I’ll probably update this with cool pictures as I find them.
Lastly, I found this character a while back. Not my art. It’s of a Dothraki man, and I thought this reminded me a lot of Bharbo. So this is how I see him, only with purple eyes.
Note from the writer: The final chapter in my Game of Thrones series. For now. After this I’ll be working on other fictional stories away from the ASoFAI world. In the future though, I may come back to it if another idea sparks. If you don’t want it to end, follow and DM me on Instagram telling me your thoughts: @physicsandastronomynerd and follow me for updates on other fantasy stories I’ll be dropping. I have a super active imagination, as one needs to with this in depth fan fiction. I have a lot of other stories in my head that I’d love to share!
I know it’s been over a year since my last chapter, I’m so sorry. I lost inspiration and motivation to write but I’m back ready to finish this for you all. I decided to write this final chapter as Rhaenys— and her telling her final story herself. I see myself in her but she’s also the type of person I’d love to be. I’ve fallen in love with her and all the other side characters I’ve created and I’m still so obsessed with Dany, Jon, Sansa, Arya and the whole gang. Team Targaryen forever. Sit back, and enjoy the finale to Rhaenys Targaryen. The finale will be 2 parts.
A full year has passed. My 18th Name Day is just a few months away. I have been in Asshai with most of my family for a year. When we last spoke, most of the family went on a holiday or back to their homes for a few weeks. I, however, was stuck doing business in Meereen. Nothing really went the way I expected, but I guess that’s what makes the job as Queen of the Free-Cities, Dragons Bay, the far east, and Khaleesi of the Dothraki so exciting. Let me catch you up on things.
So when I got back to Meereen, Daario and his Seven Sons informed me that the three triarchs of Volantis would arrive earlier than expected….the following day. Remember I want to liberate the Free-Cities, as 80% of the occupants are enslaved, one of which includes Izi’s mother. They were coming to discuss the terms with me, because apparently they thought my terms were negotiable. They weren’t. They were not supposed to arrive with an army either, but they did. They didn’t know that we knew though, so we used that to our advantage. They were about 10 miles away in a cave system along the coast completely out of sight. They only reason we found that out is because my mothers dragons. Dragons like to use caves for privacy when mating, and they left when my mother told them too. They were just going to set fire to the cave and let the fire travel down the tunnels but my mother didn’t want to do that, as most of the army is probably full of slaves there against their will. But then Dreamfyre filled me in on the whole ordeal. I figured playing dumb could be of benefit to us so that’s what I intended to do.
Zhowo came in later that evening and I was so happy to see him, after all we were apart for nearly 2 months newly betrothed. Izi would come in the morning and I was craving to see my best friend too.
When Zhowo arrived, he looked so good that I could feel myself starting to blush just at the sight of him. His skin was darker from the sun. His long black hair was so shiny and all braided. Intertwined in the braids, he had beautiful bells strung throughout. His muscles were bulging in the glow of the suns golden hour. I know he missed me just as much because as soon as he saw me, he sprinted over in my direction, scooped me up, and pressed his mouth hard against mine. Without hesitation, he carried me off to my quarters, trying to make polite conversation before what we were about to do, to be gentlemanly, but my mind was on the same thing. He kicked open my doors, threw me on my bed and slipped my dress off so quickly and undid his pants. He climbed on top of me. Kiss my neck, then both my breasts, my stomach, each of my hip bones, then to my inner thighs. He stayed down there for a while until I moaned his name so loud I’m sure the whole pyramid heard. We were both in the clouds that night, not tied to anything but each other.
“Anha zhilak yera m’ei zhor anni,” he said once we were done. It’s our saying to each other. The fire of my soul. We went down to the courtyard for dinner and a few people laughed at us because they definitely heard us but we didn’t care. We enjoyed the rest of the night together, I sat in his lap and I read him the story of Nymeria—the woman Arya named her direwolf after.
Morning came and I saw Izi, Cavo, and Shadow come into the pyramid. Shadow would have knocked me over if Zhowo wasn’t behind me. She nudged my head and I hugged her back. I missed the girl. I want to bring her back to Asshai with me but I know she’s offering Izi comfort and protection in my absence. I hugged Izi so hard. I missed her smile. Her skin was also very dark. She did a different hairstyle, one that was similar to how my mother and I do it. She looked beautiful. Stronger. Happier. She showed me a new tattoo she got—it was a direwolf on the back on her thigh. She clearly became attached to Shadow. The joyous reunion was short. I needed to get ready.
I decided to do my best to look intimidating and serious. I didn’t want to wear a pretty dress. I decided to put on my blood red light armor. It was formfitting and had a caged corset that hugged my back and rib cage. On the back, I have the Tagaryen symbol of the three headed dragon and then the Dothraki horses on each side. Zhowo came in and said he liked it as he traced his pictures over it. I told him I wanted to play around with other designs, as I will be marrying him, a Dothraki. It did feel odd to leave the Stark direwolf out though. It’s not that I wanted to abandon the name, it’s just the Stark name doesn’t carry far in Essos like it doesn’t in Westeros. I look like a Targaryen more than a Stark. And the family Zhowo and I create here, will be half Dothraki and they will rule Essos forever. I wanted my hair to look traditionally true to the intricate braids my mother is known for, but I wanted to weave in the bells and beads of the Dothraki. Izi kindly helped me. I strapped my knife holster Brienne and Tormund got me on my Name Day around my thigh. I then strapped my sword holster on to my back. I love that holster. It’s black with imprints of the direwolf and Targaryen dragon all over it. I placed my crown upon my head. Izi and Cavo left a head of us. Her and the other blood riders were to secure the area before our arrival.
I made my way down the great staircase with Zhowo, meeting members of the Second Sons and Unsuilled in the entrance hall to the pyramid. We made our way outside the city wall, and Dreamfyre was already above us, circling, ready to escort and protect. Shadow prances up behind us and I mount her as everyone else mounts their horses. We ride about a half mile west, along the cliffs until we reach a large tent. I see some soldiers with tattoos on their faces standing outside, protecting two tigers and an elephant. Undoubtedly this was a symbol for the Volantene political parties but also for show. They are beautiful beasts, but I’m not sure why they felt the need to bring them…Dreamfyre could roast them all in 2 seconds and have them for dinner. The tattooed soldiers stare at me as I approached, although I’m unsure what they were thinking. I take a deep breath and I hop off Shadow. Zhowo is immediate walking next to my side and Shadow is right behind us. Dreamfyre’s voice comes into my head as says “I’ll be circling above, say the word and I’ll light the whole tent on fire.” I smiled and said back “that’s my girl.”
As soon as I enter the tent I see familiar and unfamiliar people all around. Of course my entire escort was there, Izi was handing out fruit and wine, and I see three very fat men on the left sitting down in very large seats. Their eyes fall to me immediately and they don’t leave. I smirk at them as I take my seat on the right side. Daario is the first to speak saying “this is Rhaenys Targaryen-Stark, daughter of Daenarys Stormborn Targaryen and Jon Stark. Heir to Dragons Bay. Future Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea. Liberator. Queen of Essos. A mother of dragons….” “Yeah yeah”, said the fat one with blonde hair who introduced himself as Alios Qhaedar. The other two introduced themselves as Malaquo Maegyr II and Nyessos Vhassar. Izi all of a sudden looked uncomfortable and Rhaenys couldn’t figure out why. “Miss Targaryen, we have come here to bargain with you after you so kindly sent us your demands” said Vhassar. “And I have come here to tell you, your efforts will be in vain, you will free every one of your slaves,” I said. Maegyr stood up angrily while beckoning Izi over for more wine. “That’s enough of this foolishness! They run the economy, if you free everyone in Essos, you’re looking at a half a million people without homes or jobs. What do you expect to do then ,” he said.
“We do it city by city. When we have one under control, we move to the next. You’re up first. I will have part of my army deployed to ensure the transition goes smoothly. I will have spies everywhere to ensure no uprising or rebel groups are forming. We will send out a few dozen lawyers who are experts in the law and are loyal to my House. Lastly, we tax all the wealthy pretty heavily. This tax will provide the slaves with housing and some pocket money. Call it a payment to say sorry for being cunts for so long. The heavy tax will only be a one time payment. After that, we will arrange a tax that is more realistic to pay every month. Believe me, my team already did this once before. We know how to do this, even with people who rebelled. But look how that turned out for them. Izi, may I have a cup of that wine?” I finished. She poured me drink and handed to me. Maegyr was staring at me too intensely and looked to be anticipating something. I glance in the cup and the color seems fine. The smell was normal. But that doesn’t mean anything. I sent ice through my hand and into the cup to freeze the contents. I pretended to chug the whole thing, while it stayed frozen to the bottom. I give the cup back to Izi while the triarches started bantering again. Izi looks into the cup, then looks at me. I shift my eyes quickly to Zhowo and Izi understood. I thank the Gods that Izi is a genius.
“Can’t we extend the process out a few years to adjust to the system? You can’t expect us to give it all up so quickly!” Qhaedar said.
Izi causally walks behind the crowd to Zhowo. He grabbed the cup and looked into. He understood too. He puts his hand on one of his arakh’s. Maegyr is still watching me intensely, almost grinning at this point. I walk closer to them. “No, Lord Tyrion only allowed that to happen with Dragons Bay because my mother was kidnapped, and wasnt aware of the resources he had. See, I can tell 100 dragons to go to Voltantis right now and light the whole city…”
“Ah but it’s just a rumor. No one has ever been able to command dragons they weren’t the riders for. Even riders had trouble controlling their own dragons. We know you have power, but not as much as you say,” Vhassar said. The Second Sons members laughed. “Cheeky bastards they are aren’t they?” one of them said. My eyes widened and I smiled. Would you kindly follow me outside? “Come down here Dreamfyre, and tell any other dragons nearby to come.”
