The Desire III

(Drakken's POV)

"Huh?" I said to Sylas as I leaned on the balcony railing while smoking from my pipe, "You what?"

He was standing next to me, giving me a serious look, "I want to have Princess Daenerys as my wife." He said seriously, "I've come to personally request that you make that happen." 

I exhaled smoke as I looked at him with a serious scowl, "You're serious?" 

"Yes." He nodded

I straightened up, "Daenerys?" I asked, "Little Daenerys?" 

"Yes." He repeated 

I took a huff of the pipe as I looked at him, seeing his posture and all. He seemed very serious about it. I really didn't foresee this, if I am being honest. I remember Riktor had a whole thing with Princess Rhaenys, but he never really touched it again. And Jocelyn's girl is betrothed to Alyssa's boy. 

I exhaled smoke again, "You're fucking dumb." I said as I turned around, "Asking me to marry you with a girl I resurrected." 

"W-What's the problem???" He asked, "Father, I am serious!" 

"Saera told me what happened." I said, "You don't even know the girl, the hell is your problem?" 

"What???" He said, "What does that matter?" 

"You're seven, Sylas." I said, "Why are you so worried about marriages so young? Live a little." 

"I can live while being betrothed to Princess Daenerys!" He exclaimed

I took another huff from the pipe, "Oh look at this one." I said as I exhaled the smoke while still holding it in my mouth, "Already worried about marrying a girl he saw once. And you gave her a golden rose? What a romantic. You know she's Maegelle and Saera's sister, right? Your Mothers." 

"We are not related by blood." Sylas said seriously, "I can overlook that fact, so long as we're not actually related. It is not incest." 

"Tch...." I said, "Overlook it, he says...." 

"I don't see the issue." He said, "Father, why can't you accept this?" 

"Sylas." I said seriously, "There are going to be some changes." 

"What kind of changes?" He asked

"The kind of changes that will prevent children from marrying each other." I told him, "I'm going to make sure that the age of marriage will be around 17 or 18 for both parties. You're not even 10 yet so don't worry about stupid shit like that." 

"S-So in ten years then?" Sylas asked, "I can wait ten years!" 

"Ten years....for someone like you...." I said as I looked at him, "It is a long time, my son." 

"I can endure it...." Sylas said seriously, "Please, I don't ask for much...." 

"Yet you receive nearly everything." I told him

He frowned and looked down, "Everything but one thing....." He said, a cold tone in his voice, which was a sudden shift, "She's not here with me." 

I lowered the pipe as I exhaled a bit of smoke, and my eye twitched. Of course, it should be expected for him to say things like these. The son of the woman I lost.....of course, he was going to miss her.

"Hm..." I said as I looked ahead of me, "I'll see what I can do." 

"But Father....." He said, "You can do anything." 

"Well, let me rephrase it." I told him, "Let me think about it." 

"Right....." He said

"Go and get something to eat." I said, "Your Mother told me you haven't been eating much." 

"I've been training." He said

"That's good." I said, "Now go and eat." 

"Don't make me repeat myself." 

*************

"I've spoken to Sylas." Maegelle said as she walked over to me as the sun was slowly setting, "He wishes to marry my sister." 

"The gall on him." I said as I took a huff from my pipe, "Asking me to betroth him so young." 

I was still on the balcony of my chambers, thinking deeply about everything that had been going on. I was being reminded of the times Daranne and I would spend here, just talking. When she was pregnant with Sylas, I would occasionally ramble to her about things I did back at Infernis. 

I know she didn't understand half of what I said, but she still listened with an attentive look and a warm smile on her face. 

"Well...." Maegelle stood next to me, "He wants to have something to look forward to." 

"Leading my armies is one thing he can look forward to." I said as I exhaled some smoke

I noticed as she waved some of the smoke away, "Well..." She said, "Let him have some innocent dreams. To marry a girl.....a beautiful one at that, is normal. Didn't you have those desires at his age...? Oh....wait.... never mind. I am sorry for saying that, I know that....." 

