To Take What Is Rightfully Ours

Chapter 6. Taking Back Rhaenyra's Affections

Daemon was surprised when he got an invitation from Rhaenyra to meet again in the secluded inner yard at night. Frankly speaking, he was excited to see his niece in a such setting again. She was astonishingly beautiful in the moonlight, and the conversations they held under the stars seemed so much more personal and intimate. He wanted Rhaenyra in his arms in his bed, but he couldn't have it (at least not at the moment) so such meetings were the next best thing.

When Daemon arrived at the inner yard, Rhaenyra was already there, sitting on the bench. She smiled and got up when he approached her.

'Missed me already?' he asked teasingly, making Rhaenyra blush a little.

'I wanted to talk to you about something.'

'About what?'

'Do you still love Diane's mother?'

Daemon stared at Rhaenyra for a few seconds because it was the last thing he had expected her to ask, 'Why are you asking?'

'Because I need to ask you something else, but I need to know the answer to this question before I do,' Rhaenyra said. She looked serious, nervous even, but not judgmental. That was one of the reasons Daemon fell in love with her. She never judged him, even if all the people around her did. She always tried to understand his side of the story.

'Okay. So the short answer is "no",' Daemon said and sat on the bench. Rhaenyra sat beside him. 'She died more than ten years ago, and I let her go. Maybe not right away but I did.'

'And the long answer?'

'She- her name was Iris. And I used to love her when I was young. At least, I think it was love. She was a free spirit who didn't meet the expectations of her family and so was I. I think it was the reason why we found comfort in each other in the first place. I don't-' Daemon sighed. 'I'm not sure if we would have lasted in the long run. I don't think we would have but the Gods took her away before we were able to find that out. And the memory of her... it will always mean something to me. She gave me Diane, and I will forever be grateful for that. But no, Iris wasn't the love of my life.'

Rhaenyra nodded when he finished, deep in thought. Daemon wasn't used to being quite that sincere with anyone, but he felt like it was the right thing to do. He didn't want to hide his past from Rhaenyra because his past was a part of him. And this particular part of his story wasn't even something he was ashamed about.

'You told me a few nights ago that when your wife is- um, out of the picture, you will want to remarry.'

Daemon wasn't sure he had said it quite like that but that was close enough so he confirmed, 'Yes, I did.'

'So I was thinking... Maybe you'll be interested in the role of King Consort?'

Daemon's brain short-circuited for a second. Did she just propose to him? He thought it was his job. To woo her and try to persuade her that he was the best candidate for her husband. That they could be happy together if she let him. He thought it would be a long process, he wasn't prepared for her being quite so... straightforward.

Rhaenyra was still waiting for his answer, and the questions "Why?" and "Really?" didn't seem to cut it, so Daemon reached out to take her hand in his. He loved touching her, even in such an innocent way. She was just so... he was ridiculously smitten with her, and there was nothing he could do to stop it from showing.

'I thought you considered marriage to be a burden,' he said.

'Yes, but ours doesn't have to be,' Rhaenyra answered. 'If you- I mean, if you truly have at least a resemblance of feelings for me.'