Latest Posts by artemis7686 - Page 6

RHAENYRA & DAENERYS House of the Dragon (2022-) | Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon - 1.03 “Second of His Name”

“It seems like its a kind of unrequited love. It’s not something that Alicent chose to encourage. Rhaenyra has this deep longing for her best friend.” — Miguel Sapochnik

"cut through my father's kingsguard. take me to dragonstone and make me your wife." she was insane for this. she's my hero. I will never recover😩

Being Daemon's Daughter Would Include (Part II)

a/n: I wasn't expecting such an incredible response to Part I & I just 😭 I'm so so sorry it took me so long to write Part II but here it is! I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it- it really took on a mind of its own! Your mother/Daemon's wife makes a greater appearance, so you get to see Daemon as a wholesome husband, too 💕

Let me know if I should start a tag list for this & if you'd like to be included on it for future parts!

Part I

summary: It's been near a fortnight since your birth, and Daemon cannot bear to leave your side. How else would he spend his time if not murmuring tales by your cradle...and mayhaps singing...

cw: some angst (and foreshadowing about angst to come) but mostly just comfort, a little fluff, fem reader

~~~~~~~

A Song To Keep You Warm

-Upon the hour of your birth, the bells of King's Landing sang out to the city, continuing to sound for nigh on a week. The realm had been blessed with a new princess, and though this was celebrated far and wide, no one was as happy as your father.

-Daemon Targaryen delighted in your mere existence, and would often be seen by your cradle, murmuring tales of love and valor in High Valyrian. You would clutch one of his slender fingers with your whole hand and on more than one occasion, he swore you tried to pull him closer to you. The servants, however, insisted this wasn't possible for a babe so young.

-"Forgive me, my prince," the one girl curtsied, too nervous to look him in the eye. "She's not yet two weeks. She hasn't the strength for such a feat." The others agreed, albeit with hesitation, nodding with sympathy and a little fear, feeling as though they were in some way disobedient.

-To their surprise, he gave them all a wry smile. "She's a Targaryen," he said, holding his head high, "the blood of Old Valyria and daughter of the Rogue Prince." You made a few little noises, then, as you were wont do when you heard your father's voice. You so loved the tenor, which rumbled through you like a kitten purring on your chest. He felt you pulling again. Kneeling, he pressed a kiss upon your cheek and beamed with pride. "She's simply taking what she wants."

-The servants could not but giggle, taken aback and entirely charmed. Daemon was, at once, both tender and wild. He spoke of you as one would the Conqueror, and it was truly odd to see such language applied to a babe. Yet, so too had you allowed him a softness that made his disposition rather agreeable, even calming. Those who had been wary of his presence for countless years were now eager to serve, if only to witness the magic that was said to occur at the hour of the wolf.

-Though you had no trouble finding rest while bathed in the warmth of the sun, you were not one for sleep once the candles were lit. The hour of the bat and all hours that followed saw you not only awake, but seemingly alert, a curious thing indeed for one so young.

-"Remarkable," one Maester had mumbled under his breath, declaring he had never seen anything quite like it. Nor had he read of any similar cases in all his years at the Citadel.

-While your father was intrigued, your mother grew increasingly nervous. He squeezed her hand as she worried at her bottom lip, brows furrowed with a soft concern. "Is she alright?"

-"She is positively glowing, my lady," he assured her. "As healthy a babe as I have ever seen. She merely seems to thrive under the moon."

-He noted that it would be interesting to see whether or not this trait persisted into childhood (indeed, it would), but either way, there was no cause for any distress.

-Though the Maester's words were based in wisdom and reason, they did little to ease your mother's anxieties. She could not explain it, nor find a way to speak it properly, but a terrible anticipation had burrowed itself in her stomach. She felt as though she were preparing for battle, not only waiting for an enemy's strike, but for her happiness to be torn from her.

-In this respect, Daemon had greater success than the Maester. "Hush now, my darling," he whispered, running his fingers through her hair, gently twisting them into loose, flowing braids. Her breathing slowly returned to normal.

