RHAENYRA
116 AC
Rhaenyra smiles from a chair as she looks at her eldest son, Jace, walking around like only a child that just learned how to, bringing toys to show to his little brother, Luke, who looks at them and back to his older brother with amusement.
Looking at them is an easy excuse to not listen to what her husband is talking about while standing by her side.
She looks at Laenor with an embarrassed expression.
“What were you saying, Laenor?
I was looking at the boys playing.
They are so cute, right?” She asks with a strange smile of shame.
Laenor frowns and then sighs.
“I was saying that my father just received information from some of his spies in Essos.
Looks like the Triarchy started building more reinforcements lately.
It might take some more years for them to strike again, but we need to be prepared,” the heir of Driftmark says.
Rhaenyra keeps looking at her sons, with Lucerys slowly crawling towards her.
Rhaenyra frowns.
“Why are you telling me this, exactly?
I am not a warrior.
That war, as far as I am concerned, is about your father, my uncle, and maybe you, but not me.” The Princess of Dragonstone points out as she takes Luke in her arms and relaxes in the chair.
Laenor snorts.
“As the heir to the Iron Throne, you need to be aware of what is happening in the realm.
You can’t be ignorant about what is happening around you,” the prince consort says.
Rhaenyra sighs.
“You are right, sorry.
I just need to get used to this kind of matter.
War was never something I was interested in.” The princess says back as she smiles at Luke while he extends his tiny baby hands to her.
Laenor nods.
“You are more similar to your father than you think,” the heir of Driftmark points out.
Rhaenyra frowns.
“I don’t know if that was a praise or an offense, to be honest,” the Princess of Dragonstone says.
Laenor smirks.
“Maybe a bit of both.
The lack of interest of your father in war makes my father irritated frequently while he is at council,” the consort says.
Rhaenyra frowns when she thinks about the Sea Snake.
“How is your father doing?
Is he preparing for war?” The princess asks.
Laenor nods.
“He is, but not at a fast pace.
He knows at what time he needs things.
He is busy all the time now training men and fortifying the fleets.
Daemon has been scouting the Stepstones more frequently, and I will probably have to do the same soon.” The prince consort proclaims.
Rhaenyra nods, looking at the walls of their bedroom in High Tide.
The whole room is surrounded by the colors of House Velaryon and severe ornaments that resemble the sea.
At this point, she is almost sick of it.
“I want to move to Dragonstone one day.
I want to be closer to what makes me a Targaryen.
My origins.
I reign over the skies, not the sea.” The princess proclaims with pride.
Laenor sighs.
“I understand your point, Nyra.
I really do.
But you need to understand the situation here.
“You are married to the heir of Driftmark, and your children bear the Velaryon name.
Things are already very tense with my father,” the prince consort points out.
Rhaenyra slowly nods.
“I know.
I am only saying what I think.
I don’t feel part of Driftmark and most probably never will.
Either way, how are things going in the capital?
You were there yesterday, after all.” The princess asks, curious.
Laenor nods his head and opens a short smile.
“Laena is doing well.
She looked a lot more tired all the time, but I can completely understand it.
I was really surprised by the large size of her belly.
And well, I received an interesting justification for that,” the prince consort says with a playful tone.
Rhaenyra frowns, but she quickly realizes, and her eyes widen.
“Twins?” She asks directly.
Laenor laughs and nods.
Rhaenyra smiles back to him.
“That is wonderful!
Laena waited for so long to have such a lasting pregnancy.
She deserves to have a successful one,” the Princess of Dragonstone proclaims.
But, going against her words, her hands shake while she tries to hide them.
One holding Lucerys and the other being kept by her side.
Laenor sighs, clearly noticing her blatant nervousness.
He walks towards Rhaenyra and lands a soft hand on her shoulder.
“You don’t need to lie to me, Rhae.
I know you better than anyone does, and you know that.
You are very worried about what will happen with that pregnancy, right?” The prince consort asks.
Rhaenyra sighs, relaxing a bit with his touch.
