Chapter Text
Rhaenyra watched the men leaving the council room, trying not to look strange as the room emptied, reading the economic report in front of her for the 5th time in a row.
She couldn't get up.
The thing about being pregnant was that she was heavy.
Very heavy.
Heavier than she ever thought Alicent had been.
"Your grace," someone spoke by her side. "Would you like a more thorough report?"
She raised her eyes, trying not to look surprised, finding Lord Lyman - the Master of Coins - watching her. Wasn't he supposed to be gone too, now?
"I've noticed you've been taking quite a long look into our reports as of recently," he noted.
Rhaenyra swallowed down.
Of course she had. She hadn't been able to stand up from her chair on her own for nearly two moons now. Daemon always sneaked in to help her after everyone was gone, but she had to do something with her time as she waited for it.
"Yes," she decided. "Can you get me a full report on the expenses of the City Watch? I noticed an increase, I'd like to know where it is from."
There. That seemed like a good enough answer.
She adjusted herself on the stiff chair, a little too hard on her back.
"Yes, ma'am," he confirmed sharply. "It will be done before the end of the week."
She nodded back to him, giving the report back to him, scratched with her coal to show where she had found the change in the numbers.
"Compare these to the ones from the last four weeks," she told him.
Lord Lyman confirmed again.
"Yes, your grace."
He walked away, leaving her alone, and she sighed when she felt the ache running through her back.
"I don't think I've ever seen Viserys paying so much attention to those reports," Daemon noted, emerging from the shadows.
She scoffed.
"Well, I have to do something while I wait for you," Rhaenyra hissed. "It's not like I can ask any of them for help. The only reason I even got a seat was that Lord Larys heard my feet were starting to swell and thought it was cruel to have me standing the whole time."
He was a bit weird, but she couldn't say she wasn't grateful for what he did.
Rhaenyra bet those men would leave her standing until the day her water broke, if they could.
She groaned for a moment, and watching Daemon stiffening up.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Back pain," she reached up, grabbing his hands, and her husband pulled her gently, helping her get to her feet. "Your daughter is making the best of her time inside me."
He smirked, giving her his arm, but Rhaenyra let him go and walked on her own, waddling to the stairs, but he was quick to give her support before she started descending them.
"You should be resting," he reminded her. "The midwives say the baby might come any time now."
She scowled. Rhaenyra had had so many false alams she had gotten used to hearing she wasn't in labour.
"Good, I hope she does," she groaned. "I can't take this anymore."
Rhaenyra wasn't going to abandon her position, she wasn't going to give them the taste of having her leave her duties to rest.
"I set a hot bath for you," he told her. "So you can relax."
She glanced up at him, already on the corridor.
"Actually hot?" she asked him. "Not tepid, right?"
He smiled, nodding once.
"I said it was for me," he told her. "It's just us in the room, no one has to know."
He helped her undress when they got back to their room, and Rhaneyra let out a long moan of relief as she was engulfed by the steamy hot water, a balm to her poor aching back.
Her husband moved to her back, pinning her hair up, holding it away from the water.
"What about taking tomorrow off?" he asked her, taking some of the water and wetting her neck. "There's no council meeting. We can have a lazy day."
She raised her eyebrows at him.
"We?" she asked him.
Daemon? Having a lazy day?
"I'll stay with you," he assured her.
She thought a bit, and he reached for the table by her side, a little hungry, and he took the bow of peas to give it to her.
"How is your back?" he asked.
Rhaenyra sighed.
"Horrible. Terrible. I hate this!" she looked at him. "My back hurts, my hips hurt, my feet hurt, my thighs hurt, I have to pee every five minutes, I can't get up on my own! Did you know my feet are bigger now? And my nose to?! And half the people who come to see me are only interested in the babe and don't even care if I'm alright.”
She settled on the tub.
"They only check on the baby," she sighed again, closing her eyes. "It's as if I'm a breeding dog, just there to spit out puppies."
Daemon smirked a bit, shaking his head.
"It's what I'm here for," he assured her. "Make sure you're alright."
Rhaenyra squirmed again, earning a worried look from him.
"Is it the pain?" he asked her. "Do you want to get to bed? I can give you a massage."
She nodded. Yes, it would be good. Besides, the water was getting cold already.
Daemon held her hands, helping her up, and Rhaenyra was embarrassed to realise something was dripping differently from between her legs.
Gods, hopefully he wouldn't notice she had pissed herself accidentally. It was embarrassing enough that she was relying on him so much already.
He helped her with drying herself, and just guided her naked to their bed, laying her on her side and moving his hands to her back, massaging her right where she needed him.
It was so good that she would have fallen asleep hadn't she been in pain.
She groaned a bit when he reached her lower back, rubbing her hand there, and winced when the touch earned a big kick - or elbow - right there.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Your daughter wants to kick your hand," she groaned.
Daemon chuckled.
"Come out, come out, Visenya," he hummed, lowering his lips to kiss the side of her belly. "Your mother would rather carry you in her arms now. Her back has had enough."
She smiled a little, nuzzling the pillow he slept on.
Gods, to have a painless night of sleep.
Daemon stopped, suddenly, moving her a little.
"My love?" he called softly. "I think you're leaking."
Her whole face felt like it was on fire, but she was too busy moaning in pain when something stronger ran not only her back, but her belly and even her ass!
Damn him and his goddamn mouth.
"I'll go call the midwife," he decided. "I have a hint this isn't piss."