𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐘-𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 | Fighting Pits

{ Coren }

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"𝕽emeber, Rhaenerys." Coren looked down at his daughter, who was wriggling around in her seat. The girl stopped, looking back at her father with wide eyes, as he hummed and shook his head. His daughter huffed, looking up to try and see whether her mother would let her go and play, but Daenerys was staring at the sand, eyes unseeing. Missandei sat on Rhaenerys' other side whilst Daario had joined Coren.

Coren fought the urge to roll his eyes. He had been warned that his position now came with more scrutiny and so he was not allowed to outwardly dislike members of Daenerys' advisors, but that did not mean he had to like it.

Hizdahr appeared moments later, as Missandei urged Rhaenerys towards her. The little girl was quick to sit beside Missandei, closer to her father, though she shot Hizdahr a toddler like version of her father's glare as the man sat where she had been sitting.

Both Coren and Daario hid laughter at that.

"Where have you been?" 

"Just making sure everything's in order." A man stalked into the centre of the ring, waving his arms to silence the crowd as Coren watched on. He began to speak in Valyrian, and Coren knew enough to know that he was welcoming them. He could deduce that the next statement was to introduce the fighters. One was smaller, quicker on his toes, the other tall and strong.

Both chanted out a saying, one they had said only a few days earlier;

"I fight and die for your glory, oh glorious queen."

Then, it all went quiet. Everyone's eyes were fixed on their box, even the children in the crowd.

"They're waiting for you." Hizdahr turned towards Daenerys, who was failing miserably to hide the look of disgust on her face. "Clap your hands."

Daenerys began to clap and it seemed to break the trance the crowd was in, all of them erupting into applause and cheers that had Rhaenerys covering her ears and whimpering. The two men began to fight as Rhaenerys turned, looking up at her father.

Coren nodded. There had been an expectation that Rhaenerys sat with her mother to watch the fights, and others had noted that Coren perhaps coddled the crown princess too much, but if his daughter was scared, then all traditions be damned. Coren would not have his daughter scared.

Rhaenerys was quick to hide her head in her father's neck as he picked her up. Rocking her gently, he took a step back from the fight as Ser Barristan took his place.

"I will be back after the first fight." Coren muttered to Ser Barristan, who nodded.

"She is scared of the noise?" Ser Barristan smiled down at the little girl, who was peering around cautiously, wincing at every cheer. "I am sure you shall hear the end of the fight."

Coren nodded, before stepping out and into the cooler corridors that weaved through the arena, taking people from one place to the next.

"Come now, little dragon, you are alright." Coren rubbed his hand up and down her back, before pulling her away from him slightly as he brushed her hair back. 

"Loud." Rhaenerys muttered, rubbing her ears. "They hurt."

"I know." Coren nodded. "But there is not much I can do to make them quiet again."

"Leave? We go to Kor." Rhaenerys offered, eyes lighting up as Coren chuckled.

"No, Falkor is busy." Rhaenerys began to pout. "None of that now. He is not a pet, Rhaenerys, he is a dragon."

She huffed at that, before the crowd began to cheer again, the sound rattling through the arena.

"Mama?"

"We can go back in, but you might not be able to sit with her." Coren countered, as his daughter grabbed back onto his armour. "She is working."

"I know." Rhaenerys sighed, as if wondering if her father thought her dumb. Coren knew he had only himself to blame for her attitude. He rocked her gently, before entering the box once more and placing Rhaenerys down by his feet. Where there had once been a fight, there was now only a trail of blood, and he was quick to catch her before she could run again. "Can't see."

"I know." Coren nodded, mimicking her attitude from a moment's earlier. He did not want her to be able to see over the heads of the people in front of her. He wanted to protect her as best he could. Rhaenerys stomped her foot, not happy with that answer, folding her arms over her chest with a pout.

"A Meereenese champion?" Coren rolled his shoulders back, keeping his hands on his daughter's shoulders as the announcer introduced the next fighter. "...or a Westerosi Knight?"

The crowd began to jeer as Coren watched Jorah Mormont walk onto the sand. It took him a moment to process what he was seeing, before he turned to Daenerys. She had looked back at her husband quickly, seeing the murderous look that had made its way onto his face.

"Your Grace-"

"Shut your mouth." Hizdahr shut up at Daario's voice as Daenerys began to clap. 

Coren did not ask the gods for much. In fact, he never prayed or begged or pleaded with them, but he begged and pleaded for the man to be killed. All of his problems would be solved, if he would just die.

"You can end this." Tyrion called, as the opponent held a knife to Jorah's throat.

"No she cannot." Hizdahr shook his head. For once, Coren found himself agreeing with the man. Daenerys could not end this, because he wanted Jorah to die.

"You can!" Tyrion seemed a little despairing, as Coren tensed. Some god up there must have been praying for Jorah's safety, because he somehow dodged death and continued to fight. In fact, not only did he continue to fight, he won.

Coren was seething.

Jorah pulled his opponent's spear free, and Coren's heart dropped in his throat as Jorah pulled it to his cheek. He would not be so dumb as to throw the spear at the queen and her heir, would he?

Coren picked his daughter up, dodging out of the way as Daario pulled Daenerys off her chair. The spear went whistling past them, embedding into a man with a Son of the Harpy mask. Coren looked at it in horror, watching as more audience members began to pull the mask on.

"Protect your queen!" Coren was already moving, hauling his daughter into his arms and pulling Falkor's whistle free.

"Call him, Rhaenerys." Coren urged. He handed her over to Daenerys, who was looking around, horrified. The Unsullied formed ranks around them as more fighters began to appear, murdering without care. The Unsullied were making their way towards them, but they were being overrun.

Daario was fighting ahead of them, but Coren drew his sword, placing Daenerys behind his back.

