Tender whispers in the night
The twilight at Dragon's Roost Port was brought in by the evening breeze from the Narrow Sea. First, it dyed the sails of the docks yellow, making the salt frost on the sails shimmer with tiny silver glints in the warm light. Then it swept over the wheat waves of the terraced fields, the heavy ears of wheat bowing low, kneading the evening breeze into whispers carrying the scent of wheat. Finally, it clung to the eaves of Daemon and Gael's temporary residence, dyeing the carved patterns on the wooden beams a warm amber color.
When Gael returned to her bedroom with Mysaria and Johanna Swann, her fingertips were still covered in the damp mud from the field ridges, carrying the unique sweet and briny scent of the soil after the rain. The air was filled with the aroma of grass and trees, mixed with a faint medicinal fragrance.
That was the lingering scent of herbs that Alys had left in her room that afternoon, slowly simmering them in a ceramic pot. The aroma, mingled with the subtle sweetness of licorice, was like a thin, resilient thread, pulling at the "grievances" she had deliberately suppressed during the day.
She wasn't unaware of the dangers of childbirth, and she remembered the solemnity in Daemon's eyes when he mentioned it. Yet, her attachment to him and her anticipation for their future family were growing wildly in her heart like spring buds. The Targaryen blood within her was "boiling," and she wanted to follow her heart in some things.
She sat before her dressing table, letting Mysaria and Johanna comb her long hair together. The dragon pattern on her light purple robe was reflected in the bronze mirror, but the words of Alys's admonition to "wait another year" kept echoing in her ears, as did Daemon's solemn words about the perils of childbirth for Targaryen women.
As the sky outside the window gradually darkened, the clear and melodious dragon roar of Dreamfyre drifted from afar. Gael suddenly remembered the secret passage between their bedroom and Daemon's private temporary study. Her fingertips gently gripped the silver comb on the dressing table, and a shy yet stubborn light flashed in her eyes.
She dismissed Mysaria and Johanna, who were serving her, and under the cover of night, quietly pushed open the hidden door leading to Daemon's temporary study.
As night deepened, the bonfires throughout Dragon's Roost Port gradually went out. However, at this moment, only the lamp in Daemon's private temporary study still shone with a faint candlelight.
This temporary private study was different from the temporary residence; it was just a makeshift stone house filled with parchment scrolls. On the table were construction plans for Dragon's Roost Port, patrol reports of the Narrow Sea, crop growth records from the maesters of the Citadel, and secret reports from Larys's spies in King's Landing.
Daemon sat in an oak chair, his fingertips tracing the latest intelligence report on the remnants of Bloodtooth Pyke's pirate crew, his brow furrowing slightly.
Those guys have been active on the eastern side of the Narrow Sea lately, so it looks like we'll have to get Colin and Alyn to increase patrols.
Daemon gently rubbed his temples, about to pick up his pen to write his comments.
Suddenly, a soft but familiar footstep sounded behind her, accompanied by the rustling of that equally familiar light purple robe.
Immediately afterwards, Daemon felt that familiar, gentle breath coming from behind him.
A pair of slender arms wrapped around his neck from behind, carrying a faint scent of honey cake.
Daemon didn't even need to turn around to know it was Gael.
Between her temporary private study and the bedroom of their temporary residence, there was a secret passage that she had specifically requested be built before it was completed, supposedly so that it would be "easy to find him at night" as before. In reality, it was just the little princess's little secret desire to be intimate.
A pair of soft arms wrapped around his waist from behind, Gael's cheek pressed against his back, her voice warm and sticky. "Still busy?"
Daemon put down the parchment scroll in his hand, took her hand in his, and felt a surge of tenderness in his heart from the warmth of her fingertips. "Almost there, just need to finish this intelligence report on those annoying pirates and some other miscellaneous tasks."
Gael gently shook his arm, as if coaxing a child, her voice carrying a hint of her awkward boldness. "Then... won't we sleep together tonight?"
Her fingertips traced lightly across his chest, the movement a little clumsy, clearly imitating how her mother, Queen Alysanne, Rhaenys, Jocelyn, and even Aemma had privately taught her before their marriage. "I heard Little Mei and Hannah say today that sleeping in each other's arms at night helps you sleep more soundly."
Daemon turned his head again, looking helplessly at her flushed cheeks, his eyes full of amusement. "But we haven't finished our official business yet."
