[Edric's POV]
For a moment, I 'saw' my alter ego.
Long black hair with very faint purple highlights, luminous purple eyes with the right surrounded by ice and the left iris taking the shape of a dragon's - long and narrow, my armour and a smug grin on one side and an indifferent expression on the other. He had a crown, half of still ice, and the other of constantly burning dragon bone. A walking contradiction - a stormy mess.
Was he a living metaphor for my existence?
More importantly, my wonderful children were awake at last.
"It's been a while," I remarked, smiling slightly. "Come over here."
As they came over, I wrapped my arms around them. That sort of warmth was… not common. Even though they technically weren't my children, I loved them. I took pride in them. And, most of all, I wanted to see them succeed.
"I missed you both,"
"We had woken up a few days earlier, actually, but you were so focused on your 'task'," Alysanne stayed.
"Well, it's not like either of you needs me to babysit you lot anymore, eh?"
"I suppose not." Garth replied.
"Precisely."
I let go.
"It was strange to see you and Daenerys together. My only memory of her was… well, her hanging from the Red Keep alongside Aegon."
I looked at Alysanne, raising an eyebrow.
"I did that?"
"Well, you never showed any mercy to your foes, especially the foes who helped devastate much of the Seven Kingdoms. Even her dragons earned no pardons, becoming food for yours."
"Uh-huh. Other me has a dragon?"
"We wanted to say something along those lines before, but… we were denied." Garth replied. "It was called Stormfyre."
"I'm very creative, aren't I?" I chuckled. "If it ain't got Storm in its name, I don't want it."
"Clearly," Garth chuckled. "Anyway, it's name wasn't just for show. You could blink for too long and miss the dragon's flight. It grew rapidly with endless freedom and supply of food - you made sure of that. Most notably, it did not breathe fire like any other dragon."
"Lightning?"
"Indeed… although it never returned after your crusade past the Wall."
'The edge of the world' - a place I had seen through the Night King's remnant. It was the home of the Others, their great stronghold which no man had ever tread upon. It was so cold that if you dumped anyone there, no matter if they wore a thousand layers of fur, they'd very well freeze in seconds.
As for getting there… well, that was a whole different story.
It's likely why Other me had leaned on the powers of an Other and even accepted becoming one.
To drive them to complete extinction...
Quite ironic.
"I see… that's unfortunate."
I nodded. My own little dragon would've been quite exciting, most certainly, but I preferred being one myself. I won't have to wait for it to grow. If I want fire, I'll unleash it. If I want to tear someone apart, I'll do it with my own hands. And if I want to fly... I'll grow my own wings.
It's better this way.
"Daenerys seems quite fond of you, which makes me wonder..." Alysanne looked at me, almost in a judging way.
"More than fond," Garth shook his head, smiling slightly. "I think she wanted a different kind of meat-"
"Hey, hey," I chuckled. "Who taught you to be vulgar?"
"The very best at it... my father," Garth replied, shrugging.
"What an accusation," I pretended to be surprised.
"Did my seed come with my confidence?" Alysanne added, mimicking my voice, and laughed.
I smiled, laughing myself.
In so short of a time of being reunited, I already felt... uplifted.
"Hey, if it works, it works."
"That still leaves the question unanswered," Alysanne stroked her chin.
"Before that... are there any boyfriends or girlfriends I should know about?"
"Deflection maester..." Alysanne remarked.
"Well, if you want to be all nosy, I should have some right to be as well, no?"
"I have no one," Garth shrugged.
"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Alysanne chuckled. "Garth gets all shy around a certain someone. It's adorable."
"..." He looked away, crossing his arms.
"How is she, this girl?"
"Woman would be more accurate," Alysanne replied. "There's a decade between them."
Someone's a cougar hunter.
"Oh, really?"
"She is beautiful, intelligent, and kind-hearted. She was like a big sister to me, until I grew and... well, my feelings did too," Garth said, looking embarrassed. He's usually calm and collected (except for the time he tried to beat me up).
"Mhm, she's like an angel," Alysanne nodded.
High praise.
