HOTD/ASOIAF: Unbowed Unbent Unbroken

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112 AC

Kingslanding

Daeron Nymeros Martell

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Sitting at a small table in a room with a massive window beside us and a single door to enter and leave I look at the Queen and her daughter. If I had to take a guess this is Rhaenyra's idea and not the Queen's now that I take a look at her. She seems uncomfortable and not just because of the baby inside of her womb.

She smiles but it does not reach her eyes, she will be a hard one to win over it seems. If she was not the Mother of the woman I am seeking to marry I would offer to help her with the aches by massaging her. I have done it before to test out some bending practices, namely trying to figure out blood bending and I learned massaging with 'healing hands' feels good. I practiced it on my mom's legs after a long day of walking and she had me on leg duty for a month or she would tell Myriah about it.

So three weeks into the massaging Myriah found out anyway and I had to 'backpay' her for all the time missed. I had to lock that skill away as it was too dangerous at consuming my free time, but did earn me brownie points. I can't use it here though, she is the Queen and also does not know about my bending anyway.

"Thank you for the invitation, Queen Aemma and Princess Rhaenyra." Rhaenyra smiles and nods toward the available seat while her mom waves to a servant on the side.

"You can go ahead and bring it out, I am starving." I cringe thinking I made a pregnant woman wait to eat, that is some serious minus points in her book if that's the case.

I debate saying something but it's a double-edged sword, I could make it worse or I could make it better but either way, I am taking fault for something that is not my fault. It was short notice and I made it here before the discussed time and they just so happened to already be here as well.

I sit down and before I can think about it any more food is being brought in and Aemma brightens up drastically.

Some of the dishes that are brought in look specifically made for a craving pregnant woman so I give them a wide birth. I instead focus on the food that looks to be mimicking Dornish cuisine, likely brought specifically for me anyway. I can tell from the smell the spice is wrong but the peppers look fresh so it's not too horrible.

"So Rhaenyra told me that you two settled the matter of the 'argument' at the Dragon pit." She looks questioningly at me as I cut open a grilled fish.

"I would not call it an argument, but it's settled as far as I am concerned." She nods as she stabs a chicken breast with some green sauce and red flakes on it.

"I know it wasn't, Rhaenyra already told me but the people in court and wherever else won't know that. People will assume my daughter and a Prince from Dorne had a heated argument and one flew off in anger afterward." She hums in contentment as she bites into the juicy chicken and I look toward Rhaenyra who looks helplessly back at me.

"I see." I take a bite of the surprisingly good fish, even if the spices are off it is still one of the better things I have had since arriving here.

Maybe my tastebuds have been programmed to Dornish food?

Rhaenyra eyes me and then jerks her head slightly to her mom insinuating something I don't understand. A lack of information prevents me from catching her hidden meaning before she rolls her eyes and lets out a breath.

"I talked with my mom last night about how we discussed many things yesterday and she was interested in how you talked about studying healing arts. She was curious what types of healings you have looked into and applied yourself." Even if we run a tight ship on information in Dorne it is common knowledge I take in injured and sick people often.

The rumor was I killed them or did blood rituals with them, those came from some of the bastard Martells. I instead had the truth leak so it's common knowledge if someone was to look into it, I am a healer. They don't know I can bend water or heal with water, people may suspect magic but I have them sedated so no one has seen anything. People who refuse to 'go under' for treatment don't get treated, but everyone preaches how I can heal and it's good for my image in Dorne. So there is no reason to withhold the information I can indeed heal, I just don't say how.

"I studied basic healing that a Maester would have and all the concoctions that can cure ailments. I was not satisfied with the Maesters' ability and sought out different arts from Essos. Dorne has good relationships with most of the free cities so I got teachers and learned many tricks. I can't claim to be the best but I would be willing to claim to be better than most." I am undoubtedly the best option in the world to save a life but bragging too much would be a waste.

They might even ask me to help with something to prove my claim, leaving it out there I 'have' the skill might get me where I want to be though. The birthing room of the woman in front of me, being the one responsible for saving her would secure a relationship with Rhaenyra. My father feels very good about a marriage between the two of us but that does not mean Rhaenyra would not resist it just on principle. If I am the reason her mom lives it will put me in her good graces by a large margin.

