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AENORA WATCHED AS HER FATHER paced back and forth in front of her. Viserys summoned her to his chambers, but had yet to speak. She tapped her fingers along the wooden rails of the chair.
"I have an important decision to make and I believe you're the only one whose advice can help me," Viserys said to his daughter.
Aenora wanted to scoff. She found it ironic that now he wanted her advice on an 'important decision'. But did not think to ask for it when he decided to kill her mother.
"You want my advice on your succession, I suppose?" She asked.
"I do."
Aenora inhaled deeply. She knew, no matter who her father chose to be heir, someone would be unhappy. But, she also knew that that's just how the world worked. She pondered on the possible answers until she found a solution that could work.
"Rhaenyra," Aenora said. "She's smart and head strong. She'd do well on the Iron Throne."
Viserys laughed in disbelief. "She has less of a claim than you, Aenora. And you only have one because you are my first born."
"The only reason you are having to make this decision is because I am a woman," Aenora stated.
"No one would support this," Viserys shook his head.
"You are the King. The only man that comes second to the Gods. Make them," Aenora crossed her arms.
Viserys stared at her. She was right, he had that power. He had the power to name anyone his heir.
"Why don't you want to be Queen? You could be the first Queen to sit the Iront Throne," Viserys questioned.
"Power does something to people that I don't like. And I don't believe I am strong enough to remain the same. I know it would change me," Aenora answered.
"So, I suppose you don't want Daemon to be my heir either?"
All Aenora had to do was give him a certain look and he knew.
Aenora believed faithfully power wasn't a good thing. She saw what it has done to kind people like herself. She was afraid of becoming tired, stressed, and cruel. She figured out at a young age how the world of royalty worked. Sometimes she wished she wasn't born into this life, but she didn't take what she had for granted either.
"Do you think power has changed me?"
Aenora shrugged. "Maybe you were a better man before you were King. I wouldn't know, I wasn't alive."
"You are a very smart woman, Aenora. I appreciate you're advice." Viserys said, "Rhaenyra will be my successor."
Aenora was to say the least, surprised. She did not think Viserys would honestly name Rhaenyra as his heir.
She smiled at the thought of her beautiful little sister as the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.
After Aenora told Daemon about her father choosing Rhaenyra as heir and her part in how that decision was made, he had decided that they were to leave to Dragonstone that very day. She tried to argue and tell him that she needed to be there for her sister but he didn't care. He had made the decision and that was it. She could've chosen to stay without him, but she had made a choice to love him and accept him for who he was, including his faults. So she chose to stand by him.
Aenora sat on the edge of her bed, in her new home. Daemon stood leaving against a table, looking at her. He hasn't spoken to her all day, nat had she spoken to him. She could understand why he'd be upset. He felt that she saw him as the rest of the council did. Which wasn't true. Aenora wanted peace. She knew the power of one of them being King or Queen could tear the apart, that wasn't a chance she was willing to take.
Both of them were too stubborn to be the first to speak, but nonetheless Aenora gave in.
"You are upset with me," Aenora said quietly.
Daemon folded his arms across his chest as he listened to her.
"I did not choose Rhaenyra over you. Truthfully, I chose what I wanted over everyone, which was us. I chose for us to be together, in peace, here. Be upset with me if you wish, but I chose you, Daemon." Aenora stood up.
She began to walk towards the door but Daemon stopped her. He finally saw it the way she did. He didn't know how to feel. Someone had finally chosen him. In all honesty, he did want the throne, but more importantly he wanted his brother to choose him. If Aenora told her father to pick him to be heir, it wouldn't have been a choice Viserys made on his own.
Daemon accepted that he was not going to be the next King. Sure, he wasn't exactly happy about it, but he was happy that the woman he loved chose him over everyone else. And he was also happy with the fact that even though he did not want to be there for her sisters ceremony, Aenora chose to stand by his wishes. He had finally, truly, realized how much this woman loved him.
Daemon kissed her forehead, "Come with me."
Aenora tilted her head in confusion, but did as she was told and followed him. The two walked to another room, down the hall from theirs.
Daemon opened the door for her and as she walked in she realized it was a nursery. Aenora walked around the room and stopped at the cradle. She ran her hands over the wood. She hadn't thought about what her children would be like, only that she was scared of having them.
Aenora continued to walk around the room, but immediately stopped at the fireplace when she saw a cauldron.
She knelt before the fire and opened the cauldrons lid. Then in disbelief she turned her head to her husband. It was her brothers dragon egg. Baelons dragon egg.
"Daemon, what have you done." Aenora said.
In her mind she had tried to find excuses for him. But when she figured she couldn't, and the only reason he took the egg was to spite her father, she laughed.
This confused Daemon. He had though she'd be angry. He didn't plan on telling her that he had taken the egg, but when he realized she had loved him, he knew he couldn't keep secrets from her. She already knew he had brought the gold cloaks to Dragonstone, and she really didn't care but this, this was just funny to her.
"Was this to spite me, as well as my father?"
"Only Viserys."
"What did you have in mind to spite me then?"
Daemon laughed, "I didn't talk to you the entire way here, did I?"
Aenora rolled her eyes. "You know my father will send someone for the egg,"
"Then we will tell him it is for when you are with child. If you are not already."
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AUTHORS NOTE: Just a filler chapter, that's why it's so short. I'll probs post another later. But y'all, I went to another quince last night and that shit lasted til 4 am. I AM TIRED hennyways, thoughts?
