationship with each other. Laena POV in the coda finally does justice to Daemon's Viserys trauma about his brother holding a dagger to his neck. Which. Yeah. A classic case of Targ family bonding.

Her husband's head was on her lap and she kissed him in glad lust. Vhagar was exasperated and amused and bubbling with affection.

7. Viserys. The Husband. Ossuarium's Viserys/Daemon is the trainwreck you can't look away from. Because it's that bad and that good. They are intense and Viserys goes 100% Targ when it is about Daemon. Also they love each other. With peak stupidity. Maximum Targ. While Ossuarium doesn't really have an OTP as such Viserys/Daemon is the heartbeat of the series because of how much collateral damage they end up creating. We get the extraordinary, special and intensely beautiful Viserys POV one last time.

His gaze was heavy and grieving as he watched the rot and ruin of you that he had caused. Of his making. It was all of his making. They leeched you. The fattest prey there was. That there had been. You were emaciated and alone. Ten years. He had returned to Dragonstone and wed Rhaenyra. He visited you dutifully and frequently, but between you lay a gulf of old and unforgivable grief.

8. Luke. The Son. Luke being a really good boy. With a really crazy uncle with zero impulse control on top of a dragon with negative impulse control. He has 100% confidence that his Dad will avenge him.

"My father knows where I am."

9. Rhaenys. The Queen. Ossuarium is essentially a story about Alysanne's legacy and her four grandchildren. Rhaenys was Alysanne's chosen Queen. We have Daemon finally accepting that. Because it should have been Rhaenys. The relationship between Rhaenys and Daemon is one of the most fascinating dynamics in Ossuarium because they love the same people, they value the same things, but they have totally opposite ways of showing it. IMO, Rhaenys is the literal heart of Ossuarium. She is brilliant in her POV in the coda.

In the Dragonmont's shadow, the last of Alysanne's grandchildren embraced each other upon the ossuarium of their house. Each bore the other's favour. The remains of them they clung to in fierce hoard-hold.

10. Jace. The Heir. Ossuarium's Jace is fantastic. His resentment about being a bastard and getting mocked about it, his love for Baela, his confusion about how Daemon sees him, his support for Rhaenyra without missing her weaknesses, his need to get validated by Rhaenys, his protectiveness for his sibs, his search for a father figure, his willingness to do anything to protect his family. We get to see everything in his Coda POV. Including a great serving of the tense relationship he has with Daemon. He opposes Daemon knowing that Daemon will forgive him. Because that's what a father does.

Jace should not speak of the matter again, but he wanted to hear that he had been right. Mother had told him that he was in the right. Grandfather had told him. He wished that Father would affirm him too.

11. Viserys II. The Prince. Literally. He comes up on top because he is clever, plucky, endlessly optimistic, manipulative when he needs to be and has 100% faith in his family. He is probably the best King Westeros lost out on. We get to see it here. Whatever his situation he figures out what to do. He is the best GOT player of their family. Also he does everything to get back to his family. Everything from his relationship with Daemon and Rhaenyra to his love for brothers/sisters to his really special attachment to Aegon is 100% a mirror of Daemon himself.

He parted himself in thirds, for brother and wife and the light that came.

12. Rhaenyra. The Twine/The Yoke. Because she is Daemon's everything including the weirdest passionate umbilical connection ever. The twine he chose/the yoke it gradually changed into. There is nobody else who can make him fall so low and rise so high. He screwed her life up big time. Also saved her. Also screwed her life up again. Rhaenyra is the biggest tragedy in this story. It's messy/passionate/horrible/frightening/beautiful/intense. This is a love for the ages. But it is the type of love that nobody really wants because it's scary and a million ego deaths. Like you can't consciously decouple from this. There is no going back.

He did not speak her name. He sang it as if it were a hymn. Perhaps that was why he could not harden himself against her. What man could erect a carapace to protect himself when he spoke a name as hymn?

13. Caraxes. The Heart. Because. This is Ossuarium. This is the greatest sacrifice in Ossuarium and it's also the most willing one. Because Daemon was everything to Caraxes just like Caraxes was everything to Daemon. They are fire made flesh. They belong to each other. Caraxes is the 13th/final wound and the one that ends up saving Daemon. Plot spoilers so I won't go into more detail. But how absolutely spectacular to have the Caraxes POV as the closer because the Caraxes POV opened Ossuarium.

Their once-home was a place of fourteen flames. They are what remains of it in misshapen heart and warped wyrm-wings. Their troth is what remains of it. They burn as the fourteen once burned, unto ossuarium. Peregrine things, the lonely elm and the vine that sought it so that they might be peregrine no more, for the vine's home is the elm, and the elm's home the vine that hoard-holds it.

Like a lot of things about Ossuarium, the devil is in the details and the layers. Caraxes keeps the agendered present tense POV. Viserys keeps his unreliable 2nd person POV. The others remain in the past tense. Because Caraxes is the one who ensures Daemon's future and Viserys is the one we don't know if Daemon ever recovered from.

But. Read the coda. Read it for Caraxes because this is essentially a story about a boy and his dragon. With lots of meditations about masculinity and gender. With a lot of questions about where exiles/others belong in a society. Also Targs being Targs 100%.

[sweetestpopcorn]

Not sure if you’ve been asked this but what are your daemyra fanfic recommendations?

Hi there 😊

I have but it's ok XD it hasn't changed since and I think you might be quite disappointed. Anything I recommend can be found in my bookmarts here.

Unfortunately due to a very busy schedule I haven't read any fics for months, and also due to redacted I no longer search any tags, so I am really not the best for recommendations XD sorry.

All the best!

[like-sands-of-time]

Need some fic recs for angst w a happy ending

-no cheating between main pairing

-no major character death

Something like "unrequited" feelings, groveling, that type of thing. Could be the flower sickness but doesn't have to be. Some type of build up of angst where it feels like nothing will work out for the main character before it does

Need pain with a satisfying happy conclusion