102 AC, Falley Hills

'I did it! Look!' Daemon exclaimed as quietly as he could, pointing his fingers at a three-year-old Diane who dozed off on his chest.

Iris, who had just walked into the room, smiled tiredly, 'My hero.'

Falley Hills was in the middle of the cold outbreak. Nothing serious but no one was getting much sleep in the last few days. Iris was helping Haisa to treat the villages and Daemon was tasked to look after Diane and Haisa's children because Haisa's husband disappeared somewhere as he always did and they hadn't seen him for more than a week. Daemon did a good job overall, and even though Haisa's house was a terrible mess, all the children were fed, washed, and put to bed.

'How is she?' Iris asked, coming closer to the bed and touching Diane's forehead to check her temperature. Their room in Haisa's house was small, but it was enough for the three of them.

'Better... I think,' Daemon said, then coughed a few times and sniffed.

Iris frowned and touched Daemon's forehead as well, 'And how are you?'

'Splendid,' another cough. 'Never better.'

Iris let out a laugh, 'Daemon, you have a raging fever.'

'No. No! It's just- um- really hot in the room, I'm alright, I'm-' Daemon wanted to say something else but he started coughing again and wasn't able to finish that sentence.

Iris carefully picked up Diane and put her in her bed so Daemon's coughing wouldn't disturb her sleep. When she made sure her daughter was comfortable, she turned to see Daemon making an attempt to stand up from the bed.

'And where are you going?' Iris asked with a small smile on her lips, witnessing how Daemon pushed himself into a sitting position but slightly overdid it and just fell back down on his other side.

'I promised Haisa I'll help her with- with- well, with something as soon as all the kids are down. I'm pretty sure she'll remind me,' Daemon grunted and finally pushed himself into a sitting position. 'See, I'm all good.'

'You haven't tried to stand up yet.'

Daemon glared at her, 'Whose side are you on?'

Iris laughed and came closer to the bed, 'There are no sides, my love. And I appreciate your willingness to help but you are ill and you need rest. Haisa will understand.'

'But I'm telling you, I'm alright!' Daemon stubbornly insisted, grabbing Iris' forearms. 'Plus I really need to do something that doesn't involve children,' he added, hiding his face into Iris' abdomen. 'I love Diane and Haisa's kids are fine but I'm losing my mind here,' he muttered into her dress.

Iris patted his hair with a smile, 'I can sit with the children tomorrow and you can go and- I don't know, take Caraxes for a flight if you are feeling up for it.'

'Sounds good,' Daemon coughed again and hugged Iris around the waist like people usually snuggle pillows.

'But right now you need to sleep.'

'But I'm not tired!' Daemon protested, even though his voice sounded rather sleepy.

'You still should get some sleep. You will feel better in the morning if you do.'

'I still don't want to,' Daemon whined and moved back a little to look up at Iris. 'I'll tell Caraxes you are bossing me around.'

Iris raised an eyebrow, 'You know you sound like Diane, right? But she is three, and what's your excuse?'

Daemon pouted. Iris rolled her eyes and said, 'Just trust me on this one. Go to sleep.'

'But-'

'No "but"s. That's an order,' Iris said, putting her hands on his face. 'Go to sleep, Daemon.'

Daemon's eyes suddenly turned glassy and a few moments later he fell back on the bed like a sack of potatoes, quietly snoring. Iris blinked in surprise and then sighed when she realized what had happened. 'Sorry, dear, I didn't mean to do that,' she said even though Daemon could not hear her and pulled up a blanket to cover him. 'But you really need to get some rest so it's alright, I guess' Iris smiled and leaned down to kiss his forehead. 'Sweet dreams, my love.'

***

Diane was having a picnic in one of the inner yards when she heard a sound that was something between footsteps and the rustle of leaves. Aemond was sitting on the blanket with her. At the big age of six moons, he could already sit with very little assistance and at the moment he was engrossed in playing with his toy dragon that may or may not have looked a lot like Caraxes.

Diane stroked the boy's hair before turning her head to see who decided to join them. Her heart skipped a beat.

It was the woman from her vision. Memories from seven months ago became slightly fuzzy but now that she was standing before her, Diane remembered everything bright and clearly. She was half-transparent and yet somehow Diane felt that she was present there more than the last time.

The woman smiled, and her green eyes were warm as if trying to ensure Diane that she was not a threat. 'May I sit with you?' she asked. The woman was speaking in High Valyrian, and Diane suddenly felt so grateful to her father for insisting she learned it. Because now she could more or less understand her, even though there was a slight difference in the way this woman pronounced the words as if she had an accent.

Diane glanced at Aemond who was still as occupied with his toy as he had been before. There was a big chance he didn't even realize someone joined them.

Diane turned her gaze to the woman and gestured to the other side of the blanket, 'Be my guest.'

As soon as the woman sat down, Diane asked, 'Who are you?'

'My name is Aliyah Day'har.'

'That- doesn't help me much,' Diane said. 'You are not truly here, right?'

