A/N: Here is where Episode 8 begins!

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King's Landing, 130 AC

Motherhood was a new sort of battle.

A long time ago, when she first began learning the meaning of being a soldier, she never imagined herself entering a new sort of battlefield. One where she had to constantly fight to meet the needs of another creature beyond herself, one that she wanted the best for, one that she feared she could not protect.

In the battles she'd grown up fighting, it was everyone for themselves. The way she'd been taught to wield a spear had been very individualistic– she knew how to protect another, but the primary goal had always been to kill and defend herself. It was strange to fight now always for someone else. Her own security had ceased being a priority. She could not live unless she had a purpose, unless she could take care of the two beautiful little beings she had created– she, a creator, she, a warrior, she, a mother.

By the end of her first month wed, she'd lost her bleed. Maester Orwyle had confirmed her to be with child, an event that inspired her father to call a feast. Karrhys had toasted to her health and that of the babe, announcing that he was glad to be a grandsire for the fourth time. Rhysaenya had worried the celebration premature, but Helaena told her that she'd seen herself a vision of Rhysaenya hugging her child very tight– that, she was sure, meant Rhysaenya and the child would survive childbirth.

It was a strange thing, to realize she was pregnant. To lose her bleed after so many years of it coming constantly with the turn of each moon. She'd been afraid at first, scared of what fate would bring her, of how her life would change. Her first concern had been Aegon, Aegon who did not have enough pleasure with her alone and already needed to frequent the Street of Silk. What would he be like when her body was unavailable for his pleasure? What would he be like if she was on the birthing bed in agony? Would he leave her alone and unwanted? Would she find any help at all in raising her child?

She'd felt lonely enough, after the announcement. Karrhys had returned to the Phoenixfort, leaving her with a last parting reminder that she was the hope for their family's future. He told her that because of her, House Ignividus would rise in glory again like a phoenix from the ashes. She tried to think it finally meant he was proud of her, but she could not be sure it was so.

Rhaelyn had remained, but what comfort did she offer? She was there more as a guard than as a mother, there to keep Rhysaenya safe rather than hold her as she cried and navigated new emotions and sensations. Thus, she was glad to find herself so occupied, she did not constantly need to be at Rhaelyn's side. She made sure to continue flying and seeing Helaena. She started attending the sept with her, to ensure the smallfolk saw their future King's wife being devoted and kind, practicing the faith of House Hightower though she herself believed what all Ignividosi believed– that the phoenix was the only real god there was.

The smallfolk became her escape. She liked talking to them, liked the way they looked up at her with admiration. She liked that they trusted her to pray for them, as though her prayers had any more power than their own. She spoke kindly to them and received kind words in return– advice, even, once they learned she was going to be a mother.

Aegon had proven a doting husband. e spent not only every night with her, but also everyday– he'd corner her in the hallway and kiss her, he'd dare to bend her against the wall and let her whimper in his hand. She could tell he'd been afraid, too, when she first told him she was pregnant. But then, he'd spent every day with her. He and Sunfyre accompanied her and Skyfall. He continued to practice his High Valyrian.

He still left for the Street of Silk several times a week, which was the same norm he'd had from when they married. In her own chambers, Aemond would find her– his arrival was always a surprise she could not anticipate. Some days he was chatty, other days not. It never predicted whether he would come to see her that night or not, he never gave her any sign or warning.

The brothers had shared her only once before they determined it was better to keep things separate. It was about a week before she was told she was with child that Aegon had them both in his bed, taking turns and bickering. Rhysaenya had had to stop them from being so loud, and insisted it was better they each come in their own time if they were going to fight over who got to do what first.

Aegon's visits to the Street of Silk had risen after her first two months of pregnancy, when mornings became difficult for her to bear. Aemond, on the other hand, had come more frequently once she was pregnant, seemingly enjoying the way her body was changing. Though Aegon still bedded her often throughout that time, it was Aemond who ravished her the most, especially once her breasts had swelled and her belly began to rise in a smooth bump. He was convinced the child she carried was his and adored holding her stomach as she rode him or even dragging his tongue over her breasts.

She'd once questioned Aegon about the Street of Silk. Did he go more often because her pregnant body was no longer appealing? Because she grew tired more easily and couldn't please him? He admitted quietly that there were things he could not do to her that he did instead with other women– slightly depraved things that might cause her harm in this state. She chose not to question it further, but told him that the moment she felt ready after giving birth, she would expect him to show her what exactly he was talking about.

