Daemon was sitting inside his tent, his heart heavy. It had been more than two years since they started the war on the Stepstones, and they were losing. They started having problems with provisions, and it was obvious that the soldiers were getting tired and restless, but they couldn't give up now! There had to be something he could do. Something to trick the Crabfeeder and his people, force them to leave their caves so he could burn them all down.

Daemon was so deep in his thoughts, that he didn't notice the noise outside, right until a soldier ran into his tent. 'There is a- a- a dragon!' was the only thing the man managed to explain.

'Of course, there is a dragon. There are two, actually. What are you, new?' Daemon frowned, rising to his feet.

'No, no, there is a new one! It is advancing on us!' the man articulated, pointing at the sky.

Daemon immediately pushed past him, exiting his tent. There was indeed a dragon flying towards them, they had a few minutes max to prepare in case of an attack. That would be a sensible thing to do, but then Daemon recognized the dragon.

Silverwing.

What was she doing here? She was riderless for the last 15 years! Did someone have the audacity to claim her?! Who would be bold enough to do that? It was no secret that Silverwing was extremely loyal to the late Queen and ignored (read slightly burned) all the opportunists who tried to claim her.

'Do not shoot!' he commanded the soldiers just as Corlys approached him.

'Do you know who that is?' Corlys asked.

'Not the faintest idea.'

When Silverwing landed (without burning anyone, which was a good sign), Daemon had soldiers and Caraxes on standby, ready to fight off the intruder if need be. Caraxes seemed to be eager in a weird way, which threw Daemon's confidence off balance a little, but he ignored it for now.

Silverwing dramatically stretched her wings before folding them, and only then could they see the dragon rider. The young woman slid off the dragon's back, and Daemon's eyes widened with recognition.

No. Fucking. Way.

'I'm here to see Daemon Targaryen,' Diane declared loudly, looking unbothered by the weapons that were pointed at her. 'My dragon will play nice as long as you all play nice too, so do not do anything rash. She might retaliate out of spite.'

'Who do you think you are?' Vaemond Velaryon exclaimed. 'Coming here and threatening us! You should be-'

'Lower your weapons!' Daemon commanded and sighed, moving closer to the guest. 'I know her,' he added, hoping it would be enough for now, and he would be able to speak to Diane before Velaryons jumped on him with all sorts of questions he had no answers to. At least, not yet.

She smiled at him when he approached, which was not unusual for her. She was always happy to see him, but something in her eyes... they were different. They weren't the same as the eyes of a 14-year-old girl that he had seen before he went to war. 'This war is going on for too long, don't you think, father?' she asked when he was close enough so only he would be able to hear her.

'I hope - for your own good - that you didn't steal a dragon and fly all the way here just to reprimand me for it,' Daemon warned in his best fatherly tone which only made Diane's smile wider. Apparently, disrespect for authority was an inherited thing, Gods damn him.

'I didn't steal her. She is mine . I stole a saddle though,' the woman answered, and Silverwing gave a roar in agreement. 'We need to talk. In private. That's important,' Diane then added, her voice serious, and Daemon knew that something must have happened.

'My tent,' he nodded then, leading her away.

'You can play with Caraxes now,' Diane suddenly turned, speaking to her dragon. Silverwing all but bounced off the ground, sending a few of the nearby soldiers flying with a wave of her wings. Caraxes shuffled down some rocks and followed Silverwing with so much enthusiasm as if he had known her better than he was supposed to in this timeline.

Huh, Diane thought, if I came back in time with all the dragons and no humans to actually help me out that would be the top of irony.

'Did you just send my dragon away?' Daemon asked her, bewildered.

'Not really. When was the last time he was free to play?' Diane asked in ordinary language. She was still not proficient enough to hold a whole conversation in High Valyrian, but her father seemed to be so shocked he forgot she wasn't supposed to know High Valyrian at all.

Daemon raised an eyebrow at her, making Diane smile. 'Let the old dragon have some fun, father. They will both come back for dinner.'

Daemon looked at her in silence for a few seconds, 'You owe me so much explanation.'

'Then lead the way.'

***

It was a hard conversation to put it lightly. And even though Daemon appeared to be a patient listener, it was hard to remember everything in the right order or mention all the important details. The last few years of Diane's life were a complete mess, things didn't make sense half of the time, and people kept betraying and turning on them.

'You gave me a funeral?' Daemon asked quietly when they reached that particular part of the story. 'In the tradition of our house?'

'Yes. I couldn't take you back to Rhaenyra so I did the next best thing that came to mind,' Diane took a sip of a wine Daemon offered her. 'I wouldn't be able to look her in the eyes otherwise.'

