The Heat of Dorne Chapter 12 (Patreon)

Arianne’s piercing wail of pain echoed through the Red Keep and made Daemon’s heart clench as he paced back and forth.

“Pacing isn’t going to help, son,” Rhaegar said, trying to calm him. “Some wine might, perhaps a cup of strongwine.”

“No,” Daemon said, pausing for only a moment before he started pacing again as another scream reached his ears. “No, if I start drinking right now, I won’t stop, and I need to be sober when we get news.”

“It will be quite a while yet,” Rhaegar sighed. “When Aegon was born, Elia’s labor lasted more than a day.”

“My poor sister has always been thin and frail,” Oberyn said mournfully. “Thankfully, Arianne is anything but. I might not have given birth, my prince, but I have put babes in my fair share of women, so trust me when I say that my niece has good hips for this sort of thing. You don’t need to worry that much.”

“I just want this over and done with,” Daemon muttered.

“As does she, I imagine,” Aegon murmured, earning a glare from his brother.

“I sent word to Doran,” Oberyn said. “We had all but assumed at this point that you weren’t going to make it back to King’s Landing in time.”

“I arrived the day of the birth,” Daemon snorted. “A single storm could have delayed me past it.”

“Arianne was thrilled to learn that you had arrived,” Oberyn said. “Such a good husband you are to seek to examine her personally to ensure her good health.”

The mocking tone made it very clear that Oberyn knew exactly why Daemon had been so soaked when he frantically sought Maester Marwyn’s aid.

“Your wife is in good hands, my boy,” Aemon said from the chair he was resting in. “This might not be Marwyn’s specialty, but he is one of the most learned and gifted maesters I have ever met.”

Knowing that she had competent care did help sooth Daemon’s frayed nerves a bit. His ancient uncle had ceded the duty to Marwyn, knowing that, in his state, he’d be of less use. Not only was he completely blind and increasingly frail, but he had spent many decades in a place where childbirth was the very last thing that he was expected to deal with, and his experience was therefore severely limited.

“He’s been a great asset to us,” Rhaegar commented, “and with Elia in there with him and the midwives, Arianne is well cared for.”

Their lovers were there as well, and Daemon was glad that the room was spacious enough to fit everyone.

“Is it true that in Braavos, you dueled a giant to the death?” Aegon asked.

Daemon smiled at his brother, recognizing and welcoming the attempted distraction.

“He wasn’t a giant,” he replied, “but he was one of the largest men I’ve ever faced and a massive cunt to boot.”

He launched into the tale of the tournament in Braavos, explaining why he entered it for Bellegere and how he made a friend and killed an enemy. A servant arrived during the retelling with various cheeses, fruits, and wines for them. Daemon ate a little but drank only water, something he was joined in on by Aemon, who explained that wine hadn’t sat well in his stomach for over a decade. The Targaryen men and Prince Oberyn passed the next several hours in that way, trading stories of tournies and battles while Arianne’s pained cries continued to haunt Daemon. Several hours later, those who had bothered with wine had passed out in their chairs, leaving only Daemon and Aemon awake.

“I possibly shouldn’t have, but I must say that I did have a favorite brother,” Aemon said. “Egg was the best of us by far.”

“His reign is remembered fondly,” Daemon said noncommittally. He had never thought much of Aegon the Unlikely, but he wasn’t about to say that to the old man.

“Oh, that I had already been blind when the raven came with the news of Summerhall,” Aemon said mournfully. “Such a loss that was, personally and for the realm.”

“His immediate successors left a lot to be desired,” Daemon said.

“Jaehaerys never had the chance to show what he would have really been like as king,” Aemon said, “and Aerys had his good points, at first, anyway.”

“I suppose I’ve only ever heard the bad ones,” Daemon said.

“He was prickly and vain as a boy,” Aemon said, “but he did have good intentions, and his skill in assessing talent was second to none. He left behind one of the finest Kingsguards the crown has had since the early days of the Conciliator’s reign, and though the two fell out towards the end, Tywin Lannister was an exceptionally capable Hand.”

“I suppose I hadn’t thought of that,” Daemon said.

“If he had been less proud, suffered fewer losses, and if that terrible business at Duskendale hadn’t happened, Aerys II would likely be remembered quite fondly,” Aemon said.

“I guess I’d just always considered him to be like Aerion,” Daemon said.

“Aerion was an entirely different sort of beast,” Aemon said darkly. “He was born wrong and grew only wronger with each day that he lived. Aerys might have gone mad towards the end, but he wasn’t always that way.”

“Daemon!” Elia exclaimed as she rejoined them.

“Is she…” Daemon went to ask, rising to his feet immediately. He hadn’t heard Arianne scream for several minutes, and there had been a great deal of noise not long ago.

“She’s well,” Elia said. “You two have a son.”

“A son,” Daemon breathed, taking a moment to compose himself.

“She’s asked for you,” Elia said.

“Go on now,” Aemon said. “I think you’ll find holding your son for the first time to be more important than listening to the rambling of an old man.”

“Your rambles are always interesting,” Daemon quipped, making him smile.

He rushed into the room Arianne and the others were in, feeling his weariness creeping up on him with every step, and froze as he took in the sight that awaited him. His gorgeous wife, looking exhausted, sweaty, and pained, was nonetheless more beautiful to him than he could ever recall because of what she held in her arms. He was a sizable babe, his son, and the first thing he noticed was the shock of silver-gold hair on his head. He stared at Daemon when he caught sight of him, and the prince smiled at seeing that he had his wife’s dark blue eyes.

“My love,” Arianne said, sounding tired and yet happy. “Come meet our Maekar.”

“Maekar?” Daemon asked.

“Maekar Martell,” Arianne said, “named for the second man with Dornish blood to sit on the Iron Throne. I couldn't exactly go with Aerys.”

“I love it,” Daemon said, looking down at Maekar. “I must have missed his first cries.”

“Be thankful for that, my prince,” Marwyn said as he joined them. “Your son has quite the set of lungs, my prince. Princess, I’ll leave the milk of the poppy here for you.”

“Thank you, Maester Marwyn,” Arianne said.

“Escort my great-uncle to his chambers,” Daemon said. “The hour is late, and he is surely tired.”

“Of course, my prince,” Marwyn said, bowing before he left.

“Isn’t he beautiful?” Daenerys asked, staring down at Maekar with a look of longing in her eyes.

Both she and Rhaenys had looked rather ashen-faced when he first entered, likely thinking of their upcoming wedding and the children they would be having, possibly within the year. It seemed she had recovered and his sister looked better as well, smiling widely at the newborn.

“Would you like to hold him?” Arianne asked.

“Aye,” Daemon said, carefully taking Maekar from her and cradling him in his arms.

