𝒈𝒐 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 ───── a house of the dragon fanfiction.
⚘ written by 𝒍𝒆𝒊𝒍𝒂 . . . 2024
𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒆

A candlestick thrashed against a nearby wall, the gold of its column ringing out from the stone contact. Silver hair strayed wildly in a tired mess, the bags beneath fifteen-year-old Daemon's eyes evident.

A ten-year-old Kaleyna stood by the door, flinching at every throw he made -using any object at his will in frustration. "I should have been there!" He cried out, his face contorting into one of utter grief. He had received word of his father, Baelon's, passing in the tower of the Hand just a day before, and he was devastated.

Kaleyna reached an arm out, attempting to tame his heightened emotions, but was quickly swatted away by the palm of his hand. "I don't need your comfort!" Her eyes twitched with hurt at his tone, his teeth clenched together as he glared at her. "Why are you here?"

She lowered her head, dropping her arm back down to her side in defeat. "Daemon, I understand how you're feeling right now-"

He scoffed harshly and paced the far window of his chambers. "You do know what this means now, don't you? What this'll ensue? Kaleyna, the accession of a new king will be in no less than a week! Viserys will be king in no less than a week!" Daemon's eyes appeared as if they would bulge right out, the corners of them crinkling in despair. "And his pregnant wife is merely weeks away from birth, no doubt deciding to name their son as his heir. I will be forgotten, Kaleyna! Forgotten."

"You will not be forgotten, Daemon, I promise it." She stepped closer to him, finally resting her hand around his arm in a soothing manner. His fury didn't escape him as he looked down at her. "With your knighting in months time, I have no doubts he will name you as Lord Commander. You must be patient."

"Patient? How can I be patient, Kaleyna?" He tore himself from her touch, ripping the cloth from his tunic from her fingertips.

She stared him down incredulously as he blew up, a light scoff leaving her lips. "You are so incredibly selfish."

Frustration burned through her, her hands clenching into small fists as she left the boy's chambers, the wooden door slamming shut behind her.

Daemon shrunk onto the edge of his bed, placing his head in his hands, his hair tangling into his fingers. He wanted to feel guilty for angering her, for corrupting the way she viewed him now. But he couldn't.

With news of the heir to the throne's passing spreading like fever across Westeros, the need for a new heir heightened. The King Jaehaerys I sought for the lords and ladies of his council and court to unite at the dreadful castle of Harrenhal for the naming of his successor. There were truly only two options bestowed upon the sickly man, two options unto which choosing either one would have very nearly torn the House of the Dragon apart itself.

The silver-haired king -the white streaks grown out of furthering age- sat upon the destructed hall's throne, the Princess Rhaenys Targaryen and her lord husband Corlys Velaryon stood idly to his left. The Prince Viserys I and his lady wife, Princess Aemma Arryn, stood to his right, the pregnant belly of the latter appearing as if it would combust at any given moment. She gently squeezed her husband's hand, reassuring any of his self-doubts as two maesters carried a crate down the aisle.

The king cleared his throat in preparation, leaning forward slightly as the crate neared him. The two maesters carefully unlocked the wooden structure, revealing a slip of rolled parchment laid upon velvet cloth. Rhaenys' breath caught in her throat as hints of ink peeked through the paper, deciding the fate of the crown once and for all.

The parchment lingered in Jaehaerys' fingertips for a short moment before he gently unraveled it, his eyes scanning over the writings.

His lips parted as he began to speak, "It is declared, by all the lords paramount and lord's vassal of the Seven Kingdoms.."

The crowd of nobles quieted as they watched the pair of Targaryen cousins exchange a quick glance, each silently agreeing to understand if one was chosen over the other.

With another slow breath, King Jaehaerys announced, "...That Prince Viserys be made Prince of Dragonstone!"

Aemma turned to Viserys with a wide smile, her arm wrapping around his proudly. On the other hand, Rhaenys lowered her head, her eyes flickering with a pang of disappointment.

The king discarded the piece of parchment, sitting tall as the crowd cheered and chanted Viserys' name. He knew the consequences for his actions, and what they would be if he had chosen the eldest female as the future crown of Westeros. And he knew that in time, his actions would be futile, for the House of the Dragon was doomed to destroy itself.

Feet pattered down one of the Red Keep's many halls, the sounds echoing off of the stone walls. Hurried breaths escaped the lips of Kaleyna as she ran towards the screams of Aemma Arryn, muffled by a closed door.

The ten-year-old forcefully opened it, the volume of the woman's yells deafening her ears. Kaleyna didn't care. She needed to see her.

She pushed her way towards the bed, quickly kneeling beside the bed, a frown subconsciously forming on her face as she witnessed the pain Aemma was in. Blood pooled the sheets around her legs, her own nightdress battered as the maesters had torn it for easier access. Her blonde hair clung to her forehead, sweat beading her skin as the people in the room instructed her to breathe. How ridiculous it was, to have to be told to breathe, Kaleyna thought.

"Will she be alright?" Kaleyna's eyes flicked up to Grand Maester Mellos, her innocent expression causing him to struggle on his words.

His lips parted to explain to the child, "She will be perfectly well, my lady. This is all natural." Kaleyna's eyes lowered back down to her close friend and maternal figure, her face slowly glazing over with fear. How could such horror and pain be natural? If a miracle were to come of this monstrosity, it would certainly be doubted.

Another figure entered the room, shooing handmaidens from his path. Viserys strode over to the other side of the sweat-ridden bed, gently taking his wife's hand in his. Kaleyna watched as he whispered to himself, praying for a son, an heir.

The hours spent in that room prolonged excruciatingly until a young wail sounded, a child -no smaller than Kaleyna's head- cried in the arms of Grand Maester Mellos, its pale skin bloodied from the womb. Small strands of silver hair made themselves evident as the babe shrilled.

Mellos carefully cleaned the child off, the cloth staining a deep crimson before he carried it to the arms of Aemma, who laid with half-lidded eyes and a tired smile. "A girl." Mellos stated, supporting the head of the female babe as she traveled between arms.

Aemma let out an exasperated chuckle, gazing down at her firstborn daughter, memorizing her every feature. "My sweet girl..."

"Our Rhaenyra."

Later that evening, Kaleyna searched for Daemon, clamoring down the hall. As she neared the door to his chambers, she saw a glimpse of light peer through the crack. The door was slightly ajar, aching with a haunted creak.

Her fingertips grazed over the surface of the door, just barely pushing it open. "Daemon?" She called out softly, her brown eyes studying what little of the room she could make out before it was fully revealed to her.

His clothes were strewn around the room, either laying across the floor, his windowsill, or his bed. A chest that was once full of armor, suited just to his measurements, was flung open, leaving nothing in its midst. Kaleyna carefully stepped into the room, a weight flooding through her small body. There was little wind in the room, but she could tell that the window had been pulled open as his curtains swayed in the light breeze of the room.

Her heart plummeted in her chest at the realization, her eyes slowly glazing over with befound tears. She let out a shallow exhale, her lips parting in a state of confoundment.

The palm of her hand clung to the nearest columnar of his canopy bed, her fingernails nearly digging into the wood as a sort of grief settled over her, as a pain thrusted into her heart.

Daemon had left. The boy she had grown to care so deeply for in the past three years had left. And she didn't know when he'd return, or if he'd return at all.

𝒈𝒐 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 ───── a house of the dragon fanfiction.
⚘ written by 𝒍𝒆𝒊𝒍𝒂 . . . 2024
𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒆

words . . . 1500.
written . . . 8.5.24.
published . . . 8.11.24