The joyous news about Princess Rhaenyra and Prince Daemon having a daughter spread around Westeros faster than dragonfire. No one expected the small folk of the North or the Vale to care much about such news but apparently Daemon and Rhaenyra as a couple were more known than Otto could have predicted. He would find out eventually that some people were going around Westeros, singing songs and telling exciting stories about the royal couple in taverns, inns, and to the village children instead of usual fairytales. He would not see much threat in it. It was normal to pay people to share the point of view that benefited you, after all. Otto did that too many times to still keep count. But he would be mistaken.

One day Otto would realize that these storytellers that he had disregarded once would turn into elusive shadows, appearing out of nowhere and ruining his plans before anyone could have a chance to execute them. But by then it would be too late to do something about them.

People said you could always recognize these people by the crow-shaped pendant on a silver chain. They were quick to come and leave, always armed and quick to vanish if some guard wanted to question them.

The Crows.

It would take a few more years for them to get this name and become much more than anyone expected. But for now, they were just travelers who sang songs and told stories. If you ask a Crow where they are from, they would tell you, 'From everywhere and nowhere at all.'

And if you ask them where they are headed, they would smile and answer, 'It doesn't matter where I am headed because all the roads lead to Dragonstone.'

***

The same day Visenya Targaryen was born her dragon egg hatched. It was the whitest dragon anyone has ever seen with silver accents on the tips of its wings and a lot of attitude. But that was expected. This dragon was meant for the firstborn of Daemon and Rhaenyra and the future Queen of Westeros, after all. It was allowed to be a tad spoiled.

Diane determined that the dragon was a girl. She wasn't precisely sure how she did that but oh well... not like it was the first time it happened. They named the dragon Tovi which means "day" as an opposite to the name of Aemond's dragon. They were siblings from the same clutch, it was only fair that their names correlated in some way.

Tovi was allowed to visit her human a few days later, mostly because Diane was there to supervise, and the way Tovi cuddled her little body to Visenya was extremely cute. Diane had a sudden realization that it was how it was supposed to be. Dragons were animals, sure, but they were so much more than that. They were the reason House Targaryen ruled over Westeros. They were the reason the Valyrian legacy was still alive.

Diane held no illusions. She knew Dragonstone was not the only place that was built on Valyrian legacy. But Dragonstone was the only place that kept it rather close to the original form, including the worship of Fourteen Gods. Nowhere in the world you would find more Valyrian place than Dragonstone. Well, except Valyria, of course, but it was not ready to be rediscovered just yet.

'She will be an exceptional dragonrider,' Diane said, taking her eyes off the baby and her dragon for a second.

'Well, it's in her blood,' Rhaenyra smiled, taking Daemon's hand who helped her to get out of the bed. She still felt sore after the birth and needed help to get around but Daemon who was ready to wait on her hand and foot definitely made her feel better.

Diane smiled, looked at the baby in the cot, and said, 'I have a feeling she will be way more exceptional than that.'

***

Gwayne finally figured himself out with the flowers. Diane was fortunate enough to be there when he came to Athelstan with a huge bouquet of white and pink peonies. And she dared to say it was a success, considering that Athelstan looked like he actually might cry. He kissed Gwayne immediately as a thank you and then whisked him away, probably to a more private place to do less public things. It warmed Diane's heart that their relationship seemed to be working.

A few hours later Athelstan asked her if he could keep his bouquet in her rooms because servants' quarters were definitely not the place to keep such things. Diane allowed it, of course, and then kept the flowers fresh just as she kept flowers from Otto fresh. Not like it was hard anyway. Her relationship with nature was always a rather friendly one.

'You know what it shows?' Diane asked one day, pointing at two bouquets on her table, while Gwayne was dropping a few things off for Athelstan in her rooms. Black roses and white and pink peonies made an interesting combination, standing side by side.

'That you know a secret for keeping the flowers fresh?' Gwayne offered.

Diane smiled, 'Partly but no.'

'What then?'

'That you and your father have a drastically different taste in partners.'

Gwayne just stared at her for a few seconds, his face blank, and then a grin appeared on his face. 'Did he get promoted to a partner? No details but I just- want to know?'

