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amazingnerd · 11 months

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The Dragons Fire.

Chapter 8.

Pairings: Daemon Targaryen x Fem!OC!Reader

Themes: Cursing (as per usual), arguing, wholesome sibling moments, filler (sorry).

Previous: Chapter 7

"Have you gone completely mad?!"

"Have YOU?!"

Gaelyra was not surprised when her father summoned her to his chambers after her bloody declaration in the courtyard. Jaegar walked ahead of her in a huff and Gaelyra followed closely behind with a much calmer expression. Jaegar dismissed the guards that were standing outside his doors, and as soon as Jaegar and Gaelyra were behind closed doors, he shouted at her.

He stares at her with wide eyes full of anger as he speaks again, "I am not the one who just put a man's head on a spike in the middle of the courtyard!"

Gaelyra laughs bitterly, "Oh yes, pardon me, you're the man who has allowed this to go on for so long! Why didn't you send word to me? A letter, a raven, anything would do, but no, you go to the bloody king first before you go to your daughter!" She exclaims, "And you did not even come to me! I had to hear from Daemon that our house and family had been threatened! That Fiyona was nearly killed!" She shouts.

"It did not concern you!" He retorts, "You were safe in King's Landing. I knew you would return the moment you caught wind of this, and I knew you'd be putting yourself in danger, I could not allow it!"

That makes Gaelyra's blood boil. She growls in frustration, slapping her hand against her head and looking at him with wide eyes, "Do you hear yourself?! Are you listening to your words?!" She shouts, gesturing to him wildly with her hands. "This is my family, father! Anything that happens here concerns me! My thoughts are occupied daily by you, by mother, Sam, Graehar, and Fiyona! Do you know what I felt when Daemon told me about the threats? Do you know how I felt when he told me that you went to the king for help without telling me?!"

Jaegar stares at her with his eyes widened, all signs of anger slowly leaving his expression as her words sink in. She lets out a shaky breath, and she shakes her head, "No, how could you? You have not thought of anyone except this house and its reputation. How could you possibly go to your child, a woman, for help? No, the mighty Jaegar of house Vaela does not do such things. Never would he stoop to such a low level..." Her words are venomous. Does she care? No. Her anger towards her father has been bubbling within her veins for months now, this was the last straw. Him keeping this secret from her was the absolute last straw.

All anger is gone from Jaegar's expression as he looks upon his second born. His tired, worn eyes watching her with regret. He takes a half step towards her, "Gaelyra I-"

Gaelyra holds her hand up, "Don't." She takes a step back away from him towards the door, "I'm going out." She opens the door and she walks out, slamming the door behind her and walking down the corridor away from her parents chambers.

She feels like she could break something right now. Could be a vase, could be a bone, she doesn't care. She's so angry. She gets dangerous when she gets angry and she already killed a man today so it's not as if she could do that again, unless she finds the spy but it is unlikely that she'll find them so soon after she made her threat.

There's only one place she could go where she could get away from all this madness. A place near and dear to her heart.

It feels like only a moment passes before she is standing on the sandy shores of the lake, her shoes in her hand and her toes digging into the ground. The cool sand against her bare feet is soothing, it calms the heat in her veins and she shuts her eyes, letting out a soft sigh. This is exactly what she needed.

She moves to a large stone hanging over the lake and she sits down at the edge, bunching her skirts up at her thighs and dipping her feet into the water. The sun is shining high today, warming the water and allowing her to see clearly into the water. She can see many creatures below the surface of the lake, fish, water bugs, even a turtle here and there. All of them completely content in the shelter and home the lake provides, all of them without any care in the world. No problems, no danger from an unknown enemy, nothing to worry about at all. She never thought she could be envious of lake animals, but she is. What she would do to be transformed into a fish or a turtle where she would have to worry about nothing but swimming in her beloved lake for the rest of her days.

"A penny for your thoughts, sister?"

