(Aerion's POV)
"Hm..." I said as I held the babe in my arms, "Aren't you a beauty?"
I looked at my daughter, she was sleeping soundly in my arms as I paced around the room. I had been holding her for about an hour, and the feeling of becoming a father was still surreal, I did not believe that it had happened.
I had no idea how long I spent in that wretched place, avoiding death by a hair's breadth, but I almost missed the birth of my child.
She looked so peaceful, so innocent. It was too difficult for me to fathom that she is mine own blood, she was so.....perfect.
"You should place her in the cradle." Rhaenyra said as I looked over to her
She sat in the bed, smiling at me as I walked over to her with the babe in my arms.
"You are right." I said with a slight smile, "I am overjoyed, it is all."
She chuckled, "I can tell." She said
I slowly walked over to her cradle and gently placed Visenya down, watching as she shifted slightly as I set her down. I patted her head gently, being too careful not to wake her up by accident. She was sleeping so comfortably, it made me happy. Happy that she would find a peaceful sleep despite her own father nearly dying.
I straightened up, looking down at her with a smile, "The boys will adore her, I am sure." I said
"They will, I have no doubts about that." Rhaenyra said, "Come."
I looked at her, she was patting the spot in the bed next to her. I knew I was going to be scolded for what had happened.
I walked over to her and sat in the bed next to her, "Yea?"
She grabbed my hand as she gave me a serious frown, "Would you like to explain yourself?" She said softly, "What happened?"
"I already told you." I said, "I was looking for the eggs and was able to save one. The beast devoured the others and nearly killed me."
"You were gone for hours, Aerion, hours." She said, "I went into labor right after you were gone.....I was worried sick...."
"I know, I did not expect to see it there, I promise you." I said, "It was but a coincidence."
"Are you sure? How can I be sure that you did not seek it out like you've done countless of times before?" She said, "What if you had died? That Dragon has lived in this island for decades, mayhaps even more, and it never once bothered us nor our Dragons. I do not understand this obsession you have with it."
"Obsession?" I said
"Yes." She said softly, "You have made it your mission to hunt it, it did not bother you from what you've told me. The moment you found out it ate dragons, you became obsessed. Why?"
I looked away and sighed, "Rhaenyra...." I said, "I...."
"I need to know why, Aerion. This is something that has bothered me for months, I want you to tell me why." She said as she gripped my hand a bit tighter, "I do not wish for you to venture off and die simply because of a childish obsession."
"It's not childish." I said
"Then tell me, what is it?" She asked
I nodded, "Okay...." I said, "There was a bear....in The Vale...."
"A bear?" She asked
"Back when I was a young boy, before claiming Vermithor." I started to explain, "Bears were not uncommon in our region of the Vale, but they typically avoided us and we rarely saw them. Every fortnight, Ser Gerold and the others would take me with them to hunt deer, to prepare venison meat for the next month. During that hunt, we noticed bear tracks awfully close to our territory, near smallfolk's villages and whatnot. Ser Willam came to us alerted, claiming he saw a massive bear in the area, feasting on a human corpse....."
"Oh.... " She said, "I see...."
"There was a debate in our camp, whether or not they were to hunt the Bear down." I continued as I looked at the floor, "Ser Willam said that they should take the beast down before it harmed anyone else but Ser Gerold said that we should leave it alone and that bears don't typically attack people and that the corpse it was feasting us was probably already dead by the time it came across it. Willam's following argument was that if the Bear got a taste for human flesh, what would stop it from seeking Humans out, hunting them, and killing the smallfolk that lived in our outskirts? Ser Gerold was adamant about not doing anything about it, leaving the bear alone, confident it would not be a danger unless someone goes and stirs its ire."
I remember that vividly, I was about 9. I remember the fluttering of the campfire as I sat on a log next to Willam as Ser Gerold stood across from us, telling us not to do anything rash.
"Ser Gerold did not want to risk anyone dying at the hands of a bear simply for a rash and reckless belief." I kept going as Rhaenyra looked at me, "So Willam and those who wanted to kill it would stay their blades, as Ser Gerold was in charge of the Hunting Party. So we simply went about our hunt, taking as much deer we were allowed to, and took it back to Runestone. For weeks, there was nothing, no incidents whatsoever. But on the next deer hunt...I saw it....Willam and I rode to a small village in hopes of trading pelts with the farmer's crops. But by the time we got there, the same massive bear that Willam saw was feasting on a little girl, ripping her intestines out while the poor child cried, still alive and in pure agony. The Bear was too massive, larger than any ordinary bear, yes they could get that big but seeing one was very rare. And this one was hungry for men...."
