The unwanted princess - H.o.D.

The restless dragon

Aegon couldn't sleep. Not with the way Valora kept twisting and turning in their bed.

"Will you lay still?" He groaned, after having been woken up by his wife's restless movements for what felt like the tenth time. "What's going on?"

"The babes are moving too much." Valora said, a frown on her face as she curled into herself a little. "I can't get comfortable."

"Are you hurting?" Aegon asked, finally turning to face Valora as she groaned. "Is it time?"

"Mayhaps." The young woman groaned. "I can't tell. But it hurts."

"What do you want to do?" Aegon asked, groaning himself as he helped Valora slide up the bed to rest her back against the headboard of the bed. "A maester?"

"Not yet." She shook her head, her hand rubbing over her very round belly. "Maybe some milk of the poppy?"

Aegon turned to his wife then, a sigh on his lips as she sent him a guilty smile.

"You want me to get you milk of the poppy?" He asked, rolling his eyes when she nodded. "Fine. Wait here. Don't go anywhere."

"Ha-ha. Funny." Valora rolled her eyes. "I just need a moment alone to settle the babes. And with some milk of the poppy I'm sure I'll be able to sleep."

"Yeah, right." Aegon relented, throwing the blankets from over him as he stood up. "Anything else, my princess?"

Sending him a half-amused and half-annoyed look, Valora shook her head with a smile.

"That would be all, my prince." She teased him back. And then, softly. "Thank you, Aegon."

Aegon nodded at her again, making his way out of the chambers and telling Ser Dalt to keep guard of the door while he took a walk. Ser Arryk, his own sworn-protector, followed him down the hallways of the Red Keep and, as much as Aegon could almost feel his curious glance on him, he was grateful for the silence. After all, it wasn't like Aegon to walk around the dark hallways of the Keep if he wasn't drunk. But what could he do if he felt slightly bad for Valora everytime she complained of pains and did almost anything she asked of him whenever she was with babe.

He didn't feel like explaining this to anyone. Least of all, his sworn-protector.

So, instead, the two of them made their way down to the maester's tower in silence. So much so that every single conversation happening in the dark of the Keep, as shushed as they were, could be heard by the two men. And, as it seemed, there was only one topic being discussed that night within the walls of the castle: the king was dead.

The Queen Alicent was with him, some of the servants were saying. The maesters confirmed, some other added. May the gods be with him, they prayed.

The king is dead. The words seemed to echo in Aegon's mind and, for a moment he worried for what would come next. Word would be sent to his half-sister. Rhaenyra would return to King's Landing. She would take the throne. And after that? After that would she allow Aegon and his family to keep living there? Or would... Would she do as his mother and grandsire thought she would? Would she kill him and his brothers and his family? Surely not. Right?

The king is dead, the walls seemed to whisper. Aegon could see the eyes of every maid on him as he passed by but it wasn't until he got to the doors of the maesters' room that the confirmation came.

"Call in the silent sister for the king." One of the men inside the room said. The king is dead, now Aegon knew it for sure. And, for a moment, Aegon didn't know what to do.

Everything seemed to be spinning and he must have stumbled back slightly because soon, Ser Arryk was stepping forward toward him, with his hands out as if to brace him.

"My prince?" He called. But his voice sounded like it came from underwater. "Prince Aegon?"

And Aegon was pretty sure he had thought of something to say back to him. He knew he had to have thought about it. But before he could organize his jumbled up thoughts into anything slightly intelligent to say, ser Dalt came rushing toward him with wide eyes that no knight as experienced as him had any right ever having.

"My prince." He bowed hastily as he stopped in front of Aegon. "Princess Valora is having the babes."

And in that moment, Aegon was sure he leaned back to rest against the wall. Everything was crashing into him as once. His father was dead. The king was dead. His family could be at risk and at the same time, it seemed to be growing. It all came crashing in at once and it made Aegon's head spin. He could tell both knights were looking at him, expecting his new orders, but it wasn't until, from overhead, he heard a mighty roar that could only come from three heads at the same time that he knew what Ser Dalt had said was true.

Aegon glanced out of a window nearby and, as soon as his eyes glanced up, he saw a shadow moving overhead, flying erratically around the Keep as it roared and whined and hissed, sometimes all at once. Baelyx always did that whenever Valora had their babies. She grew restless whenever Valora was in pain, it seemed. And jugding by the way his wife's violet dragon spun around and called out to the night sky, Aegon could only guess it meant Valora was hurting.

"Ser Dalt, go back to my wife." Aegon finally spoke up, his hazy mind clearly just slightly as the knight in question stood to attention. "Send the midwives for her as well. Tell her I'll be back to our chambers in a second. I'll get a maester for her."

"At once, my prince." The bigger man nodded before rushing away.

"Ser Arryk, get in there and get me a maester." He said, turning to his own protector. "I'm sure at least one of them can be spared for my wife now that my father is a job for the Silent Sisters."

"My prince." Ser Arryk moved to do as he was told, leaving Aegon alone on the hallway, with nothing but the thoughts in his mind to keep him company.

Aegon now had a decision to make, he realized. He looked down the hallway and then back at the night sky. He had a decision to make, that much was sure, but when the restless dragon whined again, he knew whatever it was, it was going to have to wait.