"It all felt... strange to me, so I ignored these feelings."
Garth added.
"Ten years is quite a gap, to be fair, buttt... you're practically a man yourself. Don't let fear stop you from doing what you think is right. Sometimes you just need to take a leap of faith."
"That's the thing, I... don't think it's right."
He looked conflicted.
"The conflict of the mind and heart. In your mind, it's illogical and foolhardy, but your heart seeks it out regardless. You are someone who follows logic far more often... but sometimes you just have to explore those emotions, see if they are right for you."
"There's... no use in overthinking about it now," Garth shook his head.
"Hm, you want to change the topic? Well, regardless, even if you can't act upon anything yet - it's good to prepare yourself for what you could do when you do make your return."
"Right... I'll keep that in mind."
He turned away and began walking off to his workspace.
"One down," I smiled slightly, looking at Alysanne. "You don't have any crushes to get embarrassed by?"
"Uh... no," Alysanne tilted her head slightly, her eyes glowing a subtle green. "I've been able to see into the hearts of those around me from a young age, and their intentions. Many of my suitors see me as a tool to further their lineage with the magical blood of Edric Storm, enrichen their lands with my own abilities and... of course, a pretty face to go with all of that."
"You are very beautiful, to be fair," I remarked.
A fertiliser, for both land and bloodline...
I found that thought unsettling.
"Mhm..." Alysanne chuckled, shaking her head. "No one... truly understands me. I don't belong in some castle, doing needlework, pleasing a husband or walking around in some garden of his. I, and all of my gifts, belong to the world."
"... You don't want to be trapped in a cage, no matter how beautiful it could be?" I questioned.
It was more rhetorical.
"Of course not. But... it's hard. I have an endless line of suitors, and one great alliance could aid the Reach greatly. While House Tyrell does honour my wishes, the pressure is mounting and... well, there's only so much influence a bastard girl could have."
"Alysanne, you're not just any bastard girl. You are my daughter." I smiled, stroking her hair. It was soft, long and curly. "You can do whatever the hell you want, be whoever you want and ain't no House Tyrell dictating anything for you. It's your life, your freedom and your choice."
"You're a bloody miracle in so many ways... despite me being, well... me."
"Oh, father... it's not true."
She embraced me, and I felt warmth in my heart. Not anger, the flames of fury, but true warmth... which seemed all too foreign.
"But it is," I closed my eyes, sighing. "Other me failed you. He failed Garth. He failed the Seven Kingdoms and all the people of the Realm... he abandoned everything that was not himself. And, before you two came here, I might've done the same..."
"I saw you both as some sort of political tool against me, the fruits of Tyrell's game or whatever the hell, but... you're so, so, much more than that. My head was so stuck up in the Iron Throne... but that's not what really matters. Before anything and above all else, you are my firstborn children. The game of thrones can play itself for all I care."
Alysanne laughed. "But, you're not wrong... Garth being on the throne was very much a Tyrell wet dream for a while."
"It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks or wants. You're my children, and I shall cherish you, raise you and love you with all of my heart," I smiled, holding her a little tighter. "For the longest time, I've felt... like I didn't have a family in this world. I had a dead father I hardly knew, a mother I didn't care to know, two uncles, plenty of half brothers and sisters I couldn't care less about, a brother... but still, there was this... emptiness. For a long time, I had one person in my heart and saw nothing else."
"Finally, I understand what is truly important to me," I took a deep breath, shaking my head. "Still... I won't be able to mend things for you."
"You've made a world of difference for us already, father," Alysanne patted my back. "You don't have to guilt yourself over something you didn't do. I'll always love you, no matter what."
For some reason, that really struck a chord with me.
I trembled slightly.
No matter what... despite knowing all I am.
"Alys, you're gonna make your old man cry," I chuckled, withdrawing. I had no plans to start crying. "Anyway, you should get back to perfecting your craft. If you want to take hold of your destiny... it doesn't hurt to be more powerful."
"You don't need to worry about me." Alysanne smiled reassuringly. "Garth will always have my back... and I his."