She then gets up, holding Lucerys in her arms as the babe keeps looking and touching her hair in fascination.
She looks at Laenor with a sad expression.
“I am very nervous.
I had almost no sleep last night.
If Laena gives birth to daughters, it would be the most perfect outcome for me.
If she gives birth to sons, it is a disaster.
Your father would have a very dangerous claim on his hands that could end up not only taking what is mine but also killing me and my children.
How am I not supposed to be nervous about that, Laenor?” The Princess of Dragonstone asks with an insecure tone.
Laenor looks at her with eyes of pity.
And then, Rhaenyra receives a tender hug from her husband, who strokes her hair as she lays her head on his shoulder.
Lucerys, between them, looks at the two with confusion.
Laenor moves his mouth closer to Rhaenyra’s ear.
“It does not matter what will happen with Laena, Rhae.
We will find a way through things.
I am not letting you and your children die.
If my father proclaims anything against you, I and the king will side with you until the bitter end.
The two boys here even managed to get a place in the heart of my mother.
His support in the realm is not as large as he wants you to think.
So, calm down.” The heir of Driftmark, gently kissing her forehead.
Rhaenyra smiles at him, looking at his eyes.
“Even with all the circumstances around our marriage, I don’t think I could have a better husband than you.
I am very grateful to have you by my side, Laenor.” The princess says, being completely honest.
Laenor smiles at her as their hug ends.
“I am very pleased to hear that.
Well, Laena might give birth at any moment.
How about we fly to Dragonstone in Seasmoke and Syrax to get two eggs for her children?” The heir of Driftmark asks.
Rhaenyra smiles at that.
“A good idea.
I can at least try to get closer to her.
It would certainly help.
And how could I refuse a chance to fly around with my husband?” The Princess of Dragonstone proclaims, and the two of them laugh.
And then, three knocks came from the door.
Rhaenyra quickly identifies the pattern.
“Enter,” she says.
And then, Ser Harwin Strong enters, wearing armor, but not using his helmet.
His smile is warm like the sun, and his eyes let out pure devotion and love for her as he bows.
“My princess.
My prince.
I came here to see the two young princes, as I promised to Prince Jacaerys yesterday.” The knight says.
The referred boy runs to him with the difficult pace of a two-year-old boy.
Jacaerys smiles at the knight.
“Hawin!
Hawin!” The prince proclaims, extending his arms.
The knight of the gold cloak laughs and takes the boy in his arms, lifting him in the air and making him laugh.
Rhaenyra’s heart melts at the scene while Laenor frowns a bit, getting closer to her.
“You should not let Strong be that close to the boys.
Might make things even more obvious.
We can’t have that.” The prince consort whispers firmly.
Rhaenyra sighs and looks at her husband with sad eyes.
“How could I deny love to my children?” The princess asks, hurt by the idea.
Laenor sighs, holding her shoulders.
“There is no perfect solution here, Rhae.
I already try my best to be a good figure to them, but Harwin needs to be more of a tutor than anything.” The prince consort says.
Rhaenyra nods once again, but then sighs.
“We will talk more about that another day.” The princess says before turning to Harwin, who is still playing around with her eldest son.
She smiles at the scene one last time, thinking for a moment about what could have been instead of what things really turned out to be.
After leaving the two boys with the servants, Rhaenyra and Laenor left Driftmark in Syrax and Seasmoke.
Their flight to the Dragonmount was not a long one.
They just landed there and searched inside the caves of the mount for a time before finding the two eggs they wanted.
Now, flying to King’s Landing, Rhaenyra smiles as she feels the wind against her face and the warmth of the sunlight on her skin.
Her silver-golden hair moves around.
The Princess of Dragonstone looks at the leather bag she brings with her and takes another look at the two eggs.
The first one was a pale shade of green, while the second one is a pretty shade of pink.
Laenor advised her that the second egg was too “girly” and that if both babes were boys, it would not be a good gift.
He is probably right, but Rhaenyra deep down felt that taking these two eggs was the best choice.