Before I even step outside the tent, there was a loud thump and the ground shook. Dreamfyre landed. I look over my shoulder causally and the triarchs looked scared. Finally. “This is Dreamfyre, my girl.” They only took one step out of the tent. “Now I ordered others to arrive, let’s see, oh look here they come!” Over 30 dragons, 5 of which were babies, fly towards us and land, shaking the ground with each thud. “You say I cannot command all them?” I command them to walk forward and backwards. I command them to fly, hover, and spit fire all together in perfect sync. Qhaedar’s mouth was opened and it looked like he pissed himself. Vhassar was having trouble speaking “…but that’s impossible. They’re just rumors…..” I tell him “that’s what you get for shutting yourself in behind the Black Walls, you don’t see the world, what the world is capable of. What I’m capable of…..now you will free your slaves immediately. And I would like one sent directly to me, her name is Saelemys, I believe.”
Maegyr spits out in laughter “why would you want that WHORE?” Before I could speak, Izi started to charge at him and says “my mother is not a whore! You betrayed her!” Maegyr looks like he just heard the most delightful news and says “so you’re my bastard cousin. You look like a whore too! You will not get Saelemys, she is apart of my house and she’s my houses prisoner!” Izi punches him square in the face. There’s blood everywhere from his broken nose. “You will release her. You don’t have much of a choice,” I said.
Vhassar collects himself and says “ah but I think we do. Are you sure you feel well enough to be making those kinds of threats?”
That confirmed the attempted poisoning. I quickly grabbed the knife out of the holster on my thigh and threw it directly to Vhassar’s head. Before he collapsed I had my sword out and I swung it hard at Qhaedar’s neck. His head went flying towards the Volantene guards. Maegyr started to run towards his guards and yelled at them to do something. Only one guard attempted to stop Zhowo and Izi running after him. Izi stuck down the guard . Zhowo had both arakh’s in his hands, came up right behind Maegyr and took his head off. The rest of the guards quickly through down their weapons and bent the knee. They were shaking and crying. I walk over to stand in front of them. “I accept your surrender, you didn’t even try to save the Triarchs which makes me believe you weren’t on their side. Now please, we know of the rest of the army hidden in the caves. Please led us to them” I said in Valyrian. They nod and stand up, still with tears in their eyes. “Dreamfyre, find an opening to the cave somewhere up here and wait.” Dreamfyre rises into the sky and begins searching.
On the walk down the cliff side, I asked the soldiers “I do hope you wish for your freedom and that you approve of the Targaryen rule.” They all look at me and nod at once. One speaks up “You don’t know what it’s been like. They developed a poison that would torture us if we didn’t do what they said. This has been going on for decades. The poison would almost kill us, causing horrible pain. We would wish for death, but they wanted us alive to obey. Make them richer and maintain their power. Out of fear of them torturing us with it, most of us have learned to obey, whatever the demand is.”
“I see. That sounds horrible. Is that the case for most of the people in armor in the caves right now?” I said
The younger boy spoke up this time. He couldn’t have been more than 14. “Mostly. Most of us were hoping you’d outsmart them and save us. We’ve been hoping for this day since Queen Daenarys became Queen. But it was you, Queen Rhaenys, daughter of Queen Daenarys, that ended our nightmare.”
I look over to Daario. He’s always been good at spotting a lie. He nodded his head in approval. I could tell by their eyes they were sincere.
We descend further and further off the cliff and after a while, we were on the beach. There was one large boat, not quite a ship, tied up to the rocks. The waterway entered the cave. We were going to have to go in by boat. Once we start making our way inside, you really saw how large this cavern was. We passed so many ships and lighted torches until the water stopped and we had to climb up a few rocks. We walked back for only a minute and there were thousands of soldiers playing card games, napping, and just chatting with each other. As soon as they see me and my team, they fell silent and looked to the already surrendered Volantene soldiers in horror. There was a few seconds of silence before I decided to speak.
“The triarchs are dead. They tried to poison me and raised and army against me. These soldiers here informed me most of you were here against your will. This is your one and only opportunity to surrender and bend the knee, and swear loyalty to House Targaryen. If you wish to do that, meet me above ground right here.” The army looks at the soldiers and the soldiers nodded their heads. Thousands start to pack up their belongings and head out. We waited nearly an hour for mostly everyone to leave. By the end, there were only a few dozen people left standing in front of me in disgust.
It was silent for a while, until I decided to break it. I stand in front, tall and confident, no matter what I was about to do.
“I give you one last choice. I want to help build a better world, and for me to do that, I need to help build a better Essos! The proof is in my mother! You’ve seen what she was able to accomplish here and in Westeros in just two decades. I want to continue that legacy, but the people all over this continent need to be free. Bend the knee and renounce your titles for being traitors, and I’ll let you live a comfortable life in our Dothraki, Second Sons, or Unsullied ranks. Refuse this kindness, and I’m afraid you’ll die,” I declared. Six people walked forward, looking over their shoulder back towards the remaining people, looking nervous. They took out their weapons and bent the knee.
“Good. Where would you like to serve?” I said.
One said Dothraki. Three said Second Sons. Two said Unsullied. “Daario please make the arrangements.”
“Yes, my queen,” he said and bowed with a smirk.
“Oh don’t forget to assign someone to watch them. For however long it takes to trust them.
I look back at the crowd in the cave. Nothing but anger in their eyes. “I must say, I am disappointed. May I ask why you choose this fate?”
One man stepped forward and screamed “THE SLAVES RUN OUR CITIES. THEY WILL COLLAPSE WITHOUT THEM. WE WILL HAVE NOTHING. YOU’RE RUINING THOUSANDS OF YEARS OF TRADITION!” and another one yelled “You won’t kill us, it’s just a bluff! I don’t see any dragons and you’re outnumbered!”
I smirked. “The cities will not fall, I assure you. They will thrive and we have proof that they will from our experiences elsewhere. They will not collapse. If anything, it will be the masters and the wealthy who will when there is no one to do your dirty work and hard labor anymore. As for the not killing you part, I keep my word. You obviously don’t know my family that well. Great men have killed tens of thousands of people for wars less important than this. I am a woman. I will kill a few dozen who are traitors and disrupt my peace and progress.”
I speak to Dreamfyre now, “Light it up, girl.”
We hear Dreamfyre let out a mighty roar and the cave shook. I turn around to my company and say “it’s best if you jump in the water now and stay down for a few seconds.” Without hesitation, I hear a few splashes.
We hear the roaring of the fire coming down the cave tunnel. The traitors look at me with panicked eyes. I struggled my shoulders and said one more thing to them before they were all engulfed in Dreamfyre’s wrath, “you chose this for yourselves.” The fire circles all around me. I stand there, bathing in the flames, unburnt.
I exited the cave and climbed on the back of Dreamfyre with my escorts and she flew me up the cliff side to face those who surrendered the first time.
The crowd of people below looked up, scared of Dreamfyre and me. Everyone jumped off my dragon once she landed. I stayed on her.
“I know you must be scared, but there is no need! I am aware of the brutality you all faced. From now until the end of your days you have freedom of choice. You’re welcomed in any city you wish to live in. You’re allowed to work whatever job you wish. You’re allowed to have families with whoever you wish. There are resource buildings in every city if you wish to travel and need housing or assistance in finding work. One will soon erect in Volantis. Or if you wish to start your own farm, we need those too. If you wish to stay in the military you’re free to do so. I need a strong military on the west coast. We will ensure you have housing if you have none, we will feed you three meals a day, and provide you with a small stipend. The tax we enforce on the wealthy in Voltantis will be able to cover these costs for you. For those who would like to chase different opportunities, you may leave now and be on your way. If you need assistance directly from me, please go to Meereen and wait for me outside the Great Pyramid.” About a quarter of them left.
“For those of you staying, I must warn you. We have a great threat upon the horizon. The Shrouded Lord is real and is on the move and will attack this whole continent until every last one of us is infected with Grey Scale. I will need some of you to train with Samwell Tarley, the maester at King’s Landing. He will arrive in Voltantis in a fortnight and teach those who want to be taught. You will be trained on how to removed Grey Scale quickly, on the battle field. Once the Shrouded Lord is defeated, if anyone of you who received the training would like to go to Old Town to train to become a maester, you may. We will need a lot over here. Is there anyone here that would like to be assigned to that task?” Around 50 people stepped forward. Men and women. One of the women asked “Are women permitted to train?”
“Of course, and if anyone tries to tell you it’s not, tell them to take it up with me. Thank you for your willingness.” Later on, 24 of these women will become the first women to train at the Citadel and earn their chains. I was so proud. One of them became my family’s and myself’s personal maester in Westeros.
“Is there a leader among you? Who do you choose to lead you?” I said. There were whispers and finally I saw someone in the crowd step out and come forward. They were shorter than your average man, thinner too. Is that a woman? As she got closer I saw the curves in the breastplate that contained her breasts. She stops 20 feet away and bows her head. “Please remove your helmet,” I said to her. She took it off and she had strong Valyrian features. Ice blonde hair that was wavy and cut around her shoulder and bright blue eyes. Lean but muscular. Tan skin. Very beautiful, and if I had to guess she was in her late 30’s.
“What is your name?” I asked her.
“Your Grace, I can speak the common tongue. My name is Saelemys. Saelemys Maegyr. But you can call me Em.”
My mouth dropped. I quickly turn around to find Izi to see if she sees it. Her mouth was gaped opened.
