"Are you feeling any worse?"
Aemon asked cautiously, supporting her. There was a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
He wasn't quite ready to be a father yet.
But who knows? Maybe an accident will come first.
"I'm fine."
Seeing his nervousness and caution, Rhaenyra seemed to understand her situation. Her eyes were confused, and she lowered her head helplessly.
She wasn't ready to be a mother, either.
But the sudden dry heaves reminded her of Alicent's pregnancy.
"Let's go back first."
Rhaenyra pursed her lips, not daring to meet Aemon's gleaming eyes.
She was certain she was pregnant since neither of them had used protection.
"I'll hold you."
Aemon's demeanor shifted dramatically. He waved away the box of petrified dragon eggs and unceremoniously formed a golden-nosed rat to devour the special green dragon eggs.
Afterwards, he helped Rhaenyra to the nearest bedroom to rest.
He wasn't sure if it would be useful, but he wanted to be considerate.
She's been honest!
That night, the war in Meereen gradually subsided under the dragons' might.
"Rhaenyra!"
Laena landed on Vhagar. Seeing Aemon guarding the Great Pyramid, she quickly dismounted.
"Where's Rhaenyra?"
"Where is she? Is she all right?"
A barrage of astonished and concerned questions.
"She's inside. You'll know when you see her," Aemon said gravely.
Startled, Laena rushed into the Great Pyramid, not caring to remove her tight armor.
Aside from sharing a man, they shared their rights.
The cousins had always been close.
The thought of Rhaenyra being pregnant and accompanying them on this long journey and participating in the Battle of Meereen terrified her. She couldn't imagine the tragedy of an accident.
However, she soon found Rhaenyra beaming in the magnificent hall.
Rhaenyra was clutching pies and pastries in each hand and devouring them with unreserved abandon.
Her eyes narrowed in delight as she enjoyed her meal.
She was practically moved.
"Laena, you're back?"
Rhaenyra's cheeks puffed out like a well-stocked hamster's as she mumbled a hello.
She had eaten so well.
Laena's eyes widened in surprise. "What are you doing?"
Her brilliant mind froze at the sight of her.
Rhaenyra blushed and awkwardly said, "I'm just filling up because I'm hungry."
She chewed the food in her mouth and strained her neck to swallow.
Double-checking her mouth for crumbs, she offered Laena an awkward yet polite smile.
"She prefers to eat freely rather than pretentiously," Aemon said seriously, leaning against the doorframe with his arms folded.
"And her?"
Laena glanced between them, concerned about what truly mattered.
"Hm," Aemon nodded calmly. "Exactly."
After repeated examinations by several maesters from Meereen, it was confirmed that Rhaenyra was pregnant.
It had been about two months.
"All right?" Laena asked cautiously.
"She's perfectly healthy," Aemon smiled.
No one could be healthier than Rhaenyra.
Even the scholars of Meereen said that the delicate first stages of pregnancy were unscathed by the bumpy ride; she was practically born with the divine power of childbearing.
"That's good," Laena breathed a sigh of relief.
She turned to see Rhaenyra grabbing food and quietly stuffing it into her mouth. She choked.
"You..."
Laena hesitated for a moment, then forced a gentle smile. "Eat. We're both expending energy now."
But Rhaenyra's unbridled eating style was truly difficult for Laena. She'd always thought Rhaenyra was a bit of a scoundrel, but she hadn't expected this.
You can't judge a person by their appearance.
"Hehe," Rhaenyra grinned.
Usually, she'd be lectured for being greedy. This was a rare opportunity to indulge in a delicious meal.
"Look what we found!"
Aemon stepped between the two women and proudly pulled out a lustrous green dragon egg from Old Valyria.
"Is this the one that hasn't petrified yet?"
Laena was considerately distracted.
She waved back, and a Dothraki bloodrider entered.
He hadn't wiped the blood off yet, and his body was covered in scabs from dried blood.
He held a chest half a meter in diameter. He opened it and found the three petrified dragon eggs gifted to Khal Orm by Barbarod.
"Great Dragon Lord, this is a gift from the Khal," the bloodrider said, sounding reserved. His usual swagger was gone.
"Thank you, Khal Orm, for your friendship. I will always remember you."
Aemon smiled as he took the chest and examined the three petrified dragon eggs.
The eggs were dispensable; after all, they couldn't hatch.
However, bringing them back to the family served as a warning to the outside world.
Never underestimate the power of the Targaryen family!
Upon hearing the Dragon Lord's approval, the Bloodrider happily withdrew.
"We must return quickly," Laena suddenly said.
Since Rhaenyra was pregnant, she couldn't remain outside the family.
After the initial conquest of Meereen, the Dothraki raided, and the people resisted fiercely.
This environment was no place for a pregnancy.
