The sun bled crimson and gold across the Dothraki Sea as Hela's khalasar, a force swollen with conquest, began to settle for the night. It was a cacophony of movement, the rhythmic thud of a thousand arakhs being sheathed, the snorts and stamping of horses weary from battle, and the guttural shouts of men claiming their patch of earth for rest. Lean, scarred Dothraki warriors, their braids adorned with bells that chimed a song of violence, wrestled captured livestock towards makeshift pens. Slaves, their faces etched with despair and exhaustion, shuffled under the watchful eyes of their captors, erecting tents and preparing meager meals of roasted meat and stale bread. The air hung thick with the smells of sweat, blood, and woodsmoke, a testament to the brutal efficiency with which Hela's horde had carved its path through the land.
For months, they had been a tide of destruction, rolling over smaller khalasars, absorbing their warriors and resources into their own ever-growing mass. Villages and towns, unfortunate enough to lie in their path, were often reduced to smoldering ruins, their wealth plundered, their people enslaved. Daenerys, once a timid girl barely out of her teens, had witnessed it all. The screams, the fires, the raw, unbridled savagery. Yet, within the horror, a strange strength had bloomed. She possessed a quiet resolve, a steely determination that manifested in her insistence on protecting the women from the raided towns, something that had earned her the quiet respect of both Hela and Astrid.
Hela ensured that Daenerys's wishes were respected.
The bond between the three women was the only constant in their lives, with both Daenerys and Astrid being heavily pregnant, carrying Hela's children, a responsibility that weighed heavily on the Dragon Queen's shoulders.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of purple and orange, Hela knelt beside Daenerys, who was resting against a pile of furs.
"Are you comfortable, ᛗᚤ ᛚᛁᛏᛏᛚᛖ ᛞᚱᚨᚷᛟᚾ (my little dragon)?" Hela asked, her voice gentle.
Daenerys smiled weakly. "As comfortable as I can be, considering I feel like I have a horse kicking me from the inside."
Hela chuckled, a low rumble in her chest. "That is because you probably have a dragon." She placed a hand on Daenerys's swollen belly. "They are strong, like their mother. I need to make sure they know their Mama's voice. Soon they will be out, maybe even having scales like me." She paused, her expression turning serious. "They must be strong, Daenerys. The world they are born into is a cruel one."
Astrid, overhearing the conversation, joined them, her face flushed. "Don't scare her Hela. We'll protect them. All of us." She playfully nudged Daenerys. "Besides, imagine our little dragons causing chaos? It will be fun."
Daenerys laughed, her voice gaining strength. "Imagine the clothes we will have to get when they get older."
The brief moment of levity was a welcome respite from the tension that permeated the camp.
The main tent where the Khalasar's leaders planned their next moves was bustling. Tables made of heavy wood had maps and small figurines of soldiers on them. Arrows and swords were haphazardly put on the ground beside the table as well. The amount of Dothraki discussing where they should go next was almost defeaning.
Ser Jorah Mormont approached Hela, his face etched with concern. "If you don't mind me asking, what is your plan, Your Highness?" he asked, his voice low. "With the amount of slaves you've gathered, you could sell them in Meereen and acquire a fleet of ships to sail to the Seven Kingdoms."
Hela turned to face him, her eyes like chips of ice. "That would be a suicide mission, Ser Jorah. We know next to nothing about the Seven Kingdoms. We don't have an army capable of starting a war, not to mention my wives are pregnant. The Dothraki, while fierce, are no match for a disciplined Westerosi army. Before I even consider setting foot in the Seven Kingdoms, I need to consolidate my power here in Essos, starting with Astapor for the Unsullied. Even with all that, I will not start a war until my children are at least two years of age." She paused, her gaze hardening. "So as you can see, I am in no hurry to cross the Narrow Sea."
Just then, Hati, Hela's small, serpent-like dragon, slithered into the tent, his scaled body weaving between the legs of the Dothraki warriors. He was frantic, and hissing.
"Your Highness, come quickly!" he squeaked, his voice barely audible amidst the din.
Hela's face paled. "What is it? What happened?"
"It's Astrid and Daenerys! They've gone into labor!"
Hela didn't waste a second. She sprinted towards the main tent, her heart pounding in her chest. Inside, chaos reigned. Midwives bustled about, their faces grim. Astrid and Daenerys lay on their birthing mats, their faces contorted in pain.
Hela knelt beside them, taking each of their hands in hers. "Shh, it's alright. I'm here. Deep breaths, both of you. You're strong, you can do this."
Astrid squeezed her hand, her knuckles white. "Hela… it hurts…"
"I know, ᛗᚤ ᛒᛖᛚᛟᚡᛖᛞ (my beloved)," Hela said, stroking her hair. "But with each pain, you bring our children closer. Think of them, think of the little dragons we will hold in our arms soon."
Daenerys, her face slick with sweat, whimpered. "Hela… I… I can't…"
Hela brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. "Yes, you can, Daenerys. You are a dragon yourself. Feel the fire within you, let it guide you."
As Astrid and Daenerys pushed, a strange phenomenon occurred. The three dragon eggs, which Hela had kept close to them since their capture, began to shake violently. Each contraction seemed to amplify the tremors, threatening to shatter the eggs altogether.
Hela, her eyes widening in realization, gently lifted the eggs and placed them between Astrid and Daenerys. The shaking subsided, replaced by a low, pulsing warmth.
Daenerys was the first to give birth. A piercing cry filled the tent as a baby girl emerged, small but perfect. The moment she was born, the largest of the dragon eggs cracked open, and a small, shimmering dragon, no bigger than a cat, tumbled out, chirping.
Next, Astrid, her face flushed with triumph, gave birth to twins, two tiny girls. As each twin was born, the remaining dragon eggs hatched, each birthing their own small dragon.
Daenerys's baby was a vision of delicate beauty. She had a few strands of white hair on her head, inherited from her mother, and deep brown eyes like Hela's. But what set her apart were the small, shimmering purple scales that traced the shape of her cheeks, a subtle hint of her dragon heritage.
Astrid's twins were identical, their blonde hair framing their cherubic faces. But their eyes were different, a captivating anomaly. One twin had a blue right eye and a brown left, while the other had the same, but reversed. Under their eyes, they had dark red scales.
The scales on all three babies shimmered briefly, then faded away, leaving only smooth skin. But the magic lingered in the air, a palpable sense of power. And as if to confirm their bond, each of the baby dragons crawled towards the child born in time with their hatching, wrapping their tiny tails around the babies' hands.
Tears streamed down Hela's face as she watched the scene unfold. These were her children, her legacy, her hope for a better future. She knew that they would face trials and tribulations beyond imagining, but she would be there for all of them.
"They are beautiful," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "What shall we name them?"
Daenerys, exhaustion etched on her face, spoke first. "I want to name her Rhaella, after my mother."
Hela smiled, a genuine, heartfelt smile that reached her eyes. "Rhaella II Haddock-Targaryen. It suits her."
Astrid, cradling her twins, looked at Hela, her eyes brimming with love. "How about Frida and Freyja?"
Hela nodded, her heart filled with warmth. "Frida Haddock and Freyja Haddock. Strong names for strong girls."
As Hela looked at her three beautiful daughters, each with their own unique magic and their own guardian dragon, she knew that her destiny had been forever changed. She was no longer just a warrior queen, a conqueror. She was a mother, and her children were the key to unlocking a future she could never have imagined. They would be the hope for a dragons of the future.