Diane woke up to the sound of thunder. It was heavily raining outside and flashes of lightning lit up her rooms from time to time. She sat up. Her heart was pounding somewhere in her throat and despite the memories of her dream quickly disappearing, she knew what it meant. She had to go.

Now.

Diane hastily climbed out of her bed. Aliyah was right. When the Gods called for you, their message was pretty fucking clear. She was glad that Aliyah gave her the heads-up if she was honest because she didn't have to waste time on packing a bag now or scramble to put her affairs in order. Everything had been packed and done for a few days now and the only thing Diane had left to do was to say her goodbyes.

After getting dressed, Diane went right to the cot where Aemond was sleeping. He didn't seem to be disturbed by the lighting or thunder and Diane was grateful for it. She kneeled before the cot and gently stroked the boy's hair so as not to wake him. She wished he was awake so she could hug him one last time but it was better that he was sleeping.

Aemond was too young to understand where she was going or why, and even though disappearing in the middle of the night seemed cruel, it was the best of two bad options.

'When I come back... if I come back, you won't even remember who I am,' she whispered, feeling the tears swell in the corners of her eyes. She might not have birthed him but she was there for him ever since he took his first breath and leaving him now felt like ripping her heart out. Diane knew Rhaenyra would look after him and it brought her comfort but it didn't mean she didn't want to weep at the sheer thought of how much of his life she was going to miss.

The thunder roared again as if urging Diane to hurry up, so she got up and leaned down to kiss Aemond on his forehead. The boy made a sound in his sleep. 'Be a good boy, Aemond, and remember then no matter where I am, I will always love you,' she whispered. Then she left the room to get Frella.

***

Diane tried to stay focused, going through the corridors of the Red Keep, but it was hard to do that while tears kept running down her face. She knew how to suck it up and keep going. She had to do it plenty of times before, but it didn't mean it didn't feel like absolute agony every fucking time.

Frella willingly came to look after Aemond till the morning. Diane had told her before that one day she would have to hastily leave and that she needed her help with Aemond. She hadn't told her where she was leaving but it seemed like Frella figured it was a sensitive topic because she didn't ask even though she had the chance. And now Diane was going to the servants' quarters to get Athelstan because she could really use his assistance. Also, the boy had been a good help and a great friend to her so she couldn't just leave without saying goodbye to him first.

Diane probably wasn't paying as much attention as she usually did because she ran right into someone as soon as she turned the corner. Two hands immediately steadied her by her shoulders.

'Lady Diane?' Otto sounded surprised and fuck, of course, it was him. Who else would she run into when she really didn't want to run into anyone?

She glanced at him and nodded, 'Lord Hand,' before making an attempt to walk past him. He didn't let her.

'Are you alright?' Otto asked, his eyes searching her face. She knew he could see she was crying. She hated the fact that he didn't seem to be willing to just let it go.

'Yes, I'm fine, thank you. Now, excuse me,' Diane wiped away a tear and walked past him. For a few seconds, she thought she got rid of him but, of course, she did not. He was not a man to give up so easily.

'Wait,' he called after her but Diane just kept walking. She didn't have time or energy to talk to him right now. She was following her plan because it was the only thing that didn't let her fall apart. She always did that in a crisis. And Otto was interfering with this process.

There was a sound of footsteps that followed her. 'Just stop for a second,' Otto asked but Diane shook her head and kept walking, hoping he would give up if she ignored him long enough.

'Oh, for Gods' sake, Diane!' Otto exclaimed, and suddenly there was a hand grabbing her shoulder and tugging at her, forcing her to stop and turn to face him.

'What?!' she exclaimed right into his face because what right did he have to follow her like that?! She didn't want him here. She didn't want him to see her like that because she hated showing weakness. Even in the moments when such weakness was justified.

Otto looked her in the eyes and had an absolute gal to say, 'I'm worried about you.'

And he sounded so fucking sincere, Diane's brain short-circuited for a second. She knew she had ignited an interest in him, a healthy or maybe not-so-healthy sort of competition in the last few months. She knew he liked her. She knew he liked playing their game. She suspected that he most likely wanted to fuck her.

What she didn't expect and could in no way predict was that Otto seemed to start caring for her. And from the look on his face, he wasn't all too happy about it either. But, to his defense, he just couldn't help it. Diane was always so collected and put together and now he ran into her way past midnight and she was fucking crying. He just couldn't go with his night as if nothing happened because something definitely happened.

'Why can't you just leave me alone?' Diane asked. For a second Otto thought she was going to slap him. Or something worse, her reputation amongst the golden cloaks considering.

But she didn't.

Suddenly her hands were grabbing his jacket, and she was tugging him down and before Otto could even process what was happening, her lips were on his and she was kissing him. And the only thing that his body and mind could agree on at that moment was to kiss her back.

There were, of course, a thousand reasons why he shouldn't have. But they weren't even in the back of his mind as long as he kept kissing her so he did just that, putting his hands on her waist and pulling her closer.

