𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐎𝐍𝐄 | Dragon eggs

{ Malkym }

✧✦✧

𝕿he door to the nursery swung open and Malkym smiled in relief at the sight of his children inside and protected by the guards. It had been hours since Camryn's birth, but Malkym had been adamant that Rhaenyra get some rest before seeing the boys, knowing that they were small whirlwinds most of the time.

"Father!" Jace, already dressed in his clothes for dragon training, slammed into his father, as the man picked Luke up in his other arm. He smiled widely, keeping both boys close to him as they buried their heads in his neck. "How is mother? Is she alright? The baby?"

"She is good, tired but good. You have a new brother." Malkym crouched down, setting both boys on the ground, as someone huffed from behind them, and Rhaenyra walked in, holding onto Camryn.

"Mother." Jace grinned, but Malkym kept a tight hold on both boys until Rhaenyra was sitting comfortably. He released them, shaking his head in amusement at their excited nature. That was definitely more from him than Rhaenyra. "Mother, we chose an egg for the baby. Look. We can take it home, can we not?"

The boys pulled a lid off of their pot, revealing a large dragon egg, turning to grin at her in unison.

"It is perfect. You picked well, boys." Rhaenyra smiled, getting herself comfortable as Malkym hovered beside her. "Of course you can."

"I let Luke choose." Jace beamed, happy for the praise.

"Thank you, Jace." Luke whispered, with curly hair so similar to his father.

"Please tell me that someone escorted you to take the egg from the dragon." Malkym looked up at the boys as he allowed Rhaenyra to settle against his chest, an arm wrapping around her waist as she let her eyes flutter closed, still exhausted from labour. "I do not want either of you burnt. That would not serve any of us well."

"Ser Harwin did, Father." Luke giggled, sucking on his thumb as Malkym pulled him close. Jace covered the egg, joining his parents as they peered at their little brother.

"Did he?" Malkym's eyebrows furrowed.

"Aye. I did." Ser Harwin Strong appeared in the doorway. 

"I did not know you were back." Malkym got onto his feet, reaching to shake the man's hand as they both laughed. "If I had known, we would have been training."

"That is precisely why I did not tell you." Both men laughed. Ser Harwin was Rhaenyra's personal guard whenever she was in the Capitol, and as such, he and Malkym had formed an unlikely friendship.

"We shall remedy that, tomorrow, after the boys finish training."

"I'll look forward to it. I heard congratulations are in order for another son."

"They are indeed." Malkym turned to beam at his wife, who was shaking her head in amusement. "My wife is truly outstanding, though I only wish that we were not here."

"Don't we all." Ser Harwin muttered. "Might I see the child?"

"Of course." Rhaenyra nodded. "Ser Harwin wishes to be introduced to you, Camryn."

She passed the baby to her husband, who placed the child into the commander of the city watch's arms.

"Camryn, is it?"

"Yes." Malkym nodded, watching as Ser Harwin rocked the baby.

"Father, please may we play with Camryn?" Luke and Jace both nodded, trying desperately to stand up on their tip toes and see the baby boy once more.

"No, no." Malkym shook his head, grabbing both boys around the waist and hauling them up into his arms. They both screeched loud protests. "I believe you two should be at the dragon pit."

"But–"

"I will come with you." Malkym shook his head, smiling at his wife as she chuckled. Both boys huffed, as Malkym quickly pressed a soft kiss to Rhaenyra's lips and deposited the two on the ground gently. "You need anything, please call for me. Do not be stubborn."

"I am never stubborn." Malkym raised an eyebrow. "I will call if I need anything."

"Good."

Rhaenyra smiled, kissing her husband once more before he caught both of his sons to drag them back to their lessons as they complained his ear off.

"Come on."

"Must we?"

"I am sure they sent out a search party for you." Malkym nodded at Ser Harwin, who was shaking his head and laughing. "Show me what you have learnt."

"You will watch?"

"As long as you promise not to get distracted."