Maybe it is just her wishing that at least one of the twins turn out to be a girl for her own good.
She is just as hopeful as she is nervous right now.
Syrax and Seasmoke land into the terrain of the Dragonpit, and the Princess of Dragonstone quickly dismounts, taking a good look at Syrax.
She smiles at the dragon and pets her snout.
“Kesan ūndegon ao tolī, ñuha riña…
jaelagon nyke biarves.
(I will see you later, my lady…
wish me luck.) “The princess whispers, and Syrax let out a low grunt.
As Syrax and Seasmoke are guided to the insides of the Dragonpit, Rhaenyra notices the sound of voices talking and metal clashing with metal.
She frowns as Laenor walks towards her.
“Is there someone else here?” The princess asks, looking at Laenor.
Her husband frowns, getting to hear the sounds just now.
“Well, we just need to find out, right?” The heir of Driftmark says.
Rhaenyra nods and then looks to a guard.
“Please, get two horses ready for me and Prince Laenor.
We are going to the Red Keep,” the Princess of Dragonstone proclaims.
The guard nods, and Rhaenyra leaves with Laenor.
The two walk through the surroundings of the Dragonpit until they take a turn and see three people in the training ground.
Ser Criston Cole, wearing a more common and light leather armor, is wielding a sword of wood and defending the strikes of another sword of wood.
That other sword is wielded by a young boy who is also using the same kind of armor but with a dirty sigil of House Targaryen on his chest.
He is panting a lot, and his short golden-silver hair is very sweaty as he slowly walks in circles with Criston.
Rhaenyra is quite surprised to see how much her cousin Aegon has grown.
Time is passing faster and faster, and that is something to be worried about.
The boy is already nine years old.
And, of course, watching by the side in his common clothing, her uncle is observing his son training with his arms crossed.
By his expression, he is certainly either frustrated or bored.
Probably both.
Aegon grunts and tries to attack Criston once again with his sword, only for the knight to dodge his attack, making the tired boy fall to the ground, letting out a grunt of discomfort and frustration.
Daemon frowns and Criston sighs.
“Get up, my prince.
If you fall to the ground in battle, you will never get the chance to get up again,” Ser Criston proclaims.
Aegon grunts and gets up once again.
“But you are much bigger than I!
I can’t beat you!” The prince proclaims, frustrated as he finds his sword and grabs it.
Ser Criston smirks at the boy.
“This training is not about beating someone, my prince.
You need to learn how to fight before thinking about beating someone.
Do you get it?” The knight asks.
Aegon grunts, raising his sword.
“No!” The boy says, being honest.
Rhaenyra holds a laugh so they don’t find her and Laenor.
Ser Criston doesn’t hold his short laugh.
“Then, you have much more practice to do.
Now, dodge this!” The knight says, making an obvious attack from up to down, that Aegon manages to get out of the way.
As the boy and the knight continue to fight, Rhaenyra and Laenor walk towards Daemon.
The Rogue Prince looks at them weirdly, not much surprised.
He turns his eyes to Rhaenyra.
His strict gaze never fails to make a shiver go down her spine.
She ignores it and smiles at her uncle.
“Uncle, looks like Aegon has finally started his training with a sword.
Did his mother agree with that?
” The Princess of Dragonstone asks.
Daemon snorts.
“She can’t deny me that.
She can say whatever she wants, but in the end I have the final word, and she has to accept it.
Someone has to be the leader of a marriage.” The Rogue Prince says with an objective tone.
Rhaenyra nods, but she keeps a proud posture.
“We don’t have this kind of thing in our marriage.
We make decisions together.
Right?” The princess asks her husband, who smiles and nods to her.
Daemon smirks to them before looking back at the training of his son.
“Well, that is not what I see.
You two came here to visit Viserys, right?” The Rogue Prince asks.
Rhaenyra nods.
“Yes.
I brought two dragon eggs to Laena’s children once I learned that she would give birth to twins.
I hope to be here to see the birth of my new siblings,” the Princess of Dragonstone proclaims.
Daemon looks confused for a second before smirking.