Gael, however, wouldn't have it. She stood on tiptoe, leaned close to his ear, and lowered her voice, a mix of grievance and temptation in her voice. "Then—don't you want to have a baby soon? Alys said to wait another year, but I want to give you Little Daemon right now, a baby as cute as Rhaenyra."
Her breath, carrying a faint scent of honey cake, brushed past Daemon's ear, sending a shiver down his spine.
Recalling the day's thoughts and the compiled reports before him, Daemon suppressed the turmoil in his heart, burying himself in his work to numb the almost burning desire within him.
But the unusually bold Gael clearly wasn't going to let her nephew's husband, Little Daemon, off the hook tonight.
Before Daemon could even finish dealing with his own official duties, Gael's voice came again.
"Are you really not done yet?" Gael's voice, which was taking a break from work, carried a lazy warmth. Her fingers lightly traced Daemon's collar, and her fingertips occasionally brushed against the skin on Daemon's neck, causing Daemon's body to stiffen slightly.
Daemon turned his head and saw that she had changed into a light white nightgown at some point, her long hair draped over her shoulders, and a sly smile in her eyes.
She mimicked how Aemma and the others used to coax young Rhaenyra, gently shaking Daemon's arm once more, her voice as soft as honey. "Don't be busy, okay? Sleep with me—"
"There are still some official matters to be dealt with." Daemon suppressed his excitement again and smiled helplessly. He reached out to gently remove her hand from his neck, but she hugged him even tighter instead.
Then, Gael gently leaned close to Daemon's ear again, her breath warm against his skin. "But—I want to have a baby soon—"
As she spoke, her fingers slid down gently, brushing across Daemon's waist and abdomen, her eyes filled with a shy yet bold anticipation.
Just as he was about to agree, he heard a soft cough coming from the shadows of the fireplace.
"Ah!" Gael was so startled that she immediately let go of his hand, her cheeks turning as red as ripe cherries.
Alys Rivers was standing there, her face mostly hidden by the hood of her green cloak, a signature mysterious smile playing on her lips.
"Your Highness and Princess seem to have some leisure time; it seems they've forgotten the instructions given during the day?"
"Alys?!" Gael reacted as if burned, abruptly releasing her hands. Her face flushed even more, and she took two steps back in a panic, her eyes filled with shock and shame. "How did you get here?"
Immediately afterwards, she looked at Daemon beside her in a panic, her eyes full of doubt as if to say, "Why didn't you tell me she was here?"
Daemon shrugged helplessly and pouted, then looked at the startled Gael with his eyes to show his innocence. "You didn't ask, and you were so close just now, I didn't have a chance to speak."
Alys Rivers stepped forward, holding a small ceramic bottle with simple patterns engraved on it, and handed it to Gael: "Remember to drink this tranquilizer before bed. You've been having a lot of mood swings lately and often wake up at night. Drinking this will help you sleep better."
She paused, then glanced at Daemon, who was feigning innocence to Gael, a hint of her signature teasing in her eyes. "As for our little princess saying she wanted a baby tonight, please, Your Highnesses, let's discuss that next year. My dear little princess, please don't disturb our Little Daemon's official duties tonight."
Gael dared not linger any longer. She took the medicine bottle, her face flushed, and turned to try to slip into the secret passage. She even forgot to say "goodnight" to the two people still in the room. In her haste, all that remained was the sound of the curtain swaying in the secret passage.
However, Alys Rivers clearly wasn't going to let her off the Gael tonight, and gently called out to Gary, asking her to turn around.
Then, continuing with her signature gentleness towards Gael, she teased Gael, "If our little princess really can't sleep tonight, you can have Little Mei and Hannah keep you company, my dear little princess----"
"I-I'm leaving first!" Upon hearing this, Gael really couldn't stay in her own Little Daemon's temporary private study any longer. She turned around and ran towards the secret passage in the corner. This secret passage was originally left by the craftsmen before the study was built, so that she could secretly come to see Little Daemon. Unexpectedly, tonight it became her own "escape route". The moment the secret door closed, you could still hear her hurried footsteps, mixed with the soft sound of accidentally bumping into the wall.
Daemon looked in the direction of the secret passage, sighed helplessly, and turned to Alys: "You did this on purpose?"
"I just don't want you to act impulsively." Alys walked to the table, picked up the new bottle of medicine, and placed it in front of him. "Gael's health can't be rushed; you know that better than anyone."
Her radiance carried an indescribable depth, as if she could see through Daemon's anxieties.