✧✦✧

Malkym stood behind his sons, watching as the dragon was brought out of the pit. Jace turned, smiling up at his father, excited to show him what he had learnt, as Malkym's brother-in-laws huffed. The lack of love from their own parents made them resent seeing Malkym caring for his sons.

"Let him come." The dragon continued to hiss and click, stepping closer to them as his chains were released. Malkym shot his boy one last smile, before glaring at the other boys, all of whom were yawning and trying to make a joke out of this.

"Halt!" Jace called, as the dragon stopped in its place.

"Well done." The master of the dragons nodded as Malkym smiled. Jace turned to shoot his father another grin, as if asking if he had seen it, and the man nodded. Behind them, a goat was brought out, being walked towards an anvil to be tied against.

Vermax, Jace's dragon, started to stalk over.

"Vermax!" Jace called, though the dragon ignored him like a petulant toddler. "Vermax!"

"Halt!" Spears landed in front of the dragon, stopping him from advancing any closer as Jace pulled a face. He was trying to impress his father, yet his dragon would not listen.

"Your dragon must obey you, prince." Malkym hummed at the words, knowing that Vermax was entering his teenage years and thus being stubborn, much like his mother, Syrax. Malkym had heard a lot of tales of Syrax's own rebellious phase to know that Vermax was following in her footsteps. "As Prince Aegon has with Sunfyre. Once they are fully bound to you, they will refuse to listen to any others."

"Can I say it?" Jace questioned, as the master nodded. He turned, smiling at his father, before he was reminded to turn back around again. Jace stepped forward, a grin on his face as he finally got the chance to show off. "Dracarys, Vermax."

The dragon hissed, before advancing and shooting a flame of fire at the goat which screamed and cried in protest. Once it was done, Vermax devoured the burning flesh.

"That's my boy." Malkym placed a hand to Jace's shoulder, smiling at the boy. "I was very impressed."

"He still does not listen to me though." Jace admitted.

"He will, in time." Malkym smiled, before crouching down beside him. "Syrax did not listen to your mother for a time. It will come."

"It will come?" Jace echoed Malkym's words, as the man grinned.

"That's the spirit." Malkym stood, before Jace beamed. "I am proud of you."

"Thank you." Jace chuckled quietly as Malkym ruffled his hair and waited for Luke to join them. "Father, we have something to do. We will see you later?" 

Malkym's eyes narrowed, before he looked between his two sons and nodded.

"Do not bruise your uncle's ego too much." Malkym whispered, pressing a kiss to his son's head. "I will be with your mother."

"Yes, father."

"Be good." Malkym reminded Luke, who nodded and grinned. Malkym pressed another kiss to his head before turning to face his brother-in-laws. "Boys."

"Malkym." Alicent's sons, Aegon and Aemond, smiled at the man, who walked off with a shake of his head. He could only hope that they didn't get into too much trouble whilst he was gone.

✧✦✧

"Rhae." Malkym winced, entering the chamber that his wife was in. She was feeding their youngest son, smiling down and brushing his dark hair as Malkym shrugged his armour and boots off, more than ready to join her in their bed. "Did you hear?"

"What the boys did? Yes." Rhaenyra pulled an annoyed face, shaking her head. "Alicent is trying to blame it on us. Trying to say that it was our boys who came up with the idea. As if we said, please, infuriate your uncle."

"They are clever, but not clever enough to annoy Aemond so." Malkym pulled his doublet over his head, getting ready to slide under the covers beside his wife. "That was the work of the oldest. Gods knows that he is the most infuriating of all of Alicent's children."

"Be that as it may, she will still find a way to blame it on us." Rhaenyra sighed. "She always does."

"I still cannot believe that she dared make you walk to her so soon after giving birth. It is rude, and it is like she has no emotional capability to think that perhaps that is the worst idea she could possibly have."

"She is doing it to undermine me, nothing more."

"Nothing more?" Malkym scoffed. "She should be sent back to the hole she crawled out of."

"You know that she only does her father's wishes."

"Yes, but that was over ten years ago, I feel like now, we are a bit far past blaming her father for these decisions. Some of them are her own, that spiteful, hateful..."