Rhaenyra frowns.
“Any problem, Uncle?” The princess asks, confused.
Daemon denies with his head.
“Nothing.
You are just lacking information, niece.
Information seems to show up too slowly on Driftmark.” The Rogue Prince jokes.
Rhaenyra frowns, even more confused.
“What do you mean?
What happened?” The princess asks, getting worried.
Daemon raises a hand to calm her down before answering.
“You will understand once you arrive at the Red Keep.” The Rogue Prince says, but before Rhaenyra or Laenor could ask anything more, Aegon and Criston finish the training and walk toward them.
The boy walks to his father with a tired expression and a red face from all the effort he did.
“Kepa, why do I need to do that?
I have a dragon!
He can fight for me!” The prince proclaims in a loud tone of voice.
Daemon frowns and grunts.
“A man that is not a warrior doesn’t have any respect from his soldiers.
If you only go to war on dragonback, the enemy will fear your dragon, not you.
So, stop complaining.
Tomorrow, I want you to train even harder.
No excuses.” The Rogue Prince says with a harsh tone of voice.
Aegon grunts.
Rhaenyra is left to think for a minute as both Aegon and Ser Criston take their light armors off.
She looks to her uncle.
“I have to agree with what you said here, Uncle.
A warrior has way more respect in our society.
And fear, of course.
As the heir to the throne, I think I need to be more martial in order to achieve more respect.
Maybe I should learn how to properly use a sword,” the Princess of Dragonstone proclaims, creating her new resolution.
She has never seen her uncle as shocked as he is now.
He is looking at her with a shocked frown.
“Are you sure about that?
The life of a warrior is not easy, Rhaenyra.
You might break a lot of nails on your way to get the skills.” The Rogue Prince mocks with a laugh.
Rhaenyra frowns, standing in her proud posture.
“I am serious, Uncle.
I am tired of people looking at me like I am just a spoiled girl with no wits,” the Princess of Dragonstone proclaims.
Daemon looks cautious but a bit impressed; he then smirks and looks away.
“You should talk to the Queen.
She might have some things to talk to you about.
But I would recommend you lose some weight.
Your children were not gentle with you, princess.” The Rogue Prince says while raising a quick eyebrow at her body.
Rhaenyra frowns, a bit disturbed about the topic.
“I will try my best to fix that, you can be sure of that.
Well, are you three coming with us to the Red Keep?” the Princess of Dragonstone asks.
Before Daemon can answer, his son does.
“No!
Kepa said we would fly together after the training!” The young boy says, a smile taking the place of his tired expression.
Daemon snorts and Rhaenyra laughs while looking at her uncle.
“Oh really?
You might have a soft side after all, Uncle.
” the princess proclaims.
Daemon grunts at her statement.
“I had to bargain with the boy so he would shut up and just do the training.
He is quite annoying, I have to say,” the Rogue Prince says with a smirk.
Aegon frowns at his father, and Rhaenyra laughs once again, this time with Laenor.
Her husband takes his turn into the conversation.
“Any new information about the situation in the Stepstones?” The Heir of Driftmark asks.
Daemon frowns.
“Not much.
Things are going slow there.
Too slow for me.
The fat crab lord is always demanding more money to pay for buildings there, and Viserys is already getting frustrated with that.
Celtigar might receive a letter from him pretty soon.
Not a good one.
The Triarchy is still preparing.
They are trying to convince Pentos and Volantis to help them in the next war, but they are cautious about starting a full war of Essos against Westeros. You are reading on NovelPing, the official source.
They still fear the dragons just as much as they feared centuries ago.
“The Rogue Prince proclaims, getting proud at the end.
Laenor smirks.
“Good.
It is easy to fight and defeat an enemy that fears you.
There were attacks by pirates recently?” The heir of Driftmark asks.
Daemon snorts.
“Not much.
Only to attack some ships that were focused on trade.
But not a lot of them either.
They don’t want to attack the ships that travel to Pentos and Volantis and possibly anger them.