'No. I am a mere projection. I have managed to come to you because we share blood.'

Diane frowned, 'In what sense?'

'I had a son. Ainar. He died a long time ago,' Aliyah said. 'But he had children, and then his children had children, and so on for years and years. Right until you,' she smiled.

Diane frowned in turn, processing the information. 'You can't be on my father's side because it mostly just Targaryens and Velaryons so that means...'

'I'm your mother's great-great-something grandmother.'

'Wow, that's- come to think of it, I don't know much about my mother's family. Only that she ran away from them.'

'To be honest, I do not blame her,' Aliyah chuckled. 'Molfars have such a great legacy but after the Doom, it's all just- focused on preserving the purity of our blood. I never liked the sound of that.'

'Sorry, I- I'm not sure I'm following,' Diane said, wondering whether the language barrier was the problem or Aliyah was just talking about things Diane had no idea about.

'Your mother came from a long line of Molfars. While Valyria was still thriving, it was, of course, preferred to find a partner amongst your own but there wasn't any law preventing Molfars from marrying a Dothraki or Westerosi, or anyone really except Valyrians. And now... some of our people managed to escape the Doom of Valyria but not a lot. And ever since they got obsessed with keeping our family lines as pure as possible,' the woman shook her head. 'They will just end up making us go extinct in a few centuries. And what a waste it is to let the magic of nature disappear!'

'So... my mother was a Molfar? Just like you?' Diane asked, trying to focus on the most important details.

'Yes, dear. And like many others before her.'

'But then- my father is a Valyrian, won't it make me...'

'A forbidden child?' Aliyah smiled as if happy Diane was catching on. 'Yes, you are. Don't you ever think it strange just how easy you get along with dragons... and any other creatures of nature for that matter?'

Diane did. After all, she knew that even her outgoing personality had her limits but she preferred not to question it. After all, you do not look a gifted horse in its mouth. That's just plain rude.

'Why are you here? Why were you here the last time?' Diane asked.

'To warn you. The Gods are calling for you and one day you won't be able to refuse their call.'

'What do you mean calling? Calling how? Where?'

Aliyah smiled a little, 'When the time comes, you will understand. The Gods aren't precisely fond of riddles. And when you do, come and find me. I'll give you all the explanation you need.'

'Find you? But aren't you-' Diane faltered because she wasn't sure whether or not it was rude to ask if someone was dead.

'Dead? No, I'm very much alive. But I figure you've had your chats with the dead.'

'Something like that,' Diane muttered, her hands absently fiddling with her songbird necklace. 'The Gods gave me a chance me see my mother and the love of my life one last time.'

'They didn't precisely do anything, they just allowed you to connect with them,' Aliyah turned her head slightly to the side. 'Dear, you are way more powerful than you realize. You bent the time to save your family. I'm not sure if anyone ever achieved anything like that before.'

'Wait... I sent myself back in time?' Diane gaped at the woman. 'How is that possible?'

'You wished you could have changed things or something like that. And the magic interpreted it the way it did.'

'But the Gods-'

'Merely helped you out. Maybe directed to when exactly you came back but no, dear, they did not send you back in time. You did it all yourself.'

'But how?' Diane asked. The idea of her being able to use magic seemed absurd, and yet she had a lot of weird coincidences lately that just begged to prove her otherwise. 'Even if I have it, I do not control it,' she looked at her hands. 'I have no idea what it even entails.'

'It is a shame your mother didn't live long enough to teach you. But don't you worry, we will meet in due time and I will teach you what I know. I understand you were raised Valyrian and the Molfar culture is foreign to you but you do not strike me as a person who turns down an opportunity to get advantage over her enemies.'

Corners of Diane's mother tugged into a smile, 'Of course, not.' She started to quite like this woman.

Aemond suddenly started sobbing, and Diane looked down just to realize that his toy dragon slipped from his hands and now the boy could not reach him. 'No need to fret, love,' Diane reached out and gave Aemond back his toy dragon. The boy immediately hugged it to his chest as if he had thought he lost it forever. 'I wish other problems in life were so easily fixable,' Diane muttered with a small smile.

'I am so sorry, dear,' Aliyah said, making Diane look back at her and frown.

'Sorry? About what?'

'That you will have to leave your child. I am a mother as well, and even though my children are long gone, I understand just how hard it can be to leave them behind.'

'I am not- I am not his mother, it's just- his mother is unwilling to look after him so I-'

'Raise him, care for him and love him?' Aliyah finished the sentence for her. 'If it doesn't make a woman a mother, I don't know what is,' she added with a small smile.

Diane stroked Aemond's head and kept quiet for a while. 'So I will have to leave him?'

Aliyah's gaze was sympathetic. 'The Gods do not call for you out of boredom,' she said. 'Your future, the future of your family, the whole Valyrian and Molfar legacy... Everything is at stake. And you are the key to its salvation which means some sacrifices are to be made.'

Diane sighed, 'I've already made plenty.'