“Be mindful to hold his head steady, Daemon,” Elia said.

“The midwives said that was one of the least complicated first-time births they’ve ever aided with,” Missandei piped up.

“Having wide hips really does help, I guess,” Tyene said.

“I’m fucked,” Nymeria said.

“Your hips are wider than mine, dear,” Elia said encouragingly.

“Who do you plan to have children with?” Daenerys asked.

Nymeria and the others all looked at Daemon, and Arianne snickered at how Daenerys’ face reddened as she figured it out.

“Congratulations, Valonqar,” Rhaenys said, joining him and peering down at her new nephew. “He’s perfect.”

“He really is,” Daemon said, staring down at his son in awe.

Maekar chose that moment to start crying.

“What’s wrong?” Daemon asked.

“I imagine he’s hungry,” Elia said.

“Hand him over,” Arianne said, shifting her dress over so one of her breasts came free of it.

“Are you planning to feed him yourself?” Elia asked approvingly.

“This first time at least,” Arianne said, sighing as Maekar quickly started drinking from her.

“You might want to leave him to wet nurses,” Daemon said. “We wouldn’t want to spoil him too much.”

“Spoil him?” Arianne asked.

“The poor boy’s never going to see a better pair in all his days,” Daemon said, making her lip quirk a bit.

“Could one of you hit him?” Arianne asked. “My hands are full.”

Obara slapped his arm hard yet playfully, and he looked over at her. Leaning in, he whispered, “your turn’s coming.”

Smirking at her shudder, he turned and saw Bellegere looking like she was going to fall asleep on her feet.

“Alright,” Arianne said as Maekar finished. Turning to a servant, she said, “see him to the nursery. As much as I’d like to hold him in my arms forever, I’m exhausted, and it seems he is too.”

“Your will be done, princess,” the servant said, carefully taking Maekar and bringing him to the carefully prepared chambers.

“I suspect we’re all exhausted,” Elia said. “Come along, girls; let’s leave the new mother to rest.”

“I love you,” Daemon said, kissing her forehead.

“I love you too,” Arianne sighed softly as she turned to grab the milk of the poppy.

Daemon pulled the covers up on the other side of the bed, and Arianne immediately asked, “what are you doing?”

“I might not be as tired as you, but I haven’t got any more sleep than you today,” Daemon said.

“Daemon, this bed is full of my sweat, blood, and the gods know what else,” Arianne said. “I’m disgusting right now.”

“You’ve never looked more beautiful to me,” Daemon said, “and I don’t care what else is in this bed so long as you are. All I want right now is to hold you in my arms and pass out.”

Arianne blinked a couple times before the tears started to come.

“Hey now,” Daemon said, climbing into bed and stroking her cheek.

“There were times over the last few hours where I thought I never wanted to see your cock again,” Arianne said as her sobbing passed, “and it took you only two sentences to make me want to fuck you right here.”

“That, alas, we can’t do,” Daemon said.

“Sadly,” Arianne said, drinking down the milk of the poppy.

As she set the cup back down on the table, she grunted and groaned as she rolled onto her side, and Daemon quickly moved to wrap his arm carefully around her and hold her tight.

“Good night, my love,” Daemon said, though he didn’t know if she heard a word of it as she fell asleep.

He quickly joined her.

*****

“My first grandson,” Rhaegar said wistfully as the two of them walked, flanked by guards, towards the courtyard. “He’s as large and hale as Barristan says you were back then.”

“Marwyn wasn’t jesting about his lungs,” Daemon chuckled. The boy’s cries and demands to be fed or cleaned had echoed through the halls many times over the last couple days.

“I was only ten when my brother Daeron was born,” Rhaegar said. “Even then, I knew he wasn’t strong, and neither were Aegon or Jaehaerys after him. Maekar’s strong, though, and it pleases me more than I can say to see someone in our family have a child without complications.”

“We have had some rather terrible luck on that front,” Daemon said.

“My parents managed three through sheer force,” Rhaegar said, his expression darkening as he thought of his father. “Their father had only two and you know how my luck was. The Targaryens haven’t had a sizable family since the days of my great-grandfather.”

“Well, Ari and I will do our best,” Daemon said.

“And the others too,” Rhaegar commented.

“Is that something you have a problem with?” Daemon asked, managing not to sound defensive.

“If you were my heir or not living in Dorne, I would,” Rhaegar said. “All I’ll say is to be cautious.”

“Gods, I haven’t seen Dorne in over a year,” Daemon said.

“It’s apparently become quite remarkable,” Rhaegar said. “Between the sudden greening, the influx of treasure going into Sunspear’s coffers, and the population increase from the Dothraki women, I’d say that our southern-most kingdom has quite the bright future ahead of it.”

“I’ll say,” Oberyn commented, having overheard them from where he was practicing with Sunpiercer. “I haven’t had the chance to say it yet, my prince, but I must thank you for this. This is the finest spear I’ve ever wielded.”

“The gods be good, Maekar will wield it someday,” Daemon said.

“What a sight that will be,” Oberyn commented.

“Speaking of remarkable sights, I had arranged for Daemon to see a demonstration of dragonpowder,” Rhaegar said.

“Ah yes, one of your other major gifts,” Oberyn said.

“It is remarkable how many times over the last couple years I’ve been in a position to utterly disapprove of your methods, yet appreciate the results,” Rhaegar commented. “Sending Lewyn to bloody Yi-Ti without informing me all so that you could have no escort who would report your actions to me or to Doran while you set up Hugorton was utterly unacceptable. That said, the emperor’s gifts are going to greatly benefit us for generations.”

“Good day, your Grace, my princes,” Edric said as they came to the spot designated for dragonpowder tests. It didn’t escape Daemon’s notice that there was nothing for quite a distance from that spot, save for a heavy wooden barrier that they were standing behind.

“It’s prepared?” Rhaegar asked.

“Yes, your grace,” Edric said.

“Where’s the powder?” Daemon asked.

“In that little ceramic vessel, my prince,” Edric said, pointing at the small little ball with a thin rope coming from it. “Can I light it now?”

Rhaegar chuckled at the boy’s enthusiasm and nodded. Daemon watched as Edric took a torch sitting nearby and used it to light the thin rope, reaching all the way out from the ceramic ball to their position. The fire traveled along the thin rope, and when it neared the ball, Rhaegar pulled him back, and then the pandemonium hit. A sound hit like a crack of thunder, and Daemon’s hands flew to his ears. The second after that, he heard the sounds of small objects hitting walls with great force. It was all over in an instant, and it was only when he realized how relaxed his father, Edric, and Oberyn were that he himself relaxed.

“What the fuck was that?” Daemon asked.