She lifts her gaze up from the lake at that voice. She turns her head, and her expression softens as she sees Samruel and Graehar standing there. Sam smiles at his younger sister with a gentle and understanding expression, and Graehar looks at Gaelyra with concern on his face.

She gives them a half attempt at a smile before she turns her head to look back down at the lake, "Did father send you to talk some sense into me?" She mumbles.

"No," Graehar answers. "You passed us in the corridor. We called your name but you didn't answer so we got worried and well..." she can almost hear the shrug of his shoulders based solely on his tone of voice, "We followed you."

She doesn't respond, continuing to stare down at the water in silence. After a moment she hears the two of them move towards her. They each take a seat on either side of her, Graehar bringing his feet up to take off his shoes and place them next to him before he brings his feet down and allows them to dangle into the warm water. Sam just dips his boots right into the water without a care in the world, and together the three siblings look down into the water in a comfortable, but heavy, silence.

Gaelyra is grateful for the silence. She does not feel like talking much right now. She doesn't want to talk about what happened in the courtyard and she doesn't want to talk about the heated argument that she and her father had. She just wants to sit here in silence and let the beauty of the lake soak up her anger.

It feels like a long while has passed before Samruel speaks, "Quite the spectacle you put on in the courtyard earlier. The servants are still cleaning all the blood in the dungeon and in the courtyard." He says.

Gaelyra looks at Sam through the corner of her eye, "It was necessary."

"How so?" He asks. Though unlike Jaegar, his voice isn't condescending or judgemental in the slightest. He genuinely wants to know why Gaelyra did what she did.

She scoffs, sitting up and turning to look at her older brother, "You of all people shouldn't be asking me that, Sam. The man tried to kill your wife!" She says.

Sam sighs, shaking his head, "I am aware of that sister. Believe me. I am not angry that you killed the man, frankly I'm glad you saved me the trouble of doing it myself. If I hadn't promised Fiyona that I'd stay away from the assassin he'd have been dead the moment after the gaurds apprehended him." He says.

Gaelyra hums, looking down at the water. Sam always has been the more calm one out of the two of them. She purses her lips at the thought of Fiyona, and she looks at Samruel again, "How is she? Is she alright?" She asks.

Sam smiles gently as his wife is brought up, "For a woman who narrowly escaped an agonizing death, she's handling it very well." He says, looking down at the water as well.

The three of them are silent. They stare at the water, each of them carrying their own thoughts and concerns. Sam is worried for his dear wife, a gentle woman who is still pretty shaken up from her near death experience. Who can blame her? Nothing like that has ever happened to her before, and Samruel feels guilty. He vowed to protect his dear wife, and he nearly lost her. He nearly lost her and the precious little secret she carries within her womb. What would he do if that manticore did sting her? What would he do if he lost his wife before they could even announce her pregnancy? He does not want to think about it because the possibility of him losing his beloved and his future son or daughter is far too painful for him. He takes great comfort in knowing that Fiyona is safe. That she, and their unborn child, are not going anywhere.

The young Graehar is concerned for both of his siblings and his parents, so much has happened these past few days. What else is going to change? Will there be more blood shed? Or have their enemies decided to retreat at the mere sight of his mighty sister and her declaration in the courtyard? He isn't certain as to what will happen next, but he can only hope that he will be prepared for it. He is no fighter like Gaelyra, he doesn't even own a sword. He isn't that good with words and tense situations like Samruel. But he does have his mind. He does have his intelligence. The hours he spends in the library have not been wasted. All that time reading has given him knowledge that will be invaluable in the future.

And Gaelyra.

Poor, worried Gaelyra.

Just when things were starting to smooth out for her. Just when she started to look forward to her future as a princess of the seven kingdoms, something like this happens. She was finally starting to feel comfortable at her new home in Kings Landing, she and Daemon were getting along more than she ever thought they would, things were looking up. Now she is in fear. Fear not for herself but for her family. If anything were to happen to them she doesn't know what she would do. Family is everything to her. She has fought and killed to protect them many times in the past. She will continue to do exactly that until the end of her days.