“Mom?” She said emotional. Em left my gaze to look beyond me. It was silent for a few seconds. “IZI?!” Em finally declared. They ran at each other full force, almost knocking themselves down. They both were crying holding on to each other. Izi kept repeating “you’re free, I can’t believe you’re here. You’re free!” I turn to address the remaining crowd quickly, one last time and said “set up camp on the outside walls of Meereen for now. Remember come see me in the Great Pyramid if you need anything. I’ll be meeting with Em later today to go over strategy and she will relay the message to you all. Thank you.” I smiled, genuinely at the sight of her best friend being so happy.
It was a long night. When I got back to Meereen, there were a few dozen people waiting for me already. Most wanted permission and some funds to start new business around Dragons Bay, all of which was a good idea. A few people suggested we dig a new river closer to the three cities. There was one river a few miles East, where the large unsullied camp, quarters, and training center was. They were 100% self sufficient. They built their own structures, chopped down their own trees, smithed their own metal items, grew their own food, raised and slaughtered their own animals. They lived there free of tax. And they all worked together to build their own town essentially, money had no concept there. That was a big positive about being in the Unsullied. Money was no issue because it wasn’t needed, but I do pay them a modest monthly stipend regardless, because they do extra work for the cities sometimes that aren’t military related.
I approved digging of the new river. It’s going to be brought inwards towards Yunkai—the middle city in Dragons Bay. This will allow more farms to be placed outside the cities walls. The populations of all three cities do grow every day, and it would be a safe idea to follow through with to ensure everyone has enough food. Mills will be put in place too to support any new building that will be going on. The Unsullied will help with these projects when they are doing military activities. Much to my surprise this would turn out to be a huge success. Within 5 years, the fields outside the cities started to turn very green because of the new water system. Orchards and farms everywhere. And hundreds of little cottages and farm houses spread out, creating little towns just outside the cities.
But after listening to all their ideas and offering guidance, I was exhausted. Zhowo patted me on the back and kissed my cheek for a job well done. I had to go talk to Izi and her mother now. “I’ll see you upstairs later, okay?” I tell him. He smiles and says “of course.” I shuffle my way up the staircase to get to Izi’s suite. I knock on the door and Cavo let’s me in. Izi and her mom are sitting in cushioned chairs out on the little balcony. They didn’t even notice me come in. I walk out on the balcony and say “room for one more?” Izi looks up and quickly apologizes for not realizing I was there. “No need to apologize, ever. How is the reunion coming along?” I said. “Oh perfectly, Your Grace!” Em said.
“Izi, you didn’t tell me your mother was a Maegyr. That’s pretty cool,” I stated.
“Well, not really. We don’t like being attached to that name because it only has negative meanings. My family abused their power for so long and destroyed Volantis. Tortured good people for decades. It’s not a name I’m proud of, that’s part of the reason why I ran off with the Dothraki, I loved Izi’s father and I just wanted to get rid of my name” said Em.
“I understand. Listen, I’m quite tired and I’ll be quick, you two probably still have a lot of catching up to do. I can see why you hate your name, your family was indeed horrible. But now is the time for your redemption, I think. Em, if you’ll accept, I’d like to make you Lady of Voltantis and Warden of the West. Izi has told me a lot about you, and I have faith you’ll be the best person for the job. The people chose you to be their military leader—you are well liked and well respected. And have the right last name. Start a new era for your family legacy,” I tell her.
She was silent for a few moments and then finally asked, “do you expect me to marry and have more children?”
“I expect you to be Lady of Voltantis and Warden of the West. If you wish to marry and have more children that’s your decision. Ladies don’t need to have Lord’s. If you’re worried about succession, I support Izi being the heir to your title, if she wishes” I say.
“Me, a Lady and Warden? A Dothraki woman holding a noble title?” Izi said softly.
“Yes, Izi. If you’d like it, it’s yours. You are Dothraki. But you’re also of old Valyrian blood. Maegyr is one of the oldest family names. You don’t have to choose one or the other. You can be both and you can have both. Please, don’t give me an answer now. Think about it. Izi, I’m sure you’re going to want to speak to Cavo about it. Weigh your options and let me know soon. In the meantime we have more pressing issues. Em, I want you and the army to march back west and visit every other major city on the west coast. You are to get their surrender and ensure all the enslaved are free. Kill any masters or nobility who stand in your way. Once they each surrender, hold a fair election to pick new lords or ladies who are loyal to the Targaryen cause. I will be gone for quite some time again. I have to go back to Asshai to finish training. We will be in contact. Izi knows how to use the messenger dragons, and of course, Izi is welcomed to go with you. Do you have an concerns or questions?” I stated.
They blinked a few times still trying to process everything “No, Your Grace. My people have been waiting for this moment for a long time. We won’t stop until everyone in the west is free. Thank you for choosing me, and of course I’d love it if Izi could come with me! When should we leave?” Em said.
“Tomorrow. I’ll be leaving tomorrow too. It’s a long march back to Voltantis so please ask Daario for anything you might need and he will get it to you. I don’t suspect you’ll have any issues in the cities. Pentos already claimed loyalty long ago so you don’t have to go there. But please keep me updated on decisions or issues that arise. I must get going now, I feel like I could fall asleep in this chair!” I said.
Izi stands up and gives me a hug goodbye, and Em stands up to lock my arms with me. I start heading out when I thought of something else I forgot to ask, “were you related to Talisa Maegyr/Stark, who married Robb Stark? She was a healer from Voltantis,” I said looking at Em.
She nods in confirmation, “yes, Talisa was actually my cousin, just two years older than me. She had a really big heart and didn’t like the path our family was going down either. So she ran awake and became a healer, then traveled to Westeros to hide from my Uncle.”
“I’ll have to tell my mom and Aunt Sansa that. Sansa and Aegon named their eldest daughter Talisa, after her. Thank you again. It was really nice meeting you and we will talk soon!”
I make my way to my chambers. Zhowo is already asleep, snoring kinda loudly. I undress and crawl in bed next to him. I kiss him goodnight. I laid my head on his chest and wrapped my arm around him. I fell asleep almost instantly.
————
But that about updates you all on what happened since I last wrote. I came back to Asshai while Em and Izi went off to secure the rest of the cities on the west coast. My family and I have been training here daily, trying to improve our magical abilities. About 9 months into my return here, I received a letter saying that Em and Izi both accept the new titles and that they secured the cities of Lys, Tyrosh, Myr, Pentos, and Braavos. As mentioned earlier, Pentos has been dedicated to my family name for a long time, so there wasn’t much to do there. And Braavos was an easy success because of the Second Sons location there. They were heading into the mountains to get a pledge from Lorath, an island just east of Braavos and then most of the army continued on to Norvos and Qohor. I am awaiting news on the last two big cities. Qohor might push back. They’re a city full of dark sorcerers and their sell sword company once supported the Lannister’s and the Bolton’s. My mother and father advised we try to reason with them, because if they are great sorcerers, they could be useful against the grey scale army. After hearing no updates for a week, my mom and I grow worrisome. As I’m writing this, my mom is speaking with Kinvara to tell her….
Dany bursts into the room. “Let’s go, Rhaen.” I look up and smiled. I stand up, grab my satchel and run outside with my mom. We ran the whole way to the nearest clearing, to see Dreamfyre and Drogon land on the ground together. Off to Qohor we go.
Part 2 of the finale coming soon.
I am activity working on the new chapters for Rhaenys Targaryen. Thank you all for being patient. In the meantime, reread or catch up!
“What’s the matter?” Zhowo asked Rhaenys anxiously.
“I-,” she started to speak but couldn’t find words yet. “Arya, get Yara, Sansa, Aegon, Gendry and Meera. Meet me in the Throne Room. I’ll see if Brienne and Tormund came in last night. Zhowo, get the other Ko’s and Izi. Bring any other high ranking Dothraki. It’s important.” Arya got up and ran off searching for the people Rhaenys asked her to and Zhowo was hesitant but ultimately did so. She starts to walk away but Shadow whines and paws at the ground. “You know what? You can come too. Find Brienne and Tormund,” Rhaenys said and she climbs on top of Shadow. Shadow sniffs the air a few times and then takes off.
It was still mostly dark out and the entire khalasar and city were still sleeping. Shadow ran around the city walls to the other side. There were thousands of tents up. Shadow walks a few steps in and starts sniffing the tents. At the fifth one, Shadow laid down. She found them. Rhaenys gets off and goes in the tent, deciding to only wake up Brienne.
“What? What is it? Who is that?” Brienne said in a groggy voice. “It’s Rhaenys. Please, I need you and Tormund in the Throne Room now…why are you sleeping out here?”
“We got back late and Tormund wanted to celebrate with the Dothraki. They’ve grown on him. Even started learning some words. We will see you in a bit,” said Brienne. Rhaenys exited the tent and heard Brienne try to wake up Tormund. She would have laughed in different circumstances.
She takes a deep breath of the warm air around her, climbs back on Shadow, and heads for the Great Pyramid.
She’s the first one in the Throne Room. It was strange seeing it empty. She glanced around the room with Shadow by her side but her eyes fell on the throne.
“Should I take it?” she thought to herself. She would sometimes sit on the Iron Throne but never in a formal setting like this. But she needed to tell them what had happened. She needed to figure out what to do. It felt odd walking up those steps, only because she wasn’t sure what her mother wanted. Rhaenys was positive her mother had the same vision she did. “Perhaps we should just wait for her?” she thought again. “No. I’m going to be a Queen one day. I’m going to do this.” She sits on the white throne and Shadow prances up the steps and sits right in front of her. Rhaenys pets her for a few minutes and the door opens. Two dozen Dothraki enter the room. Then Brienne and Tormund. Arya, Sansa, Aegon, Yara, Gendry, then Meera. Daario’s wife and children funneled in last. They were all very tired but looked worried. Rhaenys wasn’t even sure how to say it. She then heard two unfamiliar voices. Dragon voices. One male and female. “Rhaegar wants to know where you are,” she the male voice. “Talisa wants to know where you are,” said the female voice.