Diane chuckled, looking at the bouquets, 'He is getting there.'

Gwayne nodded, more to himself than to her, then kept quiet for a few seconds and said, 'You are good for him, you know?'

Diane looked at him and Gwayne continued, 'Don't get me wrong, he is still a piece of shit when he wants to be and has an exceptional ability to irritate me, but he just seems...' he trailed off as if having a hard time to find the right word.

'More tolerable?' Diane offered with a small smile.

'Kinder,' Gwayne said. 'Happier. Just overall, he is- easier to be around, I guess.'

Diane glanced at the flowers again, not really sure what to say to that. Did she notice that Otto seemed different from the person he used to be when they first met? Sure. It was her job to notice everything, after all. But she never really closely inspected the "why". Was she the root cause of these changes? Most likely. And that was...

Diane actually didn't know how she felt about that. It wasn't her goal to change him in any way. And not like there was anything fundamentally different about him now, Otto just... started making choices that she did not expect him to make. Over and over again, knowing that she was manipulating him and letting her do so, playing along, trying to get to know her, and then instead of weaponizing that knowledge buying her a dragon saddle. And being so fucking sincere about it that it was unsettling.

Diane wasn't a young, naive girl. She was not about to lose her mind over a man who just appeared to be an attentive partner. Her family, her children, Rhaenyra's crown - that's what mattered the most. Her resolve never waivered when it came to that. But she knew Otto was getting to her in a way. Messing with him was so much fun and they happened to understand each other in a way Diane wasn't sure anyone understood her before. How satisfying it felt to talk about politics with someone who was noticing the same things she did and drawing similar, not at all obvious conclusions! And besides, when Diane had said that Gwayne didn't get being a gentleman from Otto, she was wrong. He definitely got that from his father. Otto was just... not that quick to show it, apparently.

'You seem happier as well,' Gwayne's voice pulled her out of her thoughts and she looked at him again. 'Just saying,' he added because Diane's face was unreadable and Gwayne didn't want to say the wrong thing.

'Yeah...' Diane muttered, fumbling with her dragon bracelet. 'Maybe we can be good for each other.'

***

The days went rather calmly in the Red Keep. Daemon and Rhaenyra were adjusting well to their parental role. Rhaenyra even said that her getting to know her siblings and looking after Aemond while Diane was in Valyria helped her a lot because, even though having a child so little was scary sometimes, she felt like she knew what she was doing... at least half of the time. Which was better than nothing. Bianca was as helpful as she had advertised herself to be, giving Daemon and Rhaenyra a break when they needed one, but they still decided to be as hands-on parents as the court life would let them. Breaking the generational curse of children barely knowing their parents and all that.

Visenya was a happy baby. She cried as all newborns do and didn't appreciate being left alone but was on her best behavior when her parents or her sister held her. She was still warming up to Bianca but that was normal for a baby so young.

They presented Visenya to the King a week after her birth because Daemon put his foot down and insisted that Rhaenyra shouldn't be bothered while she was still healing from labor and Visenya shouldn't be dragged all around the castle while she was still adjusting to being out of her mother.

Alicent didn't try to request to see the child in any way before the week was over and Diane was somewhat pleasantly surprised. Because she knew the story of Rhaenyra having to walk to the Queen's chambers right after giving birth just because this stuck-up cunt wanted to flaunt her power. This Alicent either wasn't aware of the power that she technically possessed or hadn't turned into the horrible person Diane used to know just yet. But either way, it was a good thing. Because Daemon wouldn't tolerate such an insult to his wife and they didn't need any more drama/murders in court right now.

Diane wasn't present when Viserys met Visenya but Daemon told her that everything went rather well. Viserys - despite all his faults which he had many - did love Rhaenyra a lot and was happy to be introduced to his first grandchild. He cooed over Visenya for like two minutes and then Daemon jumped at the opportunity to take his daughter away from his brother. It wasn't precisely the issue of trust but he saw Alicent - who was present in the room for some reason - eyeing Visenya from a distance and Daemon was not about to let this bitch hold her. Over his dead body.

Alicent seemed to sense some hostility so she kept to herself, once or twice complementing the baby from afar.