'There is more to come, I'm afraid. Great things always come with a great price.'

'I should not be surprised, I suppose,' Diane smiled but her smile was sad. 'For how long?' she then asked, not taking her eyes from Aemond, but Aliyah understood what exactly she wanted to know.

'It is for the Gods to decide.'

Diane looked at her again and asked the last question she had on her mind, 'When?'

'Very, very soon.'

***

'If it happened to anyone else, I would not have believed it,' Rhaenyra said as soon as Diane finished retelling her conversation with Aliyah.

They were in Daemon and Rhaenyra's rooms. It was late evening, and Diane had already put Aemond to bed and left Frella to watch him before coming to talk to them.

'I can't believe I was with her for nine years and she never mentioned she was a witch,' Daemon muttered, taking a spin around the room and obviously reassessing all of his memories of Iris.

'Molfar,' Rhaenyra corrected.

'Doesn't matter what it's called! She could do magic and I had no idea about it!'

'Weren't there any clues?' Diane asked curiously.

'Not that I remember,' the prince answered. 'I mean- she was always good at keeping plants alive but I thought it was just a normal thing... even though a rose bush blooming in the middle of the cold season should have probably made me suspicious.'

Diane snorted. So that meant there had been some clues, her father was just oblivious to them or thought them to be normal things.

'Where are you going to go?' Daemon suddenly asked, leaning on the top of the chair. His face turned from confused to worried and Diane realized that he caught up with the fact Diane was supposed to leave soon.

'I do not know yet. To my understanding, when I hear the calling, I'll instantly know what is expected of me,' Diane answered, taking a sip of her drink. She felt on edge ever since the conversation and she couldn't shake this feeling off. She did not want to leave. She knew she would because she was not the one to ignore the Gods' calling but it didn't mean she wanted to. For the first time in a very long time, she actually wanted to stay. She made a life for herself in the Red Keep and at Dragonstone, and she liked it. She didn't want to leave it behind for only the Gods know how long.

'And when will they call?'

Daemon believed the Gods meant no harm to Diane but he was still her father and the uncertainty of it all wasn't sitting well with him.

'According to Aliyah, any day now,' Diane answered and then reached into her pocket to take out a few letters. 'Here. I wrote down anything I think might be important,' Diane passed them to Rhaenyra. 'I wrote them in High Valyrian so forgive any of my mistakes but I have to make sure no random person will be able to understand them. There is also an outline of what I wish to be done at Dragonstone so, father, I hope you'll communicate all of it to Gerardys.'

'What are you doing?' Daemon interrupted her.

'I'm covering all of my bases.'

'What bases?' Rhaenyra asked, and now she looked worried as well.

Diane sighed, 'I'm... giving you everything I know in case I don't come back.'

'Don't- of course, you are coming back!' the princess exclaimed.

Diane looked at her father and continued, 'One of the letters is marked with the black cross. I ask you to keep it safe and only open it if I'm gone for more than a year.'

'What is it?' Daemon asked, already knowing and yet dreading the answer.

'It's my will.'

Rhaenyra dropped the letters on the table as if they were poisoned. She didn't even want to think- to imagine- Diane became so important to her, the mere thought of losing her made Rhaenyra physically sick.

'I cannot lose you,' Daemon said, and there was so much emotion in these words that it made Diane's heart clench. Her gaze softened.

'And I will do anything in my power so you won't have to. But I don't know where I'm going or what the Gods expect of me. And I cannot let our family get destroyed again just because I'm not here to help you.'

Daemon looked at her for a few seconds and then nodded, resigning. He knew there was nothing he could say or do to change the situation, and he wouldn't be the one to encourage his daughter to defy the Gods. After all, they rarely asked anything of them and if they did, it was of utmost importance.

'There is something else I need to ask of you, Nyra,' Diane took the princess' hands in hers. 'I know it is a huge favor but it is really important to me.'

Rhaenyra squeezed her hands, 'Of course, anything.'

Diane smiled but her smile seemed sad, 'Look after Aemond for me, will you? Because Alicent doesn't even acknowledge his existence and if I am not here to raise him, you are the only person he has left. I know that's an enormous ask, and I do not wish to burden you, but-'

'I'll do it,' Rhaenyra interrupted her. 'Do not even worry about it, Diane. I'll do my best. No way I can replace you but I'll make sure he is loved and taken care of, I promise.'

'Thank you,' Diane answered, feeling tremendous relief. Leaving him would still hurt like a bitch but at least she was sure he would be in good hands and it made all the difference.

Rhaenyra smiled and got up to hug Diane because it felt like they both needed that hug. Diane wasn't leaving just yet but it felt like a goodbye nonetheless.

Daemon watched them from afar for a few seconds and then approached them. He sat down on a chair near Diane and took one of her hands in his. When she looked at him with slightly watery eyes, he said, 'You will come back.'

'Father-'

He squeezed her hand, 'I know you will. Because I will be waiting. For as long as it takes.'