At the end of the year, earlier than she expected, she'd given birth to twins– one boy and one girl. Aegon insisted they be named for his great-grandsire, and called them Jaehaerys and Jaehaera. They were two beautiful little things, more Valyrian-looking than both Aegon and Rhysaenya. She didn't think she could see yet a resemblance between them and either Aegon or Aemond— she felt they both looked like her. Rhaelyn had been ecstatic as she held her grandchildren, and smiled at her daughter as if this finally wiped away her anger at Daemon. It had amounted to something.

The labor had been arduous, her body weaker than it had ever been, but the moment she'd held her babes, all pain had vanished. A boy and a girl– a son and a daughter. The curse did not exist in her. She had survived the childbed and she had had two children at once, one a beautiful girl. She could think only of their beauty, of their future. My son will be King, she thought proudly, and likely his sister will be his Queen. It was the custom of their houses, how could it not be so?

She felt she finally understood her parents' and Queen Alicent's desperation in making her and Aegon the next ruling couple after Viserys passed. It did feel good to think such a wonderful thing could happen to one's children, that they could end up in a station where they would never want for anything.

It made it all worth it, though breasts ached every day and her body was slow to recover. The Ignividosi didn't believe in wetnurses, and so she herself had been nursing the twins born to her since the moment of their birth. One on each breast, suckling constantly. It exhausted her when she heard the particular cry that signaled their desire for milk. At least that cry was less shrill than the one they made when tired, when needing to be cleaned, when feeling heavy from the milk. Somehow, it was still the most beautiful sound she'd ever heard.

Once she felt better, it was Aemond who came to her first. He ran his hands smoothly over her body, less firm after her pregnancy. He was glad for the opportunity to be rough again– that seemed to be what he mostly preferred. He was either very commanding with her or very vulnerable, with no real in-between. Mostly, he would try to dictate every last step and would rarely do anything to warm her up– he'd demand she did it to herself so he might be pleased watching her touch all the places she wished he would. It was intimidating and she liked it. If he was very frustrated, he'd usually just want her to ride him and cup his face as she kissed him. Sometimes, he'd bury his face between her breasts and let her move as she pleased, as if she was comforting him and seeing him bow to her.

Aegon was different. He was always open to her input, he'd accept if she wanted to try different things. He wouldn't submit to her but wouldn't expect her to submit, either, knowing how strong her personality was. He seemed to derive greater pleasure from using his tongue on her than he did having her please him, which was another one of Aemond's favorite activities.

She surmised that Aemond had always been told he was good at things, always received praise, and thus had no need to please another person to derive gratification. Aegon, on the other hand, seemed to feel that Rhysaenya was the only one who valued him, and sought from her this feeling of accomplishment, receiving it each time she cried out his name thanking him for having spoken his dirty words between her legs. Most times, he even made her laugh, while Aemond would not want her saying anything unless it was to moan lecherous things at him.

Finally, once Aegon seemed to judge her sturdy enough to tolerate whatever it is he planned to do, he called her to his room and said that he would be pretending to be on the Street of Silk. She was meant to play the part of a whore. He told her that if he was truly hurting her, she need only cry out his name and she would stop, for he never let anyone on the Street of Silk call him that. Rhysaenya took the challenge, wondering what exactly he was going to do.

He explained first that the whores on the Street of Silk submitted completely, as was their duty most times. He'd always thought Rhysaenya too stubborn and powerful for that. Rhysaenya said even before they began that she'd rather he take his anger out on her with sex than with those poor women. Even if they were being paid, there was no point in hurting them so. She told him she had dealt with much pain and that she doubted he could hurt her at all. She'd seen his eyes darken and knew he'd finally be savage with her.

She noticed he'd acted more like Aemond. He seized her by the hair and fucked her mouth even as her eyes watered, not holding back even as she dug her nails into his thighs trying to control her breathing. He gripped her throat tight no matter what position he had her in, sometimes causing her to start losing consciousness. He was so rough that she felt bruises forming along her bottom and the backs of her legs, and while she could scarcely breathe, there was something so hunger-inducing about it that she did not want him to stop. She wanted to know every side of him and this was the side he'd hidden for a very long time.