“That is the closest thing we have to dragonfire,” Rhaegar said. “More predictable and safe than wildfire and far more versatile, dragonpowder, when lit, reacts explosively, creating massive balls of flame.”

“It doesn’t burn for nearly as long as wildfire,” Edric said, “which makes it more useful than what we did in Pentos. The Yi-Tish place it in vessels like that, light them up, and hurl them with catapults at enemy armies. They fill them with little shards of metal too, so they can cause even more damage.”

“I demonstrated the technology to Edric yesterday,” Ser Arthur said. “He hasn’t been silent about it since.”

“I’m sorry, Uncle,” Edric said bashfully.

“I pity the poor cunts we use this against,” Daemon murmured, plucking a piece of ceramic out of the wooden barrier that had protected them.

“It will be most unpleasant,” Oberyn said, grinning.

“It will give us an edge in the wars to come,” Rhaegar said. “The formulation of dragonpowder is a secret that I made sure was only shared with a small handful of men. It will remain a secret of the crown for as long as possible.”

That wouldn’t last, Daemon knew, and he was sure that this was only going to make battles even bloodier, but one couldn’t stop men from finding new and exciting ways to kill each other, and this would be quite the advantage for a while.

“Impressive,” he finally said. “What else did the emperor gift us with? Ser Lewyn mentioned a few things, but I can’t recall.”

“Our coffers are well filled for the time being,” Rhaegar said, “and in addition to the gold, jewels, and this gift, there also came a new grain that we’re in the process of trying to cultivate here. If the areas that the Yi-Tish prospectors said could yield this rice turn out to be as fruitful as they claim, our food supply will be in good order for a while. After the way our last harvest turned out, I dearly hope it does.”

“How bad was it?” Daemon asked.

“Not disastrous, but the last few months have been unpleasant,” Rhaegar said. “The worst of it seems to be past us, though.”

“At least Dorne will be able to produce more food going forward,” Daemon said.

“That will be a boon,” Rhaegar said.

“The Dornish are quite looking forward to your return,” Oberyn said. “Tales of your exploits in Essos have traveled far, as have the lovely, wild Dothraki women.”

“I suspected that the Dornish would appreciate them,” Daemon said, smirking as he saw Edric blush. “How difficult was it to get them settled?”

“I’m sure Doran pulled out a few hairs in the process, but we managed,” Oberyn said. “Getting those horse statues into place was far more annoying, though I have to admit that they look lovely outside the doors to the Old Palace. The look on my brother’s face when he saw just how large they are was also amusing.”

“I’m going to enjoy the constant reminder of my triumph,” Daemon said.

“The more I hear of the Dothraki, the more convinced I become that you did a great thing, my son,” Rhaegar said.

“They were pretty much land-Ironborn,” Daemon said. “They might not be the most relevant of my conquests, given our personal connections to the Golden Company and Mopatis, but I enjoyed it all the same.”

“Speaking of the Golden Company, where exactly do you intend to place those skulls?” Rhaegar asked.

“I’m sure I’ll think of something,” Daemon said, shrugging. “They went to the trouble of gilding skulls for us; it would be rude to not try and use them as decorations.”

Rhaegar snorted at that and said, “we’ve shoved them into Varys’ old chambers for now. I thought it was fitting.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask, actually, when you went through his things, what did you find?” Daemon asked.

“What do you mean, my prince?” Ser Arthur asked.

“The scrolls I found covered some of his history but gave little information on his current plans,” Daemon said. “What was the cunt plotting?”

“We found little of relevance,” Ser Arthur said.

“Really?” Daemon asked.

“Yes,” Rhaegar said, sounding annoyed. “It appears that, unlike the Golden Company, Varys didn’t feel the need to extensively document his actions.”

“He must have been plotting something, though,” Daemon said. “He spent twenty years here. There had to be more to it than just trying to kill me in Essos.”

“We’ve questioned him and some of his associates extensively,” Rhaegar said. “We haven’t found much. For now, we’re just keeping our security heightened and doing our best to see what we can discover while we await his trial and execution.”

That didn’t sit well with Daemon, who decided to examine Varys’ quarters himself later on just to see if he could find anything that they might have missed. He was about to say as much when they were interrupted by a servant.

“Your grace,” the servant said. “I come bearing a message for Prince Daemon.”

“Go on,” Rhaegar said.

“Princess Arianne wishes to see you,” the servant said.

“Is she alright?” Daemon asked.

“As far as I can tell, my prince,” the servant replied.

“Go on, Daemon,” Rhaegar said. “Your lovely wife is probably just tired of being stuck in that room and wants your company.”

“I’ll go check on her then,” Daemon said. “Good day.”

“Good day,” the others replied.

*****

“Ari?” Daemon asked as he walked into the room, only to come to a complete halt.

Arianne had not suffered nearly as much as her aunt during childbirth and was already recovering well, but Aemon and Marwyn had still advised her to remain in bed for the most part for a few days to ensure that she continued to. She was bored stiff and had complained at length about it, but she followed their directions regardless. The servants had brought Maekar by quite often over the last few days, something that helped improve her mood. She clearly had something very different in mind that day, as, though she was still lying in bed, she was surrounded by their many lovers, not one of whom was wearing a stitch of clothing.

“Close the door, Daemon,” Arianne said sultrily. When he had done so, she said, “you’ve been awfully neglectful of our beautiful paramours, my love.”

“Tis true,” Tyene said. “We waited months to see you again, and here you are, back to us for days now without a single touch.”

“I have been a little distracted,” Daemon said dryly, “but you’re right.”

“Now, we won’t be able to have sex for another five weeks and five days...” Arianne said, sounding deeply irritated.

“I’m surprised you aren’t counting the hours,” Nymeria snickered.

“...but that doesn’t mean that I can’t enjoy watching all of you,” Arianne continued, glaring at Nymeria for a moment.

“I’m happy to perform for you,” Daemon chuckled.

“Your performances are always spectacular,” Bellegere purred.

“Undress him,” Arianne commanded.

Daemon just grinned at her while he allowed Obara, Nymeria, and Tyene to quickly remove everything he was wearing. His cock, which he hadn’t managed to use properly for months, sprang to attention at record speed, growing so hard that the bulbous head looked purple.

“So who’s first?” Daemon asked, grabbing two handfuls of Tyene and Obara’s arses and marveling, not for the first time, at how different they felt, with Obara’s being taut and firm and Tyene’s being soft.

“We discussed that,” Arianne said, “and we decided that, though you’ve always been a phenomenal lover, with it having been months since you last had a woman, we should probably make you finish once before you try to fuck any of them.”

“Oh?” Daemon asked, a feral grin on his face as he soaked in the looks of lust and desire from the women around him.

