#additional part

You look away from the flowers and offer her a sweet smile. “You can?” You probe.

Without hesitation Helaena nods in agreement. “Of course.” She smiles but avoids meeting your gaze. “You are my sister. That is what they do.”

You draw in a small breath and drop your gaze to smile down at the cobblestone ground. The smell of roses, grass and salt from the sea dance in your nose in the meanwhile, but quickly gets exhaled as you let out a small relieved breath of air.

You would have asked her if it hurt terribly, but you knew birthing wasn’t a painless thing, so it would be a stupid question.

The other question you had lingering in your mind was one not so easy to answer, or think of, but you had the need to ask out of fear….

“Will I…”

Yet before you could actually finish asking your question you quickly cut yourself off as you feel something hitting the inside of your stomach. It’s a painless action, it feels more so like a flutter more than anything, but it still feels weird, something you haven’t felt before.

“Oh,” you gasp softly and stop walking. “Oh.”

Helaena stops and looks back at you in confusion. “What is it?” She asks. “Are you all right?”

You swallow thickly and point at your belly. “I think…something is happening. Inside.”

Helaena’s eyes fall to your belly for a moment to try and think of what you meant. And that’s when she understood your panic and walked over to you to feel your belly for herself.

“It's just the babe,” Helaena assures. “She’s kicking.”

She?

She probably meant nothing by it.

“It’s the first time I assume?” Helaena asks and giggles softly.

You glance down at her hand still on your belly and nod as you feel it again. “Yes. It’s…the first time.”

You’ve always known baby’s kicked and moved when in the womb, you’ve read it, heard it from other people, but one thing you never got to hear was how it actually felt. You were never close to your stepmother so when she was with child, you never bothered to ask her. And your mother, well, she might have told you a story about when she was expecting you, but those memories aren’t something you can’t recall anymore. So this feeling you felt inside was just a surprise.

“Soon,” Helaena continues and pulls her hand away. “She’ll kick a lot stronger. And move around more, she’ll make you uncomfortable, but it is a good feeling. Or so my mother says.”

You hum and look up at her, and that’s when it hits you, the thought of Aemond. He’d want to feel too. He’d want to know. Your relationship may still be getting stronger and more developed, but you can’t rob him of that option. Besides, he’s already been so caring these past couple months that you have been with child, feeling the baby kick would probably make him happy.

“Helaena,” you interject with a smile. “I am going to find Aemond. I want him to feel too.”

“All right,” Helaena agrees without protest. As if she expected it already. “I will stay here for a few more minutes.”

You nod softly. “Okay,” you whisper before you walk back and turn on your heels to begin striding back in the castle with excitement.

Yet the more you thought of sharing the moment with Aemond, the more excited you became so soon striding turned to running.

You ran past Knights, Lord and Ladies, you swerved past servants, and even rushed past Ser Erwin, who didn’t even have the time to ask what had you in such a hurry, nor did you bother to stop and talk with him, you just ran until you reached your shared quarters, and barge in with a beaming grin.

“Aemond,” you blurt whilst you see him crouched over his desk.

Said man lifts his head off the book he’s reading and looks back in confusion. “What is it?” He asks softly, and then studies your body. “Is something wrong?”

You shake your head between your pants and close the door before you approach him with the same grin.

“It’s…the baby. The babe kicked,” you share between pants.

Aemond glances at your belly and doesn’t move. He doesn’t stand up, he stays quiet and watches as if he would be able to catch something happening from where he sits.

“I think,” you add teasingly. “The babe might be too tiny to be able to kick that hard. Don’t you think so?”

Aemond hums and then looks up to meet your gaze, and that’s when you see it, the slight panic in his eye. It makes you smile wider before you grab his hand.

“It’s all right,” you assure him softly. “Feel it. The babe was just kicking. They’re going crazy in there.”

Aemond stiffens, you can feel it under your grasp, but he doesn’t pull away, he lets you place his palm on your belly, he lets you move his hand over your belly until you place his palm where you felt the baby’s kick.

However, when he has his hand on the spot, the baby stops kicking.

“Maybe try saying something,” you whisper.

Aemond let’s out a soft sigh and shifts in his seat whilst his licks his lips and leans an inch forward.

Nevertheless, he doesn’t speak. He just waits.

“I do not feel anything, maybe later,” he adds as the baby remains still.

He’s about to pull his hand away, but in that exact moment there it is again, that flutter, and Aemond feels it because his eye widens and his mouth slightly goes ajar out of shock.

“You felt that?” You ask happily.

Aemond meets your gaze and the corner of his lips twitch to a smile before he stands up from his chair to then crouch down in front of you and place both hands on your belly.

The baby keeps kicking, making Aemond smile wider.

“I think they know,” you say. “Don’t you, Little one? You know your father is here?”

Aemond offers you a smile and then presses his forehead against your belly. “<My little delight,>” he whispers against your belly, and that only seems to encourage the baby more. Aemond feels it and chuckles.

You watch the interaction with a beaming grin and place one hand on the back of his head to gently caress his head. When he feels your touch however, he pulls his head away to look up at you. He doesn’t say anything, he just looks at you with this soft and enamored look.

His gaze lingers for a moment before he stands up and grabs your cheeks to cradle your face.

“I thought of names,” you share quietly.

Aemond hums and lets you continue.

“If it’s a boy, Aemon,” you giggle, and he just sighs over the fact that it’s almost like his name. “And if it’s a girl…well I thought I would let you choose.”

Aemond begins to smirk. “Okay.” He scoffs softly. “Well. If it is a girl…how about, Visenya? Just like the Warrior Queen you’re so fond of.”

He remembered.

“Visenya,” you repeat it with a smile. “I love it.”

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