RHAENYRA
113 AC
After the unfortunate defeat of Ser Joffrey Lonmouth at the hands of Ser Criston Cole, the wedding was pretty much ruined.
Of course, that kind of thing happens a lot during melees, but Laenor clearly did not care about that.
With the poor state of Laenor, the king executed the wedding immediately to get things over with.
A bitter Rhaenyra and a crying Laenor looked at each other with pity and sadness.
With simple kisses on the cheeks and the vows, they were from now on married.
After the septon was done, the royal family was moved to the Red Keep so Rhaenyra and her new husband could consummate their marriage.
Luckily for her, the whole mess caused the cancellation of the bedding part.
She could not be more relieved with that.
Yet, when they arrived at the Red Keep, Laenor would spend hours with the unconscious Ser Joffrey, waiting for good news and observing the work of the maesters.
As her husband was busy taking care of his…
beloved knight.
Rhaenyra had a lot to think about while she was sitting on a chair in her bedroom.
Firstly, the dance.
How could she be so stupid?
She got carried away in the moment.
A dance with her dear uncle.
Her heart was shaking at his touch.
She could not resist her own thoughts.
Her own desires.
Maybe she is the foolish girl that people believe she is.
Yet, after the clear rejection from Daemon, she felt sad and disappointed.
As a young girl, she imagined her uncle to be the man of her dreams.
The knight that would place her on the back of his dragon and carry her away from the tedious capital.
But she needs to move on.
Daemon is away from her, and she now has another on her heart.
Rhaenyra and Ser Harwin have become closer and closer recently.
After Ser Criston abandoned her affections, she turned to the other handsome knight she knew to give her comfort.
A lot of comfort.
Ser Harwin is a very devoted man.
He spoke to her like she was some kind of deity and would do whatever he could to please her.
Rhaenyra is relieved to have such a dedicated person on her side.
Thinking about the heir of Harrenhal made her remember what happened to him in the melee.
Harwin was a very skilled and powerful warrior, yet it did not matter once he was facing Ser Criston Cole.
The Lord Commander of the Kingsguard was unstoppable.
He massacred every opponent he had in the melees, and sadly, her new favorite knight was one of them.
She spent a few hours with Harwin to see how bad his injuries were.
Of course, it was not as bad as Joffrey’s, but they certainly were tough to look at.
The white knight broke Harwin’s elbow and collarbone, basically making him unable to accomplish his duties as a knight for some time.
After a few hours holding Harwin’s hand and gently talking to him, he finally fell asleep and Rhaenyra left him here with a kiss on his forehead.
When the night came, Rhaenyra ate her food alone as her new husband was too busy to care about her.
And so, Rhaenyra took a good bath, got herself in a revealing nightgown, and entered her bedroom.
She lay on the bed and waited for Laenor to come.
And she waited some more.
And she fell asleep on the bed.
Then, a long time later, she woke up with the door opening.
Rhaenyra looks up to see Laenor entering the room with red eyes after crying too much and a defeated expression on his face.
“So, you finally came, husband,” Rhaenyra says, making a suggestive pose in the bed.
Her gown moved up a bit to show more of her well-developed legs.
Yet, Laenor looked at her with lack of interest before seating himself on his side of the large bed, looking at the wall.
“Why are you even trying, Rhaenyra?” The new Prince Consort of Dragonstone asks.
Rhaenyra sighs before sitting on the bed.
“Trying does not hurt, Laenor.
I just need you to shove your cock in me for a few minutes every moon or so.
Is it that hard?” The princess asks, frustrated.
Laenor sighs, looking at her out of the corner of his eyes.
“To do that I would need to get it hard.
I simply cannot get it hard with a woman.
I tried.
Several times.
Father once took me to a pleasure house in Lys and made me look at every kind of woman imaginable.
None worked.
I am sorry.” The heir of Driftmark proclaims with a bitter tone.
Rhaenyra lay on the bed and let out an exasperated sigh.
She then laughs with sarcasm.
“The world loves to play dirty with me, I guess.” The Princess of Dragonstone says with a frustrated smile.
Laenor looks at her with sympathy.
“We have negotiated that already, haven’t we?” The man in blue asks.
Rhaenyra frowns, sitting on the bed again and looking at her husband’s eyes.
