Another Way to Feed the Fire Chapter 4 (ASOIAF Daemon SI)

Daemon Targaryen

“Who is my perfect weapon of mass destruction?” Caraxes snorted a plume of smoke at my words but despite how indifferent he seemed to the question his tail told the truth as it moved from side to side like a dog’s.

“You are!” at my pronouncement of him being the best dragon ever Caraxes roared and it served as my signal for what to do next I quickly went to the side and procured a pair of sheep as well as several pigs for Caraxes to devour. If there was one thing the original Daemon and I agreed with, was that we wanted to spend as much time as possible with our dragon, with every dragon.

They were magnificent beasts. Things had gone better than I expected, I was worried that I would fall to a lucky arrow the same as the previous rider of Caraxes but luck was on my side and my strategy worked. Honestly, the hardest part after that was getting the people accustomed to my new take on food and cleanliness, damn superstitious savages.

“You know I’ve never seen anyone talk to their dragon the way they would talk to a dog” Ah, Laena Velaryon, the bane of my existence was once more looking at me like I was a piece of meat but it was only fair as my eyes had wandered when we first met much to Corlys’ chagrin who surprisingly chose not to threaten me when I was admiring his daughter.

“That’s because to me Caraxes is deserving of this kind of attention, he will be with me until I die and is more loyal than any dog could hope to be” As I talked my partner decided to eat his live prey making me wince at the sudden squealing that came from the pigs as they burned. “What brings you here Laena?”

“I came to get you, my mother and brother have arrived and they would like to hear what you have to say” Laena took a step forward and I could feel her breath on my face, our lips would touch if I moved just the tiniest bit forward and with her being so close I had a great look at her tits, Valyrians were usually petite but Laena didn’t suffer that fate and her boobs looked amazing. “I would reward you if you let something slip”

This was the reason I called her the bane of my existence. She wanted to know more about everything, the future, the past, even what could be but wasn’t. Laena had a thirst for knowledge and adventure that was quickly getting out of control. I could have just answered her questions while she was naked and servicing me but I wanted to speak with Corlys first, something that had proved impossible thanks to Laena.

“I’m afraid to say this but…” as I let the words hang, my hands moved to her hips, I traced the outline of her figure before my hands found their way to her ass. The soft pillowy flesh gave in to my fingers and Laena wasn’t shy about moaning out her approval at my actions, and after letting out some of my frustrations I continued speaking “We don’t have time for what you want”

I slapped her ass and the mounted Caraxes who quickly launched himself to the sky.

“Daemon! You! You bastard!” a red-faced Laena creamed from the ground.as she shook her fists at me

“I’ll see you back at the castle Laena but you should remember this day as the day you almost captured Daemon Targaryen” With a laugh I commanded Caraxes to fly towards my newly built castle.

The thing was a marvel of Roman engineering, or rather the material was. The construction was going well even if the design wasn’t the best it could be, honestly, the hardest part was getting all the volcanic rock or tephra as I know it but I still had contacts in Dragonstone that were more than partial to me, it also helped that I gave them a lot of money for it but soon my new bastion of civilization would be a testament to my rule!

I caught sight of the dragons of the other Velaryons as well as the fact that it seemed like Rhaenys’ Red Queen was attempting to bite one of the pillars around the base of the castle. Laena could say whatever she wanted about how I treated Caraxes but if there ever was a dragon that deserved to be treated like a dog it was Meleys.

My landing was perhaps not as graceful as it could be but that was thepoint as Meleys turned to roar to the approaching Caraxes and more importantly stopped destroying the infrastructure of my castle.

“Rhaenys! You look more beautiful as time passes if you ever get tired of Corlys I would be more than happy to take his place” My words were completely different than what Daemon might normally say to her and it showed in the way her eyes widened at my blatant proposition.

Not that it was a lie, her black hair looked almost like it was taken form the night’s sky and after having two children her tits looked magnificent, not two mention that years of riding her dragon had given her some killer legs

“Kingship has made you even bolder Daemon” Rhaenys replied evenly “What would Corlys say to your words?”

I answered with a shrug of my shoulders “Laugh, maybe try to punch me, then he would cry out to the heavens about how his wife is his and his alone”

“And you’re not wrong” Corlys called from behind me and only the reflexes honed in the war for the Stepstones saved me from taking a hit to the head.

“Too slow Corlys, too slow” We stared at each other with serious faces and I could feel the tension in the air, then it immediately disappeared as we both started laughing much to his family’s relief. I understood why my grandfather would hate a man like him, Corlys was a man full of ambition and with a hunger for more that was only curtailed by his intelligence but he was loyal and that was worth more than enduring the weight of his ambition.

After we both stopped laughing my gaze settled on the last member of the Velaryon family and I almost choked as I saw Laenor. The guy was a femboy, there was no other way to describe what I was seeing some would call Valyrians effeminate but the heir of Dirftmark to it to another level. It wasn’t helped by the fact that instead of pants he was wearing some kind of shorts with long socks that to me looked more like stockings.