'It was nice, you know,' Rhaenyra said to Diane later that day while Visenya was peacefully nursing from her breast. 'To just see him as my father and pretend that I don't know what a horrible person he really is. Is it bad of me?'

'No. No, of course, not,' Diane smiled reassuringly. 'He is your father, after all. And he wasn't horrible to you specifically so sometimes you might want to close your eyes on his shortcomings.'

'But I shouldn't.'

'No, you shouldn't.'

Rhaenyra nodded, more to herself than to Diane, and looked at her baby. Her lips stretched into a smile. 'I can't believe I am a mother,' she said quietly. 'And I can't believe it makes me so happy. There were times when I absolutely dreaded motherhood.'

Diane smiled. She definitely could relate to that. Her path to motherhood was different from Rhaenyra's but sometimes she as well couldn't believe that she had two sweet little boys calling her "mother". She had thought motherhood wasn't meant for her for a very long time. It was only after she died and came back in time that it even became a real possibility.

Well, of course, there were times when she dreamt about having a family of her own. Mostly it was late at night, lying in Rhaena's embrace and talking about their dreams for the future. When Rhaenyra got the crown, when all of their enemies were dead, they would settle down. At Dragonstone, maybe. They would marry and have children of their own. Rhaena wanted a big family. Diane was ready to make it happen. But that was just dreams, spoken quietly at the time of war. They were never truly real.

And this right now... this was real.

'You had a child you wanted with a man you love at a time when you felt ready for it,' Diane said. 'Unfortunately, not a lot of women get that.'

'I suppose,' Rhaenyra sighed and then added, 'I wish my mother was here. To see her granddaughter. To tell me she was right about the labor bed being akin to a battlefield,' she smiled a little at the memory.

'One might say it's worse, actually. In a battle you fight against an enemy and during labor - against your own body,' Diane shifted in her seat. If she was honest, she was a bit relieved that she was barren. Even more so now that she didn't have to worry about getting pregnant while fucking Viserys. This man didn't deserve the children he already had, let alone any new ones. 'But when it comes to your mother... I believe she is watching you from the Afterlife. And I bet she is very proud.'

Rhaenyra looked at her, 'You think?'

Diane smiled, 'I am sure of it.'

***

When Visenya was about two weeks old, they decided it was time to introduce her to the children. Diane found the time when Aegon, Helaena, and Aemond were in one place at once and then invited Rhaenyra and her daughter to come over so they could make official introductions.

Aegon was very curious about the baby because his little brother Aemond wasn't a baby anymore and Aegon thought babies were fascinating.

'She is tiny,' he commented when Rhaenyra showed Visenya to him.

'She is my daughter. And your niece,' the princess smiled. 'You are an uncle now.'

'Wow. That means I am a grown-up.'

Diane let out a laugh and ruffled Aegon's hair, 'Not yet but you will get there.'

When Helaena was introduced to Visenya, she took some time to just quietly study the baby's face. 'She is pretty,' Helaena then declared. 'Like a millipede.'

Rhaenyra blinked, processed the words, decided to take it as a compliment it was probably meant to be, and then smiled, 'Thank you, sweet sister.'

Helaena nodded and left the conversation by simply walking away.

Aemond, due to his age, was not that interested in the new baby. He poked her slightly as if to check whether or not she was as squishy to the touch as she looked, and went right back to building a brick castle. He was getting better at it day by day and now every time Diane had to "dracarys" something with a toy dragon, it was a whole-ass fort and not just a simple brick tower.

Half an hour or so later, after Rhaenyra breastfed Visenya once again, Daemon came to pick her up. 'You go lie down,' he said, holding Visenya with his right hand and stroking Rhaenyra's cheek with the other. 'I'll entertain her till she is hungry again.'

'Sounds...' Rhaenyra yawned. '...like a good idea.'

Her sleeping schedule was fucked up with all of the feedings Visenya needed during the night and her body was still in the process of healing from childbirth so Rhaenyra tried to get as much rest as possible and was very grateful that her husband actively ensured that she had time to just lay down during the day. Of course, Bianca was always there to help so Daemon didn't have to go out of his way to help during the day but Rhaenyra suspected that her husband just enjoyed spending time with their daughter. The knowledge of just how much Daemon enjoyed being a girl dad warmed Rhaenyra's heart.