-"Think of the dragons," he murmured. "Caraxes is, this very moment, in the heart of the pit, smothered in darkness, and he is in no torment. Quite the opposite."

-"It's true, he isn't what anyone expected him to be," your father allowed, "and mayhaps some might consider him an oddity...though they do not live to think that for long." He playfully nudged her, earning a genuine chuckle. That sparkle of mischief that he fell in love with returned to her eyes as she settled into his arms, letting his words wash over her.

-"He is one of the fiercest creatures in the realm, and he, too, sometimes thrives in the darkness." Daemon purposefully mirrored the Maester's words, smiling when he felt your mother's shoulders relax. "We need not understand it, nor concern ourselves with altering it. She is as she is."

-"So, she's drawn to a little darkness." He buried his face in her hair, whispering into her ear. "Weren't you?" She giggled as she remembered her first encounters with her prince. She couldn't deny it, she had been drawn to his darkness.

-"Tis true enough, husband," she sighed. "But darkness or no, she needs her rest."

-Daemon hummed in agreement, his own forebodings beginning to take shape in his mind. He wouldn't tell your mother, for fear of worrying her further, but he, too, shared in her dread. These last days had felt very much the calm before the storm.

-Still, he was no stranger to war. He insisted on continuing on with as much a sense of normalcy as possible. But Dark Sister remained constantly on his hip and he remained by your cradle every moment that could be spared. Most especially after the sun had set.

-This was the magic the servants so desperately wanted to behold. For in the darkest hours of the night, when the candles burned low and sleep evaded you, Daemon would kneel by your cradle, his breath warm against your skin, and he would sing the most gentle lullabies of your long-lost homeland in the language of your ancestors.

-The first night, he had recited only two ballads before you had drifted off, but mere moments after he stopped singing you had woken again. And so every night after, your father sang to you for hours on end, until the sky turned pink as a maiden's blush, and his throat was all but raw. Not once did he complain, or even seem to mind the ache. He cherished these quiet moments with you, singing to you of tales far and wide.

-The songs varied from night to night, depending on the prince's mood. Some were rather melancholy, songs of loss and loves never to be. Others were triumphant, exciting recollections of war and heroics.

-When naught would tire you, a slight mischief would dance in his eyes as he looked round, ensuring no one was lurking, and would sing a song well-suited to taverns and fools. Songs of the smallfolk had such humor he would lean into that you were sure to squirm and smile before soon finding rest.

-One evening, after he had faced a particularly tedious few hours with the Small Council, Daemon found himself yearning for days long since passed, when chaos and violence had rule over his heart. His mind wandered to the Stepstones, which had returned to something of a dismal state in the recent years. He could not bear to leave you, nor could he deny that he still longed for battle.

-That night, lost in his nostalgia and torn between his greatest loves, he could not but sing the shanties of the common tongue that had filled each silence off the coasts of war.

-Perhaps there was something of the sea in his blood, as it seemed there was in yours. You looked at him with wide eyes as he sang, his voice somehow both gentle and rough, much like the sea herself.

-He picked you up in his arms and carried you to the window, looking out to the waves, all but black and shimmering in the moonlight, crashing against the rocks. His voice was low, rumbling. Tears lingered on his lashes. You squeezed his finger.

-Outside the chambers, servants had gathered. Each wept as they listened to songs of the sea. Of war and of loss, and of a love that even death cannot touch.

-He knew they were there, but he could not bring himself to send them away.

-"Let them hear," he murmured, in a language they could not understand. "Let them know even a prince yearns for something more."

-In the hour of the owl, you fell asleep to the sounds of the sea and your father's strong voice, safe and warm in his embrace.

outlaw

Spicy Six as Troubled Birds

"I need Rhaenyra."

"Daemon." His brother's voice is wearied and wrought with frailty. He looks an old man as much as he sounds. The crown weighs heavy atop his head, his silver hair faded to little more than wisps, a faint remembrance of their great ancestry. The sight stirs something of a sympathy, mayhaps a pity within Daemon, as well as the first whispers of grief. Viserys will not long live, and the Prince would weep for that loss were it strong enough to quell his rage.