She'd been sore even before she fell asleep in his bed, and he'd whispered that he'd get back to it the moment he felt ready, which she gave a weak nod to. She'd woken up to him hovering on top of her, stuffing his cock so far that she whined incoherently and made no effort to stop him as he pinned her arms at his headboard, telling her that she was all his. He'd kept her in his room the entirety of that day. The only breaks they took were to eat and use the privy, between which Aegon would be fucking her like a hound and she'd be sobbing in pleasure against his pillows. Even when he would take pause, he'd leave himself inside her to prevent his seed from going to waste, insisting that by day's end, she'd be so full that she'd already be carrying their next child.

It was shortly after that that her father wrote to her, saying he would be journeying to King's Landing. The Sea Snake was ill, apparently, and his brother Vaemond wished for the Driftwood Throne to pass to him, given Rhaenyra was accused to have produced Corlys's heir, Lucerys, with Harwin Strong rather than Laenor Velaryon. They were expected to host Rhaenys and Rhaenyra's families soon, which meant her late-night visits with Aemond would need to take pause. Rhaelyn said that Daemon Targaryen used Maegor's tunnels to find her the night they conceived Rhysaenya, and it made Rhysaenya worry he'd spot Aemond sneaking into her chambers.

"I am not excited for this visit," muttered Rhysaenya, seated with Aegon and the twins on the grassy field they always liked to speak at. He'd taken Jaehaerys on Sunfyre and she'd flown Jaehaera on Skyfall, bringing blankets that made a small tent for the babies to nap away from the sun.

"Why not?" asked Aegon. "Because your whole family will come again? Your father can be a bit much."

"And so can by mother," she said. "She still hasn't left and I am tired of it. She interrupts me when I'm with Helaena. Helaena so adores to see the twins and I don't want to be dragged away each time my mother has something to say. Helaena keeps saying Jaehaerys plays with rats and I want to be there with them to see if I spot him touching one. She says she's seen it but I haven't. I want to be with my children as often as possible. There is a reason we denied a wetnurse. Ignividosi keep their babes close in the earliest years and only begin to keep a strict distance once they've been fully weaned. It makes them stronger, they say."

"Mothers," agreed Aegon. "They are difficult." He sighed, "Why do you think my mother hates me? She doesn't even ask how I am. Doesn't visit the children."

"I don't know," admitted Rhysaenya. "Perhaps it's because you are her first child. The one she had when she was a child herself. You will always serve as a reminder of what she had to do with the King at such a young age. A reminder of the pressure placed on her for the good of the Realm. A reminder of the pain and everything that came with it. That pressure... can crush most people."

He tilted his head. "You've felt it?"

"Admittedly, my parents told me we might marry since I was nine years old. I was prepared for years for this task. I am lucky we became friends, and this marriage was not terrible for me. Otherwise, I might have fared as well as your mother... birthing the twins might have made me loathe them if I loathed you." She chewed her lip. "Aegon, I want to tell you something. Something I was told I should never repeat. But given Rhaenyra's family is coming... I want you to be prepared for something that may or may not happen."

He furrowed his brows. "What is it?" He was so eager to listen, so ready to hear whatever it was she might say without caring how it could affect them.

Rhysaenya wished she did not have to tell him the truth, but she had to be ready. "Karrhys... is not my real father. My mother bedded Prince Daemon and conceived me. She wanted to get back at Karrhys for siring Moyric and then... then... just as your family wants you to be King, so, too, has my mother envisioned me as Queen because she wants to destroy Daemon for being glib and rude. I think she is jealous that Daemon and Viserys had what she couldn't as Viserra's illegitimate daughter."

"She lives through you," surmised Aegon. "That makes sense why she remains here, trying to control you. Your success is what she could not have. You lived freely as she could not, you had your dragon and you became more skilled as a warrior." When she quieted, reaching over to clean some drool off Jaehaerys's face, he said, "It is not your fault Daemon is your father. You aren't anything like him, because you were raised Ignividus. If he hasn't come looking for you before, I doubt he will look for you now. I doubt he will want to claim you. If this animosity exists between your families, he'll most likely deny it."

He reached out to cup her face, "It doesn't change how I feel about you. It doesn't change who you are. You should have been a Princess but instead you were a Lady and I think you are a perfect one. Certainly explains why you look as you do and why you claimed Skyfall, but I imagine that could have happened even with only Viserra as your grandmother. I reckon it means you're more Valyrian than me or Aemond."

"You're not upset?" whispered Rhysaenya. "They married you to a bastard. My mother is openly a bastard but... not me."