"We must ride back on dragons. It's faster," Aemon said. "Meereen cannot be ruled directly. I will raise a few puppets to shoulder the public's wrath on our behalf."
Freeing the oppressed slaves would shift Meereen's power dynamic.
The plundered civilians couldn't cause much trouble.
The two men discussed the matter seriously.
Rhaenyra glanced around. "Crunch, crunch, crunch..."
The Fury of King Viserys
Human joys and sorrows aren't shared.
While things seemed promising in Slaver's Bay, something depressing happened in King's Landing.
At the royal council in the Red Keep, Viserys's face was sullen and his hands were clenched on the table as he struggled to control his emotions.
The courtiers remained silent, afraid to speak without warning and incur the king's wrath.
"What happened?"
The Sea Serpent, Corlys Velaryon, seated in the seat reserved for the Sea Lord opposite the king, asked with a frown.
He had confidence.
"My lords, this happened late at night," said an elderly dragon keeper, standing in the center of the hall with a scowl. "During the night of the bat, the thief eluded our pursuit."
A dragon egg had been stolen from a dragon's lair!
Viserys nearly laughed in anger as he demanded, "How could a dragon egg be stolen under the noses of over fifty dragon keepers?"
"The culprit is Prince Daemon, Your Majesty."
The elderly dragon keeper's expression grew increasingly bitter.
"Daemon?" Viserys asked, perhaps rhetorically, but also to confirm his suspicions.
"It's more than just theft, Your Majesty," Otto Hightower said at the right moment. "Daemon evaded the dragon keepers' patrols, stole a dragon egg, and, upon being discovered, injured a man and rode his dragon away."
The Sea Serpent paused—no wonder. "Daemon left King's Landing last night and is probably nearing Lys now."
It was for the dragon egg.
This wasn't the first time.
"A second time!"
Viserys roared in righteous indignation. "This is the second time he's stolen the dragon egg! Are your heads on straight?"
The elderly dragon handler bowed his head, not daring to respond.
"A dragon rider wants to leave. How can we mortals stop him?"
Otto excused the handler, urging the king to calm down.
There was nothing he could do.
"Prince Daemon has taken a dragon egg and is going to give it to a mistress who is pregnant?"
Lyman Beesbury said slowly, but his words were harsh.
Viserys felt a sharp pain, as if a dull knife had been stabbed through his flesh.
Hand Lyonel Strong took a deep breath and said helplessly, "News arrived this morning that the young lady of Rogar, whom Daemon married in Lys, has safely given birth."
"Apparently, he stole the dragon egg to put in the newborn's cradle."
"What a filthy woman!"
Viserys grew increasingly furious as he listened, cursing under his breath. "She's a whore, Daemon's whore."
He already had a family, yet he insisted on impregnating his mistress.
What a jerk!
Viserys was irritated by his limited vocabulary at that moment and was even more ashamed of being Daemon's brother. This left him unable to find a more devastating insult.
"This is unquestionably treasonous, Your Majesty," Otto said, skillfully framing the situation.
Lyonel agreed, "I wholeheartedly agree."
Everyone present knew that Her Royal Highness and Prince Aemon had crossed the Fjord Sea and the Great Grass Sea to find a clutch of dragon eggs lost in the Smoky Sea.
For Daemon to drag his feet at this moment was truly despicable.
Viserys closed his eyes heavily.
What's the point of saying all this? Can you retrieve the egg, or not?
"By now, Daemon would have placed it in the bastard's cradle."
The Sea Serpent waved his hand, immediately stigmatizing the newborn.
"Did he take Dreamfyre's egg?"
Viserys knew he had to say something, so he turned to the elderly dragon handler.
The elderly dragon handler replied truthfully, "No, it was one from the clutch Prince Aemon sent back not long ago."
"Syrax's egg?" Viserys was surprised and even more infuriated.
Dreamfyre was a second-generation dragon. As he approached his hundredth year, the intervals between egg laying grew longer and longer.
The most recent record of egg laying was before the birth of his stillborn son, Baelon.
The longer an egg remains unhatched, the lower its chances of hatching.
It's best for the family's newborn to choose eggs from this batch and hatch a dragonlet quickly, to avoid losing the chance of hatching by waiting too long.
In comparison, Syrax's newly laid eggs were far more precious.
Each one brimmed with life.
The elderly dragon handler complained, "We've been closely patrolling Dreamfyre's dragon pits for precaution, but we never imagined that Prince Daemon would suddenly enter the greenhouse."
He caught them completely off guard.
Viserys was furious, silently cursing the cunning and deceitful bastard.
Bang!
The hall door suddenly opened, and Alicent strode in wearing a green dress.
The Cargyll brothers, who were guarding the door, looked helpless and unable to stop the enraged queen.
Cole followed the queen like a loyal dog.