Purple on purple.
“Are you sure about that?
We might get caught.
They may look more like their real father than me.
That would be a problem.
A big one,” the princess proclaims.
Laenor snorts.
“You say that, but you will not stop fucking your sworn sword either way, right?” The heir of Driftmark asks.
Rhaenyra laughs with a malicious intent.
“I will not stop.
Harwin is too precious to me.” The princess says with a distant tone.
Laenor smirks.
“The man or his cock?” The man in blue asks, sarcastically.
Rhaenyra laughs, biting her lower lip as she looks to the roof.
“I can have both, Laenor.
That is why I like him.” The princess says with a smile.
Laenor snorts.
“Yet, you don’t love him the same amount he loves you.” The consort proclaims.
Rhaenyra looks at her husband and frowns.
“What do you mean by that?” The princess asks.
Laenor looks at her with a serious expression.
“I knew it before, but I also heard you talking to Daemon during the dance—your desire.
Did you even remember that I can also speak High Valyrian?” The heir of Driftmark asks.
Rhaenyra feels a shiver go down her spine as she tries to keep her composure.
“He rejected me.
It is over, Laenor.” The princess proclaims, trying to be confident about it.
Laenor laughs, but without any sign of humor in it.
“No.
It’s not over.
You love him.
You love him more than you could ever love Criston Cole or Harwin Strong, right?
I doubt that this will change anytime soon, but you need to learn your limits.
Your proposal to Daemon was absurd.
You were really about to give up everything and asked Daemon to do the same so you could live a love story?
Just how delusional you are, Rhaenyra?” The new prince consort asks his wife.
Rhaenyra’s face turns to a sad expression as she hugs her pillow, looking down with a distant gaze.
“I know.
I got carried away.
Now I want to forget that.
We need to plan our future.
Our tough future.
You are my husband now; we are on this together.” The princess proclaims, holding his hand.
Laenor smirks but holds her hand back.
“I need to be your husband at least in some regards, after all.
What I want from you is a promise.
Tell me that Daemon Targaryen is out of this.
The relations between us and the Hightowers are already tense.
My father and Ser Otto are arguing a lot in the council lately,” the Velaryon heir says.
Rhaenyra frowns, curious.
“Really?
What is the reason for that?” The princess asks.
Laenor sighs.
“Ser Otto thinks that the King is being ruled by Father and not the other way around.
He thinks that the two marriages were too much of an effort for an alliance with us.
Father says that he is angry that he did not manage to convince the king to marry you to Aegon, his grandson.
” The consort explains.
Rhaenyra snorts, crossing her arms.
“He is only six.
I would have to wait ten whole years to marry him.
And even then, it would be a strange marriage for us.
A woman of six-and-twenty married to a boy of six-and-ten.
It would not work, at least for me,” the princess proclaims.
Laenor smirks.
“That, and how you desired to marry his father.” The Velaryon mocks.
Rhaenyra slaps his arm in a playful way, and both of them laugh.
But then Laenor loses his smile and looks at her with a serious expression.
“Can you promise it to me?” The consort asks his wife.
Rhaenyra sighs and nods, confident.
“I promise.
I want to move forward.
I want to make things work out for both of our families,” the princess proclaims.
Laenor nods to her and then gets up.
“Good.
Well, I am feeling tired.
With you.
So…
can I?” The heir of Driftmark asks, pointing to his clothes.
Rhaenyra snorts and laughs.
“Of course.
You are allowed to sleep by my side, husband.” The princess of Dragonstone proclaims sarcastically.
Laenor smirks and then takes most of his clothes off.
The two of them lie in the bed on opposite sides, and when the fire of the candles fades away, they are alone in the dark.
And even with a man by her side on the bed, Rhaenyra still feels lonely.
A week passes by, and a lot of things happen to shake the new couple’s life.
Ser Joffrey Lonmouth, after several days, died in his sleep.
Laenor was devastated for the rest of the day and would isolate himself in his bedroom.
Rhaenyra also felt really bad for him for not being able to help.
The next day, Laenor was now able to get out of his shell, even if still very sad.
His father, Lord Corlys, proposed that the two of them should go to Driftmark, and Laenor quickly accepted.
