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They say that absence makes the heart grew fonder ... The only thing that had kept the Rogue Prince alive all these years was the prospect of seeing his niece again, his beloved little dragon.
For to him, she was the only member of his family that mattered anymore.
During all those nights, on that island in the middle of nowhere, he had time to think about his life and what he wanted to do with it if he survived this war.
And it had become clear to him. He wanted to take Rhaenyra as his wife and be the husband and consort she deserved to have. For him she would never be a second choice, she was the only one.
It was high time he grew up and stopped running.
There was always a special bond between them. But during his last stay in the capital, there had been a certain tension that wasn't there before. And not knowing how to react to this new situation he had taken refuge on the street of silk. Without much success, because from now on his blood burned only for his niece.
*
But before his dearest wish could come true. He had to get rid of one small problem.
His first wife, Laena Velaryon.
He knew that one day he would come to regret this decision and that day had arrived.
But what other choice did he have at the time. It was either the first daughter that Corlys and Rhaenys Velaryon would have or Rhea Royce of the Vale. So reluctantly he had accepted his grandmother's proposal. And there was a chance that his cousin would never have a daughter.
Unfortunately, fate was against him on this one and that's how he found himself married to Laena Velaryon several years later after swearing that the marriage would only be consummated when she was an adult.
This suited him perfectly because he had no taste for children and in any case he had no intention of honoring this marriage no matter that she was of Valyrian blood.
Because unlike his grandmother he had seen, just like his grandfather, the ambition of Corlys (that was why the King had not named Rhaenys his heir) and it was out of the question that he will be the one to help him achieve his goal.
With this war he had a way to plead his case to Viserys and ask for an annulment.
Corlys was going to regret his decision to involve Daemon in the Stepstone conflict.
*
So once the war was won (entirely because of him) it was with this idea that he returned to King's Landing.
*
When he had entered the throne room, he had noticed her immediately, his beloved niece, it had taken all his self control not to rush towards her to take her in his arms and not let her go.
But that risked to make a bad impression whereas he wanted to gain the good favors of his brother.
He was willing to do anything to get Viserys to grant him his annulment and accept his union with Rhaenyra.
Her warm welcome and the way she looked at him only motivated him even more to court her.
*
The next few weeks were the best of his life. Daemon and Rhaenyra had become almost inseparable, it was impossible for him to remember a time when he had been so at peace.
The more time passed, the more he was sure that his niece shared the same feelings as him.
And this was confirmed during one of their nightly escapades when Rhaenyra passionately kissed him in response to his proposal.
*
But the Prince should have known that this could not last. Especially not with Hightower looking for any pretext to have him banished from the court.
*
The insults flew. The King had heard about their nights out, of course he had a much more sinister version than the reality.
He didn't need to think long to find out who had whispered this lies.
That's how he had found himself accused of debauching his niece and stealing her virginity in a brothel.
Sure he had shown her around the city including the street of silk but never had her virtue been in danger. The worst he did was to kiss her passionately... repeatedly.
To Viserys he was guilty and no matter what he said nothing could change his mind.
« How could you do that to your niece when you were a married man » had accused his brother
The king refused to hear of an annulment, he was the husband of Laena Velaryon, no matter that the marriage was never consummated.
And he was ordered to leave the court.
*
When he had told Rhaenyra about his meeting with her father and his order, she had been enraged, it was out of the question that she was to be separated again from the man she loved. For her part she was tired of her father being such a weak man and easily manipulated by the Hightowers.
If the King would not bless their union, then they would do without him.
*
That evening they flew to Dragonstone where they were married.
*
Unlike his forced union with Laena, Prince Daemon married his niece in front of a Septon and following the ancestral tradition of the Targaryens, exchanging their blood.
The servants of Dragonstone were the privileged witnesses of both ceremonies.
The Valyrian marriage, unlike a marriage in the faith of the seven, could not be annulled.
And that night the Prince and Princess consummated their union with passion.
What the Prince had always refused to do for his union with Laena as she was now an adult. Preferring the company of whores to that of his wife.
*
When the King had learned about the wedding he had been mad with rage. But now he could not do anything about it.
Otto Hightower had incited him to annul the marriage because the Prince already had a wife or at worst to have him executed for having dishonored the Princess.
But Viserys had refused to become a Kinslayer.
Daemon and Rhaenyra had married according to Targaryen traditions and the marriage had been consummated.
The King's hands were now tied.
His brother and daughter were stubborn, no matter what he did they will always stand together.
And unlike Otto he did not believe for a second that Daemon forced Rhaenyra into this union. She had participated willingly he knew, had perhaps even incited it.
He was not so blind as not to have realized how much his daughter adored her uncle.
So he had reluctantly accepted this union and invited them back to King's Landing.
At the same time, he apologized to the Velaryons (knowing that Daemon would never do it, even if he forced him to) who had taken this marriage as an affront. Especially Corlys.
He had given as an argument that Aegon too had taken two wives (Yes, he was that desperate). But this did not calm the Sea Snake.
*
It was said that for every night Aegon spent with Visenya, he spent 10 with Rhaenys.
As far as the Rogue Prince was concerned, things were quite different.
He spent all his nights with Princess Rhaenyra. They also shared the same apartments. Wanting to be separated as little as possible.
*
For his part, Otto Hightower was boiling with rage. With Daemon as his husband, it would be much more difficult for him to get rid of the Princess, in order to put his grandson on the throne.
He had pleaded with Viserys that as a future Queen, Princess Rhaenyra had to follow certain rules of conduct, but it was no use. The king refused to disinherit her.
Already Hightower was beginning to lose the favor of many lords.
*
The Princess quickly became pregnant, and gave birth to twins. Baelon and Alyssa.
