When Syrax and Aethalrax landed, the dragonkeepers put Syrax back in the dragonpit whilst Aethalrax flew into the air once more. Over the years of being at Dragonstone where he was allowed to fly freely, Aethalrax had grown too big for the dragonpit.

"Are you going to talk to him before he leaves?",

"Nyra-".

"Are you going to make amends?",

"I do not think he wishes to see me at this moment".

"That is nonsense, Aunt Shaera and you know it. What if you do not say anything before he leaves and something happens",

"I do not know what I would even say".

"You love him, I understand that you want to stand your ground but saying goodbye to your husband does not relinquish that",

"I fear I will make a fool of myself and that we shall just disagree instead of a goodbye".

"You will regret it if you don't".

Rhaenyra walked inside whilst Shaera waited for Daemon. She stayed turned away from him but she knew he was there, his familiar presence gave her the same warm feeling in her chest whenever she felt him beside her.

"My flame. Rhaenyra said you wished to say something to me",

"I do not wish for you to leave angry at me. I just, I love you and I wanted to say goodbye".

"I love you but you have to stop endlessly worrying when you do not need to",

"I worry because I would not be able to carry on should you die".

"I will always come back to you",

"I know, I wish you goodbye for now".

"Tis not a goodbye, my flame. It is a guarantee that I will come back to you and our children as quickly as I can",

"Why must you make you leaving so much harder?".

"To make the feeling you get when I return that much more",

"Your arrogance would get on my nerves if i didn't love you as much as I do".

"How fortunate for me that you do love me as much as you do",

"Precisely".

The shared a loving kiss, the wind blowing their hair as Caraxes landed infront of them. Daemon layed his forehead against hers before pulling away and mounting his dragon.

Shaera walked inside the castle to find Rhaenyra stood smirking.

"Not a word", Shaera spoke sternly but Rhaenyra knew she was joking.

"I do not know what you speak, I would never say that I was right and you weren't". Rhaenyra chuckled.

~
Caraxes and Daemon flew through the air, they always felt at peace when they soared through the clouds. When they arrived at Harrenhal, the tension in Daemon's shoulders returned. Harwin told him that Vhagar had been sighted recently. Aemond was baiting them but Daemon was bloodthirsty.

After two long weeks of waiting, Aemond finally emerged at Harrenhal.

Daemon and Caraxes joined them in the skies, the battle commenced. Violent clashing and thundering roars of pain. Raw fire and blood spilled as they used their dragons to fight against the other.

"You have lived too long, uncle",

"On that much, we agree".

Aemond's face turned a pale, deathly colour as he watched Daemon leap in the air with Dark sister raised. He dove onto Vhagar and thrusted his sword through Aemond's eye, the tip of the sword came out of the other side of Aemond's head.

They began to fall into the water below as the dragons succumb their injuries. Daemon knew he had lied to Shaera, he always intended to do anything to ensure the safety of his family by eliminating the threat; even if he had to die for it. As he fell to what he thought was his death, he felt content at the memories of his life with Shaera flashed through his head. Caraxes, who was injured but still living flew to shield Daemon's body from impact against the water. Daemon thought he had already died, a warriors death that meant his family were safe.

His eyes grew tired as he lay against Caraxes whilst they were dragged under the current. Salt invaded their senses. Daemon's body floated unconscious as his blood coloured the water surrounding him.

~
Alys watched from window as she clutched her stomach, the babe kicked as she watched Aemond's body fall with Dark sister still embedded in his skull. To her confusion, no blue flame came like she saw previously but a brown dragon. She saw a young woman riding the dragon, she had never seen the girl before. Not even in her visions. Alys turned away and went back to her room, pondering the fact that her visions could be wrong. What she didn't know was that her vision of seeing Shaera and Aethalrax wasn't wrong but didn't show her of the events inbetween.

The dragon on the beach surrounding Driftmark. The rider laid Daemon on the ground as she shouted for help, Addam came running with a maester.

"What are his injuries?", the maester asked.

"He was in a battle against the man with one eye and their dragons. He jumped from his own mount onto the other and then they fell. His body was shielded but he must have inhaled some water",

"Who are you?", Addam asked. He was confused as to why a mysterious dragonrider had such an inclined to help Daemon.

"My name is Nettles but you needn't know anything else about me, only that I wish to help the man who saved me".

They all began to lift Daemon's body as they rushed him inside. Corlys emerged and asked Addam what had happened.

"It's Daemon",

"Daemon?".

"He is injured but alive, he arrived unconscious on the dragon Sheepstealer with a girl. She claims to have saved him after he fell. He killed Aemond",

"We must keep quiet about this until we know danger has passed. Nobody but us must know until we are certain that he will survive".

"But surely Shaera should know?",

"Listen to me, it would only hurt her more if we told her Daemon is alive only for him to die. She will know when the maesters are sure that he will not die".