'Thank you.'

Diane honestly thought that her relationship with Rhaenyra was the best the illegitimate daughter could ever have with her father's new wife. Rhaenyra never held her parentage against her and easily welcomed her into their family when Daemon introduced Diane to them. Diane knew she wasn't exactly a part of the family but they gave a fuck about her which was nice. That was precisely the reason she stuck by Rhaenyra's side right until the end. That, and her father's dying wish, of course.

When Diane finished her story, Daemon looked like he was hit in the head with something heavy. 'Are you...' he took a deep breath. 'Are you absolutely certain all of this happened?'

'Yes. As certain as the person can be,' the woman said, getting up. 'I lived through it, I suffered through it, I grieved through it. I know I'm not six and ten, I'm twice as old. And Silverwing-' she made a wavy gesture. 'She knows me. She recognized me.'

'Caraxes recognized her too,' Daemon nodded absently. 'I'm fairly certain he had seen her before but he was never that eager...'

'They mated,' Diane suddenly said, making the man look up. 'I completely forgot to mention it. Sometime after I claimed her, Caraxes and she mated. I don't know how that happened but it did. We thought we might see some new generation of dragons, but you and Caraxes decided to very inconveniently die.'

Daemon snorted, 'Yeah, sorry for the inconvenience.'

'Hmm, apologies accepted. Do not do that again.'

Daemon looked at his daughter, studying her. As surreal as it all might sound, he believed Diane was telling the truth. Because the way she talked, the way she held herself - she wasn't his little girl anymore. She was still her in so many ways, but talking to her felt like talking to an equal. His daughter grew up into an amazing woman, and Daemon wanted to think he had at least something to do with that.

'Okay, let's deal with it one problem at a time,' Daemon decided, rising to his feet. 'First, let's take over the Stepstones, we can talk about politics later.'

'Sure. Not like you can prevent that whore from marrying your brother and giving him other heirs anyway, that already happened. And we have more than a decade before everything goes downhill, so no need to panic just yet. I hope,' Diane added, frowning.

'I'd rather not wait a decade,' Daemon said. 'Anyway, I'm gonna go pitch our genius plan to Corlys and others.'

'Technically, it's their plan.'

'Technically, they don't have to know.'

Diane laughed, 'Okay, yes, take all the credit to yourself. Not like they can call you out on it.'

'To us.'

'Sorry?'

'I'll take all the credit to us,' Daemon said before walking out of the tent.

Diane frowned. Well, that was weird. She was also not sure what it meant.

***

It was maybe half an hour later when Diane was called to a strategy table by one of the soldiers. When she approached, she heard Vaemond arguing with Daemon.

'This child comes out of the blue, and you are ready to go with everything she offers! Are you that desperate?!'

'She is not a child. And the plan is genius. We will use me as bait, lure them out of their caves, and then you'll strike with all your forces.'

'You are insane!' Vaemond exclaimed. 'Corlys, tell me you see that.'

Corlys sighed, 'The plan is insane...'

'Thank you!'

'...but it doesn't mean it won't work,' he continued, making his brother dramatically roll his eyes.

'I can't believe it! This girl can be luring us into a trap, and you are all too happy to jump right in.'

'With all due respect Ser Vaemond, if I wanted to lure you into a trap, I would be so much smarter about it,' Diane said, making everyone turn to her. 'Definitely not give you a plan to win this war.'

'Who are you?!' Vaemond sneered. Diane didn't like Vaemond, she remembered how he accused her half-brothers of being bastards just because he wanted to gain even more power than he already had. A pathetic excuse for a man. But she couldn't tell him that, could she? Technically he didn't betray her family just yet.

So Diane decided to play nice for now and prepared to introduce herself but was cut off by her father. 'Her name is Diane, she is my daughter, and if you utter even a word of it to anyone, I'll make your lives a living hell.'

The stunning silence followed. Everyone was shocked by the way Daemon introduced Diane who could only be an illegitimate child he sired outside of his marriage. Even Diane was slightly taken aback because it wasn't usual for her father to recognize her like that in front of people who weren't immediate family. It was risky, and reckless, and almost unheard of. Diane didn't know what her father was playing at, but she would make sure to find that out.

'Are we in agreement?' Daemon asked, surveying the table.

Corlys, who was first to recover from the initial shock, nodded, 'Your secret is safe with us, Daemon.'

Everyone else nodded as well, even Vaemond albeit reluctantly. They knew Daemon Targaryen was the wrong man to cross over something so insignificant as an illegitimate daughter. No one would risk their lives so recklessly. Diane smiled despite herself and joined them at the table when Daemon waved at her to come closer.

