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Rhaegar asks her, “You did tie their skates on tight?”
Elia huffs at him. “Yes. You saw me do that.” She doesn’t mention that he also checked their skates before allowing the children to be out on the rink.
He frowns, “I am not being over-protective.”
She gives him a look. “I did not say you were.”
“You were thinking it,” he accuses her.
She was, but, she’s not going to say it. Her husband knows her too well.
Pretending she didn’t notice the slight glare he gives her, she remarks, “You can trust my nieces.”
He frowns, accused and not liking it. “I don’t mistrust them.”
She bursts out laughing even as he grouses. She knows he hadn’t meant to be so mistrustful, but Rhaenys and Aegon were their children. And she knew what he was fretting about. It was Aegon’s first time ice-skating and while Rhaegar had taken him out for the first circuit, Nym had volunteered to take him for the next one while Obara had taken Rhaenys and they hadn’t come back since.
He huffs, “Yes, yes, I know.”
“Then?”
He frowns at her. “They’re my children, Elia. I am allowed to be worried.”
She tries to hold it in, she really does. But, she can’t and she laughs so hard.
Outraged, he exclaims, “What?”
When she is calm enough, she nudges him. She reminds him pointedly, “They’re my children, too.”
He huffs. “Not the point I was making.”
She shakes her head, realizing, his reaction was probably her fault. The first time Rhaegar had taken her ice-skating, she’d spent more time falling than skating. She’d been eager to learn how to do it because Dorne doesn’t get much snow if any and ice rinks weren’t really a thing, so when he took her that was her first time she’d ever even skating. She thought her ballet experience would translate into skating. Dancing had been no help. That first time…ice-skating had not liked her. She had the bumps and bruises to prove it. She hadn’t laughed that first night, but, later, recalling her first attempts had become a funny story. She’d gotten better over time, thank goodness, but, clearly, Rhaegar remembered her fledgling attempts.
Still, this was a tradition for them. Ever since they married, they’d gone skating at least once in winter. Viserys usually came along, but, Rhaella wanted both Viserys and Daenerys home tonight, so it was just her, Rhaegar, their two, and Oberyn’s two who were visiting for Winter Break.
Last year, they finally brought Rhaenys now that she was old enough. Rhaegar insisted on bundling her up so much it was a wonder that he hadn’t insisted on bubble wrap. Rhaegar, however, had packed the knee pads that Rhaenys wore while using her bike! Thankfully, her daughter was far better at skating from the start than she had been and hadn’t needed them. This year was Aegon’s first, and he too, was off to a great start.
Of course, Rhaegar, being the mother-hen, insisted on taking Aegon out for his first round. Much to Rhaegar’s chagrin, and hers to be honest, for their children, their own parents weren’t “cool enough” like Oberyn’s girls. Still, her nieces did look after the younger ones. That was how it was done in her family, so she wasn’t too worried.
She slips her arm into him and turns him around. “Rhaegar, darling! Look, they are fine.”
He turns around where, sure enough, Obara has one hand in Rhaenys’ and Nymeria has Aegon firmly in her grasp. Rhaegar almost looks disappointed he can’t swoop in and save the day.
Of course, her husband catches her staring, clearly recognizing he was the source of her amusement. “Not another word,” he warns as the children zip past with bright eyes, red cheeks, and big smiles as they wave sunnily before going on their merry way.
She almost wants to poke the bear, but, relents. It’s not a situation she’s used to. Well, she is used to him being serious, and this was about their children. Today, Rhaegar is being goofy about things, though. The kids are obviously having a good time and nothing untoward happened.
When their children come to a stop, Rhaenys is the first to chirp, “Mama, Papa, did you see! How was I?”
Even in skates she was practically bouncing.
Elia laughs. “Yes, I did. You did wonderfully.” Rhaegar pulls Rhaenys closer so he could adjust her beanie.
Not one to be ignored, Aegon asks, “And me, Papa? I was good right?”
Rhaegar pokes his son on the nose. “You were perfect.”
While she was adjusting Aegon’s mittens, she catches Obara rolling her eyes and Nym elbowing her sister. She also pretends she didn’t hear a hissed exchange that included “wobbly” from one niece and “first time” from another.
Instead, she focuses on another important part of tradition. “Who wants hot chocolate?”
As she expected, cheers ring out, but, Rhaenys turns towards them both. “But, Mommy, you and Papa haven’t gone again.”
Aegon nods and chimes in with, “It’s fun,” as though he is the first to make such a discovery. She bites back a smile. Rhaegar, she notices, was biting the inside of his cheek.
However, her children were right. Now that she could actually do it, it was fun.
While they were taking the skates off the kids to replace them with regular shoes, she turns to Rhaegar. “Do you want to?”
Before he gives her a verbal answer, Nymeria adds her two cents. “Oh, go on Aunty, Uncle. I’ll stay with the kids while Obara gets back here with the hot chocolate.”
Nym grins when Obara gives her sister a dark look. She holds in a snort at Nym’s method of retaliation. But, her eldest niece heads over to the snack area without another word. And well, the children’s faces made it clear they expected the answer to be “Yes.”
She turns to Rhaegar, “Since we’re outnumbered, what do you say?”
“Alright, we will go,” he says, ruefully.
They pretend he hadn’t started to put on his skates before Nymeria even made the offer. She never wanted to disappoint her children where she did not need to and Rhaegar was the same.
Once she’s got her skates on, he stands and holds out his hand. “Hold on to me.”
She takes his but she asks only half joking, “Afraid I’ll fall like the first time?”
He huffs, “If I was, you wouldn’t be skating at all.”
The part of her imagining him threatening to wrap her in bubble wrap believes that.
She shakes her head to clear the image. She dares him, “You think you could stop me.”
He shakes his head, amused. “You’d be bruised, not me.”
She makes a dismissive sound even though her husband is, irritatingly, right. Not only did he have years more practice than she did, but he had a natural talent for it.
She rolls her eyes and lightly nudges him in the stomach with an elbow. “I promise not to fall.”
He smiles at her, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close. “Even if you did, I’ll still catch you.”
She exclaims, “My very own knight in shining armor.”
He squeezes her hand with his free one. “Don’t you forget it.”
They push off together, arm in arm.