Until we die • Rhaenyra Targaryen

Rhae

A year later, the fourth moon and the eighth and twentieth day, The Vale

Rhaenyra was on Royal progress once more. Now, Rhaenyra was a married woman with her husband by her side and a mother of (soon) two.

She felt happier than she did the last time she was in the vale.
With no one breathing down her neck, she could actually enjoy her days with her family.

Her family.

Two years ago she would've laughed. She never thought she'd be married to a great man and have children.
The child bed was something she feared all her life. Even now, after her sweet son was born without fuss, she was scared.

But now that wouldn't matter. She still had a moon to go before her second would be born.
She was in the Vale without any of the vipers of Kings Landing, so in her eyes, all was well.

She stood on a balcony watching her husband play with their son outside.
Her cousin, Jeyne, joined her.

"He is a good father," Jeyne said.
Rhaenyra smiled brightly.
"He is the best father. Edric is already much better than mine own."
"Princess?" Lady Jeyne knew but still had the courtesy to pretend.

"Edric would never kill me for the sake of an heir."   
"No, no he wouldn't." Jeyne agreed.

They said in silence watching, when Rhaenyra felt a pain.

"Rhaenyra, dear, are you alright?" Jeyne asked.
"Yes," the princess answered through gritted teeth.
"Just pre-birth pains."

Jeyne was not convinced.

"Let a maester look." She suggested.
"No, I-"
"My Maester is not the one you have in Kings Landing. He is not the dog of the Hightowers." Jeyne tried.
Rhaenyra said nothing, only her moans of pain were heard.

"Rhaenyra, listen to me." Jeyne cupped Rhaenyras cheek.
"For your child, let Maester Arnold look."

"Edric," Rhaenyra said and Jeyne understood.

...

"Jeyne! What happened?"
"did you run here? With Jace in your arms?"
"Yes but what happened?" Edric was concerned.

"She felt some pain and I asked the maester to look if anything happened just to be sure and-"
"And?" He was growing impatient.
"Do not interrupt me, boy," Jeyne warned.
"Sorry."

"The babe is coming now."
"What? It's too early."
Jeyne sighed.

"It is but the child has a chance of survival."
Edric began to pace.

"Will you take Jace? I need to be with my wife."
"Of course," Jeyne said softly.

The transfer was easy. As always with Jace. He was a quiet baby much like his father.

...

"You are doing great," Edric whispered to Rhaenyra as he held her hand.
"It's too early," she cried.
"Rhaenyra, our baby will be fine. I know it." Edric caressed her cheeks.
"How? My mother had many babies right early and they all died!"

"Princess, you need to push." The midwife interrupted.

"I dreamt of her," Edric said as Rhaenyra groaned in pain.
"Her?"
"Yes." He laughed.
"She was a whirlwind. I had to run after her all the time because she would run away and be mischievous. She was beautiful in my dream. She had my hair and my eyes but her personality, her temper... she was all you."

Rhaenyra laughed now.

"Good luck to us then."
"We won't need it. She will be a good child. All of them will be."

...

Rhaenyra laboured longer than with Jace but her daughter, just as Edric predicted, was born a bit small but healthy.

"What should her name be?" Rhaenyra asked.
"I don't know." Edric sighed and looked over to his son.
"What should her name be, Jace?"

Jace babbled something.

"I named Jace," Rhaenyra said.
"You should name her. She is your heir after all... is she?"
"Of course, don't be silly." He kissed Rhaenyras head.
"My heir." He whispered.

His daughter gazed up at him from her mother's arms.

Jace babbled louder now, causing the father to look up.

"Do you have a name, Jace?"
Jace pointed at his mother.

Edric and Rhaenyra were confused until it clicked.

"Rhae." He said.
"Rhae. After her mother."
Tears filled Rhaenyras eyes.

"Rhae?" She asked.
"Rhae."

...

Two weeks later, Kings Landing.

"Rhaenyra!" The king's voice was heard across the deck.

The young couple opted to travel by ship rather than fly.
Edric was incredibly happy about this decision.

"Father!"
"Show me my granddaughter!" He demanded and practically ran to them.

King Viserys's health was failing slowly. He couldn't walk that well but he was so excited to see his daughter and granddaughter that he ran.

"Rhae." The princess told her father the King as he held the babe.
"Rhae." He whispered.
"After you, I presume?"
Rhaenyra smiled brightly.

"She is beautiful." The King sighed.

It was clear that he was growing melancholic.

"Edric, my boy."
Edric had no idea why the King always addressed him as "my boy".

"Your grace?"
"Will she inherit the Vale after you?" The King asked and Edric found it ironic.
He would never kill his wife for a male heir like the king did.

"Of course she will."
The king smiled a proud smile.
"It is special to see the future of the Realm. My grandson, the king and my granddaughter, the future lady of the Vale. How sad it is that I shall never see their reign."
"Father? Are you well?"

The king waved his hand.

"I'm well. I'm just wondering." He looked at Rhae like she was a dream.

What would Aemma say?

"Come on. Let's go back to the keep. Show the Queen your beautiful daughter." The king said.
Rhaenyra tensed.

Alicent and Rhaenyra's relationship only soured.

...

"Look at them. They get along so well already." Edric said as they looked at each other.

"Jace loves his sister," Rhaenyra remarked.
"He does."

Rhaenyra hugged Edric from behind.

"Rhaenyra?"
"Yes?"
"Talk to Alicent."

Rhaenyra let go.

"Edric."
"This has gotten on long enough. We have two children now. We can't let them grow up in this environment."
"I'll think about it. But now I just want to cuddle with my daughter and my son."

Edric smiled.

"She is just like how I dreamt her." Edric sighed.

"I dreamt too," Rhaenyra said.
"About them. Our children. They all looked like you."
"Well can't be because I dreamt that we had three silver-haired babies."
Rhaenyra smiled at Edric.

"We will see."
"Yes, we will."

They were silent, admiring their children.

"Jace should pick her dragon egg," Rhaenyra said.
"We'll go first thing tomorrow and Jace will pick one."

"Edric?"
"Yes?"
"I never thought I would be this happy."
"Neither did I."

They kissed and all was well.