While others discussed the strategy of the attack they planned to hold the next morning, Diane noticed Laenor's eyes on her and winked, making him blush in embarrassment at being caught. She didn't know much about Laenor, she had never even met him, only heard a few things from Daemon and Rhaenyra throughout the years. But her gut was telling her that he was a person worth knowing, and Diane made a mental note to come back to this issue later.

'Diane, what about you and Silverwing joining Laenor and Seasmoke in the air?' Daemon suddenly offered.

'Sure. Silverwing likes burning humans she doesn't like.'

'You cannot be serious. There is no reason for us to send a child into the battle,' Vaemond protested. Diane couldn't wait to see him dead again.

'Respectfully, Ser, I'm not a child. And if this boy over here can fight, I'm sure as hell can,' she gestured at Laenor. He couldn't be more than a year older than her, after all, age was obviously not the main issue here.

'My son trained for years to be worthy of this position,' Corlys interjected. 'He has experience in a battle.'

'So have I. Don't be fooled by my youth or my looks, sers, the best weapon is the one you underestimate at first glance,' Diane smiled, showing off her teeth and daring them to disagree with her.

Corlys sighed and looked at Daemon, 'She may join but she is your responsibility. And if she ruins everything, that will be on you.'

Daemon shrugged, 'Fine. I wouldn't have suggested her to join if I didn't believe in her.'

***

The Stepstones were theirs. The Crabfeeder was dead, Daemon was alive and relatively well, and for Diane, it felt like the first success in a really, really long time. She believed she did a good job showing off on the battlefield. In high-risk situations she and Silverwing were like one, connecting on some spiritual level and reading each other's intentions. Laenor and Corlys were impressed, and it was strangely flattering. Diane never really sought anyone's approval except her father's but it was nice to have it anyway.

'Just checking if you are still alive, Your Majesty,' she said, peeking into Daemon's tent. Daemon was just crowned as King of the Narrow Sea. It was more like a joke than anything serious, everyone was aware Daemon would give away the Stepstones to King Viserys, but it was still fun.

The man chuckled and waved, inviting her to come in. He was sitting on his bed, his shirt was off and his torso and shoulders were bandaged. The fast-made crown was sitting on the table nearby.

'I also brought you some wine,' Diane added, handing her father a goblet.

'Thanks. Is everyone celebrating?' Daemon asked, taking a sip.

'Yes. And waiting for you to join them.'

'Maybe later,' the man waved off with a sigh. 'I feel like it's too early for celebrations.'

Diane chuckled and sat on the bed near Daemon, 'I know the feeling. In the great scheme of things you won a battle, not a war.'

'Certainly not a war.'

'But you should take a win, father. We didn't have a lot of celebrations in the last few years. I mean... my time. I don't know about you,' she sighed, laying back on the bed as if she owned the place.

'Pretty much the same, yes,' Daemon looked at his goblet. 'I made a mess of things, I'm not sure where to start fixing all of it. What should I do?'

'Is it a philosophical question, or are you really asking for my opinion?' Diane asked skeptically, making Daemon smile.

'I'm really asking. I'm aware that I'm bad at following directions, but I recognize when people are more knowledgeable at something than I am. You don't see me commanding Corlys on how to sail his ships, do you?'

'It's not evening yet.'

Daemon laughed, 'Okay, yes, I get it. But I still want to know what you think.'

Diane got up on her elbows and looked at her father for a few seconds. 'I think you should marry Rhaenyra,' she said then. 'I don't know if you love her yet, but I know you loved her back in my time. If you marry her now, it will solidify her right to the throne, and you will make true Targaryen heirs. No one will question the parenthood of her heirs, Hightowers will lose like half of their political ammunition, and Velaryons won't resent you for killing both of their kids. It's a win-win,' she fell back on the bed.

'You thought a lot about it, I see,' Daemon didn't even try to hide that he sounded amused.

'It was a long flight from Dragonstone.'

'Viserys won't let me marry her. Especially when I'm already married to the Bronze Bitch.'

'Well, your marriage is an easy fix, isn't it? Give me two weeks and a map, I'll make it look like an accident,' Diane offered with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

'Huh,' Daemon made a sound and carefully moved to lay back on a bed near her. 'I never asked what you used to do for a living, did I?'

Diane smiled, 'I was a kill-for-hire. Girl gotta eat.'

'I guess it runs in the family,' he let out a laugh, then winced in pain. 'When can you do it?'

'I can fly to the Vale tomorrow. If I'm lucky I'll be back before you have to leave Stepstones. No one will be able to even speculate that you killed her this time around.'

'Okay then. I won't leave before you come back. Need to make sure Stepstones are protected, after all.'