What? How–? They must have went to the volcano, and Talisa is the third dragon! Now she’s hearing both of their voices! “Throne Room, in the Great Pyramid. I’m coming outside,” she thought back to them. She stood and and said “I’m sorry, I brought you all here in a hurry, but you have to excuses me for just a few minutes. I’ll be right back, hold on.” Zhowo, Aegon, and Sansa looked very suspicious and followed her out.
“What’s wrong, Rhaenys?” Sansa asked as she was chasing her down the corridor. “Rhaegar and Talisa are here, with the others too. They can help explain,” Rhaenys said as she’s running full speed, still getting information and images from Dusk and Meraxes. She got outside and it was still dark, but the sun would break very soon. She looks around and sees 8 shadows walking her way. A small shadow breaks from the group and sprints to Rhaenys.
“Rhaenys!” the shadow cried. Rhaenys knew it was her little sister, Rhaella. Rhaenys scoops her up and embraced her. “I thought you were supposed to be in the Iron Islands?!” she said.
“Bharbo called us back. We all have a mission soon,” Rhaella said to Rhaenys. Before she could question her further, Rhaegar and Ned pull her into a hug. Rhaenys had such a close relationship with the both of them. They were the people who understood her the most. I suppose sharing a womb helped that relationship. Rhaenys eyes water slightly. “I’m so happy to see you all, but I just wish it was under different terms. I have a room full of people waiting, let’s go,” and Rhaenys walks off, being followed by her siblings and cousins.
Sansa finally saw her children and ran over to Talisa first. “Oh Talisa! Why are you here? I’m so happy to see you! Are you okay with what happened at Dragonstone? W-what happened to your hair?” she trailed off, now coming into the dimly lite corridor of the pyramid. Aegon greets Loras, Margaery, and Benjin. “Well, I went with Rhaegar to his ceremony in the volcano, and Meraxes revealed that I was the third head of the dragon,” Talisa said kind of nonchalantly
“What?” said Aegon and Sansa together. “Yeah. It changed my hair and my eyes. Dusk went into the lava. Her scales are hard and she grew. Meraxes is the size of Rhaegal now and Dusk is only a bit smaller,” Talisa told her parents. Aegon laughed, he was thrilled. “The third head of the Targaryen dragon came from my family line! How exciting! I’m so proud of you!” Sansa couldn’t believe it either but hugged and congratulated her too.
Everyone gets back in the Throne Room and they stare at the new crowd walking in. Rhaegar and Ned walked closely to Rhaenys. Sansa took a seat on one of the benches and Margaery sat on her lap. Sansa wrapped her arms around her and kissed her cheek. Loras, Benjin, Rhaella, and Bharbo stood closely together near Sansa and Aegon, that is until Rhaella saw Arya and Yara and ran over to them.
Rhaenys climbs back up the steps to the throne and sits. Rhaegar and Ned are standing right at the bottom. She noticed some of the Second Sons and Dragons Bay warriors joined. The Hykroon were also there.
Rhaenys speaks, “I apologize. My family arrived unexpectedly.” The crowd was looking at Rhaegar and Ned.
“I just want to start by saying thank you to you all. Dragon’s Bay is safe, and we won over the remaining cities of the Valyrian Peninsula because of all of you. Thank you to each group, and to those who lost their lives,” said Rhaenys. There was a few moments of silence. Rhaenys continued, “the unfortunate reason why I called you all here this morning is because the Jogos Nhai attacked Vaes Dothrak two days ago. There were many losses. Only a few Dosh Khaleen members survived.” There was an uproar, especially from the group behind Zhowo, they were all screaming in Dothraki.
“How dare they attack when they knew we weren’t there!”
“Cowards!”
“They defiled our sacred land!”
“You must burn them all!”
They screamed. Rhaegar and Ned were fluent in the language. Bharbo and Rhaella weren’t yet, but they were able to make out parts. Rhaegar spoke, “you don’t need to worry about that anymore. Myself, Rhaegar Targaryen-Stark, son of your Khaleesi, and Talisa Catelyn Stark-Targaryen, eldest daughter of Sansa Stark and Aegon Targaryen, flew to their lands when we saw it happening. We gave them a choice. Surrender or burn. There wasn’t one soul on their land who chose to surrender and bend the knee. They were yelling about planning another attack and then started to try to attack us. We hardly made it back to our dragons in time, as the entire village was chasing us with weapons in their hands….. We burned them all.” The Hykroon chanted. Annithi, the leader of the all female army, let out the loudest battle cry. The Dothraki were overall silent, but a lot of them gave respectful nods to Rhaegar, and Talisa, who joined Rhaegars side. The Dothraki admired Talisa’s unique beauty, as they all stare at her, making her a bit uncomfortable.
Ned spoke to them next, “the rest of us cleaned up the city, and built pyres for the dead. We didn’t burn them yet, we thought it would be best for their own blood to do it. The remaining Dosh Khaleen are recovering, my brother Bharbo helped cure them.” Little Bharbo stood taller and looked proud as the Dothraki group bowed their heads to him. There wasn’t anything more sacred to the Dothraki than the Dosh Khaleen.
“Khaleesi knows what happened, I was able to speak with Drogon. She and my father are on their way here, and they will travel with you back to Vaes Dothrak for the ceremony. They will be here soon, so pack up and get your horses ready,” said Rhaenys.
The Dothraki bowed their heads again, and left. Annithi spoke to Rhaenys next, “Princess Rhaenys, we would like to accompany the Dothraki back to their city. We feel we owe our respects too. And thank you, Prince Rhaegar, for fulfilling your family’s promise to get rid of those horrible humans. The Far East and the Dothraki Sea will be better off now.”
“Very well, Annithi. The Hykroon may travel with us. I hope you didn’t run into to much trouble in Yunkai?” said Rhaenys.
Annithi smiled, “easy. Our archers killed anyone who got within 100 feet of the city’s wall.”
Rhaenys said “very good. Thank you for coming. Everyone is dismissed.”
Rhaenys takes her siblings and cousins up to her room. Zhowo and Izi followed, so did Shadow.
Izi was devastated. Zhowo was upset but tried not to show it, but, Rhaenys saw right through him. He was kept occupied though, Bharbo was very interested in him and was asking him a million questions. Ned, Loras, and Benjin were in on their conversation. Rhaella missed her older sister so much, she sat on her lap amongst all the pillows on the floor. Margaery sat next to her, Izi sat next to Rhaenys on the other side, while Rhaegar and Talisa sat across from them. Rhaenys caught her brother and sisters up on everything that has happened while being away. It was nice to just talk to them again, face to face. They were her favorite company, besides Zhowo, of course.
The sun rose high into the sky. Breakfast came and went. The room became a bit more light hearted as the morning progressed, but it quickly came to an end.
“Mom and dad will be here soon. We should head down to the sitting room, they’ll want to leave as soon as they get here. Loras, could you fetch your mom, dad, Jaime, and Octavia? Margaery could you find Aunt Yara and Arya? Benjin, could you get Brienne, Tormund, Meera, and Gendry?” said Rhaenys.
They all get up to exit Rhaenys quarters. “Rhaegar, could we talk?”, she asked as they were approaching the door. “Yes, of course,” he said. They walked several feet behind the rest of the crowd, speaking softly.
“You remember of what I wrote you?” said Rhaenys.
“Yes.”
“I think I desire to stay here. The more I see of this land, the more I fall in love with it. It’s culture, it’s people, the landscape. It has so much potential. It’s three times larger than Westeros. Slavery here isn’t banned yet. There are thousands of slaves in each of the so called Free-Cities. I want to finish the work Mother started here. I knew once I became Queen, I’d rule Dragon’s Bay and be Khaleesi of the Dothraki, but I want to be more than that. I want to be the Queen of Braavos, the Queen of Volantis, the Queen of Pentos, the Queen of Myr, Tyrosh, Lys, Norvos, Qohor, New Ghis, Qarth, Yi Ti, Leng, the Shadowlands, and everything else in between and beyond. When I heard you finally made the second head of the dragon and Talisa made the third…it all makes sense doesn’t it? The prophecy that was made so long ago. It is about us. We are meant to rule the world and unite it. Myself in Essos, and you Rhaegar, in Westeros. I’m not sure what Talisa will be yet, but she is part Targaryen, no doubt she will be great,” Rhaenys finished triumphantly, and was relieved to finally say all those things out loud. She scanned Rhaegars face to read his thoughts, but he looked calm and cool. “Very well,” he said after a moment.
Rhaenys was confused, “I just told you I’d like you to rule of an entire country instead of me, and all you have to say is ‘very well’?”
Rhaegar laughed and grabbed his sisters arm to stop her and faced her. “Rhaen, I know,” he said.
“You know?”
“Yes. Ned too. We are triplets. We can feel each other’s happiness, sadness and woes. We are blood of the dragons too, so it goes deeper than that cause there is magic running through our veins. The confirmation came when Mother and Father wrote to me a few weeks ago. They could sense that you’d want to stay, so they granted me next in line to rule Westeros. All of us know. We just wanted you to realize it on your own,” Rhaegar said.
Rhaenys was shocked. She thought she was going to cause a family feud with her news, but it didn’t even come close.