Diane thought it would be easy to kill him like that. Not like killing him any other time would have been hard but right now it could have been especially easy. She could plunge her Dragon Claw into his liver and he would be gone before he even realized what she had done. Or cut his neck in just the right place so he would bleed out within minutes. It would take a little bit more maneuvering but she was certain she could pull it off.

However, she decided not to take this opportunity. She wasn't precisely in the killing-and-hiding-the-body-afterwards mood and besides Otto turned out to be a rather good kisser. Talents in unexpected places and all that.

So Diane put her hands on his face and gave it a few more seconds before she broke the kiss and leaned back. Otto's hands tightening on her waist didn't let her go very far though. He opened his eyes and just stared at her with the intensity of a person who would like very much to go back to what they were doing but couldn't quite believe that they had been doing that. For a few seconds, the only thing that interrupted the silence was their breathing.

Otto took a deep breath and opened his mouth to say something, but Diane beat him to it. 'Now I need you to go back to your tower and do not ask any more questions,' she said.

She expected an argument. Or at least some kind of protest on Otto's part. But instead, Otto's eyes suddenly went glassy and his hands fell from her waist as if someone cut the strings. He took a step back, his face completely blank, then turned and walked away in the direction of the Tower of Hand without saying a word.

Diane blinked a few times in confusion and then looked at her hands. She did something, didn't she? But she was not sure what and that was annoying. What use was this magic to her if she could not control it and it just randomly happened? And yes, at this very moment, it happened to be useful, but it was unsettling nonetheless.

Diane shook her head. She could think about this later because now she did not have time for that. So she nodded to herself and rushed in the direction of the servants' quarters.

***

Daemon and Rhaenyra got woken up by someone rather actively tapping on their legs which was followed by the roar of thunder.

'What the-' Daemon set up, his hand almost automatically going for the Dark Sister.

'Father, Nyra, it's happening,' Diane's voice sounded, and Daemon relaxed a little.

'What's-' Rhaenyra was interrupted by a yawn. 'What's happening?' she asked sleepily and sat up. Daemon yawned as well, rubbing his eyes.

'The Gods are calling. I need to go. Now,' Diane answered, and they both suddenly became very awake.

Daemon blinked a few times, taking in Diane standing near the foot of the bed with a bag hanging from her right shoulder and Athelstan holding another bag in one hand and a torch in the other.

'Right now?' Rhaenyra asked. 'In the middle of a thunderstorm?'

Diane glanced out of the window and then back at the princess. She didn't look all that confident when she said, 'It seems so. It doesn't feel like I can wait.'

'Alright. That's alright, we will see you off,' Rhaenyra said, getting out of bed and trying very hard to act like she was not freaking out. They knew this was coming and Diane had to leave soon but now it was actually happening and Rhaenyra couldn't remember when was the last time she felt so fucking terrified. She couldn't even imagine how Diane felt.

'Where are they calling you?' Daemon asked, getting up as well and putting on his clothes. When the answer didn't come, he looked up at his daughter. 'Diane?' he asked, noticing how she worried her lip between her teeth. 'Diane, where are you going?' he asked again.

Diane looked at him and said, 'Valyria.'

'What?!' Daemon and Rhaenyra exclaimed simultaneously.

'You can't go there!' the prince added.

'Not like I have a choice in that matter, father.'

'But no one has ever come back from there!' Rhaenyra said in horror, glancing from Daemon to Diane. 'Not after the Doom.'

Diane sighed, 'I know. But the Gods are calling. And they are calling me there.'

'Are you sure?' Daemon asked, his voice quiet.

'Yes. I wish I weren't but I am,' Diane answered. 'Look, I know the weather is bad... you don't have to see me off or anything, I just came here to let you know I'm leaving-'

'Nonsense, Diane, of course, we will see you off!' Rhaenyra insisted. 'We are not leaving your side until you get on Silverwing.'

The corners of Diane's mouth tugged into a small smile. 'Thank you,' she said.

She knew she would have to go on this journey alone but it brought her comfort that her father and her best friend would stay with her for as long as possible.

***

When they got to the Dragonpit, the first thing the dragonkeeper on call told them was that all the dragons were extremely restless. He blamed it on the thunderstorm but Diane had a feeling that the dragons felt Gods calling for her as well. After all, they all remembered the events of the previous timeline so it wasn't a stretch to assume they were connected to the Gods in some way or at least extremely favored by them.

When Diane got to Silverwing, she realized that she wasn't the only one who was saying goodbyes tonight. Both Syrax and Caraxes were awake and the way they snuggled their heads to Silverwing... it was safe to say that it broke Diane's heart just a little bit more.

She wanted to say that she was sorry. That she didn't mean to take Silverwing away from them. That she wouldn't if she had any other choice but it seemed like it was unnecessary. Diane had a feeling that the dragons understood. That Silverwing would never leave her side in the face of adventure such as this. And Syrax and Caraxes understood why they couldn't stay. Just like Rhaenyra and Daemon understood. They were definitely not happy about it but they would not stay in the way of the Gods' calling.

'Hey there, my favorite girl,' Diane smiled when Silverwing was done saying her goodbyes and came towards her. 'It seems like we are in for an adventure,' she said, giving Silverwing's face a scratch. 'But with you by my side, I think we'll get through it,' Diane added. Silverwing made a sound of agreement.

