Chapter 33: The Bronze Twins. 125 AC

[1 Year Later]

In a workshop just outside of the castle of Runestone, a young man was sitting in front of a table, he was stitching together a thin bronze plate that has the heraldry of the Targaryens carved on it along with runes surrounding the said symbol, to a thin yet strong scaly coal black leather armor. The bronze plate was stitched just right on the leather area, like how heraldries used to be placed.

The workshop is quite large, there are a couple of abnormal things that could be seen inside that place. A black dragon head bone was in the corner of the room, along with stacks of pitch black skin with scales.

When the young man was done with the stitching, he moved towards another one, now, he was working on a leg piece, specifically on a thigh part.

This man was of course Maegor.

Meanwhile, a man stood beside him while he was working on his projects, he had a piece of scroll, and he was reading it to Maegor.

"Lord Regent Bennard Stark has agreed on increasing the trade of wood, my lord." said the assistant. "He, along with Lord Glover, will start doubling the wood amount that you can buy from them starting next year."

"What of the Coldwaters and the Lynderlys?" asked Maegor, seemingly inserting a piece of leather inside a pocket that was placed in the leg piece. "We're their neighbors, but they don't want to share their wood."

"It's not that they rejected it, my lord." the assistant answered. "It's just that they don't have the manpower to increase the production."

Maegor hummed, he turned to the other leg piece, working on the same thing, inserting the leather to the pocket. "Offer them the leasing of their land. Maybe we could transfer our men there to cut them ourselves."

"Very well." the assistant bowed, writing the instruction he just got. "Onto the next topic, my lord. The port construction has been going on smoothly, the Arryns of Gulltown seem to not want any conflict as long as we use the port for dropping off raw materials for our workshops and merchants, and not for trade."

"Just watch out for sabotage." Maegor warned, finishing his work on the leg piece, he then proceeded to slowly wear it. "Who knows what they might be up to."

"Agreed, my lord. That's all there is to the trade side. As for the military side… I've told Ser Willam to meet you, he will be at your solar tonight."

Maegor put on the other leg piece, and turned to the assistant. "I trust that he's doing his job, right?"

"Yes my lord. The soldiers are training daily." the assistant nodded. "Every morning they ran around the castle with their armor and trainees filled our training yard. We also put up a notice on recruiting more soldiers to the smallfolk as you asked."

"Good. order our blacksmiths to create more weapons and armor. We should have gold to spare for that."

"We have plenty to spare, my lord." the assistant said. "Though, I must admit, I am confused about this move, except pirates in the narrow sea, we don't have anything to worry about my lord that requires us to essentially quadruple our military spending…"

"It's better to be safe, Jon." Maegor sighed. He then pulled a mechanism from his two leg pieces, and when he pulled his arms upwards, those leathers that he put in previously turned into a wingsuit. The wings were gray in color, courtesy of the dragon that Vermithor had killed the previous year.

The assistant Jon looked at his lord's creation in curiosity, but he didn't say anything. Maegor then put the wings back in, and unequipped the two leg pieces.

Suddenly, a knock came from the door.

"Who's there?" asked Maegor.

"My lord…" A female voice sounded from behind the door. "Your ladywife… the princess has gone into labor my lord…"

Maegor's face quickly turned serious as he dropped all that he had previously worked on on the table. "Is there anything else, Jon?" he asked.

The assistant bowed. "No my lord. You should go and leave me to clean this up, may the birth process be swift and painless."

"I doubt that…" Maegor murmured, walking towards the door, exiting the room to go to his wife.

—

As he entered the castle of Runestone, sounds of wailing and screams could be heard from a specific room. It was Helaena's room, Maegor could hear her crying just right outside the door, holding on the pain of birthing a child.

Maegor could only get more and more nervous as the screams echoed. He suddenly regretted that he didn't wait another year or two, but it was too late now, his wife was about to give birth to his child.

He opened the door to the room, and the screams that were muffled before became louder.

While the midwives temporarily ignored him for the sake of his wife, the maester turned towards him, bowing.

Maegor walked towards him, and asked. "How is it, maester?"

"My lord… you have twins…" the maester said calmly.

"What?" Maegor's eyes widened.