She will gladly stain her hands with the blood of her enemies for all time if it meant keeping them all from harm forever, but what if she fails? What if she has to do things she never thought she'd do to keep her family safe from harm?

She glances over at Samruel. Her elder brother.

When they were children and she had a nightmare late into the night, instead of going to her parents for comfort, she'd go to her big brother. She remembers how she'd slowly open the door, and the creak of the old wood would wake him. But instead of him being angry at the disturbance, he'd simply open his arms and beckon his little sister to join him in the comfort of his bed. On nights such as that, she knew she was safe as long as her big brother was beside her, she knew that nothing and no one could hurt her because the mighty Samruel would protect her from any monster or horror her young mind could conjure up in her sleep.

She then turns her gaze to Graehar. Her precious little brother.

He is not yet a man, but not a boy either. He is something in between. A lump of clay molding itself into a man the house of Vaela can be proud of. As a child, Gaelyra would often sleep on the floor of his nursery below his crib to keep her baby brother safe. She would curl up on the floor with her favorite blanket, a pillow, and a wooden sword used for playing. She'd always face the door, clutching her false sword in her tiny hand. No one was going to get her little brother if she could help it. She had wanted to be a big sister for years. At night, she would pray to the gods for a little brother or sister. So when her parents were blessed with baby Graehar, she promised she'd always protect him.

These are her brothers. She'd die for both of them in a heartbeat. She will do whatever it takes to protect them now.

She moves her arms up and she wraps them around each of their shoulders, pulling the two of them close and shutting her eyes with a sigh. Sam smiles softly and he leans his head over so his cheek rests on the top of her head, and his expression is peaceful as he watches the lake. Graehar scoots a bit closer to Gaelyra, resting his head on her shoulder and closing his eyes, content and secure in the presence of his elder siblings.

Gaelyra tightens her hold around her brothers, and in that moment, she renews her childhood vow to them.

No matter what it takes, no matter what comes at them, she will not allow any harm to come to her family.

She will die if she must.

But she will not allow the assassins warning to come true.

She will not allow any Vaela blood to be spilt.

A/N: Bit of a filler chapter and a little bit shorter than usual BUT the next chapter is going to be longer and more eventful! Sorry if there are any mistakes it's late and I'm tired so I'll fix everything after some sleep. Anywho, I do hope you enjoyed this chapter! 💙

Taglist: @writtingforfun @simbaaas-stuff @dragon06fire @immyowndefender @clarym @vilmakamunen @livinthesweetlife @addie333333 @luma6 @enchantedbones @the-baybieruth @cxtrophobic @strawberry07cake @saramarvel07 @harrietgamersstuff @paranoyse

#house of the dragon #daemon targaryen #daemon x oc #fantasy #daemon targaryen x oc

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amazingnerd · 11 months

Text

The Dragons Fire.

Chapter 7.

Pairings: Daemon Targaryen x Fem!OC!Reader

Themes: Cursing (as per usual), tense situations, lowkey protective Daemon, protective Gaelyra, interrogation, descriptions of gore.

Previous: Chapter 6

Next: Chapter 8

Daemon was right. Dragons are much faster than horses. They haven't been riding long, only a few hours, and Gaelyra can already recognize some of the towns and roads as they fly high in the sky. She's almost home.

They left King's Landing just as the darkness of night consumed the sky. Viserys gave them his blessing to go, Rhaenyra wished them good luck and a safe stay, but Jaegar... he doesn't know that they are coming. Gaelyra tried to look for him before she and Daemon left but she was told by Otto that her lord father had already departed for the Riverlands. She gave the hand a swift thanks before she left to meet Daemon, and they went to the pit.