“So no one is angry?” Rhaenys asked.
“For the most part, no. I think some of the common people in Westeros will miss you as they have grown fond of you. To Mother, she said it makes perfect sense. That she should have realized her daughter would be more like her in spirit. She’s glad that you will continue her work here and she’s looking forward to the lighter work load. There’s so much to be done here and you’re the only one who can do it. There’s millions of slaves here that are going to count on you for freedom and guidance. This is your duty. All of us are behind you. Ned is of course a bit upset. I’m sure you could feel that. But he is coming to terms with it. Mom and Dad says his destiny is something else,” said Rhaegar.
“Well I’m pleased that this turned out better than I thought… I’m happy for you, Rhaegar.
Drogon just spoke to me, they have arrived. Come, we must be quick,” Rhaenys finished.
They jog to the sitting room to see their other siblings, cousins, and family members there once more. Once Rhaenys caught her breath, a very tired Daenarys and Jon walked into the room. Without saying anything, Rhaella and Bharbo ran other to their parents to hug them. Dany lifted up Bharbo and Jon lifted Rhaella.
“It is difficult to be angry with you when you give us such affection,” Dany said to her youngest child. She stared at Rhaegar and Ned now. “You two however should know better! A Targaryen must always remain in Kings Landing! What would happen if we were all killed? Or if another attack happened around the Capital?” Dany said with a stronger, and harsher voice.
“We left a note for Tyrion that if that did happen, he would be King and we all signed it,” Ned said, but immediately regretted it because both his parents glared at him.
“Mama, we had at come. You saw what the Jogos Nhai did. If we didn’t get to Vaes Dothrak in time, there would be no survivors, and they would have fled. They were making plans to move their hoard into hiding and attack again,” said Bharbo.
“And Bharbo said we all have a mission to go on very soon. We needed to come!” cried Rhaella.
Rhaenys was curious. What mission? Was Bharbo indeed having the same dreams as her? Was Daenerys having the dreams too? Her response next answered her question.
Dany sighed, “you are right. At least you all traveled together. I have had a feeling for a long time we were all being called East…”
“We need to go to Asshai,” said Bharbo matter of factly. Rhaenys knew it to. But her whole family?
“So that’s what you wouldn’t tell me,” Ned said. “What the hell is in Asshai?”
“I’m not quite sure. I’m getting blocked. I just know we have to go. Everyone with Targaryen blood. Rhaen knows it too,” said Bharbo looking to Rhaenys for reassurance.
Rhaenys nodded her head when they all turned to her.
“We will deal with that in a few days, okay? Right now, let’s deal with the Dothraki,” said Jon.
“Yes, he’s right. But first, and quickly, how was the battle in Yunkai and Astapor?” Dany asked the crowd.
“Fairly easy, your Grace. We had no trouble on the Dragon Road. Missandei flew in a few times to cover us, but it wasn’t anything we couldn’t handle,” said Brienne.
“Same in Astapor, there were a lot of troops but Aegon covered us well,” said Gendry. Aegon half smiled.
Yara spoke up, “Their fleet was impressive. I think it’s time though, don’t you think, that Dragon’s Bay gets its own Royal Fleet?”
Dany said, “I am glad you said that Yara. I have been considering it for a few years now. Would you like to organize one here? I give you permission to hire people from each city, whoever can build or wants to work. You can set up base on the Isle of Cedars. It’s a large and forested island that isn’t settled yet. Whoever chooses to live on the island will be free of tax for two years, they just need to build and grow themselves. You can fortify the island and use the wood on the island to build the ships. You can start working as myself, Jon, and Rhaenys go to Vaes Dothrak. Perhaps the rest of you could help Yara. I understand you can’t stay here much longer so we will have to find you an apprentice…”
Daario and Iliana’s son, Galeo, speaks up. No one even noticed he was there. “I’ll do it,” he said. “I prefer being on the water anyways.”
Yara smiles and slaps him on the shoulder, “you think you have what it takes to command a whole fleet?”
“I think so. I work with the Royal Fleet in Blackwater Bay when we visit Westeros. I’ve been wanting to build ships for years now. I only built two for my own leisure but now I have an excuse to build more. I know many people in the Dragon’s Bay area that would love to join and help. I can do it,” he claimed. “Aye then. Let’s get started,” said Yara and they all ran out of the room. Dany looked at Ned with a “please look after Rhaella” face and he nodded. Only Dany, Jon, Rhaenys, Bharbo, Aegon, Rhaegar, and Talisa remained.
“I want to go with you back to Vaes Dothrak,” Bharbo said to his mother. “Bharbo…you know I want to say no but I suppose I can’t stop you. You are the only one of us who has a great name of a great former Khal,” she said and half smiled.
“I don’t think we should ride on our dragons,” said Aegon. “You want to come too?,” asked Jon. “Yeah. The Targaryen’s are loyal to the Dothraki, and I’m a Targaryen, still apart of the Royal family. They are my friends. I also think Talisa is wanting to go if Rhaegar goes, and I’d like to spend some time with my daughter after the attack at home.”
Rhaegar said, “yes, we both want to go. If I’m going to be King of Westeros one day, the Dothraki will be my allies…” Dany and Jon both looked a little shocked that he just said that. They didn’t know he spoke to Rhaenys about it. They looked to Rhaenys to read her face and she smiled and nodded to Rhaegar. “…oh don’t worry, I spoke with her before we came to meet you. She knows and agrees. Anyways, I’d like to pay my respects. I’m going.” Talisa then said, “me too.”
“Very well. I agree with Aegon, I don’t think we should fly. I think it will be better if we ride with the Dothraki. The dragons can travel with us if they wish but I think we should ride with the hoard. It’ll take a few days with all of us. So let’s hurry up. Pack what you need to and go to the stables to get a horse. Bharbo and Rhaenys can just ride their direwolves. Meet me at the front of the hoard as soon as you can.”
They rode everyday and camped under the stars every night. This is what it meant to be a true Dothraki. Nomadic. Wild. Free. To feel the hot sun beating down on her skin, breathing in the fresh air, to feel the gentle wind against her face. Within a day, Dany’s, Rhaenys, Bharbo’s, Talisa’s, and Aegon’s skin were as dark as the Dothraki’s. Valyrian’s are typically very tan, or can get very tan easily. Rhaenys was happy. Not about the circumstances but she was happy to make this land her home. She didn’t blend in though, on the back of her horse-sized direwolf with her silver hair flowing in the wind and giant blue dragon flying above her. But this is who she was. A Targaryen and a Stark. One day a Khaleesi.
Dany led the hoard at all times. She had a beautiful pure white horse that she loved deeply. She told Rhaenys that this was the daughter of the horse Khal Drogo gave her as a wedding present long ago. Jon rode behind her on a gorgeous grey horse next to Aegon who was riding a black one. Bharbo was in between them riding on Red and talking their ears off. Rhaenys was at the front of the hoard, right next to her mother, leading as well. Rhaegar and Talisa were riding behind their fathers.
Every night, Rhaenys hung around her family and shared a large tent with her brothers, Talisa, and Izi. To Rhaenys surprise, Zhowo and Cavo slept in the tent too, with little protest from Jon. Probably because Rhaegar and Bharbo were there.
On the last day of their travels, Izi and Rhaenys finally had some alone time. They went spearing for fish in the near by river. “You know, Izi, you never told me what you’re saving money for,” Rhaenys said to her. “Oh no. Please. I don’t want to burden you with my problems when we have all of this going on,” Izi responded. “Don’t be silly, you’re my bestfriend, perhaps I could help you get it!” Rhaenys softly demanded. Izi fell silent for a few moments and said “I’m saving up for my mother.”
“Your mother? What do you mean?”
“She’s a slave in Volantis. I am trying to buy her back.”
“Wha-What? How’d she become a slave there?”
“She was part of a semi-noble family within the city. Now one of the most powerful families there. But she fell pregnant from a Dothraki rider, my father. He rode back to Volantis to get her, to bring her to Vaes Dothrak, where her and I would be safe and I could be raised as a Dothraki. When he finally arrived into Volantis again, he was attacked by a group of hired bandits from her family. She was able to sneak outside the walls to get to him, where he met me for the first time. My mother said he was pleased. Said I looked strong. But her own brother reported her to her father that she left the house. My mother wanted to be with him more than anything. A tragic love story,” Izi said.
“Well what happened? How’d she get enslaved?”
“When my mom, dad, and I were riding off with the small group of Dothraki he brought, her father brought out more men and attacked them about 2 miles outside of Volantis after my mom and dad thought she was free. My father did everything he could. He fought off 20 men himself, standing in front of my mother and me. But the person who would be my uncle, killed him. Shot him with an arrow in the heart. My mom said she turned around to one of his friends and handed me off to them, knowing she would be captured. It was Aggo, Zhowo’s father. That’s why he and I have always been friendly. His father would tell me all about my father, that’s how I know the story. I loved Aggo and was devastated when he died, just as much as Zhowo. She was captured and brought back to Voltantis. Disgusted that she breed with a savage Dothraki, had a baby outside of marriage, and tried to run away, her father forced her into slavery. I snuck into the city two years ago, dressed as a commoner. She has many friends in the city, all the slaves and handmaidens. They told me what time of day she goes out shopping for food and I went up to her, as secretly as I could. The other slaves described her face and hair to me. Told me what she would be wearing. When I saw her, she was beautiful. I look more like my father to say the least. When I approached her, I spoke as quietly as I could and told her who I was. She started to cry. Told me that she thinks about me everyday. Said she wanted to hug me so bad, but didn’t want to draw attention. That’s when I asked her how much she’d cost to purchase and she told me. To buy her back is 14,000 Volantene Gold, or about 17,000 Gold Dragons. I told her I’d come back for her. I’m almost there. I will free her soon.”
