Part One - Heirs of Daemon Targaryen
Mysaria had begun her lie-in when the first shipment from Vale arrived in Stepstone. Escorting the shipment was Lady Jeyne herself, together with a tag-a-long that wanted to talk to Daemon for a very long time.
“Lady Royce, we did not expect to see you here.” Rhaenyra asked with a lilting voice after the usual pleasantries were exchanged and bread was consumed.
“Well, I didn’t expect a chance to talk to my long lost husband but here we are.” She said with a haughty voice, her honey brown eyes stared eerily at the man she still wed to. “Daemon, we need to talk.”
“Well, Rhea, I don’t want to talk to you at all.” Daemon hissed back. Months after being assigned as Rhaenyra’s dragon-riding teacher, the caustic prince had settled down in his role, especially when Rhaenyra had offered dragon eggs from Syrax’s and Grey Ghost’s first clutch as a mating pair for his unborn heir.
“Well, what I want is a fucking annulment.” Rhea sneered. “Fucking sure you want that as well or do you enjoy to be chained to me that much?”
Rhaenyra can feel the headache growing in her head.
Watching as the last of Vale delegates and spectators being ushered outside the hall, (though judging from Layla’s and Valaena’s faces, everyone in the fourteen islands will be hearing what went down in the room), the little princess turned to the couple, now fighting furiously with each other.
“You frequently disparage me in court and flaunt your conquests at whore houses! You attempt to take your pregnant concubine as your second wife! And you have the damned audacity to announce it to the entire realm, thus shaming me and my House!”
“What am I supposed to do?! Stay chained forever with a woman who doesn’t even want to marry me?! I much rather sleep a fucking sheep than to fuck you, at least they’re warmer than the frigid bitch you are!”
If kinslaying wasn’t a major sin, I would have happily smother you in your sleep, you fucking bastard!”
It took both Rhaenyra's scarlet shadows and Sayiddah (who wandered in at some point) to stop Daemon from trying to kill his wife. The princess and Lady Jeyne had to separate both of them to different sides of the hall, making sure there’s enough space and people to stop them trying to kill each other again.
Jeyne made sure her friend settled down on the chair she was sitting on before turning to her young cousin, “I recently accompanied Rhea to submit her petitions to both the King and the High Septon on grounds that the marriage was never consummated for the last 12 years.”
“Both the King and the Archsepton would never agree to the annulment.” Martyn, interjected, frowning. “Not when breaking the marriage that was arranged by the Good Queen herself would further break the tumultuous relationship between House Targaryen and the Vale.”
“This marriage is already an insult. But you are right.” Rhea spat angrily. “I debased myself in front of my Royal brother in law, begging for an annulment and all he could tell me is that I should reconcile with my thrice damned husband and not bother him with trivial matters. He doesn’t even have the nerve to say it to me in person but sent his damned dog to shame me in front of the entire court.”
“Ser Otto Hightower said that?” Everyone was horrified to hear that.
Rhea didn’t reply but judging from the fury staining her cheeks, it was true.
Septon Chayle, the lone septon in Stepstones and in charge of the people who followed the Seven, fetched to weight in the matter, muttered out loud. “This cannot be right. An unconsummated marriage, especially when it is involved with the future of a House, has enough ground for an annulment. Lord Hand shouldn’t have denied your petition, my Lady, for one, he does not speak for the Holy Faith.”
“And yet we all know that the High Septon are deeply connected with the Hightowers.” Jeyne sneered, still smart over the insult Otto had dealt to her during the Vale uprising in the name of the Crown, “the fat fool would agree to whatever Lord Hobert Hightower told him to do.”
Everyone winced but couldn’t help but agreed. They know quite well how deeply the Faith and the Citadel were in Hightower’s thrall.
(Grandmaester Vaegon bellowed furiously when, just a few weeks ago, an officious letter arrived from Oldtown for him; the Conclave of Maesters had unanimously stripped him and his followers of their chains and title of Maester, for the perversion of knowledge and dereliction of duty.
He retaliated by throwing his impressive chain to Grey Ghost, who pounced on it like a new toy, before creating a new education system for all the children in the island of all class and gender.)
“How about religion disimilarity?” Rhaenyra suddenly asked. “Here in Stepstones, all marriages must be committed according to the religion both the couple followed or it is considered invalid as Stepstones practices religious tolerance.” She explained to the intrigued Vale delegates. “We can argue the marriage itself is not valid as both Lady Rhea and Prince Daemon do not follow the Seven. There were no secondary marriages held under the Old Gods or the Valyrian Fourteen Flame, am I correct?”
“No, Queen Alysanne didn’t care for the Old Gods and Septon Barth, who was the Hand at the time, refused to marry us under the Fourteen Flame.” Rhea said out loud, remembering quite clearly the disastrous wedding. “Both of us were already so angry at being forced to marry that when our choice of religions were ignored, it was one of the final things that made the marriage fail before it could even start.” She said reluctantly.
“There, then we can argue that the marriage was never valid in the first place.” Rhaenyra said brightly, happy everything was settled.
“All due respect, Your Highness, it might have worked if they were married here,” Septon Chayle said reluctantly, “but they were married in Westeros, sad to say it would not worked.”
“How about a permanent separation?” Rosamund suggested. “Maybe a formal agreement between Prince Daemon and Lady Rhea of them living apart, making them only husband and wife only in name would be enough.”
“We had been doing that for years and it still won’t solve my issue of lack of heir.” Rhea frowned, already resigned at the idea, unable to be separated from her thrice damned husband till the day he or she died.
“There is a way.” Lady Wen Hana, one of the midwives, summoned by Rhaenyra in case there was bloodshed during the fiery discussion, suddenly interjected. “We can inseminate Lady Rhea’s womb with Prince Daemon’s seeds using a tool.”