Their things were already there on Caraxes. Nothing much, just a few things for them to have while they stay in Gaelyra's family home.

Gaelyra sits behind Daemon as Caraxes weaves smoothly through the sky. Her arms are wrapped around his waist, her body pressed against his as she looks out at the land ahead of them. It's very dark, so it is hard to see, but Gaelyra does not fear flying as she once did when she first took to the skies on the BloodWyrm. Even in the darkness of night, she does not feel afraid as they move through the sky, because she's going home.

It must be near the middle of the night before they begin to descend, and Gaelyra sees a collection of lights in the distance. Then, she and Daemon fly over a lake so dear to her heart, and she smiles. She's home.

She can hear distant shouts as Caraxes gets closer to the ground. They find a clearing in the forest surrounding the Vaela castle and Caraxes touches down, shaking off his shoulders and wings as a quiet groan rumbles through his chest. Daemon dismounts first, lifting his hand to Gaelyra to help her down. She takes it and slides down from the saddle, looking to the forest as a group of men come breaking through the brush, her fathers guards.

All of them are tense, all of them hold the pommel of their swords, not yet drawing their blades but ready to do so at a moments notice. They see Daemon first, and as Gaelyra steps around her fiancé to face the men, they all immediately relax and release a collective sigh of relief. The men move their hands from their swords to bow for Gaelyra, and she smiles kindly at the men in greeting.

Their commander, a man by the name Alek, steps forward, placing a hand onto his heart and bowing his head to her, "Forgive us, my lady. We did not know what to expect when we saw the dragon in the sky." He says.

Gaelyra shakes her head, "I understand completely, Ser Alek. I am glad that in my absence, my family has had men such as yourselves ready to defend at a moments notice. Even in the face of a beast such as Caraxes here," she says, placing a hand onto the dragons jaw, earning a quiet noise from Caraxes.

Ser Alek bows his head in a nod, "Thank you, my lady. Please allow me and my men to escort you and the prince to the Vaela castle." He says, gesturing with a wave of his hand to the path that he and his men came from.

Gaelyra nods her head to the men, and she gestures with a wave of her hand towards her family home, "Lead the way."

It is a short walk through the forest to the home of the Vaela family. The iron gates are lifted for them and they walk inside the small courtyard outside the grand doors of the Vaela castle.

The courtyard is practically empty thanks to the late hour, but a few guards and servants move into the courtyard to see who has arrived, and surprised whispers move through the air. The jewel of the Riverlands has returned home. Why? Why is she here? With the prince accompanying her?

Gaelyra expected the shock she sees in the faces of those that work for her family. Knowing her father as she does, Jaegar probably kept the threats to the Vaela's a secret except to those on his close circle of guards. Such as Ser Alek and his men. Despite her fathers attempts to keep things under wraps, she can sense the tension in the air around her. The assassination attempt on Fiyona is definitely known by everyone here, and it's got them all on guard.

Gaelyra can see Daemon out of the corner of her eye. She does not miss the way his eyes scan the entire courtyard, his steely gaze cutting through the air like a knife through butter. He has the eyes of a warrior, of a man searching for any danger so that he may squash it into dust.

She reaches over and places a hand onto his arm, drawing his attention to her. She smiles softly at him, a reassurance, and he nods, his lip quirking up into a brief ghost of a smile before he turns his gaze to look ahead. Just then, the doors to the grand mansion open and Gaelyra looks over. Her expression immediately softens as she sees her mother running out to meet them, in her night clothes and a robe, clutching her skirts and running to her daughter, her silver hair billowing behind her.

The older woman collides with Gaelyra, wrapping her arms around her daughter and holding her tight, "Oh my daughter!" Ellya cries out, running a hand down Gaelyra's head in a soothing motherly motion.

Gaelyra smiles gently and she wraps her own arms around her mother, giving her a squeeze, "Hello mother." She says, her voice soft.

