morning after prompts | accepting
the question caught her off guard, she could have sworn he’d been fast asleep judging by the gentle rising and falling of his chest. after a few blissful weeks of not breaking their truce, calm had gradually settled into their house. they had been happy, at peace, enjoying the perks of domestic lives as they caught up on things such as shared suppers, slow sunday mornings, and lazy hours basking in the afternoon sun in their garden.
tension had still been palpable, though. crackling beneath the surface, here and there, sparks flew when longing gazes met, but for as long as she could, daenerys had warded those feelings off. it was too messy — she did want jorah, she wanted to move past her sorrows and embrace love again. but what she couldn’t say for sure was whether she could ever fully let go of the northerner who’d given her a child and broken her heart. it wasn’t fair to drag her sweet bear into this more than she already had — she refused to do to jorah’s heart what jon had done to hers.
a glass of dornish red, supper beneath the starlit sky, and a light-hearted conversation later, he had found his way into her chamber again, and that time, pent-up desire and affections had prevailed. neither mind nor heart had failed her last night — she’d made a point of it when jorah had been nestled atop her small frame, and she kept their gazes locked. seeing him. afterwards, they had shifted into a loose embrace, and she had drifted off to sleep without a single worry in the world burdening her mind.
if only her peace of mind had lasted — rousing from her slumber in the early morning hours, her jumbled thoughts had forced her to leave jorah’s side and hastily slip her dress back on.moon tea. in the heat of the moment followed by the afterglow of their lovemaking, she hadn’t even considered taking precautions. her womb was no longer cursed, her daughter nearing her first name day was living proof. i can’t have another. her motherly heart wanted to protest, wanted to welcome life should they be blessed with it, but the part of her that had broken on their journey to essos refused. her wounds, her history of rejection, heartache, and fear too fresh. i won’t have another.
“to buy fresh food from the market. i thought we could break our fast in the garden again,” she spoke, her gaze mellow as she glanced at jorah over her shoulder. he needn’t know. she wouldn’t cause him pain, not again. “i wanted to surprise you.” at least it was a lie she genuinely welcomed. “will you go back to sleep and pretend to be surprised when i return?”
Jorah couldn’t believe that the two of them had actually ended up sharing a bed. He’d long pushed the thoughts away after their fight, after she’d used him and then thought of another man. They’d worked their way back to each other, keeping the peace, and eventually the knight learned to enjoy life again. He spent as much time as he could with Rhaella and Daenerys now. Whenever he wasn’t working he was home. They spend afternoons stretched out on the lawn, enjoying the sun, resting under the shade of one of the lemon trees. He’d taught Dany how to cook a few things, showing her the easy meals first. He held onto Rhaella’s hands as she’d learned to walk. He felt pride as her legs and footing got more and more sure with each day that passed.
And eventually, through some miracles of whichever Gods had been listening to him what felt like a lifetime ago, he and Daenerys fell into bed after a night of sweet Dornish red wine and easy laughter. His eyes never left her face as he moved over her, his fingers threading through her silver hair, his lips touching whatever skin they could reach. When they’d found completion together, he’d slumped over her, panting, breathing her in as he let his body relax and try to find the strength to move. He cleaned her up afterward and then curled around her under the covers, keeping her tight to his chest as he slept.
He was breathing deeply and evenly when the morning came around, and he’d have continued to sleep if he hadn’t felt Daenerys move from his side. His eyes opened and he caught her out of bed and dressed, much to his disappointment. Jorah rubbed his face with his hand, sighing as he listened to her talk about how she’d wanted to get them fresh food. “Aye, I suppose I can sleep and pretend to be surprised that you returned to me,” he chuckled as he shifted, putting an arm behind his head. “You are coming back, aren’t you?”
