Chapter 14: The family just got bigger

105 AC

Kitchens of the Red Keep

Red Keep, King's Landing

"There you are, I have been searching for you for the past hour, your wife is in labor and here you are drinking what I am hoping is your third mug of beer," Visertys chastised me as he found me in the kitchens sloshed on beer.

"This is my fifth mug of beer and the reason why I am here is that there seems to be a rule that men cannot be in the birthing chambers," I slurred back.

"So, wait outside the birthing chambers like everybody else," Viserys replied as he sat down next to me taking away my mug.

"I waited for five hours Viserys, FIVE HOURS, I cannot stand to hear her screams anymore," I snapped,

Viserys was not surprised at my outburst, he nodded and refilled my mug, and took another for himself,

"I understand how that feels like, Aegon, for when Rhaenyra was born, it was a labor that took Aemma seven hours, the longest she has ever had till now, I couldn't bear to hear her screams either but in the end, we were rewarded with a beautiful baby girl that lived,"

"That lived yes, What about the ones that didn't? What if the babes are stillborn? What if they don't live past infancy?What if Dacey dies? What if one of the twins doesn't make it or what if all three of them don't make it?" I began rambling as I began to have a panic attack.

Viserys grabbed me by the shoulders and assured me, "Aegon, calm down, it's going to be alright, you need to have faith, Dacey is strong, she is only two namedays younger than you, I am sure that she will make it and your children will be healthy and hale,"

"Yes, I need to have faith, I need to have faith," I said to myself as I nodded. The panic subsided as I began to take deep breaths to calm down.

After a few minutes of calming down from my minor panic attack, Viserys asked me, "Do you think that it will be a boy and a girl or will it be two boys or maybe two girls,"

"I have no idea and I don't care as long as it's a healthy child," I answered earnestly which made Viserys smile.

"Good, I have to ask what you intend to name the children?" He asked as he patted me on the shoulder.

"Umm, I made a drunken wager a few years back that has resulted in me naming my firstborn son after Daemon," I admitted to a shocked Viserys.

"What? Why in heaven's name would you name your son after Daemon, he is hardly the best role model to look up to, Gods know I love Daemon but... wait a minute, what drunken wager?" Viserys exclaimed before shrewdly asking me.

"Well... um... you know that Tourney we had around seven years ago to celebrate the fiftieth year of Grandfather's reign." I began hesitantly.

"Of course, that was the Tourney that Father put you in charge of organizing alongside Septon Barth but you weren't old enough to participate so what wager are you talking about," Viserys asked as he remembered the tourney.

"Well, I didn't participate but I wagered with a bunch of other guys on the betting pool in the Street of Silk that Daemon would lose in the quarterfinals to Ser Harrold Westerling, unfortunately, he lost in the semifinals to Ser Ryam, so..." I trailed off.

Viserys looked confused, "So the deal that you made with a bunch of strangers was that you will name your son Daemon should Daemon win the quarterfinals,"

"What? Of course not, I wagered seven hundred gold dragons that Daemon would lose the quarterfinals but I only had five hundred with me so I asked Daemon for some extra money as I knew that you and Father would be displeased with me." I explained to Viserys who sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Let me guess, Daemon agreed to pay off your debt if you named your firstborn after him," Viserys said with a longsuffering sigh.

"Yes, that's right," I said with a straight face.

"Back then my marriage to Aunt Gael was on the table so Daemon figured that we would be betrothed by the end of the year," I explained further to which Viserys nodded.

"Why did you bet against Daemon?" Viserys then asked, "You know full well, he is not the kind of person to lose a tourney."

"How was I supposed to know those old goats would lose to Daemon?" I defended myself.

"You just called them old goats," Viserys replied,

Dammit, I should have known that not every old goat was like Ser Barry.

"Does Dacey know that you intend on naming your future son Daemon?" Viserys asked me as I put away my mug,

Before I could reply, Runciter's assistant rushed into the kitchens knocking over a few serving girls in the process.

"Your Graces, Lady Dacey has given birth, to two boys, both red-cheeked and healthy, and Lady Dacey are alive and well."

Birthing Chambers

As I entered the birthing chambers, the tangy smell of birth and afterbirth was prevalent in the room as was the bustle of the midwives but I had eyes only for Dacey and our children, she nursed both of them at her breasts.

"Dacey," I breathlessly called out to her.

"Aegon," She looked at me with a tired smile, her hair was matted to her sweaty forehead yet she looked radiant.

I moved over to her and I sat at the edge of the bed, "Our children," I asked with no small amount of trepidation.

"Would I be nursing any other children, Aegon, or have you lost your wits?" She said in dry amusement.

"I might as well have," I said as I licked my dry lips as I saw them for the first time, one with a tuft of silver hair and the other with a tuft of black hair.

At least I don't have to worry about identifying them wrong.

"Both of them are five pounds each but the Grand Maester says that it is normal for twins to be smaller at birth," She said with relief.

"Who's the older one?" I asked her with apprehension,

"This one, the one with the silver hair." She said as turned her head towards the babe on the right breast.

May God have mercy on my poor child who shall bear the same name as Daemon.

"What names do you have in mind for them?" She asked me,

"His name will be Daemon," I said cautiously and Dacey almost immediately made a face.

For a moment she didn't say anything before she asked, "What foolish drunken wager did you make with your debaucherous little shit of a brother?"

"How did you know that?" I said shocked,

She deadpanned, "I didn't, you just confirmed it."

Damn, she's good.

"And what shall be his name?" She asked turning her head towards the black-haired babe.

Now I hadn't thought much about that, I could name him Daeron, but that sounded so cliche.

There was another Daemon in the World of Ice and Fire, he had a brother by his side who stood by him and his family through thick and thin and honored his memory for his whole life regardless of all the adversity he faced, he was the legendary Bittersteel.

"His name will be Aegor Targaryen" I firmly replied, hopefully, these two will grow to be as close as they were.

Then the grown-ass idiot Daemon barged into the room demanding, "Where is little Daemon?"

Soon followed by a giggling Rhaenyra and a heavily pregnant Aemma and Viserys.

"Looks like our family just got bigger," Viserys said with a smile when he saw my children.