After preparing themselves, the young couple walk out of the Red Keep together, being guided by guards towards the carriages.
“Why do we need to go to Driftmark?
King’s Landing is a way better place to live, and your father lives here, not in Driftmark.” The princess complains.
Laenor sighs and nods.
“Exactly.
As a council member, he lives here in King’s Landing, so I take care of Driftmark in his place as his heir.
I need to be there to deal with a lot of things.
And, to be honest, I prefer much more to live in Driftmark.
Much more calm and with a much better coast.” The heir of Driftmark proclaims with an emotionless tone.
Rhaenyra sighs.
Laenor has been talking like that since Joffrey died.
“Can’t you Velaryons not talk about the sea for five minutes?” The princess asks, trying to ease things around.
Laenor has no reactions.
They get to the carriage, and inside they meet with Corlys and Rhaenys.
The sea snake is on his habitual proud posture and a short smile.
But it is Rhaenys that makes Rhaenyra a bit uncomfortable.
The Queen Who Never Was looks at her like she is judging her soul.
Like a wild beast trying to judge if the meat in front of her is fresh or rotten.
As they sit on the carriage and it starts to move, Rhaenyra opens a formal smile and gently bows to the parents of her husband.
“Lord Corlys.
Lady Rhaenys.
It is good to see you two today, now with a new perspective,” the princess says.
Corlys nods.
“Indeed.
You are now the wife of my only son.
As such, I hope that you understand that the Iron Throne is not the only title here.
Your marriage is also the future of House Velaryon,” the Sea Snake proclaims, seriously.
Rhaenyra nods and tries to keep her posture.
“And I hope you understand the order of importance here, my Lord,” the princess proclaims.
Corlys nods, a bit satisfied, to her surprise.
Rhaenys smirks.
“You understand that you will have a lot of problems to keep your position, right?
You will need to be very careful about your decisions.” The oldest Targaryen alive proclaims with a subtle tone.
Rhaenyra knows very well what she means in reality.
Rhaenys knows the nature of her son and knows how tough of a situation it is.
She is basically asking how she is going to surpass it.
“I like to believe that there is always a way out of tough situations, good mother.
You just need to be wise enough to find them,” the princess proclaims, enigmatic.
Rhaenys snorts.
“Sometimes, the way out ends in an abyss.
As I said, be very careful with your choices, princess.” The rider of Meleys proclaims, looking through the window.
Rhaenyra sighs.
The older woman was not impressed by her answer.
Corlys looks at his wife for a second before looking at his son.
Rhaenys will go with you two to Driftmark, as I will be meeting with King Viserys today.
I just have someone to talk to in the Dragonpit.
“The sea snake proclaims.
Rhaenyra doesn’t know who he is talking about, and honestly, she does not care.
Looking out the window, she can only be happy now with the idea of flying on Syrax again.
When the four of them arrive at the main entrance of the Dragonpit, they meet two unexpected persons.
Alicent Hightower is there, looking to the sky, apprehensive.
By her side, the Lord Commander Ser Criston Cole is standing with a serious expression while looking at them.
His eyes are cold while looking at Rhaenyra.
She was surprised when she learned that Alicent wanted Ser Criston to be her sworn sword and personal Kingsguard, and her father accepted it.
The Princess of Dragonstone still doesn’t fully understand why that happened in the first place.
Rhaenyra walks towards Alicent with a curious expression and a formal smile, trying to ignore the white knight.
Alicent notices and looks back at her with the same kind of smile.
“Lady Alicent, how surprising it is to meet you.
Can I ask why you are here?” The Princess of Dragonstone asks.
Alicent keeps her formal posture intact.
“I am waiting.
They will be here very soon,” the brown-haired princess proclaims.
Rhaenyra frowns.
“Who are you waiting for?” The nominated heir to the throne asks.
As Alicent opens her mouth to answer, the sound of two different roars echoes through the sky.
Everyone looks up to see two figures emerge from the sky.
Firstly, a big red dragon with a long neck descends with a loud hissing roar.
Caraxes moves in the air almost like a snake.
And then, right behind Caraxes, a second dragon emerges.
A much smaller dragon, not much bigger than a horse, full of bright gold scales and a pair of long, marble-white horns, descends with a more classic roar for a dragon.
