BOUND BY DUTY | daella targaryen | hotd fanfiction

XIII. soulless

The wind had cooled over the whole moon before Gwayne's departure, getting under her skin every day, draining her sanity and adding her an calm madness, as well as a belly that was slowly making her feel more and more psychically sick.
Every time her cold hands accidentally touched this part of her dirty body, she froze.
Everytime Gwayne touched it, it was a hundred times worse.
The night time that used to be her peace, quickly turned into endless crying for hours in the balcony, under a velvet sky sprinkled with stars.
Suddenly, all the attention was on her. Not wholly, of course, they cared more about the health of the child she carried under her heart.
The emotions she had avoided sharing with her husband for more than a moon, surfaced the night before his leaving, when he came to visit her for the last time.
"I am scared." she whispered as if more to the wind than to him specifically.
Gwayne turned to her uncomprehendingly.
"Scared of what, Daella?"
"Scared of this." she pointed to her swollen belly. To his son and heir.
"Scared that I will die while your son will arrive. Scared of pain.."
'Scared that I will have to do this more than once, if the Gods will give us a girl.' she thought.
"Death will come for you when we will be old with wrinkles and a child's brain."
"And what if not Gwayne? What if I will die in this exact bed, covered in blood just like my mother?"
He looked down. Her mother was never included in their conversations, because although as close they seemed in this marriage at times, they were still just two nobles that made eachother's company because they were told to. Because that was what all the nobles carried with themself since their birth. Rich wines and whores were just distraction, while duty and the burden of the realm awaited them at home.
Gwayne moved closer to her, his hazel eyes full of life never leaving her.
"I'll be here when your time comes. You'll have the best headmaids with you, I'll make sure that my sister's maids will make the entire labour as pleasant as possible."
Daella quickly pulled away.
"I wish to have my maids at the labour."
"It will be as you say."
"I know it is scary, but it is your duty to me and my house. You are a Hightower now, Daella." he added.
A Hightower! Gods be good!
She sighed.
"Our son will bear the name Hightower, yet he will have a dragon one day." she said.
"We don't know that."
"We know it. I know it. Your son will be a dragonrider as well as a Hightower, just like your sister's children."
Gwayne smiled.
"Then I must build a huge dragonpit in Oldtown. You will live there as well, when we will be Oldtown's rulers."
'If I live to see it, Gwayne.' she said to herself.

-

The grand leaving of the future Lord of Oldtown was entertainment for the entire court of King Viserys.
Accompanying him on the nearly nine-week long roard was his full entourage, which came with him half a year ago for Daells's hand in marriage.
The royal court was in full bustle from the first light, the horses were unpatient, the wooden wagons were being filled with raw materials, knights were saying goodbye to their Ladies and friends.
The royal family stood in the middle of the chaos, dressed in seemingly different clothes than the others in the court, saying goodbye to The Tower Knight.
Alicent gave him some blessings for a safe journey, pressing into his hands a necklace with the sign of The Seven, edged in pure gold.
Viserys gave him the same words, but in a slightly less religious vein than his Lady wife.
The others spoke to him out of politeness, Prince Daeron, who took great fondness in his uncle, endured his departure the
worst, crying on Talya's chest. Gwayne placed a warm kiss on his small forehead after which Talya took him back to the red castle to calm him down.
"Don't fly on Vermithor." was the first thing that he threw into her face when his steps were at the end of the line.
Daella raised an eyebrow, looking sideways.
"Daella." he said to her in a more domineering tone.
"I will not." she said through gritted teeth.
The belly under the pale blue dress was already forming and slowly no longer fit Gwayne's large hands.
"You know I wouldn't mind you flying around if you were without the baby, but now that you are..we can't risk it." he spoke slowly.
"I understand." she said, looking for his hands to stop caressing her belly.
"May The Warrior protect you, husband." the warm hands of his were burning in contrary of her icy ones.
His gaze softened.
"And The Mother remind you-"
"I heard all these things from my sister, dear." he jumped into her speech. "I just want you to think of..me." he said uncertainly.
Daella took a deep breath.
"I will, Gwayne. I will." she whispered back.
"I will miss you." he wrapped his arms around her.
She wondered how many whores he would sleep with during his travels.
She wondered if the spoken words meant anything to him.
The thought that Alicent controls all his words that he dedicated to her, his wife, has not left her since the moment she first spoke to him.
"I will miss you too." she said back.
Daella smiled sweetly at him, rubbing his wedding ring on his hands.
He looked at her for so long, with his honey-like gaze, that was standing between them, tasting like all their nights spent, all the wines they tried together, all the words they addressed to each other for the past moons.
He was lost, so lost.
"I can't go when I know what I'm leaving behind for a long time." he said more to himself than her.
It sounded like his inner thought that was not supposed to see outside light.
"You must go." she replied, still holding his hands.
That very moment reminded her of the night after the tournament, it reminded her of all the emotions she felt in the air when Daemon spoke to her, kissed her, touched her.
He leaned closer to her, trying to get as much of her soft lips as possible.
Daella kissed him back.
"Time will go fast."
Gwayne smiled in return, filing that remark deep into his mind.
"Farewell." the knight reached his wife's hand and kissed it gently.
"Farewell, husband."
The loaded wagons were already disappearing out the gate, Gwayne and his friends were among the last to go.
She ran after him.
Gwayne turned, stopping Spring. His best men did the same.
"You forgot something." she declared breathlessly.
He looked at her uncomprehendingly.
The Princess pulled out a silver handkerchief with the initial D from the bodice of her dress.
A moment later it was in his right hand.
He put it to his nose and smelled it with all his might.
"You are on all eyes of The Red Keep." she smiled as she saw the looks around them.
"I wish I could care." he joked.
He reached down to give her a warm kiss on her forehead.
"Be safe, Princess summertime."
The massive steel gates of The Red Keep closed behind him and she was left standing alone in front of it, the doors of the cage she was forced to live in.
"You were right with this match, dear wife." said Viserys from the end of the courtyard, watching his second daughter stand alone at the gates, while his firstborn stood to his right, knowing Daella would not agree at all.
Alicent sent a wide smirk out into the world.