Despite her lack of a dragon, Aerea was almost always in the sky.
Laenor often took to the skies and brought her with him. No matter what, he always made sure to spend time with his little princess. Dragon flights, reading books, stealing sweets from the kitchen, or trips to Driftmark, Aerea could almost always be seen by her father’s side.
He had become restless in the past few years. He was a man who longed for adventure and the seas, not politics and court meetings. He wasn’t made for this life. Laenor was among the few nobles who would give up titles, riches, and lands for the people he loved. At times, the heir to Driftmark thought about taking his most prized possessions and leaving.
Leaving King’s Landing and the lickspittles. Leaving the expectations and the eyes that seem to follow those in power. Leaving to find happiness every day, not just in those rare moments.
However, he made a promise to Rhaenyra that he would do his duty and now he had children. Which made things difficult.
Most of Laenor’s time is spent with Aerea, Jacaerys, and Lucerys. Though he spends much more time with his daughter. He couldn’t help it. The bond between the two of them was deeper and different. Nobody could say he didn’t love those boys, but everyone knew who he loved more.
He also found peace in spending time with his daughter alone, but as she got older, these times became more scarce. Now, they were walking to Rhaenyra’s chambers. Because Aerea had fallen asleep, she hadn’t seen the baby.
“Father?”
“What is it, my little sea snake?” Laenor asked in a playful tone. Aerea’s mood began to dampen as they made their way through the castle. He could only think that it had something to do with her mother’s current condition.
“When will I get married?” The princess asked. She had been dreading this since her mother first mentioned it to her. She knew her grandmother, the late Queen Aemma, had gotten married at eleven. The princess was turning eleven in a few months and feared for herself.
“No time soon," Laenor stated. He was content with letting Rhaenyra take control of the political aspects of their children's lives, but marriage was non-negotiable. No betrothals would be made or considered for the princess and princes until the age of thirteen. That was the bare minimum.
Laenor insisted he should have a hand in it. “Why are you thinking about this?”
“No reason.” She deflected. As they made it to the west wing of Maegor’s Holdfast, where the heir and her family’s chambers were, Laenor stopped them. He bent the knee and looked his daughter in the eye.
“You’re young.” He said to Aerea. “You have a whole life ahead of you. The heir to the Iron Throne after your mother, a future queen of the Seven Kingdoms. Loads of responsibility will fall at your feet and it will be a heavy burden. Make no mistake.” He wiped a tear that fell from the Velaryon princess’s face and held her hands. “However, I will be with you every step of the way. I’ll make sure you retain your childhood for a little while longer.”
Aerea flung herself into her father’s arms and let the unshed tears fall. That’s all she wanted.
The safety and security of her parents. She could never get this from her mother. Any time she wished to release pent-up emotions, she was stopped. “Never show any weakness or our enemies will use it against us.” That was always what Rhaenyra would tell her, but she had no issue with letting Jace and Luke cry their eyes out and weep over everything. The pressure on Aerea was so overwhelming sometimes.
She even wondered if her mother would have loved her more if she had been a strong child. She would never say that aloud. Not even to Laenor or Aemond.
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𝐀 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬
FanfictionCover by AlexandraLing2000 on Wattpad (COVER SHOP: OPEN) Aerea Velaryon and Aemond Targaryen Fire on fire would normally kill us But this much desire, together, we're winners They say that we're out of control and some say we're sinners But don't l...