The light of the sun goes through the clear pink part of the wings of the dragon.
A marvelous creature, for sure.
The two dragons dance in circles in the sky.
Rhaenyra is surprised.
“Is that dragon…”
“Aegon’s dragon?
Yes.
My husband thought it was time to let our eldest son take his dragon to the sky.
I was against it because Egg is only six, but I am powerless here.” The princess from the Reach says before sighing.
Rhaenyra nods in understanding, still surprised.
“At six?
I did that when I was seven.
Is my uncle trying to create a competition here?” The Princess of Dragonstone asks, not moving her eyes away.
Alicent snorts.
“I hope that you don’t try to beat it, Princess.
I don’t want even younger children to ride dragons to the sky.” The daughter of the Hand proclaims, a bit bitter.
Rhaenyra nods, agreeing with her.
Laenor, who was by her side all the time, looks to Alicent.
“Have any of the eggs of the other two hatch?” The prince consort asks, curious.
Alicent sighs.
“No.
Daemon said that it was fate.
He did not hatch an egg and instead claimed an older dragon.
He expects Helaena and Aemond to claim older dragons in the future.
And I am a bit concerned, as you can imagine,” the princess says, serious and almost sarcastic.
Rhaenyra frowns.
“They are Targaryens.
I am sure they will have no problems claiming dragons.” The Princess of Dragonstone says with confidence.
Alicent sighs.
“May the gods let you be right about that, princess,” the older woman proclaims.
And then, Caraxes roars and prepares to land, with the smaller dragon following him.
The two dragons land on the ground near them, letting out some grunts as they do so.
Daemon Targaryen dismounts from Caraxes and strokes the scales on the neck of the dragon, who hisses a bit.
The Rogue Prince then walks towards the gold dragon, who grunts to him, showing his sharp teeth.
“Gīda ilagon, iksan daor kesīr naejot ōdrikagon aōha kipagīros.
(Calm down, I am not here to hurt your rider),” the prince says in High Valyrian.
The dragon calms down and lets Daemon get to his saddle.
Rhaenyra sees her cousin, the little Aegon, with messy hair, a large smile, and the bright eyes of a very happy child.
He laughs as his father removes him from his saddle.
“Kepa!
I want to fly more!
I want more!” The young prince complains, shaking himself in his father’s arms.
Daemon grunts in irritation before letting his son hit the ground.
“Not today, boy.
Be satisfied that I even let you take your dragon for a ride,” the Rogue Prince proclaims.
Aegon does a pout but nods.
He then smiles again and runs towards the head of his dragon, hugging and stroking it.
“Avy jorrāelan, Vēzzy!
(I love you, Sunny!)” The young prince proclaims in High Valyrian.
The golden dragon growls at him with some kind of appreciation.
Corlys laughs a bit as he looks towards Daemon.
“Your boy still calls his dragon Sunny?
” The sea snake asks.
Daemon snorts.
“I convinced him to give the dragon a proper name.
Aegon, come here and tell Lord Corlys here what is the name of your dragon,” the Rogue Prince demands.
Aegon lets his dragon go and then walks to his father, who points out to Corlys.
“His name is Sunfyre!” The young prince proclaims it out loud.
The Sea Snake smiles at the boy.
“A good name, my prince.” The old man says, and the boy smiles back before finally noticing his mother and going towards her.
“Muna!” The boy proclaims as he opens his arms, and Alicent is happy to bend down and take him into a hug.
“Oh Egg!
Look at you!
Your hair is a mess, your clothes are out of place, and you almost worried your mother to death!
We need to get back in the Red Keep so you can take a bath.
Do you understand?” The princess asks, kissing the cheek of her son before taking him by the hand.
Aegon makes a pout.
“I don’t want a bath, muunnaa!” The boy complains, but it falls on deaf ears as his mother takes him in the direction of a carriage.
Before she leaves, Alicent looks up to Daemon.
“Are you coming with us, husband?” The princess asks.
Daemon trades a gaze with Corlys Velaryon and then looks back at Alicent.
“No.
I have other things to do here.” The Rogue Prince answers, and Alicent nods before leaving in a carriage with her eldest son and Ser Criston Cole.
