The unwanted princess - H.o.D.

For the children

The birth had been complicated, harder than all the other ones before. It was unsurprising as well, with the fact she had birthed two babes at once and the added stress of everything else going on around her. Aegon was sure Alicent had only left their chambers unharmed because Valora had been in pain. He was still shocked his mother had had the courage to even step into the room at such a moment, but he figured she had been desperate.

King Viserys was dead. He wanted Aegon on the throne. Or so it was said. If he took it, war would follow. If he didn't, war would follow. He had his hands tied, and his heart squeezed in his chest as he looked down at the babe in his arms. Maelor, they had named him, his youngest son. They had bathed him and checked him over already. They had done the same to his mother and his brother and now, it was only the four of them in their chambers.

Usually, Aegon would revel in these moments. The moments of calm after the storm, where he could be with his children without interruption. He loved the moments he got to just hold his babes after they were born, they were so small, so fragile, so pure. They were so beautiful, all of them. He loved having them in his arms and looking down upon them, but, this time, as he looked down at Maelor, walking around with him while Valora sat against the headboard with Baelor in her arms, he just couldn't enjoy as he usually would.

"Is our father truly dead?" Valora asked, the first words to come out of her mouth ever since Maelor came out.

"Yes." Aegon nodded. "Grandsire came to deliver the news."

"He didn't come only for that, did he?" Valora asked, her eyes finally leaving Maelor to look up at Aegon instead. "Your mother sure had a lot more than that to tell me."

Aegon winced. Sighing quietly, he moved over to the bed, sitting down at the foot of it as he looked back at his wife.

"Did she tell you?" He asked. "What Father said, before dying."

"She did." Valora nodded. "Do you believe it?"

Aegon scoffed. Maegor whined in his arms and Aegon was quick to shift him a little to get his son more comfortable.

"No. I don't think anybody in this castle does." He admitted, glancing at Valora for a second just to see the understanding look on her face. She agreed with him, of course. "I don't think Rhaenyra will."

Valora barely blinked as Aegon looked at her. She won't, she was saying. He knew she knew that too.

"Your mother seemed sure my sister would kill us all." Valora finally spoke, her voice low as she bounced Baelor in her arms. "You, me, your siblings. Our babes."

"Grandsire said so as well." Aegon said. "He seems to think war will break out if Rhaenyra takes the throne."

"I think... I don't know if that would have been the case necessarily." Valora admitted. "But, Aegon... War will happen now regardless of what you do."

"What do you mean?" Aegon asked, to which Valora shrugged.

"Whatever is happening now, has been happening for a while." She said. "Directly under our noses, they have been planning on putting you on the throne for months, Aegon. Years, mayhaps. Your mother said a counsel meeting is already being called in. They knew this was happening. They had been waiting for this. And that leaves us with our hands tied. The way I see it, they will take Rhaenyra's throne anyway. If not with you, they'll get Aemond or Daeron to do it instead. And for that..."

"They'll have to get rid of me." Aegon realized. "And our boys."

"Maybe even me." Valora nodded. "If they don't think me worth of marrying your brothers."

"And if they take the throne, Rhaenyra won't take it lightly." Aegon said. "There will be war anyway. And our family is in danger anyway. Except..."

"It's all bullshit, Aegon." Valora rolled her eyes. "All our lives, we had not been able to make a single decision. We've been betrothed as children, we have been married when our father willed it, we have been expected to produce heirs the moment we left that damn sept and now... Now we are put in a position we didn't want. We are in danger regardless. Our children are in danger regardless. Throne or not, we will be hunted down and killed. From where I see it, our only option is to decide if we'll fight back or not."

"We must." Aegon decided, his whole body straightening up as a decision was made in his mind. "If not for us, for the children."

Valora looked down at Baelor before glancing at Maelor in her husband's arms. She looked up at him, then, the fear in his eyes but the determination in his face. He was willing, she realized, to fight back for them, for their children. He was willing to go to war to ensure they would be safe. Aemma, Jaeherys Jaehera, Daena, Baelor, Malor. Aegon was willing to fight for them. And if there was one thing Valora was sure of amist of all this mess, was that she was too.

She'd do whatever for her children, she knew. She'd burn cities to the ground before letting any harm come to them.

"Then we will." She decided, nodding at Aegon when he did the same at her.

"Then we will."