Undisclosed Desires

Chapter 47

Jarrett

"Stop it!" Visenya snapped at her brother and Aemond and once, sighing when she saw her cousins join the fray. "Stop it...please?" she looked between them, feeling Rylen place her securely behind them. She worried that now her cousins were here that it risked their family and their secrets. She knew that nerves were raw and tensions were high, unable to hide the disappointment in her face as she looked at Aemond sadly.

Jace growled when he faced his half-brothers, trying his hardest to look beyond them. "My quarrel isn't with you, get out of the way," he warned. "Visenya, you don't want to marry him," he tried to appeal to his sister. "He doesn't deserve you, he will not treat you properly, the way a husband should treat a wife. He is but a man missing some parts," Jace jabbed about Aemond's eye, earning a laugh from Luke.

"I will make you eat your words," Aegon growled, whilst he and Aemond didn't always get along, he was protective of his brother when it came to his nephews. He had seen the pain Aemond had endured, and whilst Aegon wasn't the nicest man, he knew he cared for the girl.

"Jace..." Visenya sighed softly as she looked at her brother, feeling terrible as she touched Rylen's shoulder gently, somewhat to comfort herself, but to signal to him it was okay, she didn't believe Jace would ever hurt her. "We have to stop fighting...they're going to be cross..." she said, referring to their parents who were suddenly aware of the face off.

"Who do you choose, Visenya?" Luke called to her, causing her to hug herself, feeling terrible that she was being asked to choose between them. "Would you choose someone who sees you as a prize womb over your own brothers?"

The words stung her, her concern for marriage was that she was simply a vessel for babes. "Stop it," she sighed as she moved away from all of them. "Stop this stupid, childish in-fighting, tit for tat idiocy."

"It's the tit for tat idiocy of your bastard brother's that started this, we can all see still that they bear no resemblance to Laenor...they look more like their Strong cousins," Aegon sniped as he glared at Luke and Jace.

"Visenya?" the small whimper from Joffrey who had wandered away from Helaena to stand next to having heard part of the quarrel.

"Oh, Joffrey," Visenya frowned as she strode between them, smacking Jace's hands away from her when he tried to reach for her, pulling her little brother into the tightest of hugs. "Close your ears, Joff', don't listen, it's just silly talk," she hummed softly, feeling her heart break at his confusion.

Jace fixed Aemond with a smug smirk now that Visenya was safely behind him, tending to their little brother, seeing that as a win.

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Harwin seemed to ease when Rila mentioned taking Daerys on dragon back. He didn't want Daemon taking his daughter anywhere alone. He had never truly, fully trusted the Rogue Prince, but he had allowed him a certain softness when he had seen how good he had been to his sons and their niece. He couldn't foul a man who looked after his sons without question, but there were rules to their courtships, unspoken, but ones they had stuck to. Harwin didn't meddle in Rhaenyra's children's affairs in the same way that Daemon was not to meddle with Daerys. Harwin could allow him small holds and moments with his daughter, as he had with the boys, but he did not want Daemon forming an attachment to her.

When he saw Rila's attention taken, he followed her line of sight, feeling his panic rising a little when he realised that the children were quarreling. "Never a moment of peace in this family," he muttered as he held the babe higher, giving his wife a nod. "Come, let us sort this new mess," he murmured to her as he cast a glance over to Daemon and Rhaenyra to follow too.

Daemon was clearly unhappy to an extent with the arrangement, but he did enjoy riding with his niece, so he would take what he could. Daemon was inquisitive, he wanted to know his daughter. He was confused to an extent, as Laenor had never cared of his relationship with Visenya – Visenya had called them both father, and they had been content with that. He didn't understand why Harwin took such an issue with it really – but he knew Rhaenyra would take issue with it too. He followed their line of sight to the children, letting out a groan, knowing this would center around the feud between the Strong bastards and his nephews. However, seeing his daughter in the middle of it didn't help.

Rhaenyra had already begun to walk over to the group, shaking her head, admittedly ready to blame her half-brothers, because Gods forbid that her sons would start it. However she did fret a little, Jace had approached her more than once, asking her to break the betrothals and to allow him to pledge himself to his sister – something Rhaenyra had refused more than once. She glanced at Rila and Harwin, knowing this was not the situation any of them had wanted – they had worked hard to keep their children mostly separate, save for Visenya who had teetered between them rather safely as she was not a product of Harwin.

"I swear, we are going to have so many children, that they will out-populate all of these Targaryen children, and there'll be no more quarrelling," Harwin said as he cooed a little over Daerys as they walked, frowning as he saw Joffrey sniffling in tears, trying his hardest to ignore the guilt he felt in his chest. "Boys," he called to Alecor and Rylen as they approached. "Come," he knew his boys likely wouldn't have anything to do with this quarrel.