“We drew straws, and I won,” Missandei said, stepping up to him and taking his cock in her hand. “Gods, I almost forgot how big you are.”

“I’ll be sure to remind you later,” Daemon groaned.

Missandei’s golden eyes darkened with lust at his promise, and she kissed him. He snaked a hand around the nape of her neck and grabbed a handful of her lovely arse as he plunged his tongue into her mouth, dominating the kiss. The Naathi beauty moaned into his mouth and stroked his cock softly with her small hand. After a minute, she pulled back and gazed up at him lustfully, her eyes slightly lidded.

“I’ll remind myself in just a moment,” she said.

The past few months had clearly done wonders for her confidence, and Daemon quickly found that he liked this version of her better. She pressed her lips against his chest and kissed a hot trail down it and along his muscular abdomen until she was on her knees with his cock in her face.

“Gods above, I missed you,” Missandei whispered before planting a wet kiss on the head of his cock.

Daemon groaned as she began kissing every inch of his length that she could reach, moaning as she gave him that teasing pleasure. Missandei clearly wanted this to last a while, happily taking her time building up to the main event. He was happy to let her do so without complaint, enjoying the slow, gentle ministrations. After about a minute, she kissed her way back up to the tip and took his thick head between her pillowy lips.

“Oh fuck,” Daemon groaned. He sank his fingers into her dark, curly hair, holding onto her head as she began taking him deeper.

“Missy had trouble taking you all the way before,” Tyene said.

“Strangely, in all that time among the Ghiscari, she never saw a single proper cock,” Nymeria snarked.

“So we had something made that was about your size about carefully polished wood,” Obara said, “and gave her lessons.”

“Oh gods,” Daemon moaned as Missandei took the last inches of his cock down her wonderful throat. Her golden eyes never left his as she swallowed around him, and his knees nearly buckled.

Amused by his reaction, Missandei giggled, and the resulting vibrations nearly finished him then and there. She continued sucking his cock masterfully, her head bobbing up and down as she alternated between swallowing him whole and teasing the head of his cock with her talented tongue. He was going to have to do something very nice for his loving sand snakes, and probably Bellegere and Arianne too, for teaching her how to do this. When she cupped his balls and started gently fondling them, it was too much for him, and he let go with a roar, spilling what felt like months of built-up seed into her hot little mouth.

“Fucking hells,” he panted as it ended, taking a step back and leaning against the door.

Missandei stood up and grinned at him, her cheeks puffed out with his seed. She turned and walked over to the bed, and Daemon felt his softening cock twitch as he saw her kiss Arianne. His wife moaned into the other woman’s mouth and pulled her down onto the bed. The two of them shared his load between them, kissing passionately.

“Lucky cunts,” Obara muttered.

“There’s plenty more where that came from,” Daemon said, grinning.

Obara gave him a heated look before pulling him down and kissing him deeply. He walked her forward until her firm arse hit the wall, cradling her head as their tongues dueled for dominance in their mouths. He had missed all of them dearly over the last few months, his most aggressive lover definitely included.

“Fuck, I missed this cock,” Obara gasped as he trailed hot kisses down the column of her neck.

Daemon grunted as he felt his cock rapidly reharden in her hand.

“I guess she’s going first,” Tyene said, pouting.

“I can think of a few things we can do in the mean time, Tyene,” Bellegere purred, pulling the blonde over and kissing her.

Missandei yelped, when Nymeria smacked her arse.

“If you’re done feeding the princess, I want to see how loudly I can make you scream,” the purple-eyed beauty purred.

“Please do,” Arianne said, grinning, “provided Missandei has no objections.”

“None,” Missandei panted, her dusky skin flushing slightly with arousal.

“She’s really settled in here,” Daemon commented.

“Her and Belle both,” Obara said. “It’s honestly been like having another couple of sisters around.”

“In my family, perhaps,” Daemon joked.

“Eh,” Obara shrugged, “except for Missandei, we all have a little Targaryen in us.”

“You’re about to have more than a little Targaryen in you, but first I want to feast on this cunt,” Daemon said.

Kissing his way down along her chest as she laughed at his stupid joke, he worshipped her perky breasts for a moment, drawing delightful moans and gasps from her lips. As he continued his way down, kissing her incredibly toned, defined abdomen, he quickly reached the forest of nut brown curls that crowned her sex and nuzzled them with his nose, inhaling her intoxicating scent.

“Fuck, I missed you,” Daemon said before giving her already slick folds a long lick.

“Missed you...ugh...too,” Obara panted.

“Right there, right there!” Missandei cried.

Daemon peered over without pausing for a moment, and he saw Nymeria’s face buried between the other woman’s thighs. Grinning, he pushed his tongue inside Obara for a moment, tasting her tangy nectar more directly, before moving up to her throbbing clit. The warrior woman’s moans and gasps turned to cries and screams as he feasted on her.

“Seven hells, you can eat cunt!” Obara exclaimed.

“Had you forgotten?” Daemon asked, cocking an eyebrow up at her.

“Remind me,” Obara demanded, pulling his head sharply back against her dripping sex.

Daemon wrapped his lips around her clit and began sucking gently on it as he pushed two fingers inside her. Obara cried out and squeezed hard around his fingers, the muscles of her cunt just as strong as he remembered. He curled his fingers, brushing them against a spot that he knew she loved as he continued to suck on her clit.

“Yes, yes, ye...no, fuck!” Obara snarled as he pulled away. Her whole body was shaking; she was so close to her climax, and she gave him a thunderous look as he stood up.

“I’m going to fuck you until you forget your own name,” Daemon rumbled against her ear, making her shudder.

“I seem to remember you being a man of your word,” Obara said as he lined himself up with her heated hole.

“I am,” Daemon said as he plunged forward, burying his entire immense length inside her in one thrust.

“Fuck!” Obara screamed at the sudden penetration.

Daemon picked her up, and she wrapped her legs around him immediately. Keeping her pushed against the wall, he kissed her savagely as he waited for her to adjust to his length.

“Fucking move,” Obara said after only a moment.

“You truly are desperate for me,” Daemon chuckled.

“YES!” Missandei screamed at the top of her lungs.

Daemon looked over and saw the former slave writhing in pleasure in front of Arianne as Nymeria continued to eat her out. Looking further over, he saw the reason why he hadn’t heard much from Tyene or Bellegere other than muffled moans as the two were locked together on the floor, their faces both buried between the other woman’s plush thighs.

“It seems to me I still remember my name,” Obara said, pulling his face back to look at her.

“Let’s do something about that,” Daemon said, grinning as he pulled partially out of her vice-tight cunt and thrust back inside hard.

