After enduring a loveless marriage for many years, the Rogue Prince was believed to be incapable of fathering a child with his Bronze Bitch. However, a miraculous event shatters this notion with the birth of Vhaela Targaryen. Raised in the confines...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Chapter Eighty-Two: A Spider in the Garden
Vhaela Targaryen
A smile graces my lips at the sight of Jaehaera and my brother playing in the gardens. They intently glance over at the bushes, scavenging for any bugs they can find. With every small critter they discover, they immediately rush over to Helaena and me with beaming smiles.
The past three moons have been hectic and downright awful. I have all but secluded myself inside my chamber. When I'm not there, I'm usually with Helaena or my brother. However, with Jaehaera's arrival a moon ago, I've started to break free from my self-inflicted confinement.
A gasp escapes from Jaehaera, capturing my immediate attention. I find her holding something in her hand, which turns out to be a spider. My brother's eyes widen with fear as he sees the creature, especially when Jaehaera moves it closer to his face.
He retreats from her, and in response, a giggle erupts from my niece at his reaction. With a teasing gesture, she raises her hand, elevating the spider into his line of sight. In response to her movement, Aegon hastily scurries away, clearly afraid of the tiny creature.
A chuckle spills from me at their behavior and from beside me I hear one emit from Helaena. We both watch the children run around the garden with Ser Willas Fell following behind closely. Ever since he had returned with Jaehaera from Storm's End he had stuck close to my niece, the ever so dutiful guard.
In a gentle motion, Helaena intertwines our arms together pulling me close to her side. Her head leans into me as I watch her gaze move down to my now giant belly. The black dress I'm wearing does little to hide the growth that has developed over the last couple of moons. I was nearing my seventh moon, and it seemed I was only getting bigger by the second.
I watch a faint smile envelop her lips at the sight of my enlarged belly. Her eyes then flicker back to look my way, as I feel her hand softly begin to stroke along the fabric of my dress. I can't help but give her a smile at her soothing gesture.
With a touch of concern in her eyes, she asks me, "How are you feeling?"
"Extremely fat, and my back is killing me," I state with a soft frown.
Helaena responds with a soft chuckle, removing her head from my shoulder and parting from me softly. My words only cause her smile to brighten as we silently stare into each other's eyes. I shift slightly, attempting to alleviate the tense soreness that has taken over me.
"Well, you look beautiful," Helaena utters, her words carrying a heavy sense of warmth.
I playfully cut my eyes at her and give her a knowing look. It sends another laugh to emit through her lips as she turns back to look at the children. Jaehaera continues her pursuit after Aegon and finally manages to corner him.
I flicker my gaze back to Healena as I tell her. "And Maester Orwyle keeps insisting I be confined to my chambers. Well, I made sure to set him straight real fast."