'Where do you plan on taking her?' Diane asked, gently stroking Aemond's head who had already started to fall asleep in her arms. It was time for his midday nap, after all.

'We are going to go and scare the living daylights out of some recruits, aren't we?' Daemon cooed at Visenya who made a sound that could be viewed as an agreement. 'Because if they set their barracks on fire one more time, Gwayne is going to quit. And we can't have that. No, we can't,' Daemon smiled when Visenya made the "ah!" sound. Then he looked at Diane, 'Because apparently he is the only one who has the patience to deal with them and if quits, it will be a pain in the ass to find someone competent enough to replace him.'

'Careful, father. You have just almost complimented Otto's son,' Diane teased.

Daemon made a face. 'Do not remind me,' then he looked back at Visenya. 'Alright, let's go. Violence is calling our names!' he declared before dramatically walking out.

'Do not get her dirty with blood!' Rhaenyra shouted after him but she was smiling which was a good sign.

Diane smiled as well, shaking her head. If anyone could get away with looking absolutely terrifying while holding a baby in his arms, it was Daemon.

***

'Mind if we steal your attention for a second, Lord Hand?' Otto was stopped just as he was about to go up the stairs to the King's lounge to watch the tourney.

Little Visenya had just turned one month old and frankly, Otto was surprised that Viserys was amenable to postponing the celebration turney that far, considering he was the man who had no problem celebrating while the late Queen Aemma was laboring. Otto figured it had something to do with Diane whispering in the King's ear because there was no way that Viserys just found common sense.

Otto turned and saw Diane approaching him with Aegon on her hip. The boy was getting rather big to be carried around but Diane didn't seem to have much trouble supporting his weight. Otto was reminded once again that she was way stronger than she appeared to be.

'Hi, Otto!' Aegon waved at him with a wide smile.

'Good day to you too, Aegon.'

'May you watch him for five minutes, please?' Diane asked. Otto raised an eyebrow. 'I am sure you can handle a child on your own for five minutes.'

'I can,' Otto said because he would definitely not admit to the opposite. He had too much pride. 'But wh-'

'Splendid!' Diane passed Aegon over to him before Otto realized what was going on. 'Thank you! Behave yourself, Aegon, mommy will come back soon.'

'Alright!' Aegon answered and waved her goodbye as she turned the corner. Then he turned and looked at Otto expectantly.

'Aren't you too old to be carried around?' Otto asked. He could still support the boy's weight but he was not precisely light.

'I am. But I got hurt!' Aegon exclaimed and then pointed at his right leg. Otto looked down and saw the bandaged ankle that looked slightly swollen. 'Stairs are tricky,' the boy pouted and then asked, 'Have you ever twisted your ankle?'

'I have, yes.'

'Did it hurt?'

'Probably. It was too long ago to remember.'

'Oh,' Aegon made a sound. 'How old are you?'

'Four and forty.'

'That's a big number. You are old.'

Otto pursed his lips, 'Thank you, Aegon,' and then asked, 'Do you know where your mother went?'

'Yes! She said she needed to wish Uncle Gwayne good luck!' Aegon exclaimed. 'Do you know that he is going to ride a horse today?'

'Yes, I do.'

'Mommy says he will win.'

'Well, let's hope so.'

'Mommy says she will make sure of it.'

'Is that so?' now Otto was very interested in how Diane planned to achieve that but wasn't able to ask any clarifying questions because Aegon looked at him seriously and asked, 'Are you going to marry my mommy?'

Otto just stared at him. Aegon stared right back. 'Well?' the boy asked when a few seconds passed and Otto didn't say anything.

'I don't think your mother will want to marry me,' Otto decided to answer because it was the truth and it shifted the focus of the conversation away from him. Why in Seven Hells did Aegon decide to ask him that?!

'Oh. It makes sense,' the boy said and before Otto was able to decide whether he should be offended or relieved, Aegon continued, 'But it's alright. Not everyone is married. My grandpa and grandpa weren't married but they loved each other very much and they had my mommy. So you can be my daddy.'

