ELLIPSISM, aemond targaryen

[003] i am glad i am (not) a woman

THERE WERE REASONS why Aemma was worried about the whole idea of ​​marriage even when she was a child, and there were also worries that did not relate to obligations and responsibilities as much as the idea of being a mother.

Rhaenyra Targaryen woke up the next day in great pain, and the whole family was thrown out of their chambers and the maids poured in. The only family member left was Rhaenyra's daughter, Aemma.

Aemma hated the sounds of human suffering (for now at least) and felt sick every time her mother screamed or saw blood around her. Still, she felt a responsibility to her mother and didn't want to leave the most important person in her family alone with maids. And so Aemma sat down beside her mother and held her hand, sometimes wiping the sweat from her forehead with a tissue and standing by her like Rhaenyra had done when Aemma was sick.

Even so, she sometimes regrets her own decision, as her mother's screams were truly terrifying, and Aemma dreaded the thought that she would have to be in her place at some point. Because the wife's duty was, among other things, to bring children into the world.

"Keep breathing."

Rhaenyra tried her best to keep her mouth closed to prevent the screams of pain that she could see causing her daughter to worry. Despite this, she could not prevent the accelerated breathing and the tight grip she had on Aemma's hand.

"And push."

Aemma gripped her mother's hand tighter in support as Rhaenyra began to push, but after a moment she threw her head back again. Aemma reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her forehead.

However, the woman standing next to Rhaenyra did not seem to be anywhere near as kind as Aemma as she sternly said, "And again."

"I can't," Rhaenyra let out a breath, her eyes filled with tears, and Aemma lowered her head.

The woman ignored her. "Push!"

Stubbornness was something Aemma inherited from her mother, so she wasn't surprised when Rhaenyra fought on despite all the pain. Clinging tightly to her daughter's hand as if it was the only thing that could ease the pain and her eyes never leaving Aemma, since Rhaenyra has decided that if she is to die during this birth, she wants her daughter to be the last thing she sees in her life.

"The head!" the cheerful shouts of the maids rang out and Aemma felt the tension in her shoulders partially relax.

She leaned towards her mother and whispered, "It will be over soon, mother. We will soon have my little brother Viserys here. You just have to fight a little longer."

Rhaenyra mustered up the strength to nod and push one last time as the room filled with a child's cry and both mother and daughter looked at the child in the arms of one of the maids.

"A boy, Princess," said the woman behind her.

"Praise the Mother!"

Aemma raised her head to get a better look and furrowed her brows. "Why is he so ugly?"

The maids' giggles filled the room and even Rhaenyra smiled as the woman behind her frowned.

"You cannot talk about your brother like that, Princess," she said sternly. "All babies look plain at first, he will have to grow up."

Aemma narrowed her eyes at her. "That is not true. I was a baby too and my father told me that I was the most beautiful baby he had ever seen."

Rhaenyra laughed through her tears and stroked her daughter's hair. "And you were. And if your brother is at least a little bit like you, I will be the happiest mother in the world."