"That's just adorable," I remarked.
~
When I woke, I felt like I could conquer the world. My body was grateful for a proper break after what I dragged it through, day after day.
Daenerys had woken before me, and her gaze was on me. To be fair, there's not much else to look at…
"I have come to a decision."
I said, looking at her as I stood up and dusted myself off.
"That was quick."
"I've had all night to think about it," I shrugged slightly. "After what I've done, a mere agreement to aid me in a time of need doesn't quite sit right with me. Besides, Meereen is half a world away… it's far from convenient or ideal. I want you by my side, within arms reach…"
I raised my hand, gently touching the side of her face.
"As what?" She questioned.
"My wife, my concubine, my mistress, my companion, my slave… whatever you'd fancy, I'll make it happen."
"You should've stopped at the first."
"Who knows what you might be into? The latter worked out quite well for Drogo…"
"You love pushing your luck, don't you?"
I couldn't tell if she found it funny or felt insulted. Maybe a bit of both.
"Mayhaps…" I grinned slightly.
"And what of your betrothed?"
"We both have to make our compromises to make this happen. I have to break my promise, my relations with the North, wade through some family drama and break her little heart after all of this time. And you… have to leave Meereen behind."
'It was never meant to be, regardless. The age gap is not small, and we'd be dodging and weaving marriage until much later… and that day might not come until after we overcome the Night King. At that point, who knows if we could even produce any more children… unless we dig in early, heh. When the fruit is at its ripest-'
Fuuuck no. Just stop talking.
'Either way, it's a bit like grooming, no? It's not our intention, yet… it's the awkward position we've been put in. You should've never entertained this arrangement and broken it the first moment you could have. It would've hurt less but you wanted to do the 'right' thing, or perhaps used that as an excuse to never marry anyone until Raiden… well look where it got you.'
My alter ego was right, for once. Pigs must be flying.
'What do you mean? I'm always right.'
After a pause, Daenerys looked strangely hesitant.
"If you know everything about me, then you'd also know I…"
"Can't give me any children?" I finished, shaking my head. "Who decided that, some blood witch?"
"So you know about that as well…"
"I wonder which is stronger - my seed or the blood magic?" I questioned, grinning slightly. "If anyone can break your little curse, it would be me."
Although now I might be the problem. 'Titan', dragon, 'demon', Other, Greenseer, elemental magic factory... I'm very swiftly becoming the furthest thing from an ordinary human. It wouldn't surprise me if I couldn't have any more children as I am now, let alone in the coming years as these aspects of me grow.
"And if you can't?"
"I don't think it will come to that."
'Wonderful lie.'
"... And where would I stand in the Seven Kingdoms?"
"As a true queen… second only to me."
I answered simply.
"You're not taking no for an answer with such a proposal…" Daenerys smiled slightly.
"Mhm…"
"Well, I… would be a fool to deny you. Still, it's a big decision. I'd rather not make it hastily."
"I understand," I nodded. "It took a fair bit of consideration for me as well. If there's anything you're uncertain on, I'm here to talk about it."
It didn't take too long, a day's ride, some chatting, plans for the future and…
"I agree to these terms..." Daenerys looked at me, smiling slightly and shaking her head. "This... sounds more like a business arrangement than marriage."
"You'd be surprised how many marriages work just like that. Rarely ever do nobles marry simply because they fell in love. Even smallfolk fathers want to make the most of their daughters... regardless of the presence of love or attraction."
"But you... of all people, can afford the luxury of marrying for love, no?" Daenerys questioned.
"Problem is I don't love anyone in that way," I answered. "So... you simply make the most sense for me."
Not anyone currently alive in the world, at least.
"Hm... I don't know how to feel about that."
"Are you disappointed I didn't fall for you at first sight?" I chuckled, taking a closer look. Her violet eyes were quite pretty, I had to admit that much.
'But Raiden's are a thousand times more alluring, we know...'
"I'd be a little disappointed if you did. The great Edric Baratheon shouldn't be that easy to win over..."
"Oh, I promise you, he's hard to impress."
"We'll see, won't we?"