'I can be your what?!' Otto asked, sounding a few octaves higher than he planned. He knew, he fucking knew that never telling Aegon he was actually his grandfather would bite him in the ass. He just didn't expect it to bite him in the ass quite like that .

Aegon didn't seem to be fazed by Otto's exclamation. On the contrary, he looked like a boy on a mission. 'You don't have to. But I wanted to offer.'

'Aegon, your father is the King.'

'I know. But I don't even know what he looks like. Mommy said we are going to see him today. And Alicent. But mommy promised she wouldn't be mean to me like the last time,' Aegon explained. 'I just- Visenya has a mommy and a daddy. I want to have a mommy and a daddy too. Or two moms maybe but mommy doesn't like any other girls right now. She likes you.'

Otto was flabbergasted. At a complete loss for words. Absolutely dumbfounded. And way more touched by Aegon's words than he wanted to admit.

In hindsight, he should have seen it coming. The very first time he came to spend time with Aegon and Aemond to impress Diane... he should have seen disaster in its wake. And then he kept coming back. It was his excuse to spend time with Diane, of course, but he was also spending time with the children by extension. Only last week he helped Aegon with his writing lessons even though he didn't have to. He kind of... volunteered.

Oh, fuck him.

It was another mess he got himself into completely voluntarily, didn't he? And what was he to do? Surely, he was not considering it... he couldn't have the King's children calling him "father". Otto wasn't sure if it was treason but it damn well sounded like one. Diane only got away with adopting Aegon and Aemond because she was charming and pretty, and scared the shit out of everyone. Being the King's mistress also probably helped. And let's not forget that people in court and out of court just generally liked Diane better than Alicent so they just accepted it.

He couldn't say the same about himself though.

And besides, he never wanted children in the first place! Gwayne and Alicent existed because his late wife wanted to be a mother and he was as uninvolved father as physically possible. Although, now that he thought about it, his children actually knew what he looked like, even when they were as little as Aegon. Which sounded like a dubious parenting achievement but still was something that the King apparently did not manage to achieve.

'Aegon, I don't-' Otto started but the boy immediately covered his mouth with his hands.

'Shhh, don't say anything now. You should think about it,' Aegon said. Otto tried to remove the boy's hand from his mouth but the boy insisted, 'Promise me you will think about it.'

Otto looked at him for a few seconds, then sighed and finally managed to remove Aegon's hands. 'Very well. I will think about it,' Otto answered. Not like he was committing to anything but he had to do something to get the boy off his back.

'Promise!'

'I promise.'

Aegon beamed at him. 'But don't forget that if you're gonna be my daddy, you will have to be Aemond's daddy as well. Cause it's fair 'cause he is my brother,' he added seriously.

'Duly noted.'

Aegon seemed to be satisfied with this answer for now, and Otto felt a slight relief. Maybe, he would get lucky and the boy would just forget this conversation altogether. It didn't hurt to be hopeful but something told Otto that it wouldn't be the case. Because he had to admit that Aegon was actually a rather smart kid. He probably thought about it for a while, then waited for an opportunity to be alone with Otto, and only then decided to bring it up.

Yeah, Aegon was not about to forget this conversation.

'Mommy!' Aegon exclaimed, waving to Diane who had just turned the corner. 'Are you back?'

'Yes, I am,' Diane smiled and approached them. 'I see everything went peacefully without me here.'

'That's up for discussion,' Otto muttered and passed Aegon to Diane who put him back on her hip like he didn't weigh anything.

'Oh, really?' Diane looked at her son. 'Were you giving Otto trouble?'

'No! We talked. We decided he is old,' Aegon stated.

Diane snorted, 'Is that so?'

'Yeah... his age is a big number,' Aegon nodded very seriously.

Otto rolled his eyes and asked, 'Were you successful in your endeavors?'

'Oh, yes. I caught Gwayne at just the right time,' Diane smiled.

'Gave him a lucky charm?'

'He already has his lucky charm and his name is Athelstan. I just... sprinkled some magic in there. I am a witch, after all,' Diane winked and proceeded to go up the stairs.

Otto smiled at that and followed right after her. He had a thought that they probably shouldn't walk in there together but he quickly pushed it away. To quote one particular little prince, stairs were tricky, so he wanted to make sure Diane and Aegon were safe.