Ellya pulls away and looks at her daughter, placing her hands upon her cheeks, "My dear child, why did you not tell us you were coming? We would have planned a homecoming feast for you and your intended," she turns her gaze over to Daemon, and she bows her head, "Prince Daemon, I hope the journey here was easy." She says, speaking politely.

Daemon almost doesn't hear Ellya's words, he's too busy looking between her and his betrothed. They both look so similar. He has heard tale of the lady Vaela's extraordinary, goddess like beauty, and even in her older age, lady Ellya is still extremely beautiful. Now he understands where Gaelyra got her beauty, because it certainly wasn't from lord Jaegar.

He looks at Ellya, and he nods his head, "It was an easy one, I can assure you." He says.

Ellya nods, "Come, let us go inside. The night is cold and you must be tired," she turns her attention to a nearby group of servants, "Have my daughters old quarters prepared. And have someone prepare a room for the prince," she says.

The servants nod and enter the castle, leaving the lady Ellya to attend to her daughter and the prince. She smiles at the pair of them, "Follow me," she says, taking her shirts into her hands and walking back into the castle. Gaelyra and Daemon walk behind her, followed by Ser Alek and the rest of the guards.

As the loud creak of the grand oak doors echoes behind them, Gaelyra feels relieved to be back in her home. However, she cannot ignore the feeling of dread that creeps into her chest the further she goes into her beloved family home, and she finds herself resting her hand upon the pommel of her trusted sword, Emerald Sting.

••••

Gaelyra did not sleep that night. She spent the whole night with her mother in the library of their home, talking with her about what has really been going on in their home since Gaelyra left.

"For a while, things were normal." Ellya had told her, "But once we returned home from your engagement feast... things... changed."

The first letter had arrived the day after they returned from kings landing. The letters were full of threats and disturbing words. Promises of death, blood, and suffering to all those within the Vaela house. A warning of what was to come.

Not long after that, more letters began to arrive. Jaegar did not want to entertain whoever was sending the threats and so, thinking that perhaps it was just a ruse to frighten him, he decided to burn any new message straight away without even opening the neatly sealed envelope. Somehow whoever was sending these letters found out about this, and that was when the manticore was given to Fiyona. Samruel killed the insect and captured the assassin that gave it to Fiyona, and this assassin is currently in the dungeons below the Vaela castle.

"Has anyone questioned this man yet?" Gaelyra asked her mother.

Ellya nodded in response, "Of course, but he's only said one thing since Sam captured him."

"And what was that?"

"'Do we have your attention now?'"

Those words repeat over and over within Gaelyra's mind. Even now, hours later, as she sits in the gardens of her home, she keeps hearing those words in her mind. But instead of her mothers voice uttering those words in her memory, she hears the voice of a cold blooded killer.

"Do we have your attention now?"

Anger boils within her, and the leaf she had been twirling in her hand is crushed and discarded on the ground as she stands and walks back into the halls of the castle. Soon she is at her room and she storms inside, throwing open her wardrobe doors and taking out her sword. Once the scabbard of Emerald Sting hangs at her hip, she reaches inside a hidden drawer and she takes out a dagger.

The blade is small. Unlike her sword, it is not Valyrian steel. Instead the blade is made from pure silver, as is the handle, with some gold and jewel attachments. The jewels are rubies, pure and perfectly cut. This dagger is made to be precise and deadly despite its small size. It is a family heirloom that was passed down to her father from his father, and his father before him. It was a gift from her father for her ten and fifth name day.

She attaches the dagger and its sheath to her hip and she turns, leaving her room and entering the corridors once more. She knows exactly where she is going. It is not even midday and Gaelyra already has a mission for herself. Gods help anyone who may get in her way.

"And where are you off to with that much anger in your eyes?"

She stops and turns, seeing Daemon leaning against a pillar in the hall. His arms are crossed and his expression is amused as he watches her. Usually that face of his could push her to laugh, or smile, but now she's too full of determination to stop and make idle chat with her betrothed.