"Stay with me." He muttered, and he caught Daenerys' nod as Rhaenerys blew and blew on the whistle. Both Targaryens were shaking slightly, and Coren was quick to draw Missandei closer to them too. 

"Your Grace, Your Grace, come with me! I know a way out! I know a way-" Hizdahr didn't finish his sentence, being stabbed from behind by two Sons of the Harpy. Rhaenerys squeaked, almost dropping the whistle as she began to cry. Daenerys pulled her daughter close. 

Neither of them could lose Rhaenerys. These people wouldn't kill their daughter.

One turned their attention onto Daenerys, but Coren was quick to strike both down, kicking them over a side. He slit the throat of another, before spinning as he heard footsteps behind him. His sword stopped just shy of Jorah's throat.

"Coren-" Coren huffed. It would be so simple, so easy to kill Jorah now. His death would blend in with the others, would become forgettable. "This way."

Coren huffed, before pulling his sword back and turning to Daenerys. She nodded, hoisting Rhaenerys further up into her arms, before following Jorah and Coren down into the pits. Missandei, Tyrion, Ser Barristan and Daario were behind them, as Coren continued to take care of anyone who got too close.

No harm would befall his daughter or wife.

"This way!" The Sons of the Harpy had begun to rush into the pit. Unsullied were holding them off, as Coren turned back to find Missandei, Ser Barristan and Tyrion.

"Come on!" Missandei hiked her dress above her ankles, rushing over as Coren sliced down another member of the Sons of the Harpy, as Daenerys re-joined them.

"We couldn't get out." Daenerys whispered, holding her daughter tightly to her. Coren paused.

"Protect the queen!" The Unsullied formed a ring around them, with Jorah, Ser Barristan and Daario joining it though Coren stayed by his wife and child. If he was going to die, he would die with them, not apart. "Give me the whistle, Rhaenerys."

She handed it over, as Coren took a deep breath, blowing it in the pattern. Three short calls, one longer one. Trouble. It meant there was trouble. Hopefully that would get Falkor's attention.

The Sons of the Harpy were starting to rush the circle, a few making it past, but between Daario and Coren, they made quick work of it.

"Come on, Falkor. Come on." Coren saw the line break, saw the people start to surge, as he shook his arms out. He was going to have to rely on himself for this.

The sky went dark. 

For a moment, everything was still, before a familiar chirruping sound reached Coren's ear. He didn't dare look up, raising his sword and pointing at the frozen Sons of the Harpy.

"Falkor." There was a click, as wind swept up around them. "Dracarys."

Falkor's growl rumbled the earth, sending enemies to their knees, before his snout brushed past Coren. The Thorne warrior could feel the heat of Falkor's fire, the hair on his arms singeing as screams started up. Ahead of him, five or so enemies were engulfed in white hot flames which clawed at their clothes and skin.

Falkor's eye came into Coren's peripheral vision as Coren grinned. He patted his dragon on the cheek, before nodding at the others.

"Go on then. Kill them all." Falkor snapped, before surging forward, an overwhelming red tidal wave of death that snapped and rolled across Sons of the Harpy, squashing them and eating them with ease. Another roar joined them, and Coren was quick to retreat to Daenerys' side as Drogon began to circle the pits. It seemed Falkor was not the only one to come when he was called.

The obsidian dragon landed beside Daenerys, their daughter and Missandei, shooting Coren a begrudging look as he shredded an enemy with ease. Coren tried not to huff. Rhaenerys was crying, though trying her best to wipe her tears away as Falkor went surging past to snap up a row of spearmen before they could throw their weapons at his brother.

The two dragons circled around them, Falkor's larger body being used to defend as Drogon snapped and shredded at men that got too close.

"Kor?" Falkor turned, golden eyes blinking slowly as Rhaenerys reached towards him, before he leant over the top of the small group to burn another set of men. Drogon squealed, having been hit with two spears.

"Drogon!" Daenerys paused, her heart torn between staying with her daughter and helping her dragon. 

"Falkor, roll!" Coren turned, pointing as the large dragon tucked his wings, flinging his body weight at the group of spearmen, crushing them and giving Coren a little breathing room. "Rhaenerys, come to me."

Daenerys turned, eyes wide.

"If both of you die, the Targaryen dynasty dies too." Coren muttered, before taking Rhaenerys from his wife's arms. Daenerys was quick to head for Drogon, with one final parting touch to her daughter's hair, as Falkor finished his rampage. "Falkor, protect."

The large red dragon curled around Coren, hiding the taller man from the view of the others and protecting Rhaenerys. Coren watched his wife pull the spears from Drogon's side, wincing every time someone got too close.

He knew that Drogon would protect her, but he wished that he could have been by her side. Rhaenerys' sobs reached his ears, as Coren hummed softly.

"Kor's here, Rhaenerys. Kor's here." Falkor chirruped in greeting, before burning another set of men. Their screams echoed around them, as Coren covered his daughter's ears. His eyes went wide, still set on Daenerys, as she clambered onto Drogon's back. "No, no, what are you doing?"

She couldn't hear him, of course she couldn't, but Coren's heart sank anyway.

"No, gods above." Coren watched as Drogon began to charge towards them. "Falkor, move."

The large dragon followed Coren, as he dove out of the way, landing on his back. Rhaenerys jolted in his arms.

Coren caught eyes with Daenerys, who shot him one last look before Drogon whisked her off into the air. It had only taken a few seconds, but his wife was gone, and she was alone once more.

Hiya,

So I know it's been a while. My new course has been a bit mad, but hopefully this makes up for it. Everything's kicking off, good times ahead, Rhaenerys is a cutie, Falkor's back and Coren and Dany are split up once more. Love that for them.

Let me know what you think,

Love Li xx