39

Chapter 39: Chapter 29: FamilyNotes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"Dragon wings, take me home,

To the place, where I belong,

Aegon's Landing, Visenya's Hill,

Take me home, dragon wings."

-Dragonseeds singing at their reunion dinner

107 AC, Red Keep

Babies were a strange thing. They cried, they laughed and they had fits at the strangest things. They were mushy, red and loud. I didn't really specialise in them back in university. That was more Dexter's field than mine. Pervert he may have been, but he was wonderfully popular with children. I typically dealt with people on the other end of life. Singapore had an ageing population, so as a general practitioner in training, most of my focus was on the elder folk and their ailments.

Still, I had a lot of firsthand experience raising Yuri. It really wasn't easy, and what truly made Alice and I fall in love. We bumbled and flubbed at lot of the raising, and could have done a lot better, but despite everything, and I mean everything. We did a good job raising her all things considered. 

But it wasn't my daughter that I thought of when I held Aegon, but my younger brother. My younger brother and I had a similar age gap, him being just only a few months shy of a decade younger than me. Aegon was bigger than my brother at birth, but about as loud.

I rocked the crying baby back and forth, singing a lullaby the way I used to for both my younger brother and daughter. His crying stopped, and towards the end, I even coaxed a smile out of him.

I passed him back to Viserys, who was beaming at us.

"He's cute." I told him, before turning to face my stepmother. "Can I have a sister next? Please?"

That was genuine. My parents only had sons. I really wanted a sister. Brothers were overrated and gross. I would know, having two and being one myself.

"Well." My father laughed. "We'll have to get busy making one for you then."

"Yes. A girl." Alicent said. "She can be a princess like her sister."

Oh, really? We're going there? Today? God, Alicent was such a bitch. Fine, have it your way.

"She can be anything she wants!" I excitedly squealed. "A prince, a princess, a knight, a maester, a septa. I'll love teaching her everything I know!"

"Well said, Nyra." My father laughed. "Your siblings can grow up to become anything they want."

"Except King." I said teasingly. "The Iron Throne is too small for more than one butt."

The two of us burst out laughing at that, even as Alicent glared daggers at me.

"Of course." He agreed, ruffling my hair appreciatively. "Long may you reign."

———

107 AC, Red Keep

I made a point of spending time with Aegon. I played the perfect big sister. I read to him, I sang him lullabies, I changed his diapers and fed him bottled milk. And when Alicent wasn't looking, I kidnapped him and took him flying on Silverwing, the same way my grandmother did to Viserys and Daemon when they were newborns. Alicent was beyond furious at me for endangering her son, but my father was more amused than anything else and thus let me off with a slap on the wrist. 

The Dragonseeds were also excited to have a new cousin, with them all pitching in to help. Daena and Shaeterys would help to change and feed him. Rhaegar and Daenys read to him in High Valyrian. Bell, Aerion and twins Baela and Rhaena would pick Aegon up and run around with him on their shoulders. Even infants Rhaella and Daemon poked and prodded him constantly.

What is this strange creature? They seemed to say.

For those three months, it was like we were all one big and happy family. So naturally Alicent had to ruin it.

———

"Fostering?" I repeated, disbelieving.

"Indeed." Viserys nodded. "It is traditional for highborn children to be fostered elsewhere, sons primarily, but also daughters. Alicent has found many offers from respectable families to take in the Dragonseeds."

I didn't deny that. Fostering was a means of allowing highborn children to see the rest of the world, experience a new culture and other values, as well as forge alliances. A good number of wards married the children of their hosts, and even if they didn't, ties were made between the child and the lord and lady they fostered under.

"Alright. I can see that, but how did we receive such offers? I thought it was gauche for bastards to be fostered." I pointed out. It had gotten much better by Jon Snow's time, but we were literally still in the years where 'old fashioned' was considered 'new fashioned'.

"In light of the Dragonseeds' outstanding performance in the recent war, many lords and knights have had their minds changed on the subject and are willing to make exceptions." Viserys proudly said.

"You're sending my cousins away." I accused.

"It's for their own good." Viserys defended himself.

I don't really remember what happened next, as I was quite upset. This talk of fostering triggered something horrid in me. My previous father had tried to strip my daughter away from me countless times. He insisted that she wasn't our problem, that her existence was shameful and that I should put her up for adoption and pretend she never existed. I refused. Violently at times.

