99 AC / 55 HA
Daemon Targaryen
I opened my eyes to find a white sprawl of canvas hanging above me. Every inch of my body ached as I attempted to rise.
"Easy there, Your Grace, lest all your wounds tear open," came a sweet voice from within the tent.
I turned my head, my neck stiff, to glance at Ana sitting on a wooden chair, casually eating an apple.
"Ana," I said, my voice thick and hoarse. "How long have I been abed?"
"Four days now. You were in and out of consciousness for the better part of the last two. Much has happened in your long slumber," she informed me. "It was frightening, seeing you so injured and broken."
Her voice carried none of the anxiety she spoke of, but I could see it in her eyes and the way her jaw tensed while glancing at my battered body.
"I imagine it was. How badly did we lose?"
"Over six and ten thousand from the Free Cities, and one and ten thousand from the sellswords," she said grimly. "It was a complete rout. Were it not for the call to retreat, more would have fallen. They are still scavenging for survivors out there."
"Did we in the very least take them down with us?" I asked reliving those harrowing moments. It all should have been worth something. Even though the deaths are similar the sellswords made only a third of the total forces. To have lost so many certainly was not welcome news for Qohor.
"The red sea is now less than fifty thousand men strong. In a way, we did bite off their arm, but we paid the price with both of ours."
I sighed, letting my head fall back against the pillow. "Then we did nothing at all," I said, feeling utterly defeated. All that effort and planning was just enough to bring the Romans down to our own proportions. "What shall be done now?"
"There is a meeting between the commanders in a few hours. The next course of action will be decided upon then," she answered.
"I wish to come along," I stated, trying to push myself up again.
"It would not be wise, Daemon. You are injured and need rest. Besides, what point is there in you joining? You cannot participate, and as you are now, simply lifting a sword would be quite an arduous task."
Her words stung even though they carried not the sting of mockery.
I grunted, not wanting to argue the matter further. She had the right of it; between the two of us, I was the one lying helpless in a cot. I had no right to think I could protect her, yet a part of me cared not.
She passed me a plate of sliced apples. "Eat, get better. Mayhaps then I shall take you along with me."
All of this had been rather eye-opening. I had known the world was not as plain sailing as I had made it out to be, but to have that brutal reality thrust into my face with such severity left me humbled. I stared at the plate for a long moment before picking up a slice with my aching arm.
"Fine. I will rest. But once I am better, I will be accompanying you."
"Aren't you the charmer," she said, smiling. "A woman might mistake this for genuine concern, Daemon," she teased.
"It is concern."
That brought her up short.
"I may have been flirtatious with you before, Ana, but after experiencing the proximity of death, I care not for idle dalliances anymore. I find myself deeply drawn to you, and it would please me if you were in agreement."
I said it unflinchingly, staring directly into her eyes. She was certainly caught unaware, staring back at me in stunned silence. I felt heat creep into my own face, but I maintained the gaze. I noticed a crimson flush colouring her fair cheeks as well.
"Daemon, that… I am flattered, but we cannot."
The colour instantly drained from my face. "Why?" I asked, my voice hoarse once more.
"You and I come from entirely different worlds, Daemon. You are a Prince, and…"
"I care not for it! I would have you regardless of my station, if you would have me," I interrupted, speaking rapidly.
"…are already wed," she finished softly.
That shut me up. Even a thousand miles away, the Bronze Bitch was still the largest thorn in my side.
"I can have that marriage annulled," I offered in desperate respite. "My grandsire certainly has the power to do so. Besides, it is a loveless and childless union. He would see the wisdom in a second marriage for me. All the more so considering you possess Valyrian blood."
I offered reasons one after the other. In my heart, I knew the Old King would likely not take my side, but I desperately hoped he could be persuaded.
"Those are all wild conjectures, Daemon. Even you do not know if a marriage with me would be supported by your family. Besides, there is far too much for me to do here," she said, gently prying herself away from the fantasy.
"What could you possibly do here that you cannot have by my side? Being a sellsword most certainly cannot be the sum of your ambitions. If it is gold you seek, we can have that in plenty. If it is a fight you desire, then we can wage wars in the name of my House," I offered desperately.
"I desire that which all men of ambition desire... Legacy, Daemon," she said staunchly.
It just made me want her more.