Her succession was now assured.
Much to the dismay of the Hightowers, Velaryons and their supporters.
*
But if at the beginning the marital life did not interest Laena, being too busy with Vaghar, from now on she estimated that it was high time that she became the wife of the Prince Daemon in every sense of the word.
Of course, the Prince had immediately rejected this idea. Their marriage meant nothing to him.
This angered Laena and she refused to let it stand.
Like any young girl who was used to getting everything she wanted, she had turned to her father to intervene.
But this did not change the Prince's mind.
His grandmother had forced his hand. He had never wanted Laena as his wife and the fact that she was of Valyrian blood did not change anything, she was not Rhaenyra.
At one time, at the start of their engagement, to please his family, he had tried to spend some time with Laena.
But there was a limit to the amount of conversations Daemon could have about Vaghar, even for him who was proud of his Valyrian heritage.
However, unlike her, he understood that their heritage was much richer than just dragons. So he quickly fled her presence.
His Princess was the only one for him and it was out of the question for him to be unfaithful to his wife. He had only one wife, his little dragon.
Especially since she was expecting their third child.
It was forbidden for anyone to stress her during this period if they did not want to have to deal with Dark Sister.
Every one of Rhaenyra’s wishes, desires and cravings were fulfilled on the spot.
Some said the Rogue Prince had settled down compared to his wife's first pregnancy, others said he was even more protective.
*
For the Rogue Prince the solution was simple, The Sea Snake only had to ask the King to annul this marriage as it had never been consummated and never would be.
But Corlys would not give up his ambitions. Daemon being the husband of the future Queen, it was just needed for the Prince to have a daughter with Laena and to betroth her to the heir of Rhaenyra. For him it was as simple as that.
His daughter was now even living at the Red Keep to be closer to her husband.
Except that Daemon didn't want Laena as a lover at all, the very idea made him sick.
And Rhaenyra and Daemon had already made the decision that none of their children would be betrothed to the Velaryons.
*
The fact that he was now a grandfather had completely changed Viserys. He swore only by Baelon and Alyssa. And what little time he used to spend with Alicent's children, he now spent with his daughter's children.
He was also looking forward to the future baby of Princess Rhaenyra and Prince Daemon.
So now he too was in favor of this annulment, despite all Otto’s arguments.
But not wanting to provoke the anger of the Velaryons further and for fear of reprisals, he wanted that Corlys to be the one to ask for his daughter's marriage annulment.
*
The situation had reached a status quo.
Rhaenys begged her husband to call off the wedding so that her daughter could find a husband who would love her the way she deserved, but nothing helped.
Laena was also convinced that given enough time she would succeed in seducing the Rogue Prince. She was after all Vaghar's rider. The conversation that the Prince had tried to have with her had been useless.
But the Queen who never was knew her cousin. He was sincerely in love with his Princess and being a father now made him even more dangerous.
*
A moon later Lady Laena was found dead in her bed. According to the Maesters, it was her heart that had given out. Corlys refused to believe that, for him she had been poisoned. He asked the opinion of several other Maesters and even asked the one from Driftmark to examine the body. But he always got the same answer.
The Sea Snake could not openly accuse Prince Daemon.
At the time of his daughter's death, the Prince had already been in Dragonstone for two weeks.
To get his pregnant wife and children away from the stress of the capital (meaning Laena and the Hightowers), he had taken his entire family to the ancestral seat of the Targaryens.
He was informed of his first wife's death by raven, but it didn't make him return to the Red Keep, he just send his condolences to his cousin Rhaenys.
This did nothing to calm the anger of Corlys who continued to accuse Daemon.
For Rhaenys there was only one culprit, her husband, Corlys Velaryon.
And for the people of King's Landing, it was the Gods who had punished Lady Laena for coming between the Rogue Prince and the Realm's Delight, and no one mourned her.
*
Prince Daemon was not seen again until the day of the funeral in Driftmark, but he did not linger, returning immediately to his wife and children.
*
After that, Lord Corlys Velaryon was never seen again in King's Landing.
*
It was at Dragonstone that the Princess gave birth to her third child, Princess Aemma.
She would grow up to be the little shadow of her father, considering him her hero and following him everywhere.
She had inherited the same eyes as the late Queen but that's all she would have in common with her namesake, for her character she would take it entirely from her other grandmother, Princess Alyssa.
*
By mutual agreement they decided not to return to King's landing. Wanting to keep their children away from the snakes of the court as much as possible and enjoy their family life in peace.
This decision filled the king with sadness.
*
The more the Princess' family grew, the more Viserys resented all the snakes that made up his court. Especially the Hightowers. Who deprived him of the constant presence of his grandchildren.
*
Years later, when it will came time for Rhaenyra to succeed her father, she and Daemon will have rallied almost all the lords to their cause.
And when Otto Hightower will try to usurp the throne for his grandson, his rebellion will be quickly put down by Daemon and his army. The Royal Consort will even have the great pleasure of executing the Hand of the former king and the Usurper.
Alicent will be sent to the silent Sisters, condemned to live out the rest of her days in total solitude, forbidden any contact with her children or anyone else. She will be confined to her cell.
Aemond will be sentenced to become a brother of the night watch. But his arrogance will be his undoing, he will be stabbed to death by his own brothers in arms.
Daeron will become a Maester and will never leave the Citadel, denying his family affiliation.
Rhaenyra will keep only her half-sister Helaena and her children by her side, knowing that they were innocent of all the machinations of her family.
*
The reign of the Realm’s delight and the Rogue Prince will be the longest and most prosperous of the Targaryen dynasty. Their love story will inspire many songs and poems for centuries to come.