Might be a fucked up thing to do but if I have foreknowledge and don't abuse it and end up getting cucked then I could only blame myself. Manipulating my way to get where I want to be is the smartest thing to do with what I know.

"You think you are better than a Grand Maester at healing?" Queen Aemma asks after finishing a bite of her meal off.

"I have never had a direct challenge so to speak where we 'compete' to see who is better, but I am confident I can do anything a Grand Maester can and many things they cant." She looks into my eyes almost seeking the truth of my statement before slowly nodding.

"An interesting subject for a Prince to be interested in, most Princes would chase girls or wield swords and maybe read. I don't think I have ever heard of a Prince that seeks to heal people, what about it caught your attention." I run my hand through my free-flowing hair as I try my best to look reluctant.

"I guess you could call it helplessness, I once watched my brother Lewyn jump out a window and he was fine after the landing but cut his leg pretty bad. We were young but I remembered hearing about stopping the bleeding or someone could bleed to death. I ended up holding the wound closed until he got it properly treated, the whole time I felt helpless." He jumped out the window after me thinking anything I could do he could do, the fool almost cut his foot off. "So I promised myself I would not be helpless like that again, I hated the feeling so much I sought out the healing arts." She had gone stiff halfway through the story and even looks a touch regretful for asking.

I ended up healing him on my own with my water bending and it's a secret we will take to our graves since father would have beat us black and blue. If he heard both his Heir and the 'spare' jumped from a window he would leap after us to get to us faster just to tan our asses in the afterlife.

"I am sorry, I didn't think it would be so personal..." She looks at me with a sad smile and I return a bright one as I wave a hand.

"It's no problem, he is fine and I am fine and I am prepared for an emergency in the future so everything went well." Maybe she will remember this when her time to give birth approaches and seeks me out if not just for curiosity's sake.

Things go silent as we get back to eating as Rhaenyra starts small conversations to rid any silence from setting in too long. The Queen is much less off put by my presence at the table with her, no longer looking at the hand holding a fork in worry. She realizes I won't just attack her for no reason, it makes me wonder what is actually talked about the Dornish for her to have been that scared.

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112 AC

Kingslanding

Aemma Arryn

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Daeron is a lot different than I thought, he seems more 'real' after talking with him about different small things. But mainly his story of his brother and the helplessness he felt at not being able to help his brother. It made him seem a lot less threatening to hear about him at a weak point in his life, like how I feel now.

His helplessness almost threatened to suffocate me as I remember the helplessness I felt went I miscarried my nameless children. The child in my womb kicked when Daeron talked and I felt the weight setting on top of me. I felt the dread of bleeding out on the birthing bed like my mother, a cruel thing I did without meaning to. I also felt the responsibility to give Viserys a living son and true heir to take the Iron throne when it comes time.

I wanted to ask him if he had picked up any 'tricks' regarding pregnancy and making sure to deliver a healthy baby but I know it's pointless. If some miracle concoction or recipe for healthy babies was out there it would have spread by now. But a tug in my gut and a kick from the baby makes me want to ask anyway even though I have been alone with my 'caretakers' for an hour now in my room.

I could ask him through Rhaenyra since it would look better that way anyway, a curious daughter asking is better than a worried Queen. She seemed eager to run off with the young Prince to find his siblings and check out the library. The first time I have ever seen her bounce in place when the library is the destination.

I smile remembering the light smile she was fighting to conceal, she at least likes him enough to be happy around him. If that continues things might just turn out well for the two of them, I pray for her happiness it does turn out well. I have always worried about her and the way she would rather 'be a knight and ride to battle and glory' than worry about a man. It at least is a positive change in the right direction that much is for sure, and I am thankful to Daeron for that.

"Please bring me some water." I call out feeling my lips and mouth go dry, a chill up my spine making me shiver.

Taking the glass I drink slowly as I plan how I will get Rhaenyra to ask Daeron about his skills with pregnancy and birth. I don't want to worry her but my worry is slowly building after all the hiding from it I have been doing. I don't know what will happen if another dead child is birthed from my womb, Viserys needs his heir.

A son to take the throne and all the responsibility that comes with it.