We'd quarrelled constantly over Yuri, with many threats levelled. And when I only got one A instead of the required three for medical school in my A levels, my father lost what was left of his temper. He blamed my daughter for my grades, which was fair, I spent a lot of time taking care of her instead of studying. My father gave me an ultimatum. Put her up for adoption or I'd face disownment.

I eventually got my disownment repudiated, but I was still tossed onto the streets with a six-month-old baby and a backpack. I spent a year living with Alice, as she was the only person willing to take us both in. Okay, the Chua family was willing, but they were my neighbours and I didn't want them to have to face my father's wrath.

I was willing to face disownment and arrest to keep my daughter. So when Viserys spoke of sending away my cousins, I... took it poorly.

Still, once I calmed down the next day, I was able to reason with myself that it really was a good thing, and we returned to the conversation about fostering and I was able to secure about half the Dragonseeds.

I managed to secure Daena, Bell and Shaeterys, but lost Rhaegar and Daenys. Those two wanted to return to the Citadel, and I couldn't refuse them.

Aerion was to go to Casterly Rock, but I pointed out that the boy was a bit too wilful and hot-headed and would be better tempered in the North with duty and calmness. Of course, my father pointed out that I was the very last person to be talking about wilfulness, but he still agreed to send him to Winterfell.

Twins Baela and Rhaena were initially supposed to go to Storm's End, but I talked Viserys around into sending them to the Vale to be fostered by Rhea Royce instead, though I ordered Shaeterys to go with them for a few months make sure that Daemon's widow didn't mistreat them.

Shaera got Highgarden, and I didn't compete on this one. The dainty and ladylike girl would enjoy life there.

Erik was to be fostered at the Arbor, and I was unable to persuade my father to send him to either Lord Mallister or Jonas Blacktyde instead.

Haegon, Maegelle and Daella were going to Oldtown as the pious trio intended on going to the Faith. I didn't stop them, but I ordered Rhaegar and Daenys to keep a close eye on them and hoped that they'd change their mind someday.

Twins Vaelon and Baelon were going to Lord Tarly in Horn Hill, which I didn't fight as their mother was Alanna Tarly, daughter of Lord Rickon Tarly. She'd be happy to have her children back. Plus, House Tarly was one of my supporters, being extremely devoted to me ever since I burnt down Skyreach.

He wanted to send Viserra and Aemon off as well, but I pointed out that over half the Dragonseeds were leaving. We had to at least have some Fyres in the Fyrepit.

———

107 AC, Fyrepit

I'd gotten used to the quiet. The Fyrepit had emptied out. Once the children left, many of the mothers and servants did as well. Most were going back into the city, to use the money they earned and start up their own businesses. I bade them farewell, and promised that they'd always have a place in the Fyrepit.

It was... disconcerting. I always walked in expecting to see Vaelon and Baelon trying to pull pranks but being too incompetent to do it properly. I'd expected to hear Daella's praying or Daenys reading to her siblings in High Valyrian. Now that they were gone, the silence was deafening. It felt like organs had been ripped out of a body, leaving behind a hole that would never truly be filled again.

I supposed this was how my family felt when I left for boarding school two continents away. I didn't like it. I was used to being lonely, but as the kid being sent off, not the family remaining behind. It hurt me more than I'd thought possible.

The Dragonseeds were always meant to be expendable. My own airforce of loyal soldiers. And yet, I'd grown to care for them. That mask of a loving sister that I put on to foster their loyalty had been worn for so long I couldn't take it off. I didn't weep when they left, but I had been very clingy with Laena for that month.

The most heartbreaking part was how the remaining Dragonseeds took the departure of over half their number. The older trio took it better, as they had dragons, and spent much time on courier duty as an excuse to visit their siblings. But there was no solace for the youngest seven.

Viserra stopped hanging around her siblings and began playing with the children of the court. Aemon bottled it all up inside him, but I could feel his sadness. Naerys prayed near constantly now, her only solace the gods. Lucerys took it surprisingly well, and tried to reinvent himself as a big brother figure to his three younger siblings to debatable success. Visenya cried constantly at her loneliness. Rhaella and Daemon were too young to understand why the Fyrepit had emptied and threw frequent tantrums.