Obara mewled as he started pounding her against the wall. The sound of their muscular bodies colliding again and again echoed around them. He buried his face in the crook of her neck and nipped at her pulse point. Since their first time, he had come to love fucking Obara in positions like this. Holding her steady with his hands on her firm arse, he fucked her hard, deep strokes as he tried to find one of the deep spots that he knew would make her cum. He was slightly out of practice, and it took him several tries, but eventually he felt the head of his cock sink inside a small space inside her and grinned as she immediately screamed.

“Fuck!” Obara shrieked. “Right there!”

Daemon growled, hitting that spot again and again with every thrust as he fucked Obara roughly. Every time he did so, she screamed, and soon the room was filled with her staccato cries as she soared towards her peak. She was the most difficult of them to get off, but he was well practiced at it by now, and soon enough, she came undone.

“FUCK!” Obara squealed as she came.

Her quivering cunt gushed around him, and he felt her fluids run down his balls onto his feet below. It had been so long since he had felt a woman cum around his cock, and he groaned in pleasure as she squeezed him tightly. She had long since taught the others how to train their inner muscles, and he looked forward to seeing what they were like after all these months of exercising them, but first, he had to fuck Obara into a mindless mess.

“Fucking hells,” she panted, slumping against him as her orgasm subsided.

Daemon moved one of his hands closer to the center of her arse so he could hold her with it while he snaked the other one up along her sweaty skin all the way to her hair. Pulling gently, he grinned as her green eyes focused on him.

“Just like you remember?” he asked teasingly.

“Even better,” Obara sighed, kissing him tenderly.

He walked her over to a nearby chair and sat down in it. She took the hint immediately and started riding him hard and fast, bouncing and grinding on his cock with glee.

“One more,” Nymera panted, her body shaking on the bed. “Fuck, that feels good!”

“I don’t know how you can like this, but if you insist,” Missandei said as she added her thumb and pushed her whole hand inside the other woman.

“Fuck yes!” Nymeria cried, her pale skin slick with sweat from the effort of taking such an intense stretch.

“Yes, yes, YES!” Tyene screamed as she came, her body quivering and shaking under Bellegere.

“I...win,” Bellegere panted, sounding so close that he figured he could make her cum by blowing on her clit.

“Let me...catch my breath,” Tyene panted, “and then sit on my face.”

“I love my life,” Daemon thought to himself.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!” Obara cried as she drew rapidly close to a second peak.

One thing that he had learned early on with her was that while it could be difficult to make her cum, once he did, she often could multiple times in short succession. Reaching down to where their bodies were joined, he started rubbing her clit with his thumb, at the same time, he brought one of her pebbled nipples to his lips.

It wasn’t long before the muscular woman shrieked as she came again. He held her tightly and fucked her through that orgasm and the one after it. In the midst of it all, he heard Nymeria squeal as she came hard, but he was too focused on Obara to look. As she collapsed in his arms after that third one, tired but still awake, he slapped her ass, jolting her out of her stupor.

“Need a break?” he asked.

“Yes,” Obara admitted, sounding out of it. “Switch places?”

Daemon chuckled and carefully moved them so that she was seated on the chair before pulling out of her gaping cunt.

“Mmm,” Bellegere sighed as she continued to straddle Tyene’s face. “I already came, but this gorgeous creature won’t let me move.”

“As someone who has had that arse on my face, I can understand,” Daemon chuckled, parting Tyene’s thighs and gazing at the beautiful, fleshy lips of her cunt.

When Tyene gave a questioning sound, Bellegere said, “Daemon’s about to fuck you, love. Do you want me to get off? Oh fuck!”

“I’m going to assume that means no,” Daemon said, lining himself up with her.

“She just...ahh...started licking my clit again, so probably not,” Bellegere moaned.

Daemon grinned and pushed the head of his cock inside, groaning as he felt one of the tightest cunts he’d ever fucked cling around the first couple inches of his cock.

“Gods, you’re still like a clenched fist,” Daemon groaned. Tyene gave his cock a quick squeeze and then dug her fingers into Bellegere’s fleshy hips.

It had been a while since he’d had any of them, but they had clearly enjoyed each other plenty, and while Tyene was still almost painfully tight, he didn’t have nearly as hard a time as he had the first few times burying himself to the hilt inside her. Reaching down, he kneaded her large, full breasts as he drew most of his cock out of her snug depths before slamming back inside. Tyene’s squeal reached his ears despite being muffled by Bellegere’s body.

“Mmm, that’s it,” Bellegere sighed, grinding her wet cunt on the other woman’s mouth.

“She is wonderful, isn’t she?” Daemon asked rhetorically. “Such a good little whore.”

He grinned as he heard Tyene whimper into Bellegere just as he felt her cunt flutter around him.

“We’re making great use of her,” Bellegere giggled before pulling him for a deep, passionate kiss.

The two of them made out while they fucked Tyene together, his hips becoming a blur as he pounded her just as hard as he knew she liked. He kneaded one of Bellegere’s breasts, tweaking her hard brown nipple while reaching down to do the same to Tyene. Considering that they were only very distantly related, the two of them had remarkably similar bodies.

“Yes, yes!” Bellegere cried, breaking the kiss and clinging to him as her orgasm built rapidly within her. “Just like that, just a little more, just a...fuck!”

She became a wailing, shuddering mess as her orgasm coursed through her, eventually collapsing forward into his arms. He held her as little aftershocks of pleasure continued to hit her and trailed a hand down the smooth, light brown skin of her back until he’d reached her arse.

“Mmm,” Bellegere sighed against him as he grabbed a handful of one of her round cheeks.

She climbed off Tyene, who immediately moved up and kissed him. Daemon groaned at the taste of Bellegere’s cunt on her lips and was soon fucking her into the floor, her legs wrapped around him as he rutted her for all she was worth.

“You still...make me feel...like a little girl,” Tyene panted, letting out little squeaks each time he bottomed out inside her.

“So fucking tight,” Daemon groaned against her neck as he kissed and licked along it.

“Harder, harder!” Tyene screamed.

“Fucking hells, she could wake the dead,” Nymeria groaned.

“You were pretty loud just now too, Nym,” Missandei said teasingly, “at least until you passed out.”

Daemon changed his position and moved her legs up until her ankles were resting on his shoulders. As he fucked her in this position, her breasts jiggled and rolled across her chest, and Bellegere reached down to palm them, kneading gently.

“Such beautiful breasts,” she cooed.

“They’re not the largest anymore,” Tyene said. “Ari’s got us all beat now.”

“There’s an easy way to fix that,” Arianne called out, laughing.

“That’s true,” Daemon said. “There is one certain way to make your breasts equal to hers again.”

He swore that Tyene’s pupils grew at his words alone, and they had already been rather large. Leaning in, he wrapped one arm around Bellegere and the other around Tyene’s head as he leaned in.

