Ruin Me

Chapter Nineteen

Thank the gods that the two had decided to fix their clothes before they had fallen asleep. Daenyra had been beneath the sheets and Daemon atop them as their hands lay joined between the small crevice of space between them. At least then, when the squire burst into her rooms without knocking, they were not in a very compromising position.

Daemon had been ready to take the squire's head off, but as the Targaryen prince reached for his sword that he'd unbelted before Daenyra had even arrived in her rooms, the squire blurted, "It's your children!"

"Put the fucking sword down," Daenyra snapped at her betrothed before she got out of the bed herself, her hair slightly rumpled. "Where is my son? Where are Vaelon, Baela and Rhaena?"

Daemon still maintained his grip on Dark Sister, even as something in him softened at the sound of Daenyra asking for his girls.

She was barefooted and bushy-haired, but she did not care as she followed the squire and went running from her bed chambers, honestly not caring if Daemon followed.

He did. He did follow her as she barged her way into Driftmark's Throne room, and her eyes scanned the many people gathered there.

Baela and Rhaena were safely tucked under Rhaenys's arms as Daenyra's eyes settled on three brown-haired boys. "Vaelon!"

"Mother," he returned as she wrapped her arms around him, her whole body trembling with a new kind of worry.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" she asked as she scanned his face and body for injuries.

"I'm fine, Mother. I avoided the worst of it making sure Baela and Rhaena were ok," he said as she observed the scrape on his cheek. It was crusted with dry blood as the gash ran from his hairline above his ear to the tip of his cheekbone. "Luke and Jace took the bulk of the assault."

"Oh, you two," she sighed as she beheld the blood that covered both their faces. Daenyra dropped to her knees in front of Lucerys who was holding his bleeding nose. "Let me see," Daenyra urged softly as he was hesitant to lower his hands. "It's ok, Luke, I promise," she whispered as Daemon took up a perch in the shadows and watched his future wife with a smug grin. "Oh, sweetling, it is most definitely broken. Have no fear, I'm sure it will heal. I have seen many a nose do so."

"You promise?" he asked, and she squeezed his shoulders gently.

"I promise, Luke," she said with a small smile as she pressed their foreheads together. The princess rose to her feet keeping all three boys close. "Are you girls alright?"

"Yes, Daenyra," they answered in unison, still clutching their grandmother tightly.

"What in the name of the gods happened? And where is your mother?" Daenyra asked as Luke hugged her waist.

"I wanted to find you, Mother, but I didn't want to leave Jace and Luke. The squire is looking for Aunt Rhaenyra now."

"I am so very proud of you for taking care of your cousins," she said as she kissed his cheek. "But why was such an act necessary? Why did such an act result in such damage?"

Vaelon's voice dropped low so that only she could hear. "It was Aemond, Mother."

It was all the information she needed as she turned her head to see the prince who would surely be named The Scarred Prince as the Maester sewed a long path across his left eye and down a good portion of his face.

Now she understood why Jace and Luke had taken the brunt of the fighting on, because had Vaelon fought Aemond, he would've killed him. The spare heir was good with a sword, yes, but Vaelon had a talent for weaponless combat, and he was several inches taller than Aemond. Her son would have been labelled kinslayer had he truly fought his uncle. Not to mention that she was raising a gentleman who would never leave ladies to be subject to harm, especially his beloved cousins.