Rhaenyra and Daemon - Behind closed doors HOTD fanfiction

Go in for the kill

Dear uncle,
I hope you are well. The news from court is that the queen
will soon be in labor and my father is very happy. I am
working hard on learning all history of The Seven Kingdoms.
Otherwise, I am very bored. How is your war going? I have tried
to convince my father to send help but he will not.
Your niece,
R.

Dear niece,
First a warning. Do not write about politics in letters. It can be
dangerous. The war is brutal but I am sure we will prevail. I am
glad you are learning new things. I wish I had books here, but
at least I have paper for this letter. When you get bored
do not forget you are a Dragon rider
and your Dragon will always be there for you.
Your uncle,
D.

Rhaenyra
The last two years have been excruciatingly boring. Everything at court has been about Alicent, how she ranks above me now and about her pregnancies. Of course, my former friend is very fertile, starting with a son as her first child and is heavily pregnant with number two. I feel lonely and I wish I had my friend back, but it is impossible to be friends with the Queen. Besides I'd like to stay as far away from court as possible. All they do is remind me of my duties, that I'm obligated to marry soon. I don't have anyone to talk to and I can't even write an honest letter to Daemon. I miss my mother so much, she would have known what to do. I need to find myself a new friend or I will go crazy from loneliness.

I'm sick of Alicent and her father. I can see it in Hightowers eyes, he wants his grand-son, young Aegon on the throne. And there's nothing I can do about it. I have no allies at court and my father is, well my father,  and he wants to keep everyone happy. I wish Daemon could come back, that bloody war is taking forever it seems. We have written to each other. Boring and bland letters, but at least it's something instead of total silence.

Last weekend the King held a hunt in celebration of my little half brother Aegons second name day. I didn't want to go, I didn't want to do anything nowadays, but it was "my duty" so I went. Only to find an unwanted marriage proposal from a Lannister and snobbish ladies of the court. I made a scene of course and then I fled into the forest.

Dear uncle,
Today I killed a wild boar. It attacked me and ser Christon
and he struck it down and I killed it. I never killed anything before.
It felt strange, both hate and sorrow at the same time. I hope
your war will come to its end soon. I miss you.
Your niece,
R.

When we, that is me and ser Christon, rode into camp with the boar on a sled, everybody was watching, my father, Alicent, the Lannisters, the Strongs, and the rest of the court. I have to admit I didn't feel bored with all that blood in my face and hair, I felt alive. I had started to live again, awoken from a sleep of indifference. I believe I have ser Christon to thank for more than saving my life. It was as if I wasn't the spoiled princess anymore, but the more mature Queen to be. What if my father was right? That the best way to secure my position as heir was a strong match and heirs of my own? But who should I marry? I know who I want to marry, but that will never happen. Daemon did write that my Dragon always would be there for me. Was he referring to himself?

Daemon
I sat on a cliff high above the Stepstones and watched the destroyed beaches under me. Death, blood, maimed bodies all over,  and wooden skeletons from crushed and burned ships. To seek glory had shown to be rather gruesome and seemingly everlasting. In my hand I held a letter, a letter I wished I never read. Rhaenyras letter hurt me more than I would have expected. Being at war should have made me callous and stone-hearted, but never when it came to her. That damned ser Christon, he was there by her side all the time, saving her, caring for her, kissing her...

I was impressed she had killed a boar, but not surprised. There was something fierce and wild under the surface with Rhaenyra and it never had got an opportunity to burst out. I bet ser Christon got to see it when she stuck her knife in that animal, while I was here, in this shithole. I should have been there.

I had almost forgotten why I was here, and the truth was, we were losing. In war, there's not much time to think about love. If you do it will weaken you, make you less willing to take risks, and in the end you will lose. I was no loser, so I tucked every feeling and every thought about Rhaenyra away, deep in my mind. I would write no more letters to her, and not open hers. I wouldn't make the same mistake as at the tournament. I had to focus on the most important thing now, myself.

I got word that my brother finally was sending help, even if I didn't ask for it. Typical that he would show up and save the day, getting all the glory. No way! I was determined to resolve this and finish the war without my brother's help. A surprise attack with me as bait was the solution. It was dangerous but I was mad enough to do it any way. What did I have to live for, besides my own glory?

I almost ended up dead, got three arrows in me, but in the end my gambit worked. Laenor Velaryen and his silver-gray dragon, named Seasmoke, did a pretty good job, as did the other Velaryens and the men from my City Watch. After two years I was finally victorious and had the pleasure of defeating the triarky, and of killing Drahar, I cut that Crabeater in half and fed him to his own crabs.