"Not at that age specifically." I said with a shrug, "But after the shitshow happened.....I met her, and I suppose that deep down, I had the same sentiments. I was a young boy who was suddenly thrown into an even worse shitshow, being bestowed my Calamity and all." 

"Oh....Her...." she said softly, "Athena....." 

I looked at her, "Is there a problem?" 

"Nothing." She shook her head, "Were you lovers?" 

I nodded, "Yes." 

"Was she....." She said before stopping

"She wasn't my wife." I said, "Athena and I...we were what you would call...a very....tragic relationship." 

"How so?" She asked me 

"That's a talk for another time." I said as I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her in, "I have four children here. And you will give me my fifth.....why bother in speaking about her? A Woman who is not in this world?" 

"Hm....." She said, "If you say so....." 

Then, with the arm I had around her, I gently lifted the bottom of her belly to relieve the pressure. 

"How's that?" I kissed her cheek

"Ohh....." She said as she leaned against me, "That is.....amazing...he's so heavy..." 

"Adamant that it is a boy?" I asked

She rubbed her cheek against my shoulder as she smiled, her eyes closed as she was enjoying the sense of relief. When realizing that she loves when I do this, I tend to do it more than usual. She deserves as much relief as she can get. 

"This child....." She said, "Is too big to be a girl, haha...." 

I looked at her belly, "Hm....." 

Now that I think about it, her belly is a bit too big. If it is a boy, then the little rascal might be bigger than Riktor was when he was a newborn. 

Maegelle pressed against me, taking advantage of my support, "This is a wonderful feeling...." She said, "I love it...." 

"Right...." I said as I narrowed my eyes at her belly, "Something.....is....." 

"What is it?" She asked with a frown, "Is something wrong?" 

"Have you gotten checked by the Maesters?" I asked as I focused on the lifeforce inside her

"Not recently....." She said softly, "I just have you check on the health of the child, you wouldn't lie to me..." 

"I wouldn't....." I said 

I then focused even harder, trying to pick up any anomaly. All of my senses were focused on her belly, the heartbeat of the child. I felt the lifeforce as well and didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

"You're scaring me...." she said, "That's a serious look on your eye." 

I then heard it. 

A second heartbeat, completely synchronized with the first one. 

"I'll be damned..." I said, completely baffled, "Two....." 

How the fuck did this happen? How did a second lifeforce go by unnoticed this damn long???

"T-Two?" She asked, "W-What??? Two what???" 

I gently let go of her belly and I crouched down in front of her, patting it with both hands. 

"There's something interesting going on here...." I said seriously, "This is unusual...." 

"Drakken, I am scared." She said softly

"Don't worry." I told her, "It seems that my carelessness led to this. I usually don't like doing this....but....." 

I focused my sight on her belly, peering past her flesh and into her belly where the child was being held. While I saw a regular-sized fetus inside her, I noticed that said fetus was sitting next to what looked like a second one, which seemed to be a bit smaller. 

"Your eyes...." She said, "They're glowing...." 

"I'm focusing my vision on what they call the Unseen Plane." I said, "But I basically see what is unseen by the naked eye. I can peer past anything organic and inorganic. Now....I am peering into your belly to check on the child. I don't like doing this because it is quite unsettling sometimes." 

"Oh...." She said

I blinked, readjusting my vision as I straightened up and cleared my throat, "I have good news and bad news." I told her, "What do you want to know first?" 

"B-Bad news." She said, "Get it out the way, tell me if something is wrong with my child." 

"Hm. Bad news is that somehow.....someway.....the second one snuck past my senses." I said seriously, "That is insane, something even I am not used to." 

"Second....one?" She asked softly, her face a bit shocked, "Drakken....." 

"That is the good news." I said with a slight smirk, 

"Twins."