“Cum for me, and I’ll do it,” Daemon whispered. “Cum for me, and I’ll make you a mother.”

“DAEMON!” Tyene shrieked, her whole body bucking wildly against him as she squirted around him.

The feeling of her already tight tunnel quivering around him was always incredible, and it felt even better with her cumming this hard. He let go with a roar, filling her to the brim with his seed as Bellegere pulled back and just watched the display. He slumped against her as his orgasm finished, panting for breath.

“I think she passed out,” Bellegere chuckled.

“Aye,” Daemon said as he pulled out of the beautiful blonde. The river of seed that flowed out of her as he did so made him grin.

“Why don’t you two come here, and the three of us can nurse Daemon’s cock back to full strength?” Nymeria asked, curling a finger invitingly.

“That sounds like fun,” Bellegere said, rising to her feet.

Daemon didn’t disagree and quickly joined them, but not before picking up Tyene and placing her on a chair next to Obara, which he figured would be more comfortable than the floor. As he walked over to the bed, the sultry looks he got from all four of the women on it made his softening cock twitch.

“Gods, how I missed that cock,” Nymeria purred, her violet eyes locked on his swinging member.

“Is that all I am to you?” Daemon asked, his lips twitching.

“You know that isn’t true,” the brunette said coyly.

“You’ve got a wonderful tongue too,” Arianne piped up, making him laugh.

“Come,” Bellegere said, grazing his muscular ass with her nails as she pulled him and brought his cock to her lips. She moaned around his length, and he groaned as he felt himself harden again.

Nymeria cupped her cheek, and Bellegere pulled back to let the other woman start to suck his cock. The two went back and forth like that, switching off every thirty seconds or so as they slurped off every bit of pussy juice on his shaft. While they did their best to make him go mad, Missandei wrapped her arms around Arianne and kissed her deeply.

“Enough,” Daemon hissed after a while. “I want you two bent over the bed.”

“Mmm, yes!” Bellegere said, scrambling to stick her gorgeous arse in the air for him.

“I’m amazed you ever take her any other way,” Nymeria commented as she joined Bellegere. “This ass is the greatest I’ve ever seen.”

She grabbed two handfuls of Bellegere’s ass and spread the cheeks apart, unveiling her dripping pink pussy and winking rosebud to him. Daemon smirked and moved Nymeria into place right next to her, until their hips were flush against one another. The two contrasted each other in numerous ways, most notably their skin tones and figures. Bringing his hand down on Nymeria’s pert ass, he smirked as she shrieked, and the pale skin turned red almost immediately.

“Fuck me, please!” Nymeria moaned.

“Hmm, your pretty little cunt looks so red and swollen already,” Daemon rumbled as he pushed two fingers inside her. “Missandei managed to fit her entire fist in here?”

“It felt so good,” Nymeria cooed.

“I wonder how many of my fingers you could take,” Daemon mused.

Nymeria whipped her head around to look at him, her eyes widening in fear. “No, Daemon, your hands are huge.”

“I know,” Daemon said, adding a third and feeling her slick walls stretch around that. As fond as Nymeria was of being stretched to her limits, she had never been willing to try that with him. “I’d much rather fuck you anyway.”

Without any more warning than that, he plunged inside her balls deep, making her bury her face in the bedding and scream. She was wet and more than ready for him, and he groaned as he felt her heated flesh cling to him immediately.

“Oh,” Bellegere moaned. “Must I wait so long?”

“You know you like being made to wait,” Daemon said, smirking as she cried out when he started fingering her.

“You know he can’t resist fucking you from behind,” Nymeria said, cupping Bellegere’s cheek. She leaned in and captured the other woman’s lips with her own.

Daemon wondered, as he had many times before, how he had gotten so lucky as he watched the two women he was fucking together make out with each other. Working himself up to a hard, fast pace, he fucked Nymeria the way he remembered she loved. At the same time, he started gently teasing Bellegere’s clit with his rough fingers, not looking to make the beautiful woman cum, but just inching her ever closer to her climax.

“Oh fuck, just like that!” Nymeria moaned, breaking off the kiss and grabbing the bedding for support as she started rocking her hips back against him with increasing force.

“Daemon,” Bellegere whined as he again moved away from her throbbing clit.

“Harder, harder!” Nymeria cried.

“Patience, pet,” Daemon said, brushing his hand over Bellegere’s back. “I’ll fuck you as soon as Nym here cums.”

“I can help with that,” Bellegere said, turning around.

She slipped a finger inside her dripping pussy, stirring it around for a moment before bringing it to Nymeria’s puckered asshole.

“Oh fuck!” Nymeria whimpered.

“Such a little anal whore,” Bellegere giggled. “How does that feel?”

“So...good,” Nymeria panted. “I’m so fucking full!”

“Some day we’ll have to see how much we can fit in your cunt while I’m fucking your arse,” Daemon said.

“We could use one of those wooden cocks,” Arianne mused. “Then we’d get to see just how full we can stuff her.”

“Yes!” Nymeria cried, her body beginning to shake as her orgasm drew close. “Yes, yes, FUCK!”

Daemon tightened his grip on her hips and continued to fuck her hard through her climax. Bellegere pulled her finger out and wrapped her arms around Nymeria, holding her tightly as her orgasm continued to rock her entire body. When she finally went still, Bellegere walked over to a nearby basin of water, swaying her hips as she went, and cleaned off the finger.

“Is it my turn now?” she asked as she turned around.

“You could fuck Missandei here instead,” Arianne said teasingly.

“No,” Missandei said, snuggling into his wife’s voluptuous form as the pair watched the show together. “Poor Belle is practically shaking with need, and it would be cruel to deny her further.”

Daemon grinned at the two of them and laughed at the obvious pleading in Bellegere’s beautiful blue eyes.

“I want you facing them,” he said.

“Alright,” Bellegere panted, climbing over Nymeria’s prone form and sticking her face in the bedding near Arianne’s feet as she wiggled her arse in the air.

“I wish I was any good at painting,” Daemon thought to himself as he took in the sight of Bellegere’s arse. “Capturing this would be wonderful.”

Fisting his cock, he rubbed the bulbous head, nearly as purple as his eyes from how hard he was, through her soft folds. Bellegere whimpered but didn’t say a word, knowing that any further begging would likely only cause him to tease her further. Grabbing two large handfuls of her fleshy ass, he thrust forward and buried himself inside her.

“Gods!” Bellegere cried, sounding like she was nearly weeping.

“Such a needy thing you are,” Arianne said chidingly. “We all missed Daemon, but I think you were even more vocal about it than me, and I was pregnant.”