"Why are you here?"
Viserys asked, startled. He glanced first at the aggressive Alicent, then at Cole, who was guarding her.
Under the king's sharp gaze, Cole lowered his head.
"I have a reason to be here. I'm not just trespassing."
Alicent stepped in front of Cole and placed a letter on the council table.
Looking at the queen's back, Cole felt a surge of emotion.
She was someone worth following.
"A letter! Where did it come from?"
Viserys asked, reading it in confusion.
"It's from Daemon," said Alicent, her face flushed and her chest heaving. "He's given the newborn a Targaryen surname and named him Aegon."
She practically shouted the name.
"What?" Viserys was completely stunned.
Following Andal tradition, the Targaryens named their children after their ancestors.
But that only applied to deceased elders.
By naming his bastard son Aegon, Daemon was pointing a finger at Viserys, saying that his son had the grace of a conqueror and that Viserys was a fake.
"And with a Targaryen surname, and the audacity to call him Aegon!?"
Viserys felt like killing someone.
"Daemon's insult to you and Aegon is blatant. No one can ignore it," Alicent gritted her teeth.
As a mother, she was furious.
The name represented her vision for her eldest son's bright future, and she would not allow anyone to sully it.
Besides, Daemon himself wasn't a good man, and he showed her little respect as queen.
"I want..." Viserys was about to speak when a knock on the door interrupted him.
Knock, knock, knock—
Ser Elysian stood at the door. He took a letter from a servant and hesitantly said, "Your Majesty, this is from Prince Aemon and Her Royal Highness the Princess."
Viserys was startled by the words, but he suppressed his anger at the interruption and said, "Show it to me."
The safety of his daughter and nephew was more important.
Seeing this, Alicent also wanted to hear about Aemon's situation first.
"Yes, Your Majesty," said Ser Elysian as he presented the letter.
Grand Maester Meros stood up and slowly and methodically read the contents.
The letter involved three people flying across the Great Grass Sea, reclaiming a band of Dothraki, and attacking Meereen for the dragon eggs.
Every detail sounded full of adventure.
The ministers sat up straight, unable to help but imagine the situation; images formed in their minds.
The letter concluded with the news that Rhaenyra was pregnant.
"Her Royal Highness is pregnant..."
Meros was taken aback when he read this, thinking he had misread it, but he reread the letter to be sure.
"Your Majesty, the kingdom may have a new heir," he said, offering a rare tease as he handed over the letter.
"Rhaenyra is pregnant?" Viserys was shocked and quickly took the letter to confirm the news.
After seeing the contents and confirming that it was indeed written, a surge of joy welled up in his heart.
Bang!
Viserys slammed his hand on the table. His anger turned to joy, and he roared with laughter.
"Did you hear that? I'm going to be a grandfather, and the next heir to the kingdom is on its way!"
"Congratulations, Your Majesty."
Lyonel straightened his clothes and smiled sincerely.
Otto frowned, then smiled. "Congratulations, and may Her Royal Highness be safe and well and have a healthy child."
"An heir conceiving an heir contributes to the stability of the kingdom."
Rightfully so.
"The dragon eggs have been found, too. Such joy!"
The Sea Serpent reacted calmly, figuring it wasn't his daughter who was pregnant.
"Of course," Viserys beamed as he waved the letter. "You know what? One of the eggs they found is still hatchable, and they've diagnosed Rhaenyra's pregnancy. What a truly auspicious omen!"
Damn Daemon!
He should open his eyes and see what a true Targaryen is.
Everyone wants this pregnancy.
From the moment this child appeared, he was accompanied by auspicious signs. How could a lowly bastard compare to him?
"What about Daemon?" Alicent felt mixed emotions and changed the subject.
"This..." Viserys held up the letter, hesitating for a moment.
With the happy news, his anger seemed diluted.
He cared more about his daughter's unborn child than a bastard hiding in Lys.
The bastard didn't know that, despite his shameless behavior, he would soon become a grandfather.
"What is your decision?" Alicent stepped forward, her eyes full of accusation.
"Send him a letter."
Viserys had a flash of inspiration and made a decision. "Send Daemon back to King's Landing with the dragon egg and the bastard. I want to see him in person."
The ministers frowned in unison.
How could Daemon risk returning just for a letter from the king?
Viserys knew what they were thinking and encouraged them: "Tell him that if he doesn't return at the appointed time, I will remove him from the Targaryen family."
Even then, Viserys still felt protective of Daemon.
After all, he was his brother and the precious legacy left to him by his parents.
Deep down, they were inseparable.
But!
This would only be possible if Daemon returned and admitted his fault.
Otherwise, he would just pretend his father hadn't given him this "bastard" brother, trying to gain sympathy.
He had more expectations.
He was about to become a grandfather.
---------------
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