"To cut the neck of the man who tried to kill my sister." She answers.

Daemon raises a brow, "You're off to cause trouble at this early hour, without me?" He pushes himself off the pillar to walk towards her and he stops, looking down at her with a small smile. He clicks his tongue and shakes his head, "I'm hurt." He says.

Gaelyra frowns, "Daemon." She chides, letting out a low sigh, "I am not in the mood to jest. My family is under attack." She moves past him but he stops her by grabbing her wrist and holding her there. She turns to him with an irritated expression and he meets her irritation with a warm calm in his eyes as he speaks, "They are not under attack now. You should not exhaust yourself. Have you done anything but pace since we got here?" He seems to examine her face a little bit closer and he sighs at what he sees, leaning back and looking into her eyes, "When did you last sleep?" He questions.

She does not respond. But he has his answer. He can see the exhaustion on her face, he sees the dark bags beneath her eyes and the distant look within her pools of green, so he does not need her to answer with her words for him to know that she has, in fact, not slept since they arrived the previous night.

He sighs, "Gaelyra, you cannot face this man looking as weak as you do now." He sees the flames of anger quickly forming in her eyes and he holds his hand up to stop her, quickly adding on, "If you are to interrogate him, you must appear as strong and threatening as possible. And for that, you need to sleep."

As much as Gaelyra wants to argue with him, she hasn't slept in well over two days. Even as she stands there, completely still, she can feel the slight tremble in her hand and the heaviness on her shoulders. She can assume she doesn't look much better than she feels. If she is to face this assassin, she needs to appear strong. She needs to appear as if she isn't afraid. She is a member of the Vaela house, a future princess and Targaryen, she must be strong. Like steel. She can't do that if she's exhausted.

She sighs, her shoulders drooping, "Fine." She says. She turns around and walks back down the hallway to her room, and she is aware of the sound of a pair of footsteps following her. She sighs, "Daemon, I can walk myself to my room. Thank you." She says, her tone short and sharp.

She can hear him chuckle behind her, "Forgive me for caring, betrothed." He says, and she can guess that he's grinning at her. It's exactly the type of thing he'd do.

Daemon follows her until she's in her room, and even as she removes her dagger and sword from around her hips, he does not take his eyes off of her. She sees this, and she sighs, shaking her head and placing her weapons onto the armchair by her bedroom window. She lays down on her bed, over the covers, and she closes her eyes.

With her eyes still closed, she hears the faint sounds of someone moving in the room as Daemon tries get comfortable. It both annoys her that he won't leave her be, and it warms her heart to have him care enough to watch over her as she rests.

This warmth remains in her heart as she drifts off to sleep, finally able to rest knowing that once she wakes, she will be able to make the one that tried to kill Fiyona pay.

••••••

When she awoke, Daemon was still there in her room. He was standing by her window and his gaze was focused on the forest surrounding her home. So much space to hide. Anyone could be there, watching. Waiting.

He is still there by her side as she leaves her room and heads for the dungeons. Close but still behind her, keeping an ever watchful eye over Gaelyra.

There are two guards outside the cell when Gaelyra and Daemon arrive. The two men bow to them and step to the side for them to pass, and Gaelyra turns to face her prince, "You will wait here." She says.

He frowns, and her expression hardens, "I must do this alone. No arguments. You will wait here." She says, her voice stern.

He clenches his jaw and leans down to whisper to her, "If I hear anything, if he tries anything I will not hesitate to-" "I can handle myself." She assures him, "But if it comforts you, should things escalate you are more than welcome to intervene. I am not entirely confident that I can remain composed in the face of the man who tried to kill my sister."

He nods, satisfied, and he takes a step back from her. She turns to the door, taking the key from the guard and unlocking the door before she enters the cell, the guards locking the door behind her and assuming their positions.