"I am married to an Ignividosi warrior who has given me two beautiful children. How could I ever be upset by that?" He kissed the top of her head. "If my father were to change his mind, I would like more than anything to make you a Queen. I'd take the crown for you."

She smiled weakly, leaning over as he beckoned her close to kiss her forehead. "And a good King you would be," she said. "With two heirs already..."

"My prides and joys," agreed Aegon. "You know, I think Aemond believes these children are his. What do you think?"

She shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I feel they look like me, not either of you. There is no telling when, exactly, I became pregnant. But that first month, I bedded you far more times. I believe you are more likely to be the father." She took his hand, placing it over her stomach. "As I think you are the father of this one."

His eyebrows rose, then his eyes began to water. "Iksā lēda riña arlī?" (T: You are with child again?)

"Pāsan sīr," she said. "Eman daor ānogrosa nehutan pār mōrī. Gō bona tubis ao se nyke... naejot sagon va Seta hen Geralbar." (T: I believe so. I have not bled since last month. Before that day you and I... pretended to be on the Street of Silk.)

"Se Aemond ēza daor–?" (T: And Aemond has not–?)

"Ziry gōntan daor nyke gō bona tubis se gōntan daor nyke syt tubissa tolī." (T: He did not visit me before that day and did not visit me for several days after.)

Aegon leaned down, pressing his forehead to her belly. "I should hope it to be true. I should hope that we will greet our visitors with this news. I never imagined as a child that I would come to be this happy. Especially with you. I thought you'd beat me well into our adulthood."

"Don't worry," she teased, "I'll only beat you if you harm me or our children in cold blood. Otherwise, that side of me has gone and grown up." She caressed his head, feeling his curls move between his fingertips. "Should we have a son, I want to name him Emrhys. It means immortal."

He spoke with his lips against her belly, "I would like that. But, if you must know, I am hoping we will have another girl. I want to name her Rhaelena, for my sister and for you. We could call her Rhae."

Rhysaenya cupped his face and pulled him up to his knees, pressing her lips to his. "If you did your part correctly, my King, I should be having twins again. And we can use both names." He smiled into their kiss, tickling her side then dipping down to kiss her belly instead.

They returned to the castle in the early afternoon, once Rhaenyra and Daemon had arrived with all their children. Apparently, they were unhappy with the welcome they'd received– that being none. Rhysaenya wasn't sure why Rhaenyra was expecting a great reception when she had been the one to run like a dog with its tail between his legs, escaping whispers that were truths.

There was much animosity between them and Rhaenys, who had flown to court a few days earlier. It was to be expected– Daemon had isolated Laena in Pentos while rumor had it that Rhaenyra and Daemon had had Laenor killed so they might marry. To cause a woman so much pain... Rhysaenya would be surprised if Rhaenys still affirmed Lucerys as heir, given the boy wasn't even her grandson. It was plain for all to see, if she must be so honest.

The Hand and the Queen would preside over this day of judgment. Rhysaenya knew that her father would have liked to say many of his own truths in front of everyone, for he'd always been vocal about his dislike for Rhaenyra. Thankfully for him, his good friend Otto was going to say everything that was on his mind... and the whole of the court would see that Rhaenyra had erred greatly, so much so that she should not be allowed to keep her status as heir. Rhysaenya understood passion, she truly did, but if she had wanted to do such a thing, why not bed Daemon from the start? Why risk dark-haired babes with Ser Harwin?

Aegon came to her that night, asked her if she wanted to be present. Everyone in their family was expected to attend— both her fathers were sure to be there— but she could raise the excuse of attending to her children, keeping her in the shadows. She promised she'd be there as the court levied its judgment at Lucerys Velaryon, to keep him and Helaena company.

He bedded her gently, kissing her sweetly all over her neck and shoulders. To her surprise, he asked if he could remain with her until morning. She gladly agreed; he'd never wanted to spend the night before. Nor had Aemond... who came calling just before they'd gone to bed.

"Not the scene I expected," he noted as he moved through the passage, acknowledging how Aegon was drinking one last cup while Rhysaenya unbraided her hair. "Shall I go?"

"Stay," offered Aegon, seating himself on the bed. He pointed to the scabbard and sword he still had attached to his hip— Aemond must have come to talk, not fuck. "What is it you wished to tell her?"