Those stories about Targaryen women's difficult childbirth, those mistakes he didn't want Gael to repeat.
Helpless, Daemon watched Gael's flustered back and sighed. He turned to look at Alys, only to find that her eyes held a similar aggressiveness to Gael's earlier, and her smile was full of teasing.
He quickly got up, opened the study door to let in some fresh air, and besides, he had already noticed the noise outside the door earlier—
As it turned out, they saw Bethany Hightower hiding outside the door, holding her notebook, clearly having been eavesdropping for quite some time.
"Miss Bethany," Daemon said, his tone tinged with exasperation, "Please take Miss Alys away. She still has herbs to study; don't bother me here."
Bethany's eyes lit up, and she was about to reciprocate Alys Rivers's intense gaze by giving him a similar look in a teasing remark, when Alys Rivers reached out and grabbed her wrist.
At that moment, Alys Rivers's eyes instantly regained their usual mysterious and aloof demeanor. She nodded slightly to Daemon, then pulled Bethany away, leaving only Bethany's unwilling voice saying, "Wait, I haven't asked Little Daemon yet," fading into the distance.
"We can talk about it tomorrow." Alys Rivers ' voice carried an undeniable authority as she pulled Bethany towards the door. "I still have some herbal knowledge to teach you, don't waste time."
Bethany was being led away, she couldn't help but glance back at Daemon, her eyes filled with curiosity and inquiry, until the door closed and that burning gaze finally disappeared.
Daemon closed the door, returned to his desk, and shook his head helplessly at the pile of parchment scrolls on it. He picked up the pirate intelligence again, his fingertips tracing the name "Bloodtooth" Pyke, his eyes gradually sharpening—if this guy dares to harass Dragon's Roost Port's shipping lanes again, next time it won't be as simple as just expelling him.
The oil lamp on the table flickered, illuminating his profile and the dense writing on the parchment scrolls on the table:
The western pier of Dragon's Roost Port has been completed and can accommodate ten ocean-going merchant ships.
Salt-tolerant rye in the eastern wasteland is growing well, and the first harvest is expected next month.
Maesters of the Citadel have discovered three new medicinal plants in the swamp, Alys Rivers is studying their medicinal properties;
News came from Larys that Otto had made no moves in King's Landing for the time being, but his correspondence with the House Hightower in Oldtown, the Reach, had become increasingly frequent.
These seemingly trivial matters formed the cornerstone of Dragon's Roost Port's rise and filled Daemon with a sense of security.
He knew that as long as he advanced step by step, as long as Gael was safe, and as long as his followers were still around, Dragon's Roost Port would eventually become an impregnable fortress, and he would be able to safeguard this hard-won peace.
Daemon stood up, looked at the empty room in front of him, then at the pile of documents on the table, and shook his head helplessly.
He sat back down at the table, picked up his pen, but couldn't help recall Gael's shy yet bold demeanor from earlier, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
Moonlight streamed through the windowpane, falling on the documents and illuminating the words "Dragon's Roost Port Construction Plan," "List of Guards for Expansion," and "Narrow Sea Patrol Route."
Daemon took a deep breath, suppressing the distracting thoughts in his mind. His pen fell on the paper, and he began to carefully review the papers again. He knew that only by making Dragon's Roost Port more stable and by making himself stronger could he truly protect Gael, their future home, and the baby who would arrive in another year.
As the night deepened, the study light remained on, the candlelight flickering, casting Daemon's shadow on the wall in shifting light.
The deep roar of the Glutton dragon echoed from the distant hills, intertwining with the clear, melodious sound of the Dreamfyre, protecting this rising land, and also protecting the heavy responsibility and tenderness within the house.
Moonlight streamed through the window, spilling onto the desk and mingling with the light from the oil lamp.
The Glutton's low murmur drifted from afar once more, intertwining with the dragon roars of Dreamfyre and Grey Ghost, like a gentle nocturne.
Daemon picked up his pen again and wrote on the pirate intelligence report, "Tomorrow, have Colin Celtigar and Alyn Redwyne six fast ships to patrol the eastern side of the Narrow Sea, focusing on searching for any trace of Bloodtooth Pyke's remnants. If encountered, surround and annihilate them, leaving no future trouble."
The sound of the pen tip gently gliding across the paper was exceptionally clear in the quiet night—this was how he protected Dragon's Roost Port and Gai Gael, and also how he rewrote his destiny.