They are more focused on attacking the trade ships that we use to trade between ourselves, and sometimes they also sack Dornish ships,” the Rogue Prince points out.
Rhaenyra is intrigued.
“Is there a chance that we can call Dorne to ally with us against the triarchy?” The Princess of Dragonstone asks.
The silence reigns for a few seconds before Daemon, Criston, and even Laenor start laughing.
Rhaenyra is confused, but her uncle answers.
“Dorne would prefer to let their whole fleet burn before fighting alongside us.
And I prefer it to be that way.
You can never trust the Dornishmen,” the Rogue Prince proclaims with a smirk.
Rhaenyra slowly nods while Laenor lands his arm around her shoulders and opens a short smile.
“We don’t need Dorne; the Triarchy barks more than they can bite.” The heir of Driftmark says with pure confidence.
Daemon smirks to him.
“Don’t get too cocky, boy.
One spear to the eye and even a mighty dragon can become fish food in the middle of the Stepstones.
Well, it seems that your ride has come,” the Rogue Prince says, looking behind them.
Rhaenyra and Laenor turn around to see the guards bringing two horses to them.
A white one and a black one.
Rhaenyra looks at her cousin.
“Obey your father, Egg.
You don’t want to be on his bad side.” The Princess of Dragonstone says with a smile.
The boy frowns and snorts.
“Don’t call me that!
I am not an egg!” The young prince says, irritated.
Rhaenyra laughs and then looks at her uncle, her smile getting softer and shorter.
“Take care of your children, Uncle.
I learned with mine that there is no bigger treasure in this world than your own children.” The princess says honestly.
Daemon looks a bit surprised for a second, but he snorts.
“I will keep that in mind, Princess.
Now, I think you should leave.” The Rogue Prince says, clearly not wanting her around them for much longer.
Rhaenyra avoids eye contact with Ser Criston Cole.
His gaze at her is intense but also empty.
It is hard for her to guess what he may be thinking.
Without any more words, Rhaenyra and Laenor get on their horses and leave at a mild pace.
As they start leaving the hill of Rhaenys, the Princess of Dragonstone reflects about her position.
She has been neglecting a lot of things, and she is already paying for it.
She needs to be more careful.
Otherwise, she will not last long in that nest of vipers that is the political wars in Westeros.
As she looks at the entirety of King’s Landing on the horizon, she takes a deep breath and continues her journey to the Red Keep with Laenor, her loyal husband, by her side, as always.
The married duo walks through the hallways of the Red Keep, their steps echoing through the place.
When they arrive at the enormous doors of the throne room, two members of the Kingsguard open the doors to them.
As the doors are open, Rhaenyra knows what she will see inside.
After all, she demanded a servant tell the King and the Queen about their arrival.
Yet, she is surprised to meet the two of them as she and Laenor enter the throne room.
Not because of them, exactly, but because of the two covered babies in the arms.
One in the arms of her father and the other in the arms of Queen Laena.
When she gets closer enough, Rhaenyra can see the tired, but happy, expression of Laena.
Her father, as it is common for this kind of situation, is completely taken aback by happiness.
Rhaenyra herself can’t hold her smile of joy as she finally gets to hold the hands of the queen as a way to comfort her after a difficult moment.
Rhaenyra looks at Laena with her large and honest smile.
“Congratulations, Your Grace!
I thought that we would arrive here to see you before the babies were born.
Well, what really matters is that everything went well.” The Princess of Dragonstone says with a gentle tone.
Queen Laena smiles at her in appreciation.
“I am very flattered by your visit, Princess.
The gods blessed me today, even if it was a hard challenge for me.
Do you want to take a look at them?” The queen asks, getting closer.
Rhaenyra smiles and nods, but her heart almost stops.
That is it.
The moment she was waiting for.
If at least one of those babes is born as a boy, things might get too bad for her later on.
She can only pray for luck as Laena reveals the babe to her.
Rhaenyra stops in her place for a second…
and then she relaxes in relief with a large smile.
A girl.
A beautiful girl with the hair and eyes of the Valyrians of old.
