We Are Dragons (Daemon Targaryen)

Chapter Fourteen

Thank you all for being so patient with me while I healed! It's been a slow, painful process, but I managed to get this out.

I apologize if there's any mispelled words or odd sentences. My hands shake so much, typing is difficult and the concentration it takes throws me off.

If you notice anything, please kindly let me know in the comments section so I can fix it!

Daemon slept peacefully for the first time in years. He was deep in his dreams, lulled with the lullaby that was Maeka's soft breathing, warmed by her body heat as she curled up against him.

The sounds of soft crying and terrified whimpers woke Daemon merely hours before dawn with a start. He sat up quickly, his hand reaching for his sword.

His heart raced, blood pumping through his veins as he stood from the bed and turned, readying his grip, prepared to strike down the threat that was in Maeka's quarters.

"Huh?"

Daemon looked around, breathing heavily. Even with the darkness of the night, he could see nothing. There was no one there. Another whimper made him look down at the girl in the bed they shared.

She was curled up in a ball, her face pinched with fear, her body twitching as sounds of terror left her lips. She was still deep asleep, plagued by a nightmare.

Daemon's heart dropped to his stomach. He hated seeing her in pain. Seeing her afraid.

He set down his sword and took a step towards the bed, intending on helping her.

A shadow brushed past him, the girl's dire wolf jumping on the bed. Daemon was nudged further away from the bed firmly by the black dire wolf, who moved around behind Maeka and put one paw over her. He turned her on her back and shifted his body, laying down with his head on her chest.

Daemon watched in curious awe as the dire wolf pressed his head firmly down on the girl without throwing his full body weight on her. Maeka, in turn, shifted her head slightly and exhaled deeply, her face relaxing, her whimpers ceasing.

The dire wolf's presence helped break her free from her nightmare.

And it was clear to Daemon that this happened often enough that this was a casual routine for the wolf, who immediately fell back asleep with his head on his human companion's chest.

With that realization, Damon sat down on the chair across from the room and watched the girl, unable to sleep again.

Maeka stirred several times throughout the rest of the night, but the dire wolf was there to steady her and push her back into the parts of her brain that didn't torment her.

Daemon couldn't take the temptation of waking her and asking her what she was so afraid of, so he left. He slipped away through the secret passages, into the city, and sunk into the shadows of a tavern, losing himself in the bottom of a bottle of wine.

/^\ /^\

When I woke the next morning, I was alone. My eyes drifted open slightly and I saw the indent that Daemon had made in my blankets.

All the memories from last night came back to me, and I buried my face deeper into my pillow, full of regret and sorrow.

When would I realize that my uncle walked in and out of my life like a ship sailing into port?

He came in like a tsunami and left like a ghost, drifting further and further away each time he left, until eventually, he'd be lost out at sea.

And I'd be left with a broken heart.