Stolen Heir

Chapter 14

Celine was removing her cloak and jewelries when she heard a voice calling her name. Turning towards the voice, Daemon was standing at her bedchamber's door, leaning his shoulder arrogantly at the door frame. Celine removed her gloves using her mouth, biting and pulling it. Placing it on the nearby table. 

"Father."

Celine answered, earning a smirk from him. Daemon approached her and engulfed her in a hug which she returned. Lightly patting her head, Celine leaned her head to his chest and closed her eyes, finding comfort in his hug.

"How's North?"

"Cold."

Daemon chuckled hearing her reply. One thing Celine knew about her father was he was a man who took great pleasure in expressing his love physically, especially hugging and kissing her in the temple. Daemon, as Celine grew to accept and call him as her father, noticed that he shows his care and support in a unique way. That he has a child's heart somewhere beneath all that arrogance. When he is trying to achieve what he wants, he is not too keen on considering the consequences of his actions, and he might come out as belligerent. When he doesn't obtain that, it causes the kind of disappointment that prevents him from appreciating the other things in life.

Celine remembered how he coaxed her calling him father countless times, only getting a solid no from her. She remembered how he clicked his tongue, mumbled words that eventually made her give up and call him what he wanted her to call him which immediately put a smile on his face and Celine realized too late how Daemon tricked her.

"Your timing was impeccable and nicely done in cutting him cleanly. Did you learn it from your stay at the Wall?"

"From you."

Daemon let her go and laughed. He saw himself in Celine in a way that she will fight or kill if she wants to without a care, a peerless warrior, unpredictable and somehow see Rhaenyra in terms of how proud and stubborn, and there was a certain petulance to her small mouth. Though she could be charming, Celine was quick to anger and never forgot a slight.

"I see you cut your hair." Daemon commented, tenderly looking down at her daughter with her shoulder-length hair, "Gevie" He added.

Celine smirked hearing his father's complement, "Nyke gīmigon, kepa. Daor jorrāelagon naejot ivestragon issa." She replied, Daemon chuckled.

Her door slammed open. Snatching her from Daemon who grunted, Jace, Luke, and Joffrey engulfed their older sister in a bone crushing hug and nearly fell down if not for Daemon who placed his hand on her back to give her support.

"My boys." Celine muttered, Jace hugging her right, Luke hugging her left and Joffrey in the front, arms snaking around her waist and head leaning on her stomach, "Hello, my babies." Celine added, affectionately, as she admits she greatly missed her dearest younger siblings.

Jace placed kisses on her right cheeks, Luke on her left while Joffrey continued to hug her tightly.

"I missed you too." Celine mumbled, giggling at them.

The three of them let her go, Celine smiled, placing a hand on Jace and Luke's cheek seeing how their eyes started to water. She placed a kiss on their foreheads and softly caressed her thumbs on their cheeks. Celine chuckled as they hugged her once more, only letting go when Daemon got enough of them hugging her and lightly scolded them that they almost killed her by their suffocating hugs. Celine laughed as if he didn't hug her like that earlier. Rhaenyra knocked at the open door, announcing her presence. Celine averts her eyes towards her mother, holding a boy and behind her a maid who's also holding another boy.

"Is this Aegon and Viserys?"

"Yes, my sweet."

"Gods they're handsome."