The Dove and The Lady | House of The Dragon

Chapter Twenty Nine | Early Labours

Humming to herself, the tunes of a song carrying through the room, dancing around the walls.

The room grew lighter as Naella took to lighting all the candles.

Taking a step back and looking up to be met with the skull of Balerion.

The Black Dread.

Conquered the Seven Kingdoms with his rider Aegon I Targaryen with his sister wives Rhaenys on Meraxes and Visenya on Vhagar.

It was crazy to Naella to think that her husband now rode Vhagar, one of the dragons that helped conquer the very palace they stand in right now.

Studying the skull, it was massive, she took notice that it wasn't far off the size of Vhagars at the present.

Balerions skull being a bit bigger, though she could imagine how much more it could've grown.

He died of old age, that's what the maesters think, as being the only dragon to have died of old age it hard to know just how long these beasts can roam the Earth.

Living for around 200 years is quite a long time.

She now thought in wonder if Vhagar ever missed Balerion and Meraxes, maybe more so Balerion as he was more recent to die.

Meraxes having passed long ago in a rebellion with Dorne, never having experienced any other rider besides Rhaenys.

Balerion died only years ago, before Naella herself was born, but his last rider was the late King Viserys I.

Did Vhagar ever miss Visenya?

It was sad to think that she would too pass some day and her own dragon Kaida, who hatched especially for her, would go riderless until a brave soul stepped up to try claim her.

And that even then her dragon could go through many generations of Targaryens after she's long gone.

Getting so lost in thought she didn't notice the slight pain in her abdomen and if she did, she passed it off as fake contractions.

It wasn't until she felt a stabbing pain did she look away from the dragons skull and down toward her stomach.

Moving her hands down to hold it as she tried to ease the pain.

This pain however was worse than any other she had ever experienced before.

Feeling something getting tighter by the second inside her, it felt weird as she felt it snap, relief came shortly for a second.

Looking down at her dress to see it all wet with water and not long after her legs giving in as the pain came back harder.

Dropping to the wet floor onto her knees with a cry.

"Princess?", the knight guarding the door outside came in after hearing her cries.

"Princess!"

He ran toward her as he noticed her on the ground in pain, noticing the water on the floor.

Going to try pick her up he was pushed away by Naella.

"Let me help you", he instructed, trying again only to be pushed away again.

"Get Aemond..or Viserra, Alicent...Ser Criston...please", she huffed out from the pain.

It seemed absurd to others that Naella would deny the help from the knight, but she did not like people she was unfamiliar with touching her.

She was already in so much pain and discomfort, she didn't want to add to that by having this guard practically carry her to her bed chambers.

Getting dizzy she didn't notice people entering the room only feeling a hand touch her shoulder making her flinch away.