Rhaenys had no idea. She couldn’t imagine not knowing her father and not seeing her mother.
“Izi. I am so sorry. I want you to know that I am staying here, in Essos. I’m not going back to Westeros. I am going to free every last slave on this continent, and abolish slavery once and for all. Bring every city into the Targaryen Dynasty. Keep your money, Izi. I will free her with no cost to you, I promise you that. I need to go to Asshai with my family after this funeral, but perhaps I can send warning to the rulers of Volantis. Give them time to make the easy choice of surrendering their city to me.”
Izi returned a small smile to her dearest friend, but had doubts whether she could do as promised. It was too good to be true.
That night, Rhaenys sent a scroll to the three Triarchs of Voltantis:
“This scroll is for all the Triarchs and noble families that stay hidden behind the Black Wall.
I, Rhaenys Targaryen-Stark, daughter of Queen Daenarys Stormborn Targaryen and King Jon Stark, am writing this letter to you as a warning and giving you a choice. I am going to be the new Queen of all of Essos, and it is my goal to bring each city under my rule. My mother conquered Dragons Bay nearly two decades ago and the Dothraki have been serving us longer than that. Our army is 100,000 strong and we have more dragons than we can count. Over 300 years ago, my ancestor, Aegon the Conqueror made a mistake. He, Rhaenys, and Visenya should have supported your city after the Doom hit Valyria. Your ancestors wanted to bring all the Free Cities under the Volantene Rule. As the first Valyrian city that was established after our ancestral home was destroyed, he and his sisters were wrong not to support your claim and to rise against you. You thought the future should be with a Valyrian ruler, which is why you make people prove their ancestry in order to live behind the Black Wall. I want to offer you that. I am the Blood of Old Valyria and I want to start a new way of life on this beautiful land.
You may still be Lord’s and Ladies of Voltantis, and the political parties of the Tiger and Elephant may remain with certain limitations which I will be happy to review and compromise with you.
Voltantis is the largest of the Free Cities. But over 80% of your population is made up of slaves. Under my rule, I fully intend on eliminating slavery once and for all. Slaves will not run Essos anymore. If you choose to rise against me, you better think who your slaves will side with. Deny me, I will not hesitate on attacking your city. You cannot beat my army. Hell, I’ll take my best 10 dragons and ride to your city and handle it myself.
You have a few moons to decide. Once you have come to a decision, write me back and we can meet in Meereen and you will be welcomed as my guest.
Lastly, if you haven’t heard yet, we now have the control of Mantarys, Tolos, and Elyria. To our surprise, there were hundreds of full blooded Valyrians in Mantarys waiting for us–the Targaryen’s. I suggest you give a similar welcome.
-Rhaenys Targaryen-Stark, Queen of the Free Cities and heir of Dragons Bay and Khaleesi the Dothraki. Liberator.
”
She asked Dreamfyre to send a small delivery dragon. She sealed the scroll with the Targaryen-Stark mark, tied it to the dragons leg, and sent him off.
The next day was the funeral. The smell in the air was horrible, as the dead bodies have been laying in the warm sun for a week. Nevertheless, it was sad. Some girls younger than Rhaenys shed a few tears when they saw the dead faces of the Dosh Khaleen members. It was determined that Daenarys would be the only one fit to light the first fire, the pyre with the Dosh Khaleen. The remaining Dosh Khaleen that were still wounded joined the crowd to belt a haunting Dothraki song. It made Rhaenys very emotional and had the hairs on the back of her neck and on her arms stand. The Ko’s, Dany, Rhaenys, Rhaegar, Talisa, Jon, Aegon, and Bharbo all began to light the other pyres. Some of the other high ranking Dothraki joined too.
The Dothraki do not like to mourn much over their dead. Instead, that evening, there was a massive celebration of life. Rhaenys took this time to visit the Dosh Khaleen in their yurt for a while. They all praised her and told her the old stories of the Dothraki, as one day she will be Khaleesi and she needs to know these things. She sat in there enchanted with their tales, while tending to their health.
Not wanting to celebrate with the rest of the hoard, she asked for her mom, dad, Cavo, and Zhowo to meet her in the Khaleesi Estate. She told them about the letter she sent and Dany was the first to respond,
“I really wish you came to me first, but if you feel like that was best, I have to trust your judgement. You need to make your own decisions and mistakes to be a good Queen. But I agree with the fact that Voltantis needs to be the first of the Free Cities to join. I will send word to Kinvara, the red priestess. She has much influence there and has a whole temple of people who follow her. She’s always been a Targaryen supporter.”
“Do you really think you’re ready to start this war, Rhaen?” Jon asked.
“I didn’t start it yet. I just gave them a warning so they would hopefully make the right choice. I have to go to Asshai. Once I get back, there will need to be an answer. Then I’ll be ready for war if necessary. I do want to ask of one thing though,” said Rhaenys.
“What do you need?” Zhowo asked.
“I would like Cavo to put together a small group of no more than twenty people and spy on the city. I’ll assure a messenger dragon stays close to you so you can write me,” requested Rhaenys.
“But I could do it,” Zhowo said firmly.
“No, I need you here. It’s important that you stay here. I trust that Cavo will do a satisfactory job.”
Cavo said “I’d be glad to. When should we leave?”
“In the morning tomorrow. Try to get there as quickly as you can.” Cavo nodded his head in agreement and went back to the celebration outside with Jon and Dany. Zhowo is standing in front of Rhaenys now, looking down at her. “Why didn’t you want me to go?” Zhowo said.
“Because I need you here. You’re the person I trust enough to make decisions in the Targaryen name if something were to go wrong in my absence. I have no idea how long I will be in Asshai. You need to take care of things here in Vaes Dothrak.”
Zhowo couldn’t argue with that. Neither of them felt like being in the crowd outside. So they went upstairs, to the third floor where her room was. They went out to the balcony to watch the festivities from there. Dreamfyre landed next to the house, and laid her large head next to Rhaenys on the balcony as the rest of her body stayed on the ground. She’d crush the house if she put her weight on it. Rhaenys leaned against her head and petted her. Dreamfyre purred loudy–it was vibrating the entire structure. The three of them stayed like that all night. They talked for a while and then Aggo, the small dragon that saved Daenarys when she fell off Drogon, flew on to the balcony and landed next to Zhowo. The dragon appeared to have grown about a two feet in length since Rhaenys first met him several weeks ago. He now was the same size as Zhowo. Aggo laid right against him and was nudging him with his head. Zhowo let out a small laugh and patted him on the head. Dreamfyre said in Rhaenys head “sometimes I wish I was small enough to lay with you like that!”
“I think being the biggest dragon in history with Drogon is much cooler.”
Shadow found Rhaenys and laid down with the little group. She barely fit through the balcony door. It wasn’t long before they all fell asleep. The warmth of the dragons and comfort of Shadows fur made it very hard to stay awake.
Rhaenys woke up in the middle of the night and shook Zhowo awake. “We always fall asleep. I’m going inside, you should go back to your yurt. You need a good rest.” Zhowo stood up and gave her a tight hug and hard kiss. It wasn’t until Dreamfyre lifted her head that they pulled apart. Both Aggo and Dreamfyre were staring at them. Rhaenys laughed. “Goodnight, Zhowo,” she smiled and waved from the glass door. He hopped on Dreamfyre who lowered him down. Aggo appeared to follow him. “That little one is attaching himself to him,” Dreamfyre said. “Could he be a rider?” Rhaenys asked curiously. “You said his mom was Dornish? It’s possible. The Dornish were Valyrian’s a long time ago. Only time will tell, if Aggo gets large enough to be ridden,” finished Dreamfyre.
Shadow followed Rhaenys inside and fell back asleep on the floor. She undressed and collapsed into the comfort of her bed.
The morning came and Rhaenys woke up later than what she normally does. Izi came in first. All the makeup was washed from her face and her hair was down and wavy again. “Ah good, you’re awake. Your brothers have been wanting to talk to you, but I wanted to come up first to make sure a certain someone wasn’t still in the room,” Izi said smirking.
“Ah, no, I sent him back to his yurt late last night. We both needed a good nights rest. Did Cavo leave already?” asked Rhaenys. Izi said “yes.”
“Good. I hope you two had fun last night,” Rhaenys said and winked. Izi laughed.
“Now today I am heading back to Meereen for a day, then I am going to Asshai for a while. I need you to help Zhowo watch over this place. Okay? I want you to write to me every week. I will come back here when I can. And when I’m gone, I want you to take care of Shadow. You can ride her wherever you want. I’m sure she will be with her pack most of the time, but if you just whistle, she will come,” said Rhaenys as she put on her dragon riding gear and put her hair back into two braids.
Izi’s eyes started to water ever so slightly. “I hope you won’t be gone long, Rhaen. I will miss you and your family. Stay safe.” Izi hugged her tightly. Rhaenys hugged her back.
She went down to her parents balcony and Dany, Jon, Aegon, Rhaegar, Talisa, and Bharbo were already there eating breakfast. “Finally!” Bharbo yelled.
She sat down and they all spent the morning together. As the afternoon approached, it was time to leave again. Back to Meereen for only a day. She couldn’t imagine what her family’s life would be like if they couldn’t travel by dragons. It makes their complicated lifestyle possible, and the reason why they’re able to hold and conquer land.
She gave Izi one last hug goodbye and kissed her cheek. Her family was making their way down towards their dragons, securing their belongings in the pockets. But Rhaenys had to say goodbye to one more person. She anxiously looked at her mother and Dany understood and said “go. We will wait.”
