The unwanted princess - H.o.D.

Introductions

The children's chambers are almost as big as the ones Rhaenyra shares with Daemon back at Dragonstone. But mayhaps, they need to be, considering the amount of people currently in the rooms. Valora was there, of course. From Rhaenyra's understanding, her sister had been waiting for her visit ever since she had gotten word she and her family had arrived at the Red Keep. With her, in the big chambers, Valora was also accompanied by at least three of her personal maids, three more wet nurses and all of her babes. It was almost impressive. Valora, her little sister by many years, with almost as many babes as she had. Four as it was, and heavily pregnant with the next one. And the young girl was but twenty one.

"My princess." Ser Dalt announced as he stepped into the chambers. "Princess Rhaenyra is waiting outside."

"Send her in." Valora said, her eyes finally leaving her youngest daughter's form as she slept peacefully beside her to look over at the door instead. As soon as her sister walked in with a babe at her hip and a toddler attached to a wetnurse behind her, she smiled. "Sister. I do apologize for not receiving you and your family at the gates, but the babes have been a little restless these last few days."

"Not to worry, sister." Rhaenyra smiled gently as she looked over her sister form and noticed her very swollen belly. "Babes?"

"Two, the maesters reckon." Valora smiled, placing a hand over her belly and rubbing it proudly.

"At once?" She asked, wincing when Valora nodded. "I could not imagine."

"I've done this once before. And I was younger than I am today." She shrugged and Rhaenyra felt a small pang of guilt in not knowing this fact about her sister. "At least my first was just my girl, so I was prepared for what was to come."

"How many do you have?" Rhaenyra asked.

"Four. Well, six soon, I suppose." She said. "You?"

"Two more." She smiled, looking down at her own belly and shrugging. "Well, three. Do you wish to meet them?"

Valora nodded, a small, sweet smile on her lips as Rhaenyra walked further into the room and closer to the sofa her sister was sat at. The more she walked, the more she noticed little eyes following her every move, but it wasn't as if she could blame them. After all, she wasn't expecting the children to know who she was considering she too barely knew of their existence.

"This is Aegon." Rhaenrya said, nodding toward the child clutching to her skirts. "Aegon, this is your aunt Valora."

"Hello, Aegon." Valora greeted with a sweet smile and, at the mention of the familiar name, a girl, not much older than Aegon, most likely, made her way over to her mother as she placed a hand over her leg to look up at her.

"Da?" She asked, to which Valora laughed, running careful fingers through the girl's silver curls as she shook her head.

"Not da, my love. This is your cousin. Can you say hello?"

The little girl hesitated for a moment, but once she saw her mother's gaze on her, she relented, turning to the boy and nodding.

"Hello." She said, her baby voice still so sweet it made Rhaenyra melt.

"Good job, darling." She smiled. "Now say hello to Aegon's ma. That's your aunt Rhaenyra. Rhaenyra, this is... Oh, this is Aemma."

For a moment, Rhaenyra hesitated, the chosen name weighting heavy between them both. Aemma, Rhaenyra thought. Like their mother. Like the mother Valora never knew, but that she clearly wished she had. Rhaenyra wished she could have as well. She knew their mother would have loved her. A lot better than their father had.

"Hello, Aemma." She finally said, smiling once the girl waved at her. She turned to her sister then. "That's funny. I named my youngest Viserys."

It was Valora's turn to hesitate. She smiled at the young babe in her sister's arms and nodded.

"I'm sure father was pleased to hear one of his grandsons was named after him because of you, sister." She said, the implication loud in her words because it wouldn't have happened because of me.

"As I am sure he was pleased to have you honoring mother." Rhaenyra said, to which Valora scoffed.

"He barely remembers my Aemma half of the time." She rolled her eyes.

"Well, father is sick, Valora." Rhaenyra said. "He barely recognized me when I went to see him."

"But he did want to see your boys, did he not?" Valora asked.

"Yes."

"Well, I don't think he's seen Aemma more than twice in all her life, but well..." She shrugged. "But regardless. Let me introduce you the others. The twins over there are Jaeherys and Jaehera. And this little babe is Daena."

"Do you have names for the new babes?" Rhaenyra asked.

"Not particularly." She shook her head. "We usually wait for the babes to be born to name them."

We, Rhaenyra realized. Valora and Aegon named the children together. It shouldn't really come as a surprise, but it did. After all, not only did it mean Aegon cared enough about his children to name them, it also meant he cared enough about Valora to let her have a say. It pleased her to know their younger half-brother had turned from a drunken fool to a decent husband and father. It pleased her Valora seemed happy with her family. Rhaenyra was with her, so she was happy Valora was as well. She deserved it, after everything.

"Well, that is lovely to hear, sister." Rhaenyra said, to which Valora smiled. "When the babes are born, send me word of it in Dragonstone and let me know their names."

"Will do." Valora nodded. "Now, if you'd like to leave the children with me, feel free, sister. It would do them good to know each other better."

Like we didn't, she wanted to say. She didn't. Like I wish we had.