An evil eye had fallen on the peace and the prosperity of the seven kingdoms. The royal court was divided into two factions - 'The Greens' and 'The Blacks'. The seeds of war that were sown long ago had started sprouting.
Naerys Velaryon was the dau...
The baby was growing. She was nursed by both Rhaenyra and Glenys. The little princess Naerys preferred to be nursed by her mother. However, it was the wet nurse's company that she enjoyed. The woman used to sing lullabies to her. The princess used to fall asleep hearing them. I wonder if she knew what those lullabies meant.
Princess Rhaenyra's chambers:
The princess was not in her chambers. Glenys was taking care of Princess Naerys. The baby was six months old. So, they started feeding her some worldly food.
Glenys was feeding her a paste made from barley, sugar and water. She was whistling and narrating a story. The baby may or may not have understood the story. But the expressions of the wet nurse excited her for sure. She giggled and giggled and Glenys fed her a few spoonfuls of food in between.
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Aemond entered the chambers. Glenys said to him, “My Prince, your niece is having food at this moment.” Aemond ignored her. He pinched the baby's soft cheeks and placed a kiss on her left cheek. The baby smiled and pulled his hair. Aemond tickled her stomach. She immediately released his hair and covered her stomach with her little hands.
Glenys took a spoon of barley and tried to feed her. Naerys turned her head away. Then, Glenys looked at the prince and winked. Aemond chuckled and said, “This bowl of barley looks so good. It must taste good too. You can feed me if my niece doesn't want to eat.”
Feeding him a spoon of barley, Glenys said, “Sure, My Prince. If you want to eat, I will surely feed you. I will feed you lots of barley and then I will sing a lullaby for you. I will also narrate manyyyyyyy beautiful stories.” She fed him another spoon of barley. Then, she turned to Naerys and said, “So, what should I do? Should I feed all the barley to him?” This time, when Glenys tried to feed her, the princess did not resist.
Aemond waved at her and left.
Glenys washed the princess's mouth and wiped it clean, when she had finished feeding her. She took Naerys in her arms and decided to stroll in the courtyard. Laenor spotted them and asked them to stop. Glenys curtsied. Naerys started clapping when she saw her father. Laenor took her in his arms. He whispered in her ears, “Let's go to your mother.”
Rhaenyra was sitting in the courtyard with her son Jacaerys, her father Viserys and her stepmother Alicent. The princess and the queen detested each other. This was known to every bard and every whore in the King's Landing. However, Viserys remained unaware of the growing rift between his wife and his daughter. Or perhaps, he chose to.
Even though the ladies were not very fond of each other, they put their grievances aside in the presence of Viserys.
Laenor took his daughter to Rhaenyra. As soon as Naerys saw her mother, she shouted, “Maa..maa.” Everyone turned their heads towards the six months old baby. Rhaenyra took her from Laenor and caressed her head. She pulled Rhaenyra's hair and repeated, “Mama...Mama.”
Rhaenyra was elated. She said, “Gods! My baby just said her first word. Did you hear that, Laenor? Father, did you see?”
Viserys remarked, “Your daughter is very clever, Rhaenyra. Very soon, she will start singing hymns and composing verses in High Valyrian.”
They had a good laugh.
Pentos :
Lady Laena was sick. She was feeling dizzy and kept vomiting. That afternoon, she fainted again.
She was lying on the bed unconscious, while the healer was checking on her. Prince Daemon was sitting at the edge of the bed, holding her hand. He said to the healer, “What is wrong with her?”
The healer smiled and said, “There is nothing to worry about, My Prince. Your wife is with child. You are going to be a father.” Daemon's eyes shone with happiness. He paid some gold to the healer and waited for his wife to regain consciousness.
Some time passed and Laena woke up. She looked at her husband. He had a smile on his face and was staring at her without blinking. She was not able to read his mind. She thought, “What is the matter with him? Is he drunk? Or did I do something really funny while I was unconscious?”
Daemon hugged her tightly. Laena hugged him back and said, “Daemon, you are suffocating me with this hug. What is the matter?”
Daemon held her hands and looked into her eyes. His eyes were glittering. Tears of happiness started filling them. Laena was at a loss for words. She hesitated for a while but then, she cupped her husband's face and said, “Daemon...Daemon, am I...am I pregnant?”
Daemon kissed her forehead and whispered into her ears, "Yes, my dear. That's true. The Gods have decided to grant us a child."
Laena leaned forward and kissed her husband's lips. Daemon returned her love with a passionate kiss. Laena's eyes went to the nearby table. There was a scroll which had been opened. She asked Daemon about the letter. He said to her, "Laenor sent the letter. He was asking about your well-being. And yes, his daughter uttered her first word. She started saying 'Mama' on seeing Rhaenyra in the courtyard today."
Laena said, "That's great! My niece has started speaking. Do you know? I got Mother's letter this morrow. She said that Rhaenyra's children are adorable."
"We will have children too. And I'm sure they will be adorable. Afterall, they will be my children. And if they take after their mother, it will be even better.", Daemon said, caressing his wife's belly.
High Tide :
Lord Corlys was sitting on the Driftwood throne. He had two scrolls in his hands. He asked the maester to leave and started opening a scroll. Then, he opened another scroll.
Princess Rhaenys entered the hall and saw her husband alone, sitting on his ancestral throne given by the Merling King, with two scrolls in his hands, smiling.
The Queen Who Never Was approached her Lord Husband. The man sensed the presence of his wife. Perhaps, he recognised her fragrance. He looked at her and smiled again. The woman was younger than him by twenty years, yet old enough to know where his blood ran and where his blood froze.
"It seems that our children have sent letters. I want to know what made you so happy.", Rhaenys said.
"It is a day of happiness, my love.", Corlys remarked. He handed the scrolls to his wife and continued," Our Laena is with a child and our Naerys said her first word."
Rhaenys sighed. She folded the scrolls and placed her hand on her husband's shoulder. She said, "Children grow up so fast. I am getting old. My black hair is turning grey. But do you know one thing? In my mind, I am still the young girl who became your bride. I am still the young girl who gave birth to Laena. In my mind, Laena and Laenor are still children."
Corlys took his wife's hand that was on his shoulder and kissed it. Then, he said to her, "That is life, My Princess. The body grows old but the mind does not. The man crumbles into dust but his thoughts live on and on forever."