Rhaenys hops on Shadow and they run to Zhowo’s yurt. Once she reaches his home, Meraxes speaks to Rhaenys “Rhaegar said to take your time, Talisa and him are exploring the market district. Notify me when you’re on your way back.” Good. That buys her some time to say a proper goodbye. She walks passed his guard who greeted her and enters. He is sitting in front of his hearth skinning a fox, next to him is a bowl of unchopped vegetables. “Hey,” she said. He turned around and smiled. “Hey! I thought you were leaving?” he responded.
“I had to say goodbye to you before I left,” she said, as she walked closer to him. He stood up and washed his hands in the wash bowl. “Listen, I don’t have much time. They’re all waiting for me…” she started to say as he dried his hands on a towel. He moved quickly across the floor and lifted her up into the air. His hands were intertwined in her hair and his lips were on hers. She’s used to his passionate embraces but this time was different. He walked them over to his bed and before he laid her down, he started to undo her top. She froze for just a second, but snapped out of it almost right away. She did want him and she didn’t care anymore. Her torso was exposed and Zhowo moved to undoing her pants. He would have normally just ripped them apart, but as she needed to go back with her family soon, he tried to be as careful as he could while being quick because he couldn’t wait anymore and there wasn’t much time. Rhaenys was feeling the pressure too, and started to undo his pants.
Everything was off now and Zhowo took a step back and looked at her with admiration, desire, hunger, and like she was the best thing he ever laid eyes on. He scooped her up once more and gently put her on the bed and climbed on top her. She let out an audible moan. Zhowo covered her mouth and said “shh, I don’t want the whole hoard knowing about this. It’s just you and me.” Her eyes were wide and she nodded.
Pure bliss.
Rhaenys was dressed now, and in a hurry. She went to give Zhowo one last kiss when he said “be my wife.” She stopped dead in her tracks and stared at him. “What?” she said. “Be my wife,” he said once more.
She smiled and ran back into his arms. “I will, but not until I am done with Asshai and Voltantis is mine.” He smiled back and said “I’ll wait.” They kissed once more and she said “okay, I really must go now. I’ll see you.” She was almost out the tent when she heard him say “anha zhilak yera m’ei zhor anni. Vorsa ki tih oakah.” She smiled at him one last time and said “fire of your soul, eh? I like it. And I love you too.”
She hurried back as quickly as she could. Poor Shadow was panting hard when they got back. Thankfully they weren’t all standing around waiting for her. Once she got back, she spoke to Meraxes, Dusk, and Drogon and mounted Dreamfyre. Shadow went to Izi who was standing on the third floor balcony waving to them. They all gathered once more and took off.
Half way to Meereen, Rhaenys decided to fill her Mother in on what happened. Not everything….of course, but the “he wants me to marry him” part.
She jumped onto Drogon to fly with Dany for a while. Daenarys was so excited for her daughter, and gave her a hug. “I knew he’d ask you soon. He’s madly in love with you! I take it you said yes?”
“I did. But I told him that I’d like to wait until after Asshai and I conquered Volantis. That might be a few years,” Rhaenys said to her.
“I respect that choice. Duty first, wedding second. I can’t wait to help you plan it though.”
“I wonder how Dad will take it…”
“Oh don’t worry about that, I just had Rhaegal tell him. He will come around. You’re just his first daughter so he’s protective. He likes Zhowo, and I’m sure he will eventually be pleased with the match. I’m going to go ride with your father for a while, you should get back on Dreamfyre.”
Drogon dropped Dany off on Rhaegal first and then Rhaenys on Dreamfyre. She looked to her right and saw that Talisa was riding with Rhaegar. Those two have been looking very cozy lately. She wondered if there was anything going on between the two of them the rest of the way back to Meereen.
The family decided that they’d stay in the city for two more days instead of one. Everyone was exhausted. The next morning, Jon said goodbye to his wife and his children. They’ve been gone from home too long, and he doesn’t want to raise any suspicions about what his family plans on doing in Essos. Brienne and Tormund went with him. Dany would leave the day after Jon, once Daario flew back on a dragon her and Drogon sent for him. He, Dany, and Rhaenys had a long debriefing about the status on Elyria. “The people there just seem scared still, but at least they seem smart enough not to rebel,” Daario said.
“Can we open up trading with them immediately?” Rhaenys asked.
“We could but I doubt it will be successful any time soon. They don’t trust us yet,” replied Daario.
“How about we give the island 80,000 Gold Dragons? They could hire their own guards specifically for the trade route. However many makes them comfortable. And we can have Unsullied stationed along the way that do patrols to ensure everyone’s safety. We can set up 50 or so cabins near the route to hold ten Unsullied each. We did just get a bunch of new Unsullied. May as well give them a purpose. We can tax every individual trader a small amount every time they make a trip to one of the cities they don’t live in. That plus the monthly tax we collect from our cities, we could have that 80,000 Gold Dragons back in a year. This goes for Mantarys and Tolos too,” said Rhaenys
Dany smiled at her. “Well I think that’s a great idea. Daario, write the Iron Bank. I’ll make a stop in each city tomorrow to discuss the plan on my way home.”
“You shouldn’t go alone though,” Daario said worried.
“Sansa, Arya, Yara, Gendry, Meera, Jamie, and Octavia will be flying home tomorrow with me. We will meet up with Grey Worm and Missandei in Mantarys. I’ll be fine, Daario,” Dany said with a light hearted laugh.
The next day came and everyone gathered outside the city’s walls to say goodbye to those who were leaving. “But Mom, you’ll be needed in Asshai too,” Bharbo cried. “I’m sorry, I can’t go right now. I have to spend some time in the Kings Landing after being away so long. I’ll meet you there in a few weeks. I love you. I love all of you. Please stick together,” Dany said to the small crowd. Hugs were exchanged and Aegon finally approached Dany last. “Thank you again for going with them, I can’t thank you enough,” she said to him.
“If we are being called, I want to go. I also want to keep the kids safe. I don’t feel comfortable letting them out of sight anytime soon. None of us have ever been to the Shadowlands or Asshai. I’ll write to you and let you know what’s happening soon,” he said and gave her a quick hug and kiss on the cheek. He then ran over to Sansa one last time and embraced her.
Ned had to pry Margaery and Rhaella from Arya and Yara. Rhaegar was shaking Jamie’s hand, Octavia was giving Bharbo a hug. Loras and Benjin were saying goodbye to Gendry and Meera. In minutes, they were up in the sky, waving down at all of them. It just got real. They were now mostly on their own.
They would leave in a few hours. They used this time to eat, finish packing, and get more sleep. Asshai was further away than Kings Landing and they’d need to camp twice. Rhaenys packed a whole bag of just food and water. She was sure it was going to just be desert around them for at least one night. Once she was done, she put on her riding pants and a short fitted cropped top. It was hot outside.
She meets up with her siblings once the sun is high. Rhaenys had a strong sensation flood her. They were all mounting their dragons outside of Meereen when it hit her. It must have hit all of them because everyone looked in the same direction. There was someone on the back of a massive horse, wearing a dark red cloak and had long red hair hair. They knew who it was.
All of them have met Kinvara a handful of times. She would come to visit Kings Landing every few years to visit the Westeros Temple for the Lord of Light. Dany and Jon both agreed for her to practice the religion there after seeing first hand what the red priestesses were capable of. The family wasn’t super religious though. No where near what Stannis Baratheon was, but they did respect the religion and would visit the temple once a week. They also respected both the Old and New Gods, as many people in Westeros still followed that religion. The Targaryen-Stark family still kept weirwood trees in their garden, and it was Jon’s favorite place to escape too. But the popularity of the Lord of Light was growing in the bigger cities. Missandei and Grey Worm agreed for Kinvara to build one in Highgarden too. It’s about half way built. The temple in the Capital was built over the Sept of Baelor. After Cersei blew it up, the space was empty. Now there stands a very gothic looking building with high peaks and red stained windows. It was actually quite beautiful and drew in a lot of curiosity. “I wonder why she’s here?” Benjin said. “She intimidates me a little,” said Rhaella. “I suppose she’s not a person you can have fun with… but she’s a loyal supporter and we need her. Everyone be kind, please,” said Rhaenys. She gets closer and everyone is silent until she’s 10 feet away and you can see her big honey brown eyes staring back at all of them. She speaks first.
“My Targaryen and Stark children. It is so good to see you again.” She gets off her horse and walks closer to them. “You must be wondering why I am here,” she said and there was a pause. She holds up a scroll, “I got your letter.”
“But how? Aunt Dany sent that recently. How’d you get her so fast, by horse?” Loras said.
“The Lord of Light told me over a year ago to prepare for what lays ahead. I knew what Rhaenys was planning to do before she knew,” Kinvara said very firmly. Every one stares at Rhaenys, including Kinvara. “Don’t worry, Princess. I fully support what you plan on doing, now and always, and what your children do after you. I’m just here to guide you. Guide all of you. All the priestesses have already fled Volantis. We spred a rumor that we will be secluding ourselves in the temple for a week to pray for the world and to focus on what the Lord of Light is saying. They believed it. The week started two days ago and they fled into the darkness the night it started. It will be a few weeks before they get here, though. We would like to settle in Yunkai. We think it’s the perfect location, being between Meereen and Astapor.”
“Yes of course. And I’ll go send some Dragons Bay Warriors to search for them to make sure they get back safely” Rhaenys replied.
“There’s 37 of them. They split up into 4 groups, leaving a few hours apart from each other. They aren’t wearing their red cloaks, but they will have a pin of a flame over their breasts. You know what to tell them to say when they find them?” Kinvara asked.