I looked back at Corlys who didn’t see or perhaps decided not to see how his son looked, my eyes met Rhaenys’ who just shook her head. Getting over my shock I approached the shorter man and offered up my hand. “Laenor it’s great that you could accompany us! I heard you’re about to be knighted perhaps you could wait for my crowning ceremony and I could be the one to do it”

The offer was said to him but the ones really paying attention were his parents, Rhaenys even seemed to be considering the offer which was progress on its own as she didn’t have the best impression of me.

“King Daemon the Stepstones looked even better than what my father described in his letters” Fuck! even his voice was girly, no wonder everyone turned on Rhaenyra so quickly when she insulted their intelligence like that.

“It’s still a work in progress once everything is finished there will be no city in the world that could compare, have you tried the food?” one I received a shake from the heads of the mother and son I turned to a nearby servant that was carrying the customary bread and salt. “Bring us some pizza and lots of fries”

“Pizza? Fries?” Rhaenys didn’t look convinced at the names but Corlys was the one who spoke first after her.

“They’re delicious my love, Laena went as far as to tell me that if I didn’t have the cooks on Driftmark learn how to make them she wasn’t going home” Rhaenys shot him an incredulous look before turning to me.

“We have more important things to discuss than food, Corlys was subtle but there is no denying the underlying message. You have seen the future Daemon and I would like to know what is to be the fate of my children” damn! With the whip at her side, Rhaenys looked like a dommy mommy, a shake of my head dispelled such thoughts and I nodded at the Queen who never was.

“I would be more than happy to answer all your questions about the future but we should probably wait for Laena”

“Daemon you fucker!” Speak of the devil. ”When I get my hands on you!”

“I would be more than happy to let your hands roam my body but you shouldn’t scream out those kinds of desires in the streets or in front of your mother!” I shouted back at her as her horse approached.

Rhaenys gave me a nasty and I just smiled pleasantly at her. I had a plan to save the dragons, it wasn’t one I liked but it was the only thing that I could do. My heart constricted in my chest at the mere thought of it and yet I smiled as we entered the part of my castle that was habitable.

What a joke, I tried distracting myself all the time but in the end it always came back to this.

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Rhaenys Targaryen

When Corlys had first talked about the changes in Daemon she had thought them an exaggeration, the result of her husband fighting with him and the natural course of friendship. Rhaenys was not prepared to see just how real the changes were but here it was that Daemon Targaryen who always has looked at everyone who isn’t Valyrian like bugs being so gentle with one of the serving girls after she had a little accident, an accident that Rhaenys was sure was on purpose as the girl’s clothes turned almost see through thanks to the spilled wine.

“It’s fine, we have plenty of wine and more is coming every day thanks to all the people leaving Tyrosh” Daemon put his hand on the girl’s face gently cupping her cheeks as he smiled making the poor servant turn into a tomato, it didn’t escape Rhaenys notice that Laena didn’t look happy at the attention Dameon was paying the girl.

“Hmn!” predictably it was also her daughter who cleared her throat as she not so subtly called for Daemon’s attention.

“Right! You may go, we’re going to be busy so wait for someone to call for more food and wine” The servant scampered off to another part of the castle. Which was another thing on her mind, Daemon was creating liquid rock like their ancestors, sure it wasn’t the blackened one that was said to last forever but Daemon was sure that the white one he was making would last for at least three thousand years.

He had said it so casually as if the story of their house couldn’t fit twenty times in that time span, but when one could look into the future time seemed to be a minor concern. Rhaenys took another bite of the pizza that she had filled with those crunchy pieces of potato and had to hold back a moan as the flavor hit her tongue, at least Daemon had the decency to give them such great food and the deliciousness took her mind of all the questions she wanted to ask.

“Well Daemon we’re finally alone and I think my wife is at her wit’s end” Corlys looked on at their family with some trace of guilt and Rhaenys suddenly was in no hurry to hear what the future was like.

“I guess it’s time, would you like me to go in order first Laena, then Laenor, then you, and at the end Corlys?”

“Yes” and with that single word everything she knew would change.

“Laena will live happily for a time she will have two daughters, twin girls, the pregnancy would be hard on her and while she wouldn’t be barren after it any other children she could have after it would die along with her and that’s what happens to her, Laena dies in the birthing bed as she delivers a dead son”

There was much that he wasn’t telling them but just that much had been enough to put frowns on all of their faces.

“Laenor’s tale isn’t happy either, he will live hating that he can’t be true to himself, cowering in the shadows of what his house demands of him but that will only bring disaster. He will have no children of his own and will die at the hands of a disgruntled lover”

Rhaenys knew what Daemon was talking about, she wasn’t as blind as her husband was. Laenor didn’t like women, he could stand them but he wasn’t attracted to them. She had been hoping for something different.

