𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐘-𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 | Monstrous

{ Coren }

 ✧✦✧

𝕮oren was exhausted. 

He had spent much of his time investigating into the messages on the wall, the dead child and if the culprits could be found but to most in the city who did not know him, he was just another foreign man in armour and they were not particularly pleased to be talking to him. He could understand, to an extent, where they were coming from. But Coren's first priority was always to his child.

Rhaenerys was oblivious to the threat on her life, but she now had a near constant watch on her, far more so than she had in the months earlier.

"Still nothing." Grey Worm spoke up in the council meeting as Coren leant back in his chair, brushing Rhaenerys' light hair from her head. His daughter was chewing on her fist, eyes wide as she looked around the room before shuffling in her father's grip to try and crawl around. Coren kept a hold of her, not trusting that his daughter, who was crawling, would not attempt to crawl from the room. "Either no one knows who it is, or they are all being tight lipped about it."

"Is there an incentive to offer to get people to come forward?" Daenerys questioned, coming to stand behind Coren as she allowed Rhaenerys to clutch onto her finger. The little girl was becoming increasingly more grabby as she grew older, often reaching for things that she should not and keeping her parents on her toes. "We have to find who these people are, to ensure the safety of my daughter."

"We are trying, Your Grace." Ser Barristan shook his head. "Our efforts are not proving fruitful."

"Your Grace. We have petitioners waiting to speak with you." Missandei appeared into the room. "They are saying that it cannot wait."

"Now is not the time." Coren muttered, as he turned to Daenerys. "We need a plan."

"They are my people, I made a promise to them and I intend to keep it." Daenerys pulled her fingers free of Rhaenerys, who pouted, before kissing her daughter's head and hurrying after Missandei.

"I suppose, more patrols will have to do until we can formulate a better plan." Ser Barristan suggested as Coren and Grey Worm nodded.

"Just ensure that all soldiers are getting the appropriate amount of rest and food. A tired army is of no use to anyone." Coren stood up, letting his daughter settle over his hip as he hushed her. "All this for you, little dragon."

Rhaenerys beamed as Coren shook his head. Her hands reached for his curls, though he dodged as he followed Daenerys' path to the throne room. Finding the doorway, Coren leant against the wall, hushing Rhaenerys as Missandei finished off Daenerys' titles.

"I can speak in the Common Tongue if you wish." The man spoke up, as Coren let Rhaenerys settle once more, as he kissed her pale hair.

"You speak it very well." Daenerys complimented.

"Before you freed me, I belonged to Master Mighdal. I was tutor to his children," The man spoke with only a hint of an accent. "I taught them languages and history. They know a great deal about your family because of me. Little Calla is only seven, but she admires you very much."

"I hope I can prove worthy of her admiration. What can I do for you?" 

"When you took the city, the children begged me not to leave the house. But Master Mighdal and I agreed that I must. So I lost my home. Now I live on the streets." Coren's eyes narrowed, but he still focused on the imperfection in the walls across from him. He just wanted to go back and sleep once more.

"I have outfitted mess halls to feed all former slaves and barracks to shelter them." Daenerys was trying to compromise, and Coren could feel eyes on his face. Looking over, he found Missandei watching him with a cocked eyebrow. He merely rocked Rhaenerys, who was watching her mother with wide eyes.

"I do not mean to offend, Your Grace. I went to one of these places," The man spoke cautiously. "The young prey on the old. Take what they want and beat us if we resist."

"My Unsullied will make them safe again in short order my friend, this I promise you."

"Even if they are safe, who would I be there? What purpose would I serve?" The man protested. "With my master, I was a teacher. I had the respect and love of these children."

"What is it that you want from me?" Daenerys sighed, the first sign of fatigue appearing.

"Your Grace, I ask you to let me sell myself back to Master Mighdal." Coren looked up at that, his eyebrows furrowing.

"You want to return to a man who owned you, like a goat or a chair?" Daenerys sounded her sentence out slowly as if she was trying to process this in her mind.

"Please, Your Grace." The man shook his head. "The young may rejoice in the new world you've built for them, But for those of us too old to change there is only fear and squalor. I am not alone. There are many outside waiting to beg the same-"

"I did not take this city to preside over the injustice I fought to destroy. I took it to bring people freedom." Daenerys began, before sighing and letting some of the tension leave her shoulders. "But freedom means making your own choices. I will allow you to sign a contract with your former master. It may not cover a period lasting longer than a year."

"Thank you, Your Grace." The man began to bow profusely. "Thank you!"

He began to leave slowly as Ser Barristan brushed past Coren, towards Daenerys. Coren jumped slightly, having not noticed that the man was there. He had been far too focussed on his child, who was now attempting to reach for his dagger at his hip. 

"The masters will take advantage of this situation," Ser Barristan spoke as Coren shifted Rhaenerys to his other arm, shooting her a knowing look as the baby pouted. "The men serving them will be slaves in all but name."

"I agree," Coren spoke softly as another man entered the hall, Daenerys turned further to look at him. "This should be treated carefully. We don't need to aggravate an already dangerous situation."

"Approach my friend!" Daenerys called to the man, before nodding at Coren. The man ahead of them began to cry, muttering in a language that Coren didn't know.

He began to stutter something, as Missandei spoke softly, before turning to the others.

"I have brought you. He came from the sky." Coren stepped back forward, coming closer to the stairs to see what was happening. "The black one. The winged shadow. He came from the sky and..."

Missandei trailed off as the man knelt on the ground and let the parcel in his hands drop onto the ground. A pile of burnt bones were revealed as Coren took a deep breath and turned to Daenerys, who shared a similar look of panic.

"My girl." Missandei translated once more, as Coren's heart tightened. His grip tightened on his own child, who was peering around curiously with wide eyes. "My little girl."