The dragonkeepers come around and guide Caraxes and Sunfyre to the cavernous entrances.
The gold dragon resists more, being a naturally very aggressive dragon.
And then, Lord Corlys looked at Rhaenyra and his family.
“I will see the three of you soon in the future.
I hope you get used well to Driftmark, Princess.
My son, take good care of our ancestral lands.
And of course…” the Lord of the Tides proclaims, before smiling and walking towards his wife.
The couple share a short but passionate kiss.
And after that, they let their forehead connect for a bit before they let go.
No words spoken.
Rhaenyra was never as jealous in all her life as she is now.
Daemon then nods at everyone in respect but does it as shortly as possible to Rhaenyra, who feels like she just took a needle to the heart once again.
The three dragonriders walk towards a dark entrance of the Dragonpit as they leave the Rogue Prince and the Sea Snake behind.
Rhaenys takes a torch and lights their way through the human-made caverns of the Dragonpit.
The silence reigns around them.
Syrax roars through the sky as Rhaenyra pulls the reins to make the yellow dragon fly higher.
The Princess of Dragonstone smiles and laughs as she enjoys the pure emotion of flying.
Her gold-silver hair moves in the wind without a care in the world.
She doesn’t care about her appearance right now.
Rhaenyra extends her hands and touches the clouds, enjoying the experience and feeling like she is once again the girl of seven that just claimed her dragon.
When Syrax gets stable in the air, Rhaenyra sees the other two dragons on her sides.
The grey scales of Seasmoke, who is slightly larger than Syrax, and the red scales of Meleys, the Red Queen, who is larger than the two other dragons but still a bit smaller than Caraxes.
The three dragons have been flying through the skies of the Narrow Sea for some time now, crossing Blackwater Bay on their way to Driftmark.
And then, it finally appeared.
The island emerges in front of them.
Rhaenyra firstly notices the extensive beaches on the coast of the island, then the docks where several ships are berthed.
And when they got closer, they could see the entirety of the majestic castle of High Tide.
The marble shines in the sun.
A show of the might and wealth of the sea snake.
The three dragons land on the back of High Tide, a place made by the Velaryons to keep their dragons with only some chains instead of the enormous structure that was the Dragonpit.
Syrax lands first on the ground and is soon followed by Seasmoke and then Meleys.
Rhaenyra gets out of Syrax and gives her dragon some strokes of affection before the keepers come to chain the dragons in place.
The three dragonriders walk together to the insides of High Tide, walking through the several representations of the voyages of Corlys Velaryon on the walls of the castle’s hallways.
Then, they finally arrive at the great hall of Driftmark, the Hall of Nine, where Corlys kept several of his treasures from his voyages.
The Driftwood Throne, the ancient seat of House Velaryon, is there in evidence as well.
Rhaenys turns to the servants in the great hall and commands them all to leave.
Once the three of them are alone, she walks towards the Driftwood Throne and sits on it, looking at both Laenor and Rhaenyra with a serious expression.
“Tell me, how will the marriage of you two work out?
I know very well how Laenor…
behaves.
What is your solution for that inconvenience, Princess?” The Lady Consort of Driftmark asks.
Rhaenyra tries to be as confident as possible in front of the eldest member of her house.
“Laenor and I have come to an agreement.
He gave me permission to pursue the satisfaction and legacy that he is unable to give me, and as such, he will pretend to be the author of such actions, taking all the responsibility,” the Princess of Dragonstone proclaims, trying to keep her voice in place as she talks in an enigmatic way.
Rhaengs is clearly not satisfied with that.
Her expression is one of disgust and irritation.
“Foolish children, do you have any understanding of what you two are proposing?
This is a treasonous act that could destroy everything that my cousin and my husband are building here.
What if this…
legacy of yours doesn’t look like they should?” The Queen Who Never Was asks, angrily.
Rhaenyra takes a deep breath.
“I have thought about it.
If the legacy doesn’t turn out to be ideal, we will just have to do some explanation.
The author is one of trust and one that I refuse to change because of the intimate aspect of the topic in question.
It has to be him.
We can use the past legacy to justify things as well.
Like your own hair, good mother.” The princess explains, gaining more confidence as she talks.
Rhaenys frowns.
“I know the author you are referring to.