“You Rhaenys will not die peacefully, dragon fire will consume your body and leave nothing but a husk of coal behind and your dragon will be ripped into pieces by two others”

The words hit her like a punch, she looked ta Corlys who avoided her gaze and she finally understood why he seemed so reticent to hear their fates, there would be civil war in Westeros and both sides will have dragons.

“Corlys has already heard this so I will simplify it for you, he will survive all of you, all his sons and daughters, all of his wives and friends. Corlys will live wishing he was dead as he sees the legacy he fought to build crumple in his hands”

“That’s it! our future is to die! To suffer!” Laena screamed at the impassive Daemon.

“Yes, but you’re forgetting the most important thing in all of this, we have a chance to change that future. Much like our ancestor I have seen the doom of our house, the end of the last dragon, and the slow decay that awaits us all. But we can change it all! This is an opportunity!”

“You want us to strike first” What came out of Rhaenys mouth wasn’t a question but the stamen of a fact. “you would turn us into kin slayers just to save ourselves”

“Look me in the eye Rhaenys and tell me that you won’t fight for the future of your children” Daemon had no need to scream or shout as the words he said carried a weight that couldn’t be denied.

What mother wouldn’t do everything for her children? Who wouldn’t fight for their future?... Daemon was right, she didn’t like it but he was right.

“But you misunderstand me Rhaenys, I don’t want to do it but if our legacy is to survive then we must do it and the person we ought to kill is none other than my brother. Do you understand that?! My brother!” Daemon stood up and started pacing around the room “he was the first one to hold my hand when I was a babe, he helped me start my path as a warrior. Do you think I want to do this?!”

The unmistakable roar of Caraxes could be heard outside and Rhaenys realized just how much this was affecting Daemon.

“There has to be another way” she said before realizing to whom she was speaking.

“If there is, I haven’t seen it. War is coming Rhaenys, one way or another but it always comes. My brother doomed his kingdom the moment he married Allicent, it's up to us to save what we can from it. We have a decision to make, we can prepare for war, conquer what used to be the triarchy and start building an army or kill my brother right now, and send his children away so as to never allow them to have dragons. Rhaenyra will hate us for it all, she has it in her head that she deserves to be queen, and the war I envisioned will happen with Rhaenyra rebelling against us once she has children of her own”

“Is there really no other option?” she had to ask, there was no way this had to be the legacy of their house, one where dragons danced in the sky bringing doom to their lands.

“We could wait, I have changed things already and people will make new choices but escaping the shadow of war will be difficult if not outright impossible” Daemon made his way to the door and gave them all one last look “I’ve given you much to think about, I think we all should take some time to rest. Once night comes we should focus on enjoying the moment and let the future rest”

With those parting words, Daemon left her family behind, the delicious food on the table untouched and portably cold after being ignored. Surprisingly it wasn’t Corlys who spoke first but Laenor.

“Father…I-I like men” Rhaenys felt her heart jump to her throat and looked at her husband “People say it’s wrong but I can’t help how I feel. I- ‘m sorry”

Lenor kept mumbling apologies as he avoided looking at his father, Corlys remained impassive despite the various emotions that no doubt were coursing in his head.

Then Corlys stood up without saying a word and approached Laenor who had tears in her eyes, Rhaenys felt her heart beat uncontrollably fast and jumped from her seat the moment Corlys raised a hand to her son.

“Corlys if you strike him I will feed you to Meleys!” the hand moved but not to strike Laenor as she had expected, instead it landed on his shoulder. Softly and gently he squeezed and Laenor turned to his father and met his eyes.

“I know son, I didn’t want to admit it. I- I wanted something different for you, I’m not a good father and I would have made you do things that you don’t want to because that is what is expected of me but I’ve had time to think about it all ever since Daemon first told me my lonely fate.” Corlys took a steadying breath and continued “I promised myself that if you got the courage to speak that I would respect your decision, I don’t understand it but I respect it and nothing would ever make me love you less”

Laenor cried freely now as he hugged his father and despite the bad news they had received, despite the dark clouds gathering on the horizon. Rhaenys couldn’t help but have hope.

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Author note: Politics are a dirty business where family and friends are so easily discarded, DaemonSI knows that the easy path is killing his brother, it's the easiest way to avoid a war as devastating as the Dance of Dragons but killing your family isn't that easy, the food, the city building, the speeches, even the horny thoughts are all a coping mechanism to avoid thinking about the future. This isn't like in the Viserys story where he can just focus on the plan, here the SI has to deal with an unpleasant reality but that is what Viserys visit will cover,.

I don't think i portrayed that as well as i could so i may rewrite this chapter later but if you can i would appreciate some constructive criticism.

Also i want to put up a poll so that you can help me decide how you wnat this to go and who should Daemon marry after he legally disolves his marry with Rhea