Paint it Black

Chapter 3

Daemon and Viserys were startled by the door that opened abruptly, unannounced. Daemon instinctively jumped before his brother and drew his blade to protect him.

But once Daemon took a look at the intruder, his blade immediately slipped from his hand.

Daemon Targaryen felt like he had been kicked over the head by a horse as he stared at the Valyrian-looking-girl that stood at the door. His whole body froze, his mind turned foggy, and his heart raced.

God Be good...How could such a beautiful girl exist in this world?

Daemon had a sudden, possessive need to go there and ask her name, touch her hand, have her smile at him and not at anyone else.

When their eyes met, his racing heart skipped a beat, his foggy mind went blank, and it took him a while to be able to have another rational thought. He felt confused by his own reaction, he had seen many beautiful girls, but none of them liked her.

Daemon thinks he should beg Viserys to declare it a crime for that girl to wear her silver-gold hair in a long braid in the manner of Queen Visenya Targaryen because it only emphasizes her beauty tenfold.

"Rhaenyra?" Viserys said over Daemon's shoulder.

Hearing Viserys, Daemon snapped from his daydream,

That girl was Rhaenyra?! Viserys' Rhaenyra? His Niece?!

The girl gasped, "Gods above! So it's true?" The girl approached him, touched his face without his permission, lifted his arm, patted his body, checked his finger, and ran through her slender finger upon his hair while Daemon could only stand frozen there.

"This really you, Uncle Daemon?!" Rhaenyra asked.

"Yes?" Daemon didn't know why he sounded unsure.

"Uncle you shrunk!"

Daemon gasped at the audacity of his Niece, "Hell, I'm not!" Daemon spat, forgetting his awkwardness in an instant, "How you could say that when I'm taller than you!?"

"You were a lot taller before!"

Daemon rolled his eyes. Like father like daughter, Gods!

"I will in fifteen years!"

"So you truly twelve now?"

"More or less, I guess?" Daemon shrugged.

Rhaenyra squealed in delight, "I can't believe this! Uncle Daemon and me on same age!!" she hugged Daemon tightly; the warmth and softness of her figure made Daemon's heart race once more, and he felt his cheek start burning. "Father, can Uncle Daemon and I share the Nameday ceremony this year?" Rhaenyra Asks over Daemon's shoulder without letting him go.

"If you want, Sure," Viserys answered without hesitation.

"You heard that, uncle?! It's going to be so much fun!"

Daemon could only give Rhaenyra an awkward smile.

Seeing that, Rhaenyra frowned at him, yet before she could say anything, Viserys said, "Wait a moment..."

"Huh?" Both Daemon and Rhaenyra asked.

"Why are you here, Rhaenyra? You are not supposed to be back until the beginning of autumn!"

Rhaenyra quickly turns Daemon around and uses him as a human shield, "Well... I heard what happened to Uncle Daemon, and I decided to sail back..."

"Rhaenyra! That is so irresponsible for a princess of Dragonstone to abandon her own tour!"