Daemon chuckled at that as he slowly drew most of his cock out of her and plunged back inside. Bellegere had never had trouble taking him, and she loved nothing more than for him to pound her hard.

“He’s just so good,” Bellegere whimpered. “I knew...from the first time...I’d have to leave Braavos!”

“You followed us here,” Arianne said affectionately, “and you’ve been a very good pet.”

Daemon felt his cock slip inside a spot at the end of her cunt and remembered that it had always been easier to find it with Bellegere than with any of his other women. She shrieked and clawed at the bedding, clearly already close from all of the prior teasing. He pounded her harder, fucking her into the bed and enjoying the intoxicating sight of her thick arsecheeks rippling with his every thrust.

“Fuck me, I missed that,” Nymeria murmured as she crawled into bed. Looking down at the quivering woman, she grinned and said, “are you about to cum already?”

“Ye...yes!” Bellegere stammered, her whole body going taut as the pressure built. “I’m so...ahh...so fucking close!”

Nymeria reached under Bellegere and started rubbing her throbbing, engorged clit in tight little circles as she leaned in and whispered, “cum.”

“AHHH!” Bellegere screamed as her orgasm thundered through her, a geyser of her fluids gushing forward and soaking his balls.

Daemon groaned as he felt her tight tunnel spasm around his cock and picked up his pace, fucking her even harder as she came. She was like Obara in that once she came once, it became easier to get her off again and again thereafter. Grabbing a handful of her long, dark hair, he pulled her head back and leaned in.

“You missed this cock too?” he growled in her ear.

“So...much!” Bellegere panted. “Love...it.”

“I know you do,” Daemon chuckled. “You’ve been desperate for it since the first time. I conquered your perfect cunt that night.”

“You did!” Bellegere cried, her cunt starting to flutter around him again. “I’m yours, Daemon!”

“Then cum for me again,” Daemon growled, bringing his hand down onto her arse.

The sound of the slap was drowned out by her scream. He spanked the other cheek, switching back and forth between them as he continued to fuck her and pull gently on her hair. A steam of warbled screams spilled forth from her lips, and it wasn’t a minute later that she was squealing again in ecstasy.

“DAEMON!” she shrieked at the top of her lungs.

He let her go and fucked her prone, drawing out her orgasm for as long as he could. Wave after wave of soul-searing pleasure flooded her body, and after nearly a minute, she collapsed onto the bed, falling unconscious.

“Fuck me, that was incredible,” Arianne gushed. “Lie down here, my love. I want to watch Missandei ride your cock while Nymeria sits on your face.”

“And people think you’re all my paramours,” Daemon grumbled, though he couldn’t quite keep the smile off of his face as he lay down next to Arianne.

She leaned in and kissed him tenderly as he reached up to cup her cheek.

“Wow,” Missandei said as she held his cock up against her belly. “It somehow looks bigger like this than in my face.”

“That’s the fear talking,” Nymeria said as she crawled over and straddled his face. “You’ve taken it plenty of times by now.”

“It’ll probably always seem a little intimidating,” Missandei chuckled.

“Wait until you give birth,” Arianne said dryly. “As wonderfully large as Daemon is, nothing compares to that.”

“It doesn’t help that Maekar’s a robust little cunt,” Nymeria said. “I couldn’t believe something so big was able to slip out at all.”

“I won’t say it wasn’t...harrowing,” Arianne said, “but I wouldn’t trade him for anything.”

“Nor would I, Ari,” Daemon said, reaching up and pulling Nymeria’s slick cunt down onto his lips.

“Oh fuck,” Nymeria sighed as he started lapping at her folds.

Daemon groaned at the taste of her and then again as he felt Missandei take the first couple inches of his cock inside her. She planted her hands on his chest and moved slowly, easing her way down as she whimpered and moaned softly. Daemon soothed Nymeria’s swollen hole, which had already mostly closed back up from her fisting and later fucking. Pushing it as far inside her as he could, he deliberately teased her, waiting for her to complain.

“Daemon,” Nymeria whined, shifting her hips to try and move him closer to her clit.

Daemon laughed into her and reached over to caress Missandei’s hip as she took that final inch of him inside her sweltering tunnel.

“Gods, I nearly forgot how good you felt,” the Naathi woman sighed. She started riding him slowly, rolling her hips expertly as she set a relaxed, languid pace.

Daemon moved his tongue over to where Nymeria wanted it most, swirling it around her little pearl without actually touching it. This wasn’t hard, as she had the smallest clit of all of them, but he was also moving slowly on purpose. Daemon enjoyed the change of pace, though he doubted it would last. He had fucked three of them without much of a break, and the slower pace was quite welcome. Eventually, Nymeria started grinding on his face, desperate for him to speed things up.

“Higher, higher, please!” Nymeria cried as he again just missed her clit.

Snorting and deciding to show mercy, Daemon pulled her closer and wrapped his lips around the little nub, sucking gently on it and enjoying her little cry of triumph. He increased his pace with Missandei as well, thrusting up into her as Nymeria’s climax drew near.

“More, more, more!” the brunette almost screamed, her body shaking and bucking as she got closer. Daemon tightened his grip on her and kept sucking on her clit exactly the same way that he had been, knowing that it wouldn’t be much longer before she came undone. A moment later, she did, screaming his name. He drank down her juices greedily, reveling in her obvious pleasure.

“That’s it, Nym,” Arianne said, and Daemon felt her get up and sit down next to them. “Try not to drown him now, we’d miss him terribly.”

Daemon couldn’t help but think of the last time he ate her out, and as he laughed at the memory, his grip on Nymeria loosened enough that she slipped forward, being caught by her cousin.

“Seven...hells,” she panted as Arianne helped her away from him and Missandei.

Daemon sat up and wrapped his arms around her, staring into her golden eyes, darkened by lust and brimming with affection.

“Missed you,” Missandei whispered, kissing him deeply. He felt Arianne crawl behind them as their tongues enjoyed a slow dance in their mouths.

“Roll her over to me,” Arianne said. “On her back.”

“Mmm, you want me trapped between the two of you?” Missandei asked, grinning. “That sounds wonderful.”

Daemon chuckled and rolled them over, carefully placing Missandei between Arianne’s spread arms.

“You’re sure this is alright?” he asked.

“I’m far less sore than I was before,” Arianne replied, “and the only part of me that I need to be really careful with, neither of you are coming near, alas.”

Wrapping her arms around Missandei, Arianne cupped the other woman’s breasts and began trailing hot kisses down her neck.

“Oh gods,” Missandei sighed, leaning back against her other lover. “Fuck me, Daemon.”

