Gold Rush | Ser Harwin

10.

Daerla

  I'm breathing heavily. This one hurts more then Naerys did. It feels like the first time. I scream out in pain and Harwin holds my hand and kisses my knuckles.

  "Fuck!" I scream as I try to push this baby out. "For fucks sake!"

  "Almost there now," the physician says. But it doesn't feel right. This baby isn't almost there. "One more push."

  "No!" I shout and stop pushing. "No more."

  "Daerla," Harwin says to me. "You have to keep pushing. The baby has to come out." I look at his eyes. So big and beautiful.

  "I think I'm going to die," I whisper. "The baby and I are going to die." He shakes his head.

  "You think I'm going to let you die?" He asks. I can feel blood running down my thighs and a tear rolls down my face. I remember what happened to Aemma. It's happening to me.

  "I love you," I tell him and he looks taken back. "I should've said it before. But I'm saying it now, I love you. I do."

  "My girl, I love you," he says and then everything goes black.

   I'm not dead.

   "I'm not dead," I say as I open my eyes and look at Harwin. He's still here.

  "You just blacked out for a few minutes," he says.

"Is the baby-" I begin to panic. Blacking out can't be good. What if the baby is dead? What if they didn't make it?

"Shh," Harwin says as the physician turns around and hands me my baby. "We have a daughter."

I look down at the little baby. She's so beautiful. Tears roll down my face. I have a daughter. Another daughter.

"She's so perfect," I sputter as tears run down my cheeks. Harwin kisses the top of my head.

"You did so good," he whispers to me as his hand reaches the hold onto the babies. "You are everything."

"I meant it," I say to him. He doesn't need context. He understands. He's always understood me.

"I know," he replies as he rests his head on mine. At that same moment Rhaenyra comes bursting through the door.

"Aunt, I have made a terrible miscalculation," she announces then she sees the baby. "Oh, congratulations. Can we talk for a moment?"

I nod and everyone in the room takes their leave. Harwin kisses me on the forehead before leaving aswell. I cradle my little girl in my arms. I'm so filled with joy right now.

"What's happened?" I say to Rhaenyra as I look up. She's pacing back and fourth.

"I may have accidentally almost had sex with Daemon," she says and my eye widen. Daemon? As in my brother? What the hell?

"What-" I try to get words out but I'm honestly quite speechless.

"I didn't," she says. "But I did have sex with Ser Criston Cole." What.

"What a fun night you seem to have had," I say. Poor Imrie. For a while now she's been spending more time with Ser Criston.

"It was a mistake and now there is a rumour that I slept with Daemon," she says. "I wanted to, I did. I think I have feelings for him, I might love him. But he just left me. I know for certain that if he hadn't of left me I would've fucked him."

"Rhaenyra," I sigh. "He's your uncle. He is my brother."

"The heart wants what it wants," she shrugs and my head falls back. "That doesn't matter. What matters is that there are rumours circulating about Daemon and I."

"If nothing happened then-" I begin but Rhaenyra interrupts me.

"Yes, but something did happen with Ser Criston," she explains and my head is too blurry to be following this conversation.

"Honestly, Rhaenyra," I sigh. "This should be a lesson to not," I cover the babies ears, "fuck guards." Rhaenyra raises an eyebrow.

"You do," she says with a grin and I reach for a cushion and chuck it at her.

"Father wants me to get married," she says.

"Maybe that would be for the best," I reply. All I want is Rhaenyra to be happy. But if word of this gets out then she will be far from happy.

"What are you calling the baby?" She changes the conversation and sits on the edge of the bed.

"Rhaena," I say. "She will be a warrior, probably a dragon rider."

"She's very lovely," Rhaenyra says with a soft smile.

"Rhaenyra, I love you but I'm exhausted and I'm sweaty and covered in blood-," I say and Rhaenyra instantly stands up.

"Of course, I'll see you tomorrow," she says as she walks out. Harwin is opening the door moments later.

"Help me?" I say and he walks over and takes Rhaena from my arms and places her in the cradle. He then turns back and picks me up in his arms.

"I like seeing you covered in sweat," he whispers to me and I smack him on the shoulder.

"Shut up and help me take off my dress," I say as we reach the bathtub which has just been filled with steaming water. He pulls off my nightdress which leaves me naked. He then helps me step into the bath. I instantly groan at the feeling of the warm water hitting my skin.

Harwin grabs a cloth and begins cleaning the blood and sweat off my body. He kisses my shoulder softly before pouring water over my sweat coated hair.

"I think Rhaenyra will be getting married soon," I tell him.

"I've heard some rumours about her escapades last night, my brother Isaac told me she ran into him dressed as a boy," Harwin says with a grin and I can't help but laugh.

"That girl," I say as I tut.

"You're a good aunt to her," he says. "You listen to her, that's all she needs."

"She's growing up fast," I say. "One minute she was drawing me pictures of dragons and then next she's about to fuck her uncle."

"I love your mouth," Harwin says as he laughs.