they'd woken her and laenor in the middle of the night.

rhaenyra's poor choice of words ('well somebody better be dying!') came back to haunt her immediately as they were brought to alicent's chambers, the queen laying in bed, bloody from labour. she wasn't moving. rhaenyra felt her stomach drop. "the babe, he's alright, but alicent . . ." her father, viserys' voice came out in a choked sob as he laid the small newborn in his daughter's arms. "his name is daeron."

rhaenyra swallowed thickly, glancing over to where you, your sister helaena, and brothers aegon and aemond were huddled in the corner. aegon, miraculously sober, held onto you, his twin, as though you were the only thing holding him up, while helaena sobbed into aemond's night shirt. "what happened?" rhaenyra asked, gently rocking the newborn to soothe him. "they . . . they don't know. she was fine and then, a few moments after daeron came, she just started convulsing." viserys explained. it was clear he was trying to keep it together, but rhaenyra knew her father too well. it was aemma, all over. why must his wives continue to die on the birthing bed?

rhaenyra swallowed, watching as the maesters drew a sheet over the queen. over the woman she had once called friend. "what do you need us to do, father?" she asked, glancing over at laenor. viserys didn't have an answer for a moment. "would you . . . would you look after your siblings? just for awhile?" he asked finally. "of course we can, your grace." laenor answered, nodding. rhaenyra also nodded, before passing daeron to laenor and approaching her distraught siblings quietly.

"i lost my mother too. did you know that?" she began, swallowing hard. her eyes poured over the four of you, "so . . . when i say i know this pain you feel, you can trust i am speaking the truth. and i know that being alone right now is not what you need. why don't you all come sleep in my chambers tonight?" she asked softly.