I sighed lethargically as I fed Aegon, the two of us in my favourite chair, that great bowl of wood filled with cushions. A survivor of the manse fire that was totally not my fault, no matter what malicious slander Bell and Laena like to spread. I'd brought it back home with me, such that I may enjoy its sinful comfort even after I left the Citadel.

After my baby brother finished his meal, I burped him and started rocking him, singing a Hokkien song as a lullaby for him. I'd learnt the lyrics while serving in the military, and often sang it when lulling my own daughter to sleep, alongside a half-dozen other army songs. While Alice claimed that my singing voice sounded like a drowning cat, she did at least admit that I had a certain talent for army songs, mostly because they were meant to be sang by a young adult with no sense of pitch.

She also claimed I had a talent for Christmas songs, but that was largely because of the alcohol involved during Christmas parties. Once people got drunk enough, any song they heard sounded good.

I was a princess whom learnt how to sing from her evil stepmother, so I was actually quite a good singer these days, but there was a certain familiarity in returning to what I once sang when raising Yuri.

"or or neng diow tio corporal, (two black bars is corporal)

or or sar diow tio sergeant, (three black bars is sergeant)

or or sar diow keh ji jiak zim, (three black bars and a crab)

hi dey gio zho CSM ah. (That we call Chief Sergeant Major)

Ai yo ai yo ai ai yo, ai yo ai yo ai ai yo" I sang. I'd just finished the refrain when there was a knock on the door and a man popped his head into the nursery,

"Ready to go?" Jonas Blacktyde asked. I set down Aegon in a cradle and kissed his brow one last time before nodding.

"Yes I am." I said, rising to my feet. "It's time for your Kingsmoot."

Notes:

Apologise for the delay. Work has been hectic. Literally everyone in the office is either quarantined or faking illness to get out of work, so I'm the only person in.

Sorry if this chapter feels like it's going nowhere. My muse is uncooperative.

If you're curious, the song Rhaenyra sang is the Hokkien Peng Song, which I do sing (quite well) to my daughter IRL.

———

Edit: Dragonseed appendix. You guys ain't the only one getting confused over names.

Daena: Born 97 AC, 2 months younger than Rhae. Oldest. Rides Caraxes. Mother was a whore in King's Landing.

Bell: Born 98 AC, oldest Vale bastard. Rides Balefyre. Mother was a serving girl at Runestone.

Shaeterys: Born 98 AC, oldest son. Old name was Strat Stone. Rides Artys. Mother was a tavern wench in the Vale. Temporarily returned to Runestone to keep an eye on his siblings.

Rhaegar: Born 98 AC. Mother was Rhea Royce's cousin, Lysa Stone. At Oldtown becoming a Maester.

Daenys: Born 99 AC. Mother was Mysa Stone, Lysa's twin. Rides Dreamfyre. At Oldtown becoming a Maester.

Aerion: Born 99 AC. Youngest Vale bastard. Mother was a whore. Fostering at Winterfell.

Baela and Rhaena: Born 99 AC. Twins. Same mother as Daena. Fostering at Runestone.

Shaera: Born 100 AC. Mother was Cerelle Rosby. Fostering at Highgarden.

Erik: Born 100 AC. Mother was a sailor in Hull. Fostering at the Arbor.

Haegon: Born 100 AC. Mother was a maid in Dragonstone. Fostering at Oldtown. Plans to become a septon.

Maegelle: Born 101 AC. Mother was Mya, a septa in Stokeworth. Fostering at Oldtown. Plans to become a septa.

Daella: Born 101 AC. Mother was Kya, Mya's twin and also a septa in Stokeworth. Fostering at Oldtown. Plans to become a septa.

Vaelon and Baelon: Born 101 AC. Twins. Mother was Alanna Tarly. Fostering at Horn Hill.

Viserra: Born 102 AC. Mother was Harriet Stokeworth.

Aemon: Born 102 AC. Same mother as Haegon.

Naerys: Born 103 AC. Mother was Adanna Celtigar.

Lucerys: Born 103 AC. Mother was Jaehaera Velaryon.

Visenya: Born 104 AC. Mother was Jenn, a maid in Driftmark.

Rhaella: Born 105 AC. Youngest daughter. Mother was Falyse, serving girl from Duskendale.

Daemon: Born 105 AC. Youngest child. Mother is Mysaria.