Aemond's lips twitched, as if not entirely wanting to speak on his matter with Aegon. He still chose to start, "The little bastards came to the yard as I was training." He looked right at Rhysaenya as he strode over. "Like wet, mewling pups they were. So meek. So green. They were threatened by me, mayhaps. Imagine if they had seen you there."

"The threat is not like to have been received the same," said Rhysaenya. "The boys last remember my kindness towards them. Your last memory together is a dark one." She reached out to cup his face when he stopped in front of her. "Are you alright?" She worried seeing them again might have brought old wounds to the surface— he sometimes complained of pain where his eye had once been.

He did not seem to like expressing any vulnerability in front of Aegon. He was so sparing with the moments where he even curled up beside her wanting only her embrace and caresses— she doubted he'd be so open now. All he did was nod his head. "I'll leave you, then," he told her. "Will you be at the trial?"

"Yes. I want to be there, in case Helaena becomes overwhelmed. My father will be in attendance." She wasn't sure why she didn't think she should tell Aemond the truth of her parentage. She felt he might be disgusted by her in a way Aegon would never be.

There was another truth she ought to tell him, however. She did not anticipate doing so in front of Aegon, but she had to say, "I am with child again. I should hope this visit of Rhaenyra's will come and go quickly."

His eye glimmered with pride; he surely thought the babe was his again. They had spent several nights together, but not more than she did with Aegon. She had a feeling Aemond thought she saw her husband rather infrequently— he was never here when he came. "Do you believe it will be a boy or a girl?"

"A son I hope to name Emrhys," she told him. But Aegon hopes for a daughter, and it means so much to me he'd want another little girl for us. She knew Aemond's pride was more with sons, but Ignividosi had rarely had problems making those.

He snorted in amusement. "That is not a Targaryen name. Nor an Ignividus name."

"It doesn't have to be," she said, rolling her eyes at him and turning away. He immediately disliked this, grabbing her face and tilting it up to look at him, as if daring her to do it again. It was their type of foreplay, but not the sort that Aegon would enjoy witnessing. In the end, she relented and did not do it again. He smirked, letting her go.

"What do you think of all this business with that wet lad becoming Lord of the Tides?" asked Aemond. "Or not becoming Lord of the Tides."

She shrugged, "Bastard or not he's not ready. He's lived at Dragonstone, coddled by his mother. As far as we've heard, the boy knows nothing of ships. Even if he was Laenor's son, it would make complete sense for Ser Vaemond to serve at the very least as an advisor in the first years. Lord Corlys has been away for so many years, what could he have taught him?"

"And the matter of the trial." He turned to Aegon this time, as if interested in his brother's opinion. "What do you think of that?"

Aegon downed the last of his wine, leaning back in the pillows. "I say let them call our dear sister into question with this. The boy is what they call collateral damage in the matter. This trial has broader implications and everyone knows it. I don't care which way it goes. The fact the matter was brought up at all will remind everyone what we've known for years. It's plain to see if you look at those boys. Rhaenys might even question it."

"Corlys is as stubborn and blind as our father," said Aemond distastefully. "They refuse to see the obvious truth. Even Rhysaenya is more a dragon than they are."

"In the end, their mother is Rhaenyra," she gave them this bit of support. "In the end, your father is blind because he thinks the crown moves through her. He has no regard for her poor choices."

He was silent for a moment, eyes flickering between them. "Well, we all know that the succession may yet change. You would be King, dear brother, and you his Queen, Rhysaenya. What a mighty couple you will be." He sounded so jealous, but made no other comment. "I will let you be... and see you on the morrow."

He took his leave. Rhysaenya crawled back into the bed as he closed the passage, giving Aegon a look that questioned whether he noticed the envy. He acknowledged it with a blink, but of course he did not care. He didn't even desire being King for his own gains– he would do what was expected, what would help Rhysaenya and the children. Aemond could have whatever he wanted in the end.

Alone again, he fucked her once more. She imagined that if Aemond had found her alone, he wouldn't have been as gentle as Aegon. He'd told her as much when she'd been pregnant with the twins. You are a dragon, you carry a dragon within, your fire will keep them safe. Let it consume you. Perhaps that was why she wanted to believe so firmly the children were Aegon's– he had been fatherly and sweet even when there was nothing yet to see. Perhaps she wanted the less accomplished man to have this be truly his.

She wondered as well if she really was more of a dragon than Rhaenyra's boys. The babe within her was one, but who was she, Rhysaenya? More dragon? Or more phoenix?