"We've only just noticed it now. But we felt two heads in her abdomen." the maester continued. "The midwives will try to guide the princess to conserve her stamina."

Maegor sighed anxiously as he walked past the maester, towards his wife that was lying on a bloodied bed.

He knelt beside the bed, and held Helaena's hand. While she was screaming in pain, she had a wide smile on her face.

"Twins!" she exclaimed in between her screams. "We have twins!"

"Yes, yes, don't talk too loudly, save your strength." said Maegor helplessly. "I do not know how you can smile in a time like this…"

"This is… NOTHING!!!" She screamed, trying to push the baby inside her. After that, she took a deep breath, and looked at Maegor with a weak smile, catching her breath. "I have never dreamed of… such things… their threads… mirrored… yet my thread… differs…"

"Helaena, you have no energy for mumbling prophecies right now." Maegor chuckled nervously. "Just take a deep breath… and push…"

Helaena once again screamed, her hand holding Maegor's tightly. Her face filled with pain, yet, she had a smile, as if happy that this is going on.

"Just a little more princess!" the midwife encouraged. "I see the babe's head!"

Helaena continued to wail, pushing as hard as she could. And finally, the first baby had been born. The sound of the baby's cry echoed throughout the room, the midwives continued to clean the baby, and they checked its sex.

"It's a boy my lord!" the midwife exclaimed. She gave him the baby as he cries continuously, moving his hands sporadically. Maegor could only hold his son as he stared at the baby, a weak smile on his face.

"Give me… my child… I want to see him…" Helaena said in between her breath.

"Princess… you have another one on the way, please, save your breath." the midwife begged, while Maegor sat beside the bed, and showed her her child.

Helaena had a sweaty face, yet her smile is as bright as ever. She held the baby's hand as the boy grabbed her finger, holding it tightly.

But then, the second child came. Helaena screamed again, releasing the baby's grip from her finger. She grabbed the bed sheets, clenched it tightly, and she continued to push, trying to get the second baby out of her.

As Helaena screamed, the midwife came towards Maegor, asking for the child to be given to her to be cleaned. Maegor just gave him to her, and the midwife went to clean the baby with a wet towel.

Maegor just sat beside the bed, holding Helaena's hand tightly. It was a grueling process to say the least, for a whole 30 minutes, Helaena was constantly in pain, pushing the baby.

And finally, the second child also came to this world. The cry of the baby echoed throughout the room once again, the midwives hurriedly tended to the baby, and they checked the baby's gender.

"It's a boy again!" said the midwife with a smile. "Congratulations princess, my lord."

The midwife gave the baby to Maegor, who then proceeded to give it to Helaena, who at this point had bathed in her own sweat and blood. Maegor then held the other baby, who was still crying.

Helaena held the crying baby weakly, her face had a wide smile. "They're beautiful…"

"They're Targaryens." Maegor chuckled. "You did good, Helaena."

"I told you. You do not have to worry about me…" Helaena murmured weakly.

Helaena caressed the younger baby's head, who at this point had a few traces of silvery blonde hair. "How will we name them?"

"They're of Royce." Maegor said calmly. "So we should use First Men or Andal names…"

"Why don't we use your previous name?" Helaena asked softly. "Andar."

"That is a good name." Maegor hummed. "And what of the other one?"

"Robar. From the last bronze king." Helaena murmured. "They're The Bronze Twins…"

Maegor just looked at Helaena deeply, and he kissed her forehead, caressing her head softly. "Thank you…"

Helaena chuckled. "What for?"

Maegor just shook his head in amusement as he gave Helaena her other son. She was now holding each boy using her two hands, one boy in the left, and the other in the right.

"Let's make more…" she said with a smile, making Maegor raise his brow. "The three dragons… will need their heads…"

Maegor sighed helplessly. "Helaena… you are exhausted… just rest, let the midwives take care of the babes."

"No, I will stay with them…" Helaena hummed. "You should write to father… I am sure he will be delighted to hear the news."

"I will." Maegor nodded, kissing her forehead. "I will leave you to the midwives, you need to clean yourself."

Helaena murmured incoherently, but she seemingly agreed with what Maegor was saying. After that, he left the room with the maester, leaving his wife to the midwives.