You really think that this plan of yours will work?
There will be several people that will guess things wrong and can feel betrayed by that.
House Velaryon, for example.” The older woman proclaims.
Rhaenyra frowns back.
“Lord Corlys got both of his children as consorts; he has no reason to complain.
After all, he agreed to the marriage even knowing the circumstances.
He ended up biting more than he could chew and is suffering for that now.
My position is frail, and I need my own legacy to support me as fast as possible.
But I have a proposal here.
I want to tie my legacy with yours, Princess Rhaenys, through Laena,” the princess explains and proposes.
Rhaenys frowns, thinking more before smirking.
“Laena still doesn’t have a legacy.
She might never have one, or even that legacy might not last long.
And, if she does have a legacy, why should we not try to change our preferences and forget about your legacy to embrace hers?” The woman of black hair asks.
Rhaenyra takes a step back with the implications but frowns with a serious expression on her face.
“That is treason, Lady Rhaenys, and you know that.
My father named me to my position, and it will still be my position independent of the legacy that your daughter built with him.
It does not matter if that legacy has something that I don’t.
You asked me what I would do if people started to notice things, and I have the most simple answer.
Nobody dares to question the word of the King.
And the King, my father, is the most important supporter that I have and the only one I truly need.
If I say that my legacy is your legacy as well, I am sure that he will stand by my side.
With that, I will ask you one thing.
Will House Velaryon go against the word of the King of the Seven Kingdoms?
Will House Velaryon call me a liar and a criminal and probably start a war that would kill several members of their own family?” The princess asks, making her voice higher with each phrase.
Rhaenys and Rhaenyra trade fixed glares, staring into the souls of each other.
Purple on purple.
And then, Lady Rhaenys sighs and gets up from the Driftwood Throne.
She walks towards Rhaenyra and looks at her more closely in the eye.
“The choice is yours, Rhaenyra.
You reap what you sow.
But remember, the Iron Throne is the most dangerous and desired thing in Westeros.
Your father will not live forever to support you.
If Laena gives what Corlys wants, I don’t know what he might choose.
But, the worst ones are Daemon and the Hightowers, Your biggest adversaries.” The Queen Who Never Was whispers, honestly.
Rhaenyra frowns at the end.
“My uncle would never go against me, and I consider Alicent to be a friend of mine.
They are not my enemy,” the princess proclaims firmly.
Rhaenys smirks.
“Daemon thought he was the heir before your brother died because you are a woman.
By the ideals of my grandfather, Jaehaerys the Conciliator, the greatest king of Westeros, he would still be the heir to the throne over you.
He has the Hightowers on his side, one of the most powerful houses in Westeros.
He has a perfect legacy now.
And the worst part…
he has an ambition as deep as the ocean.
Whatever affection he has for you does not matter in front of his ambitions.
Don’t hesitate around him, Rhaenyra,” the Lady of Driftmark whispers, very serious.
Rhaenyra takes a step back but keeps her serious expression.
“It does not matter.
If he ever becomes an enemy and when my father is gone, with House Velaryon by my side and the world of a peaceful king guarding me, no one will stop me from getting what I want.
I am sure of that.” The Princess of Dragonstone proclaims, still looking at Rhaenys in the eyes.
The older woman smirks before walking away.
“Be careful, princess.
Your path will be filled with blood, for certain,” the Queen Who Never Was says before leaving the hall.
Laenor, who was just watching in silence until now, looks at the troubled Rhaenyra with compassion.
“I will try to make things a bit easier with my mother.
Do you need anything?” The heir of Driftmark asks softly.
Rhaenyra sighs and denies with her head.
“No.
There is nothing that I need.
Go talk to her.” The Princess of Dragonstone says, looking at the ground.
Laenor nods and leaves the hall.
Rhaenyra, now alone, looks at the entire Hall of Nine, seeing the legacy of the Sea Snake.
A true legacy.
She might be building a legacy of lies, but it is her legacy.
And she doesn’t need to give satisfaction to anyone.
She will do as she pleases and will deal with the consequences on her way as well.
With a final sigh, Rhaenyra sits on the Driftwood Throne and relaxes, thinking about her lover and how much time he might take to get here.
She might need his assistance pretty soon.