Daemon eased most of his cock out of her cunt and pushed back inside slowly, setting the sort of pace that he knew she preferred. Leaning in, he kissed her passionately, and she moaned into his mouth as his tongue found hers. He wrapped his arms around them both, holding them tightly as he continued to fuck Missandei. It was an experience that he hadn’t had before, and one that all three of them quickly came to enjoy.

“Do you want him to put a babe in here?” Arianne whispered in Missandei’s ear as she ran a hand over the woman’s belly.

“Cou...could I?” Missandei asked. “I mean, I know you’ve said so, but I didn’t know if having Maekar would change things.”

“Not at all,” Arianne said. “I want my son to grow up with dozens of brothers and sisters to love and adore. You two are beautiful, and any child you could have would be gorgeous. Maybe Daemon could give them his father’s hair like he did to Maekar. Imagine a girl with silver-gold hair and your golden eyes.”

“Oh gods!” Missandei cried, her breathing growing rapid, both from the image Arianne was putting in her head and her fast approaching climax.

Reaching down, Arianne’s nimble fingers found Missandei’s clit as she started rubbing it as she said, “go on, Daemon. Once she cums, let go and give her a perfect little babe of her own.”

“YES!” Missandei screamed, her whole body thrashing and writhing in ecstasy as she came hard.

“Fuck,” Daemon groaned, holding them both tight as he let go, filling her with rope after rope of his thick and virile seed.

The two of them rode out the waves of pleasure together, all while Arianne held them tight. When it was over, Daemon pulled out of Missandei and rolled onto his back, closing his eyes as he panted for breath. He heard and felt the others come to bed as he relaxed in it and let his breathing return to normal. When he opened them, he saw Tyene, Obara, and Nymeria all staring down at him with looks of hunger in their eyes and felt his cock twitch. He suspected that by the time they returned to Dorne, their strange family would have a few new members on the way.

*****

“So what exactly do you expect to find?” Edric asked as they entered Varys’ old chambers the next day.

“Nothing, truth be told,” Daemon replied, “but if we could find some hidden document that might hint at what that eunuch cunt was planning next, it would be a boon.”

“Uncle Arthur says that they managed to track down and kill quite a number of his agents,” Edric said. “With him in the black cells, I don’t know how much he could really do.”

“His greatest opportunity to remove my family and stick his nephew on the throne died with Robert Baratheon at the Trident,” Daemon said. “Had the rebel lord succeeded, Varys could have spent the past two decades preparing the continent for a Blackfyre invasion. Instead, my father won the day, thanks largely to Ser Arthur, and through his and Connington’s capable management, the kingdoms are prosperous and strong. Varys remained here, though, sitting in the capital and building his little web for decades. I refuse to believe that he didn’t have something planned.”

“Oh, I’m sure he did,” Edric said, tapping all over the wooden floor, trying to find a hollow spot. “I just don’t know what plans he could still enact, given how much he’s lost.”

“His nephew’s death means that his cause is lost,” Daemon said, “but one shouldn’t underestimate the danger posed by someone with nothing left to lose.”

“The floors don’t seem to have been tampered with,” Edric said, “and they apparently tore the mattress apart, trying to see if he managed to hide anything in it.”

“Hmm,” Daemon said as he pulled on one of the sconces to see if it would reveal some hidden passageway. “It’s possible that Varys destroyed everything before he was arrested, or it’s possible that my father and his Hand have been so competent in their rule that the eunuch never managed to find any openings he could use for his plots.”

He might not like Jon Connington, but he had to admit that the man had proven himself to be a capable administrator. Perhaps not Lord Tywin’s equal, he was at least close, and without the bitter feud that had developed between the old Hand and Aerys, the situation in the capital was quite stable.

“This room has a great view,” Edric commented, opening a window in the corner of the room to get a better look.

“Gods, close that,” Daemon said. “The wind’s coming our way, and I’m still not used to the smell of this place.”

“I’ll admit, I didn’t miss it,” Edric said, pushing the window closed with some effort. As he did so, his elbow bumped against one of the stones in the wall, and he gave a grunt of surprise.

“What is it?” Daemon asked.

“This stone is loose,” Edric said, shaking it slightly. “We’ll have to get a servant to fix it.”

“Wait,” Daemon said as an idea occurred to him. “Try pushing it in.”

“Okay,” Edric said, sounding confused. As he pushed on the stone, it moved in slightly, and there was an audible click, followed by part of the wall next to it moving slightly outward. “Seven hells!”

Daemon rushed over and pulled the false wall out, revealing a small hidden passageway with stairs leading downward. This had been what he was looking for, and he wasted no time lighting a torch and heading down the steps, his squire close behind him.

“I’ve never found one of Maegor’s hidden passages before,” Edric said, sounding excited.

“I stumbled across one as a boy,” Daemon said. “It was so long ago that I don’t recall where it was. I just remember Ser Barristan taking the lead and bringing me into it. I think he knew that if he tried to forbid me from exploring, I’d likely just do it when he wasn’t around. It ended up being boring, and I never returned to it.”

“I don’t think this one’s going to be boring,” Edric said as they reached the bottom of the stairs and stepped into a small room with a chair, a chest, and a small table.

“So he found a secret passageway and started using it to store his things,” Daemon said, waving the torch around the room to try and get a better look. “Fuck.”

“What?” Edric asked.

Daemon knelt down and examined the remains of a small fire in the far corner of the room. The wood he had used as kindling had long since burned out, but the sheer amount of ash around it looked far too volumous to have come from wood alone.”

“I think he knew he was going to be arrested,” Daemon said, picking up some of the ash and rolling it between his fingers.

“So he burned his documents,” Edric grumbled. “This chest is locked.”

“That’s something, at least,” Daemon sighed. “We’ll have to have it examined by a locksmith to see how best to open it.”

“Do you want me to bring it upstairs?” Edric asked, testing out the weight of the chest.

“No,” Daemon said. “This room appears to be a deadend, and I’ll be placing guards outside it soon so I can bring a locksmith in instead of bringing it to him.”

“Alright,” Edric said, moving to put the chest back. As he did, he noticed something that had been under the corner of it and paused. Moving the chest to the side slightly as he set it down, he reached down and picked up the small object. “Prince Daemon, I think this is a wax seal.”

“Go upstairs,” Daemon said. “I don’t want to strain my eyes trying to make out what it looks like by torchlight.”

Edric rushed up the stairs and was already holding it up just outside the small window right by the entrance by the time Daemon joined him. Looking down at the small brown piece of wax, he saw that it was indeed a seal, one that had presumably been ripped off of a letter by mistake, given the tiny bit of parchment sticking to it.

“It’s not like any of the seals I know,” Edric said, turning it around in his hand as he tried to figure out what it was. “It looks like a small bird. Do you know what it could signify?”

“No idea,” Daemon replied as he continued staring at the seal. “No idea at all.”