19
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112 AC
Kingslanding
Aemma Arryn
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The door opens after one of my servants checks who it is, my beautiful daughter walks in wearing her dragon riding leathers. I shake my head knowing she went for another flight with her future betrothed, I can smell the dragon wafting off her from here. My head throbs causing me to grit my teeth but I can't bare to send her off just because my nose is being sensitive.
Everything is sensitive right now.
"Hello mother, I wanted to check on you again and see how you are feeling." I smile and hold out my hand as she sits in a seat beside me.
"I am a whole lot better than earlier." I grit my teeth feeling a mighty kick in the side from the baby.
It does not matter if it's Visenya as Rhaenyra predicts or Baelon as my husband predicts, I just want the pain to stop. This is much worse than any pregnancy I have had before and I am getting more and more worried. The pain is unbearable and spikes to life-threatening without any control, I feel helpless and in danger.
My heart races when I remember this is the very way my own mother died, birthing me killed her. I worry I am finally getting punished after all this time by dying on a birthing bed the same way.
"You don't look better, you are sweating horribly and you keep jerking from pain." Rhaenyra crosses her arms and looks at me with worry and my heart clenches more.
Will this be one of the last times I see my daughter?
There is so much I haven't got to talk to her about or get to see her do, I would miss her wedding. I would miss her having her own kids, my grandkids would never know me other than by name. I would miss all of the life of the baby kicking around in my womb if I die from this. I do not blame the babe as it has no other choice but to be born.
"I am in pain but I can manage with the small amount of Milk of the poppy I am allowed to take." She frowns and looks around at the servants before tightening her grip on my hand. "What is wrong?" I try to sit up some more but pain jolts up my spine and I collapse weakly into the padded lounger.
"If you are in this much pain surely you could have more of the one thing making you feel better, right?" I shake my head and she looks down at her lap.
"Too much can hurt the baby, I can take enough to numb the pain but not enough to pass out." She looks at me with sad eyes before they widen a little.
"What if there was something else that could help you?" Her voice gained a little more life.
I don't miss the servants in the room listening closely, whatever she says next will be reported back to who they serve. They make hast to busy themselves when I meet all of their eyes one by one and I grip my daughter's hand to silence her.
"The Grand Maester is doing everything possible to ensure a healthy birth and to ensure my comfort." She slowly nods after looking around the room and catching on.
"I should thank him then, for taking such 'good' care of my mother and sibling." I shake my head with the fire in her voice coming out. "I just remembered I forgot I had agreed to meet with Myriah and I need to head to see her, I will visit you before I go to bed mother." She leans in and kisses my forehead and I lift my head catching her cheek with my lips before she pulls back.
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112 AC
Kingslanding
Rhaenyra Targaryen
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Why did I not think about asking Daeron if he knew anything that could help with my mother's pain before? I had to see her laying in pain for days before I remembered he talked about his practice of healing and various arts of healing from around the world. He might know something that is not commonly known and could help with her pain.
"Princess." A Dornish guard at the door to the Martells joined chambers nods at me before knocking on the door behind him.
A moment later he opens the door and steps in and stands to the side as he waves me in with one hand. My Kingsguard is close behind and looking through the room with critical eyes as I glare toward him.
"Wait at the door with the other guards." His head snaps toward me and his mouth opens to spit some nonsense about my safety. "If the Martells wanted me dead I would be in a dragon's belly a long time ago, wait outside so you don't feel the need to draw your blade at perceived 'threats'." He goes stiff before looking toward Princess Saera who is heading toward me.
"Princess Rhaenyra, it is nice to see you again so soon but I was not expecting you so I am caught unprepared." Saera Martell smiles as she walks toward me looking no less beautiful than she did at the archery contest.
"Princess Saera, I came to ask Daeron a question." I look around the room not seeing anyone else and wonder if he is out with his siblings.
"Forgive me were you two not flying just an hour or so ago?" She gives a smile filled with amusement and I fight the heat going to my face.
"We did, but I remembered something I wanted to ask him and I could not wait." She smiles and holds out her arm silently asking to escort me.
I step toward her and loop my arm and she places her other hand on top of our locked elbows.
"Well, either way, feel free to stop by whenever you want I was just curious." I nod and she pulls me toward a hallway with three doors in it.