"A-Aerion...." Rhaenyra said with shock in her voice
"Willam and I hunted it, I was a child, but I had a Knight of Runestone backing me up." I said, "Sure, he did most of the heavy lifting, luring the beast away to keep it from me and did most of the damage. In the end, it was my arrow that pierced its eye and felled it, the arrow lodged itself into its brain, for sure. Yes, we killed it as Willam wanted to.....but at what cost? The damage was done, half the village was slaughtered, and the other half traumatized. The guilt on Ser Gerold's face was indescribable. Every since then, he'd taken to the cups....every night, drowning in his own guilt and the Runestone barrels...It was how he confessed to me of my Mother's scars, the truth behind them."
I looked at her, she had a shocked look on her face, not believing what she had heard.
"Aerion, I....I am sorry, I did not know that."
I grabbed her hand with both of mine and leaned in towards her, "Rhaenyra...." I said softly, "My reasoning is still the same, that dragon will become a danger.....I don't want any of our dragons, or gods forbid, any of the boys to be the reason we finally see it as the danger that needs to be eradicated. But you are all right, It will not do anything unless provoked and I had gone and provoked it. I went to its territory and challenged it and all the times I have done that, it did not want to fight back. This last time, the time I nearly died, it had probably been tired of my antics, deciding to finish me off once and for all. The keepers spotted it making its way to the furthermost side of the island from us.....He does not wish to be bothered and I will honor those wishes."
She patted my cheek, "I..." She said, "I was not aware of any of that.....it makes sense, the kind of man you are. But still, promise me you won't do anything like that again?"
I chuckled, "For the last time, my wife." I said with a smile, "I did not seek it out. This time, my fight with it was justified, I did it to defend my girl's egg, eh? I apologize for not being able to bring all of Syrax's eggs...."
"It's okay...." She said with a smile, "As long as you're safe..."
******************************************************
"O-Oh!" a brown haired woman said as I approached the Knights of Runestone in the main hall, "My Lord!!"
Genna, my aunt, walked up to me with tears in her eyes. She was wearing the casual leather armor that most Royce Knights wear, her hair tied back in a ponytail as always.
I was holding Visenya in my arms as Rhaenyra held onto my shirt as she stood besides me, still feeling the strain of her childbirth.
"Aunt." I said with a smile, "It is good to see you."
"Princess..." She bowed slightly, "You would allow my nephew to use your child as a shield from me? I came with the intention of beating him for not writing me!!"
She gave me a scowl, a certain annoyance in her eyes.
"Please do so when you have the chance, Lady Genna." Rhaenyra said, "But leave some for me. He's been quite the trouble as of lately."
"Well well well!" Ser Willam said as he walked up to me, "So the Heir of Runestone is finally here."
He had a smile to his face as he looked down at my daughter's sleeping face.
"Aw..." Genna said with a smile, "It's a girl...Oh my word....Rhea would be so proud of you, Aerion...."
"A white-haired targaryen girl, eh?" Willam said as he patted my shoulder, "She's got the Princess's beauty and....Oh! that frown, that's all you, Aerion."
Visenya frowned in her sleep, moving her tiny little arms as she wiped against her cheek.
"Hm." I said as I looked at her, "Yes, I suppose so."
"What's her name, Princess?" Genna asked Rhaenyra
"Visenya." Rhaenyra said, "Her name is Visenya Targaryen."
"Visenya...." Willam said, "Now that's a name for a warrior, Aerion. She'll make you proud I am sure."
"Yes...." I said as I looked at Visenya
"I would like to thank you all for coming all the way here." Rhaenyra said, "Please, make yourself comfortable, the rooms are ready."
"Will there be a feast?" Willam asked, "There must be, to celebrate the birth of my niece, eh?"
"Of course, Ser Willam." Rhaenyra chuckled
"Oh, Lord Aerion, I am feeling so emotional right now..." Genna said as I looked at her, "To think that our little lord is finally a father...Your mother would be so happy....."
I smiled slightly, "Thank you, Aunt." I said as I looked at the rest, "Thank you all, for coming here."
"I am happy that my Family is together...."