20 Nearing The Free City of Qohor

~~~(POV: Raenon Targaryen)~~~

~~~(Current Age: 14 Years)~~~

~~~(Location: Flying Above The Forest of Qohor, Essos)~~~

~~~(Date: 298 AC)~~~

Daenerys is holding on tight as Rhaenys throws her massive wings up and down. And right behind us are the three smaller dragons that Daenerys hatched. They've grown large enough to fly. But Rhaenys remains at a slow pace so they can keep up.

Rhaegal, Vaelor, and the largest of the three, Raevor. Rhaegal is a green and bronze-colored beast. Vaelor is cream and gold in color, a noble-looking dragon.

Then there is Raevor. He's black and red in color, nearly matching Rhaenys herself. You could mistake Raevor for Rhaenys offspring. But the dragon is strong-willed, vicious, and protective. Daenerys will eventually ride Raevor. That is certain.

As to why we're flying over The Forest of Qohor is simple. We're heading to Qohor. It's been around 15 months since Daenerys and I finished our little home in the wilderness. And all our dragons have grown in size considerably.

Rhaenys more than anyone. She's now the size of a warship from Braavos.

"How are you holding up? I can have Rhaenys slow down if it's too fast."

Daenerys is in a fragile state at the moment.

It's not hard to guess why. She's pregnant, and it's getting close to the time of her labor. She has a large belly and looks ready to pop. It's a good thing she's not in labor, but I know she'll be in labor in a few days.

My instincts are never wrong.

Ever.

"We're fine. Rhaenys is being gentle. It's actually relaxing up here. It's been about 6 months since I went flying with you. It's nice for a change."

I'm proud of Rhaenys. The bond between a dragon and its rider is powerful. And dragons can sense the wills and intentions of their riders. Bringing them to fruition in the process. Rhaenys knows that I wish for her to fly gently and slowly. All for the sake of Daenerys.

Qohor is the nearest city with trained people to deliver babes. It should only be a few more hours until we reach Qohor, and they have no idea we're coming.

That's the way I want it. When we get there, it'll only be a few days before Daenerys enters labor. I don't want assassins and spies already waiting for us. That's the reason for the unannounced and, likely frightening, surprise visit.

For the first 6 months living out in the wilderness and letting our dragons grow... It was peaceful... But one night... We both indulged in each other... What's different about this is it was similar to the first time we fed on each other.

I didn't pull out.

The first time I did this was when we had our first taste of each other. By happenstance, Dany didn't end up pregnant from that. And the times we took each other after that, I made sure to pull out.

But 9 months ago, on that fateful night. I didn't pull out. And this time, I put a baby in Dany.

And her current state is due to that.

"Let me know if you need to stop and pee. We have the time."

It's late morning, and the clouds are heavy over The Forest of Qohor. Rhaegal, Vaelor, and Raevor are right behind us, not losing any distance.

"You can be sure I'll tell you. For the past 3 months, I've had water coming out of me like a river."

It's common that women are prone to more breaks in the bathroom during pregnancy. I turn around on Rhaenys and face Daenerys. I can do this since Rhaenys is so large now. We're sitting, and Dany rests in my arms as I hold her.

Since we're a couple of hours away from Qohor at this speed, we can take some time to relax. Rhaenys knows what she's doing, and I trust her with our lives.

As we're relaxing, all three of the growing dragons behind us that have been following land on Rhaneys's back and make their way to us.

"Gruuu..."

Rhaenys lets out an annoyed grumble but otherwise doesn't do anything else. While the three of them are about the size of an adolescent horse, there is more than enough room on Rhaenys for all of us.

All three of the dragons curl up around us. Making a circle. Rhaenys being the size of a Braavos warship, makes this possible. And she's not done growing. Dragons don't stop growing until they die.

"It's moments like these that make me question if we should even pursue The Iron Throne..."

She's not alone in those thoughts. Spending all this alone time with Dany has spoiled me, for I know once we pursue our claims. Times like this will quickly disappear. She takes my hand and places it on her belly, and I feel a small kick.

It's one of the scariest and greatest things I've ever felt. That's our child in there. The combination of Dany and me is almost ready to come into the world.

"I know... If you ever change your mind about that... Tell me, Dany... I don't know if it's foolish or not to say this... But I'll only take The Iron Throne if you want me to... I've lived my whole life not knowing who I was..."

The implication of my words is clear, and she rubs the top of my hand with her own. Rhaegal and Vaelor move a bit closer, and Raevor plops his head on top of our hands.

A small chuckle leaves us both, and I can't help thinking how strange this sight would be to anyone else. Two Targaryens with a pile of dragons on them while flying on top of another dragon the size of which hasn't been seen since The Dance of Dragons.

Dany has educated me about our history a great deal, and I can confidently say that my bloodline is the greatest in all the lands. So much history.

"I'll be sure to tell you if I do change my mind... But our House has ruled Westeros for almost 300 years... Our children and their children's children need a home... Somewhere to call their own..."

I agree, and that's one of the reasons we're taking back what's ours. So our bloodline remains alive and thriving. Not in the condition it's currently in.

Being nearly extinct.

"Who do you suppose will get in our way? The Lannisters are sitting on The Iron Throne. The Baratheons are at war with one another, and the rest of Westeros is declaring independence from The Iron Throne. If this continues, we might have to reconquer."

That's my opinion.

The continued devolution of Westeros will lead to a separation of Kingdoms. Kings will rise, and lands that are no longer united will pop up. In truth, they already have.

"Ha... Forget that... There aren't any allies to our House left... When Aegon conquered Westeros, he didn't only have dragons; he had an army. If we're to reconquer Westeros, we'll need The Unsullied. If not more, where will we get it? I don't know."

A short laugh comes from my lips at Dany's dry humor. It's really something out of our reach. If we want The Iron Throne, we'll need to gather allies.

But first, let's get our babe out of Dany. One thing at a time.

"Perhaps these are thoughts for after you have our child? I don't want any more stress on you than you already have. Again, I'm sorry for lacking the needed control that night... Had I not lost myself in pleasure... We might not be in this situation..."

She brings her hand to the side of my face and caresses my cheek. Smiling and looking more beautiful than ever.

"You weren't the only one to lose yourself... If I hadn't wrapped my legs and arms around your body, you might've had a chance... But then again, you never made an effort to pull out, so I don't know..."

Another teasing flight leaves her lips, and butterflies enter my stomach. When she puts it like that, there is blame to be had on both sides.

"Have you decided on any names?"

My question seems to have the same butterfly feeling I had a moment ago on her this time. The light in her eyes has started burning hotter. And the violet color looks to be alive.

"I have."

That's good; I've been thinking of names too.

"For a boy, I'd like to name him Daemon. If it happens to be a girl, I want her name to be Alysanne."

Those are fine names for our family. Prominent and important figures in our family held those names before.

"How about you? I know you've been thinking too."

That same butterfly feeling comes back again for me, this time.

"That I have, my Queen."

Those words have a wonderful effect on Dany every time I use them. It's a good thing to bring happiness to another with just a few words.

"If we have a boy, I was thinking Jaehaerys. If we are blessed with a little girl, I have my mind on Daenys."

Beautiful names for our beautiful children. And having names after our ancestors gives them honor and good fortune.

"That's four different names, my King. We'll need more children to make sure we both get what we want."

That's fine by me.

It's sad that we won't have this anymore in the near future... Moments where we're able to do this... So it's best to savor the time that I have... That we have...

You never know when it could disappear...

Life is fleeting, and to prove that one existed at all is hard enough...