The dragonkeeper and Athelstan helped her to attach her bags to Silverwing's saddle and there was no more time left to postpone the inevitable.

'Hey, do not look so grim, dove,' Diane poked Athelstan on the nose, making him smile. 'I'll be back before you know it.'

'I highly doubt that,' Athelstan sniffed despite himself and it was obvious he was trying very hard not to cry. He might not know much about Targaryen or Valyrian history but he knew that Old Valyria was a hostile place that no one ever came back from and Diane was going there.

'Take care of yourself, Athelstan,' Diane smiled a little, putting her hand on the side of his neck in an attempt to reassure him. It was hard to do so because even she didn't know what was going to happen, but she put on a brave face for the sake of everyone she was leaving behind. 'I talked to my father. He will take you into his service for the time being so your pay won't suffer without me here, alright?'

Athelstan nodded, 'Thank you.'

Diane looked at him for a few seconds and then said, 'Come here, dove,' pulling the boy into a hug. He immediately hugged her back, hiding his face in her shoulder. 'Just keep a few blueberry scones nearby at all times and you shall be fine,' she added, making Athelstan snort.

'Will do.'

The next one was Rhaenyra who didn't waste much time and pulled Diane into a tight hug as soon as Diane approached her. 'Promise to be careful,' the princess asked, her fingers digging into her friend's shoulders just a tad too much.

'I promise,' Diane whispered and then leaned back to look Rhaenyra in the face. 'I want you to know that- whatever happens to me- or in your future- never stop fighting. I have been astonished by the fire in your eyes since the day I met you and I know you have a great future ahead of you. I know you will be a wonderful Queen and I want you to fight for it tooth and nail.'

'I will,' Rhaenyra promised, squeezing Diane's hands. 'And you will be right there with me because you will come back, do you understand? You are coming back. Your Queen commands it,' she added with a small smile, her eyes filled with tears.

Diane also smiled, 'And I have never disobeyed my Queen's orders.'

She squeezed Rhaenyra's hands one more time before letting her go and taking a few steps towards the place where Daemon was standing. All of his body was rigid and his face was unreadable, and frankly, Diane wasn't sure what to say to him. He didn't seem to know what to say to her either.

So Diane said with a small smile, 'Don't do anything crazy while I'm away. Or at least make sure you have someone to cover for you.'

'When have I ever done anything crazy?'

Diane let out a laugh, 'If I start naming all of it, we will be there till the sunrise,' she reached out to squeeze his hand. 'Take care, father.'

'You too.'

Diane nodded to him and walked away, heading to Silverwing, because she knew if she prolonged that moment, it would only hurt all of them more. She just had to get on with it.

Diane almost reached her dragon, who was ready to take off at first command, when she heard her father's voice, 'Diane, wait!'

She turned to see what was going on, and then Daemon ran up to her, immediately grabbing her by the shoulders.

'Father?'

'I- I don't know how to let you go,' he stammered. He looked panicked.

'But you have to-'

'I know! I know but I can't- I-' Daemon's eyes frantically searched Diane's face. 'You- you were my little girl, and then I went to war and- and then you came to me with such a brilliant plan how to end it- and you were already a woman grown- talking about the horrors I've never wished for you to experience- and I accepted it because- well, because what choice did I have? You say we are the same age now and all that- but- but you are leaving for probably the most dangerous place there is- and I can't come with you- and- how can I let you go? You're still my little girl-' Daemon's voice broke on the last words.

Diane looked at him and realized that the last time she saw her father so open, so vulnerable before was at her mother's funeral. When he couldn't even say Dracarys, and she had to help him out. Even all those years later, she still remembered that day like it was yesterday. And now Daemon looked the same, terrified out of his mind that he would lose her as well.

And it definitely didn't help her keep it together because she was barely holding back tears before and no way she could keep doing it now. So Diane sobbed and threw her arms around her father who immediately hugged her back as tightly as he could.

At this very moment, Daemon regretted that he didn't hug his daughter as much as he could before. He did it plenty when she was a child, he was definitely not stingy with his affections towards her, but as she started growing up they kind of... drifted apart a little. Diane was figuring herself out as a person and he... well, he wasn't sure how he should behave himself. His mother died when he was three, his father wasn't precisely a hugger and the most he used to get was a pat on the shoulder, and Iris was not there to help him out either. Some might say he took the easy way out. Right now he wished he did not because this might as well be the last time he hugged his daughter, and the mere thought of losing her forever terrified the life out of him.

'I love you, dad,' Diane whispered, not willing to let go of Daemon just yet.

'I love you too, little one,' the prince answered, and he didn't call her that in a very long while.

Daemon wasn't sure how long he just stood there, holding her, but then Silverwing nudged him with her tail (which ouch) and he knew it was time for Diane to go. So he leaned back, wiped away a few stray tears from Diane's cheeks, and said, 'The weather is not really flight-appropriate right now so be careful.'

Diane smiled, 'Always.'

Then she got on Silverwing and they took off. Daemon watched them fly away until they completely disappeared into the night.