"This is not a sight for Rhaenerys." Daenerys hissed once, as Coren turned and disappeared into the castle once more. 

 ✧✦✧

"Coren." The man turned around from where he stood. Rhaenerys was in her crib, fast asleep. Daenerys stood behind him, her arms crossed and the faint traces of red around her eyes.

"What happened?"

"The man, he spoke, told us that they are saying that I did it for retribution after the child murdered in our daughter's name." Daenerys ran a hand down her face as Coren's shoulders tightened, sitting down. "It is going to aggravate the situation. So I had to choose what was best to do, and there is a path though I hate it so."

"Rhaenerys will be safe here." Coren watched her as Daenerys' eyebrows furrowed and she shook her head.

"I cannot risk it. Not now."

"What has happened?"

"Viserion and Rhaegal..." A tear slipped down her face, before she shook her head and brushed it away. "They're chained, beneath the temple."

"You chained them in the vault?" Coren asked, his eyebrows furrowing further. "Why?"

"Because I have to show that I am doing something, that I am making some form of amends for what Drogon has done. He burned a child." Daenerys took a deep breath. "Look, with Viserion and Rhaegal chained, there are calls for Falkor to be-"

"No." Coren shook his head. "No, you cannot chain Falkor up. He has been good, and behaved, he has done nothing. You cannot do that."

"Coren, listen to me, that is not what I am asking you." Daenerys cut him off quickly, as Coren took a deep breath. "Take Falkor, and leave."

"What?" Coren shot upwards, towering over her. "What are you talking about?"

"Take Falkor, take Rhaenerys and leave Mereen." Daenerys squared her shoulder as Coren's face turned horrified.

"Your Grace..."

"Coren, I need you to do that for me. With two of the dragons chained up, and the citizens already stressed and tensions rising, I have to protect Rhaenerys."

"You are asking me to take our daughter and leave? Khaleesi, I can protect her. I can protect her here, and you, as I've done for years." Coren pointed out, lowering his voice as Rhaenerys whined. "It is foolish for us to leave you, for us to go. Not to mention that if Falkor goes too, then you will have no protection."

"I will have Ser Barristan and Grey Worm and-"

"And not me." Coren shook his head. "Any other request, I would oblige, but this? This is madness and you know it. I will not leave you here. I will not take Rhaenerys and Falkor from you and run."

"Do not be stupid, Coren." Daenerys pleaded. "My-Our daughter has to be safe and until I find the people who have threatened this on her, I cannot risk her being here. I cannot bare the thought of something happening to her, someone harming her in the slightest. You and I are not always around her. I will not risk anyone hurting her."

"We do not even know if they will."

"You said it yourself, it would be the next conceivable escalation." Daenerys looked at her daughter, as Coren watched her with wide eyes. "They expect me to chain Falkor up, the only way I can't do that is if he is not here. He can protect you and Rhaenerys far better than any armoured guard could."

"Falkor would return, he is loyal. He will not stand being apart from you, not for a moment and you know this."

"Falkor is not loyal to me anymore." Daenerys shook her head as Coren ran a hand through his hair. "I do not think I have ever been the person that Falkor is loyal to. Coren, take Falkor, take Rhaenerys and go."

"What if I refuse?"

"Do not make me say it again as an order." Daenerys shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. Her heart, her brain, everything was screaming inside of her not to do this, that she could protect them, but the thought of her daughter harmed was something that she could never live with. She would rather them be safe. 

"I do not want to do this."

"Coren, if you do not go willingly, I will banish you." Daenerys tensed up as Coren watched her with sad eyes.

"You do not mean that." Daenerys did not reply, strengthening her resolve once more. "You would not deny Rhaenerys of her mother."

"I would if it ensure she lived." Daenerys nodded. "Coren, leave."

"Please."

"Leave." Daenerys nodded as Coren backed away. He thought it over, heart in his mouth before he turned back to look at Daenerys' face, the pain in her eyes and the way her hands trembled, though she desperately tried to hide it.

"I swore to protect you. I made an oath." 

"Your oath to me, the blood oath, you said in it that you would never fail me, that you would carry out all that needs to be done in my name and I am asking you to do this in my name." Daenerys brushed past him, leaning down to kiss her daughter's head. "If you do not do this, then you will have failed me." 

Coren had frozen in placed as Daenerys wrapped her daughter into a blanket, leaning her forehead against hers.

"I love you." She muttered to the small child, as Coren took a deep breath, before grabbing his sword and armour, pulling it on swiftly. He yanked his cloak over the top, slipping gloves on, before turning back to Daenerys. "I love you more than there are stars in the sky, little dragon."

Coren took Rhaenerys from her arms, holding the small girl to his chest as he watched Daenerys.

"How will I know when to come back?"

"You'll know." Daenerys brushed her daughter's cheek before looking back up at Coren, who's face was settled in grim resolve. They had not even had a chance to speak on their own argument, on anything that had gone on between them, for it was all far too much of a blur. Coren took that time, his eyes tracing her face, admiring and committing to memory every bit of her, before turning on his heel and leaving the door.

Daenerys watched him go, before sinking down into the chair that Coren had just left, her hand covering her mouth to quieten her sobs at sending her only daughter away from her, at sending Coren from her.

Daenerys Targaryen was alone in the world once more.

𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐏𝐀𝐗

Hiya,

So, Coren and Rhaenerys and Falkor have left, they're off on their own little adventure whilst Dany is not there with them. Dany is now sad, Coren is stressed and Falkor is very confused can confirm. Reminder that there are year time skips between parts of the book so by the next time we see her, Rhaenerys will be a year and a half, ish, but yes, that's the end of Pax.

Let me know what you think,

Love Li xx