"I know we've had our differences," his brother says softly, "but let them pass with the years."

What kind words, and so easily spoken by the feeble ghost of the man before him. The King knows his death is nearing, and this is no more than a desperate ploy to earn some forgiveness before he reaches his grave. Daemon isn't of a mind to grant him such peace. Not after the banishments. Not after the offenses. Not after Rhaenyra.

Not after Rhaenyra.

His brother's words are a sharp reminder. Years. Years have passed, though he's hardly to know it. Time has been uncertain for the Rogue Prince, with many a year feeling a month, and the midnight hour often disguising itself as a lifetime. It is only by sparing a glance at the princess, his princess that he can truly be sure.

She is now a queen in her own right. His heart cannot but swell with pride to see her carry herself with such regality, a self-assuredness accompanying her every step and yet not in the slightest diminishing her ferocity. She is the blood of the dragon, the blood of Old Valyria, a goddess reborn to take what is hers. A goddess he would gladly worship.

There was a time he would not wait to be given the chance, but take it, as he did those years ago during their adventures in the heart of King's Landing, but seeing her now, he cannot bring himself to do it. He wonders if her life is better for his absence. He would hope so, if not for his own selfish desires.

His brother's voice pulls him from his thoughts, away from the sight of his niece. "There's a place for you in my court," Viserys says, "if that's something you should need."

Daemon seethes, his lips forming the words before he can think to stop them. "I need Rh..."

He stops.

He shouldn't say it.

To the Seven Hells with shouldn't, he can't say it.

He can't bear to say it. There's too much truth in it. He needs her.

He's always needed her.

"...nothing," he grimaces. Unable to stomach meeting his brother's eyes, he forces his gaze down to the rough cracks in the stone. Nothing.

Nothing. The word tastes a lie, and an unconvincing one, at best. She envelops every thought, fleeting or otherwise, that finds its way through the labyrinth of his mind. His heart is hers, entirely, and it's only now that he understands the emptiness that permeated his life these last ten years.

"I want Rhaenyra," he had told his brother, knife at his throat. He remembers looking at the blade and thinking that death would be preferable to losing her, and yet he still considered it wanting. He had never thought himself naïve, but what other word spoke such truth?

His hand on the hilt of Dark Sister, ever the calming influence, he forces himself away from his brother, refusing to so much as glance at his would-be queen.

"I'm sorry for your loss, my prince." Otto's voice stops him dead in his tracks. Dark Sister calls to him, and though the temptation is difficult to resist, he manages.

"No matter how fat the leech grows," Daemon sneers, "it always wants for another meal."

He wonders, as he walks away, if it was the right course. Any of it. If he should have slain Otto Hightower where he stood. If he should have forced his brother's hand and taken Rhaenyra to wife all those years ago. If he should have done as she asked at her wedding feast and cut through her father's kingsguard.

"Take me to Dragonstone and make me your wife," she had said, venom in her words and something else he could not quite place. At the time, he thought she was merely tormenting him, taunting him with all he could not have. Now, he cannot but wonder if she desired him as much as he did her. If it was not a mockery, but a genuine plea, an admission of her deepest desires.

What life might have been had he only obliged.

As he wanders the beach, somewhat melancholy under the light of the emerging moon, he is vaguely aware of gentle footsteps behind him. There's no need to look. He felt Rhaenyra's eyes on him. He felt her yearning. It mirrored his own.

He does not know what this night will bring. But if the Gods are good, they will never again threaten to tear them asunder.

Stay winning, boys.

listen I'm just *saying* I can think of a few ways they could relieve their frustrations

we NEED to talk about the way they're looking at each other

-They both bear such striking looks of victory. Ten years they've been separated, facing loss and loneliness and a persisting sense of something hollow without the other by their side.

-"I want Rhaenyra," Daemon told his brother, without fear of consequence. "I'll take her as she is," as if he'd want her any other way, "and wed her in the tradition of our house." He didn't care for the ceremony or pomp of Westeros. He didn't want to be wed in the light of the Seven, which undoubtedly felt like a falsehood. "I'll take her as she is." The weight of that admission cannot be overstated.