"And what of the girl, can she be trusted to stay here?", Addam had tried to forget his old life as Laenor but he remembered one thing for certain, Daemon and Shaera loved each other and that if she didn't hear from him then she would worry.

"No need to wonder if I can be trusted because I am not staying, I came back because a certain knight informed me that my help was needed but now I am leaving and never coming back", Nettles explained  before leaving the room and making her way towards Sheepstealer who was waiting for her on the beach. The two flew away without another word, never to be seen again. It was unknown where they went or what happened to them.

Corlys and Addam went to check on Daemon. They felt odd to see such a powerful man look so pale and fragile as his exposed chest was seemingly unmoving. They lacked hope for his recovery as he laid still until the maester struck him in the chest, water expelled from his lungs as he coughed, gasping for air. Daemon groaned in pain as he looked over the room, he recognised the walls but not how he got there. He went to sit up but was stopped by the maester.

"You must lay still and allow me to work, my prince. Then you must rest and recover",

"Get your fucking hands off of me, I need to go back to my wife and children".

"Daemon, the maester is right", Corlys spoke,

"Corlys, I do not know how I got here but I need to see Shaera".

"I will send a raven to inform her, if you do as the maester asks".

Daemon scowled at the thought of listening to somebody else. He begrudgingly abliged and laid back so that the maester could stitch his wounds. Although he didn't show it on his face, he was grieving for his dragon. He and Caraxes had been together for as long as he had known and now the glorious dragon was lost to the sea. Daemon was glad he killed Aemond but regretted that Caraxes gave his life for it. He felt guilty for surviving because he knew that he should have died and he would've done without Caraxes.

Addam knew Corlys was lying about sending a raven to Shaera, his father's previous words about waiting for danger to pass were playing in his mind. So he took it upon himself, he began writing a letter to Shaera. He detailed what he heard of the battle and that Daemon was injured but alive and was recovering on Driftmark. However, during his writing, he was stopped.

"I told you that nobody must know until we know that Daemon-", Corlys reminded.

"Until we know that Daemon will survive, I heard you when you spoke it the first time. But Shaera and their children deserve to know".

"Im not saying they don't but if a raven falls into enemy hands knowing that the greatest asset for Rhaenyra is incapacitated, it won't end well and informing Shaera would have been for nothing. Believe me that I am aware that it seems cruel but she will know when he is of good health to return. Trust me, Laenor",

"Father, I- how long have you known?".

"I always knew, I played along because it is what you needed. You wanted freedom to be yourself and after losing Laena and the boys and then Rhaenys, I knew that I should not have pushed you into being someone that you are not. You were born Laenor Velaryon but this Addam Velaryon is who you are now",

"I'm sorry I left. A part of me wanted to stay but I knew it would be best for Rhaenyra and the boys to have Harwin in their lives".

"I understand but I wish you went about it differently",

"As do I. I miss them, all the people we have lost. I dwell on the time I missed with them after I left. Shaera is my friend as much as she was to mother and she should know that her husband is safe".

"She will, we can't jeopardise anything until Daemon can return",

"I trust your decision, father".

Unbeknownst to them, Rhaenyra had received a raven from Harrenhal from Harwin saying what he saw. He hadn't explicitly said that Daemon was dead but it was implied with the description of how they fell from the air and that Daemon's body was nowhere to be found and was believed to have been lost to the sea like Aemond's.

~
"Aunt Shaera?",

"Yes dear?", Shaera looked up at Rhaenyra's face that had the words dread and sadness written upon it.

"Rhaenyra? What is wrong?",

"I-i its uncle Daemon".

"What?".

Rhaenyra handed the letter to her aunt. She watched as Shaera's hands clenched the parchment in her hand as she fell to her knees. Her tears streamed down her face as she let out a heartbroken scream.

Her older children came rushing in at the sound, they all looked shocked to see Rhaenyra holding their mother who was struggling to breath. Shaera clawed at her throat as her airway remained clogged. Baelon picked the crumpled letter off the floor and began to read it before placing it on the nearby table and walked out into the hallway. He sank down against the wall, next to the door he had just left.

Hearing his mother shout in denial led to his tears falling uncontrollably. Alyssa and Rhaenyra stayed with Shaera whilst Aemma went to check on Baelon.

"Baelon",

"Go away Aemma".

"No",

"What?".

"I said no, you are spiraling. I knew that something would happen and yet I allowed him to make me stay here. Father's death is my fault like Lucerys'. The burden of guilt ways on me as much as my grief",

"Tis not your fault and neither mother nor father would want you to feel this way".

"What good does it do, telling me that it isn't my fault when it is? If I weren't so weak then perhaps father would have stayed and he would have survived",

"Aemma".

Aemma's eyes watered as she looked at her brother, the two embraced each other, relishing in not being alone to grieve. They held each other tighter everytime they heard their mothers cries. Shaera Arryn-Targaryen was broken.