The Heir // King Viserys Targaryen // Daemon Targaryen

43. Chocolate

'Daemon, he would venture off, abroad, winning tournaments...'

'No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.' Daemon said immediately a smile on his face

'I will not revisit this debate. You were always mother's favorite.' Viserys told him.

'No, it's no great mystery.'

'You were.' Viserys assured 'Our mother, she had no regard for custom or tradition, rules. And I, sadly, was no great warrior.'

'Congratulations on your victory.' Rhaenyra said walking up to her family.

'Thank you, Princess.' Daemon said kindly. "I think mother would have liked Avalon best." Daemon countered.

"That's true." Viserys agreed kissing her softly.

"Rhaenyra, how did it go?" Avalon questioned.

"It... went." Rhaenyra offered and Viserys glared back at her.

"The right man will present himself." Avalon said confidently. "Have you met Ser Harwin?"

"Avalon." Viserys warned.

"What? It keeps her close to home." Avalon countered.

"I hear you named your newest little one after mother." Daemon remarked and Avalon looked up to him.

"We did." Avalon agreed wrapping an arm around Rhaenyra's shoulders. "She is a chubby little thing," Avalon remarked.

"Did you put her egg on the flame yet?" Rhaenyra questioned.

"I did. She is very excited that you picked her egg." Avalon informed her and Rhaenyra beamed happily. "She doesn't understand but she will one day and then she will be excited." Avalon corrected. 'Perhaps you would care for a tour of the gallery? You were off and have not yet seen the new tapestries gifted to us by Norvos and Qohor.' Avalon offered

'Oh, oh. Would you like to see the tapestries?' Viserys questioned and the siblings burst out laughing. 'He has no interest in such things.'

"I wasn't talking to Daemon." Avalon assured. "I know he had no interest in the finer things." Avalon teased.

"I'm interested in you." Daemon whispered and Avalon swatted him away.

"Trouble." Avalon hissed and he smirked smugly.

'I'd like to see them.' Rhaenyra said, for she had been gone on her royal tour of looking for a suitor for many moons.

'Oh, well, then you should not deprive yourself.' Viserys told her bitterly. He wasn't happy about her early return with no husband to be.

'I shall enjoy them alone.' Rhaenyra said heading off.

'More wine. As I said, you were the favorite.' Viserys went on happily grabbing onto Avalon's hand but she pulled away from him.

'No, you were. You were. I insist.' Daemon mused.

'I surmise the tour did not go well.' Avalon said walking over to Rhaenyra as she sat along on a bench staring at the gardens.

'I endured it for as long as I could.' Rhaenyra told her stiffly.

'To have every young knight and lord in the Seven Kingdoms fawning over you... What misery. It is rare for girls in this realm to get a choice between two suitors, no less two score of them.' Avalon reminded her.

'Those men and boys don't fawn over me. They only want my name and my Valyrian blood for their offspring.' Rhaenyra corrected

"Its hell being a woman in this world." Avalon agreed and Rhaenyra stared over at her. "But sometimes you get lucky. Get love and romance... you get a choice. Most don't in your position... but I'm an advocate for you." Avalon assured.

'How romantic it must be to get imprisoned in a castle and made to squeeze out heirs.' Rhaenyra heard it as she said and looked over at Avalon. 'Sorry.' She murmured

"I quite like being a mother." Avalon told her. "I want more." Avalon admitted. "I like them at this age, Aegon is running now, he stumbles often but he has speed. Alyssa doesn't do much yet but give it another few moons and her little personality will shift from eating and shitting to the discovery phase of life."

"Motherhood suits you." Rhaenyra told her.

"Thank you... I think I had a bit of practice modeling the perfect daughter before I had to figure it out for myself." Avalon remarked.

'How angry is he?' Rhaenyra asked and Avalon glanced back at Viserys.

'Viserys went through great effort to arrange your tour. He is... frustrated. But I am glad you are home.' Avalon told her 'I missed you and you must meet Alyssa!"

'I've missed you, too.'

+

Daemon stood basking in the sun when Rhaenyra found him.

"You seemed so content on Dragonstone.' She remarked. 'Why did you come back?' he opened his eyes and looked down at her. 'There is surely more to your return than simply taunting my father.' She remarked.

'So... what do you want?' Rhaenyra questioned.

'Only the comforts of home.' Daemon assured as he moved to a buffet line and started picking at the food. Avalon was disappointed in the lack of carrot cake. She thought it should be a royal decree that there must always be carrot cake. She settled for chocolate.

'I had not thought you particularly comfortable in this home. Though I do suppose you seem changed by your adventures. More mature, perhaps.' Rhaenyra offered as Avalon sat down daemon smirked over at her.

'You've matured yourself these last four years, Princess.' Daemon told her 'You'll get used to the attention.'

'The attention I can endure. It's the rest I could do without. My father seems content to sell me off to whichever lord has the biggest castle.'

'There are worse things to be sold for.' Daemon remarked sitting down next to Avalon swiping some frosting from her and smearing it across her cheek. "marriage is only a political arrangement.' He informed her calmly as Avalon's jaw dropped. "Once you are wed you can do as you like.'

'For men marriage might be a political arrangement.' She corrected trying to hide her smile as Avalon stuck her tongue out. 'but for women it is like a death sentence.'

"Not always." Avalon corrected.

'Would that it were. I would have been rid of my bronze bitch ages ago.' Daemon told her. He handed over his glass, Rhaenyra looked down at it.

"Your wife has been fortunate,' Rhaenyra remarked taking a drink and Daemon chuckled 'you have not put a child in her.'

'Oh...' Daemon mused. 'I doubt a child would grow in such a hostile environment.' He mused.

"Daemon! I met lady Rhae, she is pretty and skilled, you are mean." Avalon told him.

"She is a sheep." Daemon corrected. "But isn't everyone compared to my beautiful sister?" Daemon mused kissing the frosting off her cheek.

'My mother was made to produce heirs until it killed her.' Rhaenyra reminded him. "I wont subject myself to the same.'

'What happened to your mother was a tragedy.' Daemon confirmed. 'But this is a tragic world. You cannot live your life in hear or you will forsake the best parts of it.' Daemon told her confidently.

"I have no desire to live in fear. Only solitude.' Rhaenyra corrected.

'Such a lonely prospect.' Daemon told her as Avalon flipped her plate up and it collided with Daemon's face. She burst out laughing as she jumped up. Daemon's face was a sea of chocolate. "Avalon!" he shouted wiping at his face, smearing chocolate down his handsome face. Avalon opened her mouth but a laugh came out as she ran back to the party. "AVALON!" Daemon declared chasing after her.

"NO!" Avalon shouted through a fit of giggles as Daemon picked her up from behind she felt his chocolate covered face making a mess of her hair and neck.

"Daemon." Viserys declared but saw Avalon's smile and heard her laugh and he couldn't help but smile as well.

"What?" Daemon questioned standing upright keeping Avalon against him as he licked at his chocolatey lips.