-From birth, Rhaenyra had tried to live up to the expectations and perceptions of others. For the good of the realm, for the benefit of her father, attempting to stay as true to herself as could while maneuvering a court that was rarely, if ever on her side.

-Daemon was the first to see her as she was, to encourage all that others had chastised, and to celebrate in her truth. "You abandoned me," she tells him, because it's true. He abandoned her to the wolves of King's Landing, of her father's court, without a true defender.

-But she was a child. And perhaps he had truly thought she would be better off without his influence.

-Nothing could be further from the truth.

-In this moment, in the wedding of their choosing, they both share looks not only of victory, but of admiration, love, pride, and above all, a primal possessiveness.

-After so many years of wanting, he is hers. She has taken her fate into her own hands and claimed the Rogue Prince as her husband and consort. The man who always loved her as she was. Who continues to love her as she is.

-He looks at her with a promise. She is his to protect. To defend. His little princess has grown into a fearsome dragon, one who takes what she wants. Never again will he allow anyone to attempt to dampen that fire. Never again will he abandon her.

-He is hers. She is his. And together they will take what is theirs, with fire and blood.

I can't stop thinking about the music and their vows

-I can't stop thinking about the way you can hear ten years of yearning in each stroke of the violins. Of longing. Pining.

-I can't stop thinking about the way the score is painfully melancholic and how it feels like every second of lost time and all they could have lived together had the gods been kinder. The children they would have shared. The loneliness they would have escaped.

-This score is the moment a lover's hand leaves yours. Their warmth is still present on your skin and yet somehow it seems cruel, a reminder of all that you desire, all that you do not presently have.

-And yet...

-And yet it also feels victorious. Through pain and torment, they have refused to yield. They have been forged in a fire that has hardened them to the world, but with each other...with each other, they are soft. They are safe. And they are filled with a happiness that has been earned one hundred times over.

-In this ceremony but especially this kiss, Daemon and Rhaenyra feel the emptiness of the past fade into the smoke as they are bonded as one, two souls never entirely whole without the other.

-And nothing captures their immeasurable connection quite like the vows, spoken in High Valyrian.

/ Blood of two / Joined as one / Ghostly flame / And song of shadows / Two hearts as embers / Forged in fourteen fires / A future promised in glass / The stars stand witness / The vow spoken through time / Of darkness and light /

-The Stars Stand Witness. There is something so profoundly intimate in this joining, this claiming. This is not the love of a single lifetime. It is something far more ancient.

-This is the story of two souls that have been connected through each and every life, not rooted in the soil, but entwined in the sky, in the very fabric of the universe, unburdened by all that is tangible.

-This is not the first time the stars have stood witness. It will not be the last.

-The Realm's Delight. The Rogue Prince. Joined as one. Now, and always.

"I want you, Uncle...the Velaryons are of the sea. But you and I are made of fire. We have always been meant to burn together."

炎と血

i love the nancy wheeler who shoved a revolver in her boyfriend's face to try and make him leave because a monster was about to show up. i love the nancy wheeler who jabbed a middle schooler with a white-hot poker while his family was right there screaming and crying. i love the nancy wheeler who made sure to say "polo!" before bashing her boss's head in with a fire extinguisher. just let her be insane please it's her best quality

Being Daemon's Daughter Would Include (Part I)

a/n: I just can't get the idea out of my head that Daemon is an incredibly sweet & loving father & honestly really needed to write this for comfort. when I started I thought it would be a little oneshot/imagine, but I ended up having a lot more to say than I anticipated so this is going to be multiple parts! if you, like me, are in need of wholesome soft! daemon who would do anything for you & be an amazing father, I hope this helps 💕

summary: a recounting of the day you were born & daemon's first moments with you

cw: difficult birth (but it all ends happily!), fem reader, mostly comfort & fluff

