Burn me • Aemond Targaryen

The Birth Of A Dragon

Chapter Ten~ The Birth Of A Dragon

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A year had passed since Rhaella and Aemond had been wed.
Three moons had passed after the wedding and Rhaella found out she was with child.

She was sat in in the Archives reading a book on antidotes when she felt a heavy pain in her stomach. She'd known the child was due any day now, but she had not been prepared for this, today.

She'd left her handmaidens up in her rooms, to come down here for some peace.
Everyone has been fussing over her since they found out she was expecting.

When a puddle of liquid splashed from her and onto the floor, she knew what was coming.

So, Rhaella with all her strength carried herself back to the castle.

It was Criston Cole who saw her first. He rushed to her side, offering her his arm to lean on whilst he found her a maester. "Come on princess." He urged her. Rhaella gripped his hand tighter, as she took deep breaths. "We must get you to a maester, Princess."

Cole was irritating her. "Cole, stop your fucking ramblings and help me up these bastard stairs or i'll have your tongue cut from your head." She groaned, her tongue spitting venomous words.

The knight closed his mouth and didn't say another word as helped her into the care of the midwives, before leaving to find Her grace, the queen.

~

"I cannot do it!" She screamed out. She was surrounded by midwives all of them telling her she needed to push.

"My lady you must!" One of the midwives insisted.

She screamed out again. "You old bitch!" She shouted. "Get me something to ease this pain!"

"It could harm the babe!" Another spoke.

"It's by fucking body pushing this thing out!" She screamed before taking a breath and sobbing. "You cunt! Get me something!"

Her Mother burst through the door. rushing to her side. "Rhaella!" She brought a wet flannel to her daughters head. "Rhaella you must listen to what they say." She told the Princess as she wiped away the sweat from her face.

She let out a loud scream of pain. "I can't!" She cried, letting the tears fall from her eyes. "It's not right!"

Alicent turned to the maester then, questioning the words of her daughter.

"The baby, your grace," The man started, pulling Alicent to the side. "It is facing the wrong way."

The Queen was taken aback, she felt ill. "Go and get Prince Aemond." She told one of the servants, before rushing back to her daughter. "Rhaella listen to me," She instructed. "I may never of known the complications of a difficult birth, but I do know you can do this." She told the princess. "Even if it means this baby will come out feet first you will survive this, because I know you can." She gripped onto her daughters hand. "We need this child Rhaella, we need as many heirs as we can."

In a daze Rhaella laughed. "You only want my baby, you only want something to strengthen your claim over Rhaynera!"

The queen looked back at the others in the room, hoping they only thought Rhaella's words as a mix of anger, pain and confusion from the labor.

Just at that very same moment Aemond burst through the door. Rhaella's Daily rose still in his hand. "Is she alright?!" He Asked his mother when she stopped him going further.

"The baby, Aemond." She started. "It is not in the right position, the Maesters want to know."

Aemond stopped trying to reach his wife and looked at his mother. "Know what."

The queen took a deep breath. "They want to know, if it comes to it, who they should save, Rhaella or the babe."

Aemond laughed. He laughed at the irony. He had promised her it would not come to this, and on the day they would bring their first child into the world, he was asked the very question she had feared.
"If it comes to it, Her, I save her." He said before moving past his mother.

"Aemond." She sobbed when she saw him. "Aemond it hurts."

He gripped her hand. "Rhaella, You are the strongest woman I know." He told her. "You will survive this."

Rhaella nodded, but she couldn't believe him. The strongest woman would be able to deliver this child with one push. But Rhaella could not. Alicent was on the other side of her, holding her hand and muttering prayers to the gods.

Aemond whispered to her. "The west wall of westeros, wife." He kissed her hand. "You will not leave me until I have done good on that promise."

Something clicked in her then, and all she knew was that this was it.

Fight or flight.

And a dragon would always fight.

Her screams could be heard as far as the gates of the red keep, Pushing with everything she had, memories of her life running through her mind as she did so. If she were to die at the end of this she hoped to leave Aemond with a child to remember her by.

She felt as though she was drifting in and out of the vale between life and death. She could not tell what was real and what was not.

She could see a man.
No, a monster.
Sent to bring chaos and wreck havoc on the very grounds it walked upon,
putting an end to the lives of every man and woman.

She could hear Aemond again, wishing her to stay with him.

The snow would fall for a long time before the world was at balance again.

Hear the calls of the midwives.

She could see The scales of life tipping almost every minute, unable to decide the fate of the one promised to unite the land again.

But then after eleven hours of hard labor, she heard a cry.

On the third minute past the second hour of the day, her son was born.

He came in to the world feet first, kicking and screaming, letting out a series of cries after his first breath.
And as he did the egg in the cradle set for him hatched, a midnight blue dragon by the name Axus.

When she was given the baby, Rhaella did not know what to do.
This was a human being and she was just handed him.
Still hazed by the endurance of the labor, she just held him.

Aemond was laughing, proud of the image before him.
His wife and his son.

His head was already a head of white hair. And his eyes when he opened them, were the most magnificent shade of purple ever seen.

Aerys Targaryen.