5th Day, 2nd Moon, 111 A.C.
As the siblings were talking about the things they had missed in each other's lives in the last few moons, Rhaenyra suddenly asked Baelon about their mother.
"Did you see Mother before you went to the council chambers to report on Harrenhal, or did you forget?"
Baelon, hearing her concerned tone of voice, told her that he, of course, had seen their mother before meeting their father and his advisers.
"You know, Rhaenyra, I've been thinking about taking our mother away from the capital at least for a year or two so that she could relax a bit on Dragonstone. What our father is doing to her is inhumane; no one can produce heirs or spares left and right, especially not after they lost more than half the pregnancies they've had. Maybe you should come, and we could get Laena and make a vacation somewhere in Pentos or Braavos for a bit and let Father think about his way of showing his affection to his family."
Rhaenyra, hearing those words, felt relived, like she hadn't done in a while. Just hearing her brother confess that he found their mother's condition to be inhumane meant that she would never have to suffer as much as her mother does if she didn't want to. But instead of voicing her thoughts to her sibling, she decided to answer him about his not fully serious proposition of going on a vacation.
"If I didn't know you, I would ask when and how we are going to make it happen, but knowing you, these thoughts about a vacation will stay just that, thoughts."
"Well, yes, that part wasn't meant to be serious, but taking you and mother to Dragonstone to show Father what he does wrong was a serious option if you would have it."
"You know how Father is with showing his affection; he tries, but that is all we can expect from him in that regard, and running away with you? I don't think Mother would have it; she is married to her duty as queen as much as she is to our father."
"Does that duty include dying in the childbed?"
"I don't know, but she definitely talks about it like it is a woman's duty to do as her husband commands. But even then, as long as we are with her, she isn't going to die such a horrific death."
"I hope you are right. And if you ever feel the need to run me through with that sword we were talking about earlier, just tell me beforehand so that I can defend myself."
"I don't know where the fun is in that."
After the siblings ended their humor- and seriousness-filled conversation, they walked to the throne room after having been told that their uncle Daemon was there. On their way there, Rhaenyra heard her brother mumble something about not knowing that.
As they arrived and Ser Harrold opened the door, he let out a horrified gasp.
"By the gods."
"It's okay, Ser," the siblings spoke in union.
"Uncle, nyke didn't gīmigon ao istan māzis nykeā would emagon taken ao rūsīr issa; tolī ry, ao umptan isse issa sombāzmion syt se mōrī jēdar." (Uncle, I didn't know you were coming or would have taken you with me; after all, you stayed in my castle for the last year.)
"sȳrī, nyke didn't jaelagon naejot jenigon, especially tolī nyke nykēla wasn't sure lo nyke māzigon syt bisa tournament." (Well, I didn't want to bother, especially after I myself wasn't sure if I came for this tournament.)
"yn ao gōntan isse se mōris." (But you did in the end.)
Hen rhinka nyke gōntan, yn daor mērī kesrio syt hen bona. Nyke emagon lanta tolī reasons." (Of course I did, but not only because of that. I have two more reasons.)
"se lī issi?" ("And those are?")
"hae ao kostagon imagine, issa nephew, nyke missed aōha betrothed, issa niece." ("As you can imagine, my nephew, I missed your betrothed, my niece.")
"se skoros iksos se tolie drīve?" ("And what is the other reason?") asked Rhaenyra cautiously.
"sȳrī, bona iksos mirros nyke kostagon mērī ivestragon aōha lēkia bē, syt nyke istan eptan daor naejot divulge information naejot anyone, especially ao." ("Well, that is something I can only tell your brother about, for I was asked not to divulge information to anyone, especially you.")
Before Rhaenyra could look at her brother, he had already asked if his project was finished.
Daemon answered that it was and that he hoped Baelon would like it as it was. Just as Rhaenyra was going to ask what it was, her brother gave her a look that she knew meant, Wait and you will find out, but not before the time is right.
After their talk with Daemon, the siblings went to see if the squires in the yard were any good and if maybe someone was practicing for the tournament so that Baelon could see their technique before the tourney even started. As it got later, Baelon had to go to his chambers to prepare for the small council meeting the next day.
On the other side of the red keep, in the chambers of Queen Aemma, lay the queen in a bath that was too cold for her liking, but any warmer and it could hurt the baby, or so the maesters say. As she lay there, she pondered her latest pregnancy, how she had done her duty to her husband, and how she, out of love, tried and tried again to give him more than what was needed to fulfill his dream. There she came to the decision that if the baby was a girl or, gods forbid, died like the others, she wouldn't let Viseys try again; she wouldn't fight these battles anymore, not only for her sake but for that of her entire family. Now she just had to tell her husband about her feelings.