~~~~~~~

The Day You Were Born

-The day you were born was one of the happiest days of Daemon Targaryen's life.

-He didn't know quite what to expect of fatherhood and in truth, there was more than a small part of him that dreaded the idea, even feared it. He didn't think himself terribly well-suited to a life of domesticity, seemingly so tedious and dull. Of course, everything changed the moment he saw you.

-It was a difficult birth, but not once did he leave your mother's side. His hands would be covered in bruises for days to come from the way she squeezed, but every single patch of blue and purple was worth it.

-You weren't ready to leave your mother's womb just yet, and after much struggle, one of the Maesters pulled your father aside and told him another method may be required to successfully deliver you. But when informed of the sacrifice it would require, Daemon gave the old man such a glower that the midwives thought the Prince would slay him where he stood.

-Daemon composed himself and simply said that both you and your mother would be happy and healthy by the end of the day. The threat was clear as the summer skies and from that moment forward, though one hand continued to be squeezed by your mother's, the other rested firmly on the hilt of Dark Sister. Daemon would do anything to protect his family.

-He was never a man of the Faith, but in those trying hours he prayed to the Old Gods and the New. He prayed to the Many Faced God and the Lord of Light. He prayed to anything and everything that might be listening, that might possibly hold some power. He didn't think he deserved to be spared pain or loss, but he knew for a fact that you and your mother deserved all the goodness this life had to offer.

-When your mother began to lose hope and panic started to set in, he wiped her brow and kissed her forehead, whispering, "This world is not yet done with you, my darling."

-He likes to think you heard his voice, for despite the hours spent by the Maesters and midwives doing everything they could, it was only after he spoke those words that you decided you were ready to join the world.

-Of course, he let your mother hold you first, and though she desperately wanted to spend the rest of the day with you in her arms, she needed her rest. After a few minutes and many more assurances that you were healthy as could be, you were passed to a midwife and then, for the first time, to your father.

-You had come into this world screaming and crying, and even in your mother's arms, you wouldn't quite settle. But the moment you found yourself in Daemon's embrace, the whole world turned soft and warm. Everything was kind and good. Everything was love.

-And he was in love from the moment he held you in his arms, the moment you looked in his eyes. He saw so much of your mother in those eyes, but what surprised him was how much he saw of himself. You were the most gentle mirror, only reflecting the good. You were half of him, but you had his whole heart.

-He pressed his lips softly against the center of your forehead. "Tala," he murmured, tears in his eyes. Daughter.

-As soon as he uttered the word, he knew you would be one of the few people in his life to speak High Valyrian. He would teach you the language of your ancestors and delight in every word you spoke. No victory would be small. Everything would be celebrated.

-He imagined who you might be and what he might pass onto you. He wondered if you'd be a dragonrider. He hoped you would like Caraxes (he knew Caraxes would love you). He secretly dreamt of teaching you how to fight and, when you were old enough, letting you hold Dark Sister. Maybe even wield her. He was incredibly possessive over his Valyrian steel sword, and rightfully so. Very few were worthy of her. But he knew that even fewer would be worthy of you, and at the thought of you wielding her, his heart swelled with pride.

-But he knew he would love you just as much if you preferred the graces and arts to battles. Perhaps you would have a voice to enchant the realm, or a sharp wit to rival any Maester.

-Anyone else might have worried. So many parents expected their child to be the best they could possibly be, but that wasn't Daemon. He loved you as you were. No matter who you would become, no matter your accomplishments, you would always be his world. You would always have his heart. He would always be proud to be your Kepa.

-He smiled as you wrapped your hand around his finger, cooing as you looked up in awe. Daemon Targaryen was many things. He was the unruly, chaotic brother of the King. He was the second son, former heir to the Iron Throne. He was the Prince of the City, Lord Flea Bottom, King of the Narrow Sea, and, first and foremost, the Rogue Prince. But he never expected that his favourite title would be born of love instead of war. He never expected a title so gentle, so beautiful.

-He never expected it, but he was so grateful to be your father.

-Your Kepa.