The cell is dark, and cold, with only a single torch lit by the door. This single torch allows her to get a proper look at the assassin tied to a chair in the middle of the room.

The man is thin and pale. He has no hair on his head, but he has a long beard that reaches his chest. The hair of his beard is a sandy blonde color, and his eyes are brown. Brown and empty of all warmth, the gaze of an expert in facades. Of gaining someone's trust for only a moment, long enough to kill someone.

His eyes are focused on the stone floor of the cell, and he does not look up at her. She stops and stands just out of his line of sight. Her eyes stare at him in silence, taking in every last detail about him from his clothes and their color to any identifiable marks on his skin. From his appearance now, he looks like any other plain citizen. Someone with an untrained eye, someone like Fiyona, wouldn't think twice about receiving a gift from someone such as this.

But Gaelyra sees right through him.

If only she'd been here. She wouldn't have allowed Fiyona to even take the box, Fiyona would have never been in danger. The thought of what could have happened had Fiyona gone into town alone that day makes Gaelyra's stomach churn.

"So tell me," She says to break the long standing silence between them, "What kind of man tries to kill an unarmed woman?" She questions as she begins to move towards him.

He does not answer, nor does he look up, but he does hear her. She can tell, and so she continues in her words, "I don't think a man with any kind of honor would try to kill someone as unarmed as she was. But what do I know of it? I am not a coward. I would never think to attack an undeserving opponent. I kill because I have to, but you?" Her boot heels tap against the stone floor as she glares down at him, "You are among the worst kind of filth on this earth, a breed that does not deserve the air you breathe, and yet, you try to take it from those who do deserve it." Her voice is practically a growl now.

He still does not turn his head to look at her and her fingers twitch in anger as she throws her hand forward to strike him across the cheek, forcing his head to turn to the side before she grabs his beard and pulls it forward roughly. The action makes the chair tilt forward on its legs as she forces him to look her in the eyes, and she burns holes into his face with her gaze as she speaks, "Who sent you to kill Fiyona Vaela?" She says.

He does not answer. But his eyes are focused on her now, staring at her with a certain indifference that makes her blood boil. She yanks his beard hard enough to pull out some hairs and she reaches to her belt, drawing her dagger and pressing it against the skin of his throat, "I know you heard me. Answer me or I will carve out your throat and bring it to my father." She seethes, pressing her blade further into his skin, enough for him to feel the sharp edge of the dagger.

She watches him as he slowly moves his gaze to look into her eyes. His eyes lack any fear despite her dagger pressing into the vein of his neck, and he analyzes her with the calmness of a predator. He does something that surprises her. Something he apparently has not done much of since he was captured. He speaks. "What is your name?" He questions, speaking as if this is just any other conversation on any other day.

She raises a brow at him, staying silent for a moment, before a chuckle slips past her lips, "Someone has a knife to your throat, and that is the question you ask?" She says.

He is expressionless as he answers, "I have a message for someone in the Vaela house. And looking at you now," his eyes move up and down her figure slowly, his gaze focusing on her once more, "I can assume you are the one I was meant to find."

She scoffs, "So what? You are some kind of messenger?"

"I am whatever my employer tells me to be."

"What are you then?"

"A warning."

Despite her dagger pressed into his throat, he leans forward, pressing his skin further into the blade and drawing blood onto the steel, the droplets moving down the blade and landing onto the stone floor as a whisper moves past his lips;

"We are coming for you. Lady Gaelyra." His words are a hissing whisper, "We are coming for you. And for everything you hold dear. By the time we are done, the Riverlands shall be awash with Vaela blood."

The warning is plain and clear. A message for her and her only. Whoever sent this man to kill Fiyona did so only so that Gaelyra would receive this message. This warning.

Gaelyra can not even begin to count the number of times she has been threatened in her life. But she does not care enough to count. If someone wants to threaten her, they may do as they please, but she has never taken too kindly to threats against her family.