The traits her precious sons lack.
Perfect.
Rhaenyra can’t stop smiling as she gently touches the cheek of the sleeping girl, who shakes a bit under her touch.
Rhaenyra laughs and looks back at Laena.
“What is her name?” The Princess of Dragonstone asks.
Laena smiles and then looks at Viserys.
Rhaenyra’s father looks at his first daughter with tearful eyes while holding the other babe in his arms, clearly emotional.
“Baela.
Princess Baela Targaryen.
Named after my father, the Spring Prince.
She is the older one, and that one is the younger.” The king says with a large smile as he approaches Rhaenyra and reveals the babe.
The Princess of Dragonstone has almost no time to prepare as she looks at the last trial for her safety.
Rhaenyra feels an enormous amount of relief when she sees a babe identical to the other ones.
Identical twins.
Two girls.
Rhaenyra smiles and tears up a bit; she tries to find words but can’t.
Laenor holds her by the shoulder as an attempt to comfort her.
He then opens a large smile to his sister.
“I am very happy that everything worked out, Laena.
You have no idea how much that represents to our family.” The prince consort says, being completely honest as Rhaenyra recovers her posture.
Laena smiles.
A smile that hides knowledge behind it.
“I certainly know how much the birth of my daughter means to us, brother.
May their birth be a sign of peace and prosperity to all of us.” The Queen proclaims as her smile turns into a bright and honest one.
Laenor nods, and Rhaenyra turns to her father, looking again at the babe in his arms.
“And what is the name of my youngest sister here, Father?” The Princess of Dragonstone asks with a bright smile of her own.
Her father smiles like a boy that just ate a bag full of sweets.
“Princess Rhaena Targaryen.
She is a lot more calm than Baela, I have to say.” The King proclaims with a laugh as he looks at the sleepy babe.
Rhaenyra nods, struggling to control her satisfaction.
Laenor frowns and looks at the king.
“You decided to name her after the older sister of Jaehaerys the Conciliator?
Why?” The heir of Driftmark asks.
Viserys opens a smile at the corner of his mouth.
“No.
I named her Rhaena for the same reason that King Aenys named his daughter.
I am making an indirect homage to Rhaenys, my cousin, the mother of my wife, the mother of my godson, and the grandmother of my twin daughters.” The king proudly proclaims.
Laenor seems to be quite surprised upon hearing that.
He opens a large smile.
“I am certain that my mother will be very honored when she hears that, your grace.” The consort proclaims.
Viserys nods and then looks at the back that Rhaenyra is carrying on her side.
“What is taught, dear?” the king asks, curious.
Rhaenyra smiles and pulls the bag.
“I have the only gifts that are worthy enough to be given to Targaryen princesses.” The Princess of Dragonstone proclaims, taking the dragon eggs out of the bag and showing them.
The King and the Queen look at the eggs with impressed expressions.
“Very beautiful,” asks.
I like the green one.
But I have to say, the pink one is a curious choice.
Why did you choose that when you did not know if I would have sons or not?” Laena asks, intrigued.
Rhaenyra shrugs.
“I don’t know.
I felt like picking that egg.
Maybe the gods had a hand at it.” The Princess of Dragonstone proclaims, even if she is not much of a believer in the faith of the seven.
Yet, her father, a man of way more belief than her, rises his arms up.
“The gods gave me two new healthy daughters, a living wife, a united family, and a stable realm.
I can only be grateful in the face of such a blessing.” The king says, tears falling from his eyes before he hugs all of them in a single hug.
Laena smiles and kisses the cheek of the King as a sign of comfort while she hugs him.
Laenor is clearly uncomfortable, but he accepts the situation and hugs back.
Rhaenyra is feeling like she is a girl once again.
The happiness and relief combined with the warmth and tenderness of a hug from her father and her head against his soft chest, hearing his slow heartbeat, made her go back to more simple times.
As she closes her eyes to enjoy the moment, she can hear the faint voice of her mother in her mind.
A single pair of tears rolls down her cheeks.