Being Daemon's Daughter Would Include (Part I)

a/n: I just can't get the idea out of my head that Daemon is an incredibly sweet & loving father & honestly really needed to write this for comfort. when I started I thought it would be a little oneshot/imagine, but I ended up having a lot more to say than I anticipated so this is going to be multiple parts! if you, like me, are in need of wholesome soft! daemon who would do anything for you & be an amazing father, I hope this helps 💕

summary: a recounting of the day you were born & daemon's first moments with you

cw: difficult birth (but it all ends happily!), fem reader, mostly comfort & fluff

~~~~~~~

The Day You Were Born

-The day you were born was one of the happiest days of Daemon Targaryen's life.

-He didn't know quite what to expect of fatherhood and in truth, there was more than a small part of him that dreaded the idea, even feared it. He didn't think himself terribly well-suited to a life of domesticity, seemingly so tedious and dull. Of course, everything changed the moment he saw you.

-It was a difficult birth, but not once did he leave your mother's side. His hands would be covered in bruises for days to come from the way she squeezed, but every single patch of blue and purple was worth it.

-You weren't ready to leave your mother's womb just yet, and after much struggle, one of the Maesters pulled your father aside and told him another method may be required to successfully deliver you. But when informed of the sacrifice it would require, Daemon gave the old man such a glower that the midwives thought the Prince would slay him where he stood.

-Daemon composed himself and simply said that both you and your mother would be happy and healthy by the end of the day. The threat was clear as the summer skies and from that moment forward, though one hand continued to be squeezed by your mother's, the other rested firmly on the hilt of Dark Sister. Daemon would do anything to protect his family.

-He was never a man of the Faith, but in those trying hours he prayed to the Old Gods and the New. He prayed to the Many Faced God and the Lord of Light. He prayed to anything and everything that might be listening, that might possibly hold some power. He didn't think he deserved to be spared pain or loss, but he knew for a fact that you and your mother deserved all the goodness this life had to offer.

-When your mother began to lose hope and panic started to set in, he wiped her brow and kissed her forehead, whispering, "This world is not yet done with you, my darling."

-He likes to think you heard his voice, for despite the hours spent by the Maesters and midwives doing everything they could, it was only after he spoke those words that you decided you were ready to join the world.

-Of course, he let your mother hold you first, and though she desperately wanted to spend the rest of the day with you in her arms, she needed her rest. After a few minutes and many more assurances that you were healthy as could be, you were passed to a midwife and then, for the first time, to your father.

-You had come into this world screaming and crying, and even in your mother's arms, you wouldn't quite settle. But the moment you found yourself in Daemon's embrace, the whole world turned soft and warm. Everything was kind and good. Everything was love.

-And he was in love from the moment he held you in his arms, the moment you looked in his eyes. He saw so much of your mother in those eyes, but what surprised him was how much he saw of himself. You were the most gentle mirror, only reflecting the good. You were half of him, but you had his whole heart.

-He pressed his lips softly against the center of your forehead. "Tala," he murmured, tears in his eyes. Daughter.

-As soon as he uttered the word, he knew you would be one of the few people in his life to speak High Valyrian. He would teach you the language of your ancestors and delight in every word you spoke. No victory would be small. Everything would be celebrated.

-He imagined who you might be and what he might pass onto you. He wondered if you'd be a dragonrider. He hoped you would like Caraxes (he knew Caraxes would love you). He secretly dreamt of teaching you how to fight and, when you were old enough, letting you hold Dark Sister. Maybe even wield her. He was incredibly possessive over his Valyrian steel sword, and rightfully so. Very few were worthy of her. But he knew that even fewer would be worthy of you, and at the thought of you wielding her, his heart swelled with pride.

-But he knew he would love you just as much if you preferred the graces and arts to battles. Perhaps you would have a voice to enchant the realm, or a sharp wit to rival any Maester.

-Anyone else might have worried. So many parents expected their child to be the best they could possibly be, but that wasn't Daemon. He loved you as you were. No matter who you would become, no matter your accomplishments, you would always be his world. You would always have his heart. He would always be proud to be your Kepa.

-He smiled as you wrapped your hand around his finger, cooing as you looked up in awe. Daemon Targaryen was many things. He was the unruly, chaotic brother of the King. He was the second son, former heir to the Iron Throne. He was the Prince of the City, Lord Flea Bottom, King of the Narrow Sea, and, first and foremost, the Rogue Prince. But he never expected that his favourite title would be born of love instead of war. He never expected a title so gentle, so beautiful.

-He never expected it, but he was so grateful to be your father.

-Your Kepa.