Knocking on one door I hear a shout and Saera goes stiff before knocking again in a pattern. No shout is returned but I can hear bumping around and something crashing loudly before the door is slowly opened revealing Daeron.
"Mother what cou- Rhaenyra it is nice to see you again." He looked caught off guard and his hair is a wild mess which he slowly runs his fingers through as his mom softly nudges my side.
"Princess Rhaenyra came to ask you a question and I felt it was important if she came all the way to see you personally. You two have been together most of the day and she sought you out even after just separating, it has to be important." She side-eyes me as she slowly unhooks our arms and pats her son's chest before walking off.
He leans out the door watching her walk away and gives me a confused look before he leans back against the door. I see his room is tidy for the most part so curiosity burns at me to find out what the banging was. But his messy hair and comfortable-looking clothes hint at taking a nap or something scandalous.
His room is empty and I doubt he would be doing scandalous things in here anyway so I push down my curiosity and get to why I came here.
"I wanted to ask your opinion about my mother's pregnancy, she is in a lot of pain and they are doing little to nothing for her. They say it's for the baby's safety and tossing my mom's comfort and safety out the window. We talked about you learning healing arts from various locations and I wanted to know what you thought." His eyes widened slightly before he looks thoughtful and scratches the back of his head.
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112 AC
Kingslanding
Daeron Nymeros Martell
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I thought my mom was pissed I missed lunch or something so I rolled out of bed and was thoroughly surprised when she used the secret knock. One of many knocks we have learned to be slightly more discreet about things. I had to quickly toss on some clothes and thankfully I picked something somewhat decent.
Princess Rhaenyra standing on the other side of the door in her dragon leathers still is not what I was expecting. Her asking about her mom was even more of a surprise and presents my first real opportunity to get involved. I can't do anything at this point other than maybe give her Shimmer and see if it helps with the birth but I won't do that. I have not yet given it to a pregnant woman and I fear it might transform the baby.
The baby might claw its way out of the mom and firmly make me an enemy of the Iron throne so it's not worth it. So all I can do is some smaller tier stuff that will not affect the birth in any direct way but also shows my ability as a healer. It would help my later attempt to try and save her if she ends up getting cut open.
"I would offer a tonic but I doubt anyone would trust the pregnant Queen to drink something I made. Lacking anything consumable I could use a Yi Ti massage technique that targets certain 'points' in the body to relieve pain. I have ample practice using this when my mom complains about sore legs so I could try that without any fuss. Well, the King and Queen need to agree to it for there not to be any fuss." Bending water in front of a crowd would be near impossible but so long as I get a few seconds I can relieve some aches.
If I can relieve some of her pain then they will lower their guards a bit and I can try and use bending more openly. It will still be a challenge but this is the best opportunity I have seen yet to try something so I might as well take it.
"Really?" She asks skeptically and I nod causing her eyes to narrow in thought. "Can you prove it to me?" I tilt my head and she shifts on her legs as she looks down at them.
"How?" I ask to make sure I am following her so far as she gestures to her riding pants-covered legs.
"Well I have been running around without a break and my legs are getting sore, show me it works before I bring it up to my mother." I feel my mouth dry up as I look back at her legs and she shyly shifts in place.
The pants are mostly made of leather similar to the ones we Martells use but hers are black with dragon scale patterns sown onto them. They still cling to her meaty thighs painting a nice picture and causing some hesitation on my part. If she ran to her mother and father claiming I 'rubbed her pain away' I would have all the king's men after me.
"Well, I don't think it's necessarily a proper thing to do..." She takes a step back and crosses her arms.
"You can do it to my Mother but not to Me? Have we not been talking about how you will be marrying me, or did you confuse that with my Mother?" She smiles and her eyes hide a mischievous flame in them as she looks back toward where my Mother headed off.
"Let's assume I do this and surprise you with my skills, what will you even say to your parents?" She purses her lips and uncrosses her arms.
"I won't say anything, you will just treat her and once she sees it works then you can keep treating her." The logic on this is appalling and could land someone in a cell or their head chopped off.
I want to deny since this feels like a horrible idea to use her as the test subject since she would have to admit I touched her. But then the image of her legs covered in leather enters my mind and I feel my willpower take a blow.