She swallows the growing lump in her throat, and her hand tightens around her dagger, "Is that all?" She questions.

He gives a small nod, "That is all I have to say. I know nothing of my employer, I know not what their plan is, so, I have nothing for you." He says.

Gaelyra scowls, and she presses her dagger harder against his throat, "Very well then."

The guards outside, and Daemon, who leans against the stone wall, are startled as they hear a thud sound from the prison cell. Not even a moment later the door swings open and out walks Gaelyra. Her gaze is focused ahead and she does not look at the guards nor at Daemon as she moves down the corridor away from the cell, not bothering to close the door behind her. There's no need to.

Daemon turns to the cell and he halts in his movement, his eyes widening in slight shock. He quickly turns to follow after Gaelyra, not saying a word but following close behind her as the guards behind them take in the bloody scene within the prison cell.

Gaelyra feels fire in her skin as she walks through the corridors at a quick pace. Anyone she passes gasps in horror and points, but she keeps her gaze focused ahead as she heads for the courtyard.

The light of day is blinding to her as she steps out into the courtyard. Servants and guards walk around performing various tasks. Some are training, others are cleaning or straightening up, and there are some who are just sharing pleasant conversation with one another as they take a break from their daily duties. The sun against Gaelyra's hair creates a flaming beacon for all to see, and they turn to look at her.

Gasps are audible as she walks to the weapons rack at the edge of the courtyard, grabbing a spear and moving towards the courtyard. She sees movement on the balcony overlooking the courtyard and she glances up to see her father standing there with a horrified expression on his face. She knows that he will not be pleased with what she is doing. Jaegar has held this matter in the highest discretion, and under his watch there have been threats and attempts at murder, clearly discretion is not working anymore. They must send a message, loud and clear, that the Vaela house will not go down without a fight.

Gaelyra cares not what her father thinks, he may be against it, but she's going to send a message to those who dare make a move against her house.

Her returning expression is neutral as she moves to the center of the courtyard, finding a patch of dirt and stabbing the blunt end of the spear into the soft ground before she turns to address the large ground that has gathered around the space, "Hear me!" She shouts, "Threats have been made against me and my family. Just recently an attack was made against Fiyona Vaela, a woman guilty of no crime except bearing the Vaela name, this attack failed. Because the coward who arranged it did not come to do the deed himself, instead," she lifts her hand, and there is a head dangling within her grasp.

The assassin.

She grips his head by his beard, which is stained in blood. His mouth is slack jawed and limp, blood trailing from his neck and onto his face, streaming down his features all the way to the top of his bald head, dripping onto the cobblestone at Gaelyra's feet and collecting in a pool.

Her sword, Emerald Sting, is held in her other hand, the blade stained with the fresh blood of the assassin. She turns her head to the crowd, "They sent this man to do the deed for them." She turns to the spear she stabbed into the ground and after sheathing her sword she grabs the head on each side of the face and she stabs it onto the head of the spear, showing the head off for all to see.

"Someone within these walls told one of our enemies where the lady Fiyona would be. There is a spy! A traitor to my family!" She takes a step back, and she points to the man's head, "Let it be known, that anyone who strikes my family will not only face the wrath of the law they will face me! And I will show no mercy. To any man or woman who decides to hurt my family, this will be your fate!"

Her voice is strong as she looks at each and every face within the crowd, knowing that one of them, any of them, could be a spy. No one can be trusted. But now that she is home, she is going to find whoever is targeting her family, and she will destroy them.

A/N: I am so, so, SO sorry for the delay in the update. I'm ngl life has been hard lately but it's all good now and I'm going to try writing more so hopefully the updates will be closer together. Anyways I hope you guys like it! Things are really going to picking up from here so get ready my lovelies because I'M BACK! 💙

A/N: If you want to be put into the taglist let me know because it's still open! 💙

#house of the dragon #daemon targaryen x oc #daemon x oc #daemon targaryen #fantasy

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