"Malkym." Rhaenyra's eyes narrowed. "Enough."

"Sorry." He mumbled, before shaking his head.

"You know she only does it because she feels scorned by me." Rhaenyra sighed. "She is upset that I swore on my mother's grave that you and I did not sleep together when I went to Alterwoode."

"As far as she knows, we did not."

"Jace arrived seven months after our wedding, healthy. No babe born two months early would be as healthy and as strong as he was." Rhaenyra sighed, lifting Cameryn up so that she could rest him against her shoulder and pat his back softly. "Alicent is many things, but she is not stupid. She is quite capable of doing basic maths. She knows that Jace was not conceived on our wedding night, or he would have been weaker than he was."

"And that gives her the right to attempt to undermine you? To question our marriage? To lead others to question your right to be queen?" Malkym ran a hand through his hair, tired with the drama that the court wove consistently. "She is trying to undermine you at every twist and turn, and our sons are who will pay the price for her treason. I know that your father does not like his other children, but I love our children."

"We cannot think like that."

"You know that it is the truth." Malkym shook his head. "When she calls you into question, she is questioning the crown, and me, and our children. She questions, not only whether they are capable of being heirs to the Iron Throne, but whether they are capable of being the heirs to Alterwoode and I-"

Malkym trailed off, taking a deep breath as Rhaenyra's hand came to rest against her husband's cheek.

"Once again, Rhae, I am asking that we leave to Alterwoode, sooner rather than later." His dark eyes met her, wide and pleading. "Let us go back to Alterwoode. Let us go home. The boys do not like it here, Syrax does not like it here, I do not like it here."

"If we leave, we will be seen as running." Rhaenyra shook her head. "We came here to see my father, and I have just given birth, Malkym, I cannot travel."

"Then let us send the boys home." Malkym sighed. "Let us send the boys home with our guards and the dragons, so that they can be happy and safe, continuing to train with their cousins and my brothers. We can stay and then join them later, but it means that we do not have to worry about the children being anywhere near Alicent's spawn."

"They are not spawn."

"That was not convincing in the slightest." Malkym pointed out as Rhaenyra huffed and leant further into his arms. "I do not know how much longer I can continue to pretend like all of this is alright, when in reality it is not and I do not want our sons to see me break."

Rhaenyra stayed silent, pulling him closer so that she could kiss his cheek and cling onto him, as best she could with a baby in her arms.

"Just a little longer, my love." Rhaenyra whispered in his ear. "Please, just a little longer. If we leave, Alicent will call into question my being heir to the throne at all. She will put Aegon in my place, force my father to change his will. To secure our longevity, please, just a little longer."

"I can not promise that no one will die." Malkym whispered, pulling back so that she could see his anguished expression. "My temper is at it's limit. If one more person says another word about our sons, I will kill them."

Rhaenyra merely placed Camryn into his arms, giving him a gentle nudge towards the crib where Camryn's dragon egg rested. Malkym placed the baby down, making sure that his swaddle was tight, before getting into the bed. He sank down beneath the covers, not another word leaving his mouth as Rhaenyra pulled him closer.

For a moment, he seemed to resist, before he rolled over and opened his arms for her to curl into. She hummed, tracing circles on his back as she pressed soft kisses to his jaw.

"I know that this is hurting you, and I hate that it is. I am trying my utmost best to make sure that the boys are protected, that these rumours do not reach their ears so please, trust in me."

"You know I always do." Malkym promised.

"And I will think on leaving sooner, to go home, I swear to you." Rhaenyra looked up, violet eyes hitting brown. "I love you."

For a moment, she wondered if he'd ever stop saying it back, if his faith in her would wane.

"I love you too." 

But Malkym's love and trust in her was constant, something that even the gods dared not question.

Hiya,

So, her and Malkym are sweethearts, and poor Malkym's on the verge of a midlife crisis but he is about to kill anyone who speaks to him when he does not want them too. Yay!

Let me know what you think,

Love Li xx