Prince Daemon choked loudly while Lady Rhea looked intrigued. “It might cause some discomfort but there are 45% chances for Lady Rhea to be pregnant. It is how people in a lavender marriage in Yi Ti and Leng are able to conceive their heirs.”
“You want me to give my seeds to her?!!” Daemon gestured at his wife. “She would never do it, not to mention it is an abomination!”
“If it means I can have a child of my blood without touching you? I would do it.” Rhea said confidently, liking the idea of having a child without the messiness of human contact. “I don't care if there is pain if there is a chance for me to have a child I can call my own.”
Jeyne, intrigued with the idea as well, asked the healer. “What is a lavender marriage?”
“A lavender marriage is a marriage between a same-sex couple with a person of the separate sex, to help to conceive their children. I have conducted several of such procedures when in Yi Ti and had recently conducted them here in Stepstones.”
“You allowed same sex marriages here?” Jeyne turned to Rhaenyra, startled. Rhaenyra shrugged, before wincing as Rosamund stabbed a finger into her shoulder, a constant punishment for the unladylike gesture, “Yes, love is love, if my people are happy, who am I to deny them happiness?”
Jeyne smiled at her half proudly and half in envy, thinking about her redheaded companion.
“If we do this, we should have an iron clad agreement between Prince Daemon and Lady Rhea.” Martyn scribbled at some loose paper. “One that the Citadel and the Crown cannot argue against. Not that they can, if a child does happen because the marriage is not annulled at all.”
“Wait, does anyone care about my thoughts on this?” Daemon said plaintively as everyone crowded in to work on the agreement. “What if I don’t want to do this?”
“Do you want your heir to be a bastard?” Rhea argued passionately. “This way we each can have an heir of our own and don’t have to see each other ever again. And you know what’s the best part of this?”
“And what’s that, wife?” Daemon couldn’t help but ask reluctantly.
“We get to piss out the Hightowers if this works.” Everyone muffled their giggles as Daemon reluctantly smiled, liking the idea causing the damned Highcunt a heart attack after all the insult he inflicted on him and his thrice damned wife.
“Yes uncle, let us help you and Lady Rhea to some degree of happiness.” Rhaenyra held his hand comfortingly.
Daemon nodded warily.
After several hours, torn papers and several rounds of screaming from both Daemon and Rhea, an agreement was finally hammered out, signed by the couple and witnessed by both the Ladies Paramount of Stepstones and Vale.
In the agreement, Lady Rhea of House Royce and Prince Daemon of House Targaryen agreed to declared to be formally separated, with Prince Daemon letting go his position and claim on House Royce as Lord Consort of House Royce and be no longer allowed to step foot in Vale no matter the result of the artificial insemination. In return Lady Rhea will support Prince Daemon in naming his children from his paramour as his formal and legal heir(s), and letting go her claim to his seat in the Veiled Isle.
As the last dotted lines were signed and bottles of wines and lemon ciders were passed around to celebrate the momentous event, a messenger ran into the hall.
“Your Highnesses!” The young girl gasped out loud, “the baby is coming!”
“Lady Mysaria had suffered some internal tearing to her womb. Between that and the deep scarring she had suffered from a miscarriage in her youth, she might never conceive again. But other than that, both mother and the babies are well.” Lady Wen Hana bowed, her apron still bloody from the birthing.
“Babies?” Daemon whispered then walked past the cadre of midwives and healers to peer at the cot beside the birthing bed, Mysaria fast asleep after her ordeals; Rhaella, who accompanied Mysaria during her lie-in was staring at the babies.
The old woman gently pushed Daemon to sit down before helping him cradle the babies. “Mysaria had given you a set of beautiful girls, my dear nephew.”
Daemon, for once, was silent with shock as he stared at the bundles in his arm. Both babies had the same silver hair like he was, and as he gently rocked them, both opened their eyes, the one on the right has his father’s Baelon’s light lilac eyes while the other had his mother’s Alyssa’s mismatched purple and blue eyes. “Look niece, you have cousins now.” He sobbed loudly, the empty space in his heart, once yearning for love and acceptance, was finally filled with such paternal love for his beautiful children.
Rhea Royce watched as Daemon wept. “Huh. You do know how to cry.”
Rhaenyra ignored her and smiled down at her cousins. “What will you name them, kepus?”
“I wanted to honor my parents and yet give them names that belong only to them.” Daemon smiled dopily at his children, still can’t believe he has children now. “I was thinking of Alysse and Baela for my mother Alyssa and my father, Baelon.”
“Alysse and Baela.” Rhaenyra repeated their names out loud before smiling. “They are great names, Uncle. Now excuse us and let you enjoy your time with your family.” She quickly ushered everyone out and closed the door behind her.
Stepstones went into celebration for an entire week at the announcement of House Targaryen of the Veiled Isle’s newest heiress, especially when both eggs presented by Princess Rhaenyra hatched in their shared cradle a week after their birth, making the twins the first cradle hatches after Rhaenyra.
(Daemon complained when he heard the name of the new dragons but both Rhaenyra and Mysaria ignored him, lovingly named Alysse’s pure gold dragon Sunfyre and Baela’s white and green dragon Moondancer.)
Eleven months later, a letter from Runestone came for Daemon. The prince, carrying one of his precious daughters as he usually does while inspecting the men he was help training, pushed the letter to Rhaenyra, who looked at him in surprise.
In the letter, there was only one sentence written in it, and yet it had such a profound effect on the Rogue Prince, who looked as if he wanted to flee toward Runestone.
His name is Aelyx Royce.