“Valar Morghulis,” said Rhaenys and Kinvara nodded.
“I’ll be right back,” Rhaenys said to her family and took off to the city again quickly. The barracks were next to the main gate, not that far of a jog. When she got there, she realized Kinvara followed her. For what though? Did she not trust her that she’d give the commands?
She spoke with the head guard and he didn’t even question Rhaenys. She wasn’t sure if it’s because he respected her or that he was afraid of Kinvara because he kept nervously glancing at her. “…and when you find them, say Valar Morghulis. They’ll know to trust you. Send a messenger to Yunkai as well, notifying them that they’ll have new company and that the company will be building there. Don’t tell anyone who it is yet. We can’t let Volantis know their most valued citizens fled. Got it?” He nodded quickly.
Rhaenys turned back around to get back to Dreamfyre. But before she got too far ahead, Kinvara said “Rhaenys I need to have a quick word.”
“What is it?”
“It is important that you write you mother and father in a few moons to tell them to come to Asshai. Your parents are still weary on whether or not to come. Grey Worm will need to come too.”
“Okay, but why? I can understand my mom needing to come but why my dad and Grey Worm?”
“It is time you, especially Rhaegar, and your siblings to know, but I mustn’t be the one to tell you. I just need you to convince them to come. They won’t need to be there as long as you all will, but it’s still important that they do. Now, may I accompany you on Dreamfyre?”
“Uh, sure?” Rhaenys said confused, not sure what to make of the conversation she just had.
The both of them get back to the crowd and she and Kinvara climb on Dreamfyre. They all take off at once and begin flying further East. Rhaenys heart sinks a little and looks behind her once last time. “Don’t worry, we will be back sooner than you think,” Kinvara yelled. She looked forward, refusing to look back again.
That entire day they flew southeast over the Red Waste. There were ghost towns littering it. “Okay, find a way to bring these towns back to life after I conquer Essos,” Rhaenys thought.
Very late at night, they had to stop in one of these ghost towns to rest. It was eerie but somewhat peaceful knowing there wasn’t anything around to bother them. She was glad she packed food and water as there were none around. The dragons ate well last night, so they didn’t need to feed for a few more days.
As soon as the sun rose, they were off again. Early in the morning, they flew over Qarth. Rhaenys made it a point to circle over the city a few times and had Dreamfyre be as loud as ever. She wanted to playfully taunt them, to let them know she’ll be knocking at the city gates one day, asking to bend the knee. Aegon couldn’t help but laugh at her. As the sun was setting again, they flew over Yi Ti. It was massive. Rhaenys thought she has seen big cities before but Yi Ti was double the size. And very tropical and colorful. “I wonder if that city will be difficult to take,” she said to Kinvara. “Ah on the contrary, Princess. They will be the easiest, so long as you know what to say,” Kinvara said.
“What do you mean?”
“I suggest doing research on the city to answer your question.”
Why can’t the red priestesses ever give a straight answer? Rhaenys was slightly annoyed.
They needed to call it a night again. She was scared camping out here. There were tons of little towns, trading routes, and military bases near by. She was hoping the sight of 8 fully grown dragons and two small ones would imitate any wonderers.
They all fall asleep quickly, but Rhaenys kept waking up, nervous that the Shrouded Lord might pay a visit again.
They all had strange dreams that night. Their sight was stronger since they were closer to their destination.
——
It’s twilight now and they’re passing over the Shadowlands and the dark and empty cities within. They were all quiet while passing over, nervous if they or their dragons made any sounds, they might awaken something they didn’t want to. They did however see some wild dragons. Obviously not used to people or other dragons they didn’t recognize. They were defensive, even towards the Targaryen family. Maybe they scared out all the pirates and Grey Scale that once used to litter this land.
Once you were able to get passed the eeriness of it all, the place must have once been beautiful. The architecture almost mimicked Old Valyria’s, only it was a bit more dark. Old Valyria was filled with bright greens, purples, blues, and silver. These cities were mostly black. “We are getting close now,” Kinvara interrupted Rhaenys thoughts. And she could see it– the vast city of Asshai.
The city was sparse. The land within its massive walls was ginormous, but the buildings and homes were few. Everything was made of ebony or dragonglass with touches of amber. There were no children and it was mostly quiet. “What a strange city,” Aegon said. The younger ones huddled behind him, Rhaegar, Ned, and Rhaenys. “Follow me, I know the way. This was once my home” Kinvara said.
They all make their way through the city getting stares from the residents. They were all masked or veiled and wearing some hexagonal pattern. Her hands were being weird, one second they were ice cold and the next they were hot. She looked around to everyone else’s and they seemed to be fidgeting with them too.
They finally arrived outside a massive building that is in the center. It is, surprisingly but also unsurprisingly, shaped like a hexagon. It was almost all dragonglass but had amber walls in some areas, and scattered all over the structure was purple, green, white, gold, blue, and red specs. “Are there gemstones inside those walls?” Ned asked. “Amethyst, jade, emerald, diamond, gold, sapphire, and ruby. Yes,” Kinvara said as they were making their way to the tall double doors. “This is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” Margaery said with her mouth opened and Rhaella nodded her head feverishly in agreement. “Why? I feel like poor from all over the world would try to steal from these walls,” Benjin asked. “The stones are sources of power, if you will. I know you heard the rumors about Asshai. You’ll see and understand soon why no one would ever dare to try,” Kinvara said, opening the door guiding them all inside. It opened up into a massive room. The center was sunken in, needing to go down nine steps to reach the bottom. There were two rows of pillars going around the room. The room was different shades of black, but with the smallest hint of colors from the gemstones in the walls and floors. Rhaenys imagined shortly that this must be was the world looks like outside of their world. In the depths of the night sky.
There was a massive fireplace that was burning a wild fire on the north end, a big fountain on the other that had a dragon statue in the center on the south end. The water seemed to be pouring over the dragon and landing in the surrounding pool. There was a large, strong tree that almost touched the ceiling on the west end. The top of it was flatter, but it was very wide. Below it was a beautiful bed of flowers and plants. On the east side there was only one thing–a narrow glass door on the ceiling that was opened, letting in a burst of wind. There was a small section of seating built into the steps to the right. Rhaenys was looking all around and she barely even noticed three figures standing in front of them on the opposite end of the room. Kinvara guides them closer. In a blink of an eye, Kinvara is wearing a form fitting jumpsuit with dark red hexagons all over it. “What the…” Rhaegar began to say but stopped himself. The other feminine figure walked forward and greeted Kinvara. This woman was completely masked in a gold and red hexagons and was wearing a dress on hexagons too. All, this is Quaithe. “I look forward to knowing you all and seeing your mother again,” she said. “Again?” Bharbo said. “We met in Qarth long ago. When she had next to nothing. I admire her.” The other two figures walk up, and they are male. “I am Arapho,” a very tall and muscular man said. He had wavy dark brown hair that went passed the shoulders. He was wearing red pants, and of course a gold and red hexagonal shirt, same as the man next to him. He had pale green eyes.
“I am Aeren,” said the other man. His skin was dark. He had long locks. Was lean and athletic, and tall, but not as tall as the other man. His eyes though were dark red.
“We know all of you have been dreaming strange things, and Bharbo and Rhaenys have even seen us. You all have been summoned here because the Grey Scale population has been getting out of hand. There are a lot more people traveling in Essos freely now, due to the success in Dragon’s Bay, the trading posts in Vaes Dothrak becoming more….friendly to outsiders, and the new jobs. All of which are a good thing. But because of that, they become prone to Grey Scale attacks. Hundreds of people go missing every few months. There were five of us, Master Sorcerers. One left a few weeks before your 16th Name Day. His name is Gyllo. He’s hasn’t been around as long as we have been, but he mastered this art very quickly, and has been helping us advance our abilities this last century. He always had a dark side, and we were hesitant to let him into the school. But his abilities were too impressive to turn away. Apparently he has noble blood from Old Ghis, and some of his living distant family served in the Sons of the Harpy, against the Targaryen rule. He was loyal to his family and was rooting against your mother. He almost lost it when they all died in the siege. We had to lock him up because he wanted to track her down and kill her. But Kinvara was sure she was necessarily to the world, and oh how right she was. Essos would still be a disaster, millions more slaves, and everyone in Westeros would have joined the army of the dead. Even then, we didn’t let him out for a whole year. When he saw she was going back to Westeros, he calmed down. Well, once we all started having visions that Rhaenys was going to be Queen here, he left without a note. He’s determined to end the Targaryen name,” Aeren said.
“So what is he doing exactly?” Aegon asked before Rhaenys could.
Quaithe spoke up, “he went to one of the ruined cities in the Golden Fields, summoned the Shrouded Lord, and then was able to turn the Grey Scale in the area into mutants, even more so than they are now. They can’t be destroyed by fire or Valyrian steel, or dragonglass. He made sure of that. Instead, we are positive that they can only be killed one way–by ice. Then crushing them. The complete opposite of what the Targaryen’s are known for. What he doesn’t know for certain is that you all, because of your blood, harvest sorcerers abilities.”
Talisa stepped forward and said “there was recently an attempt to kidnap myself and Loras. The pirate we were able to capture said that the Shrouded Lord sent them. That he wanted us… if Gyllo doesn’t know, he definitely suspects.”
“Yes. That was unfortunate. I’m so sorry that happened. It was a last minute decision on his part, probably to try to hide it from us so we wouldn’t step in. I am glad you’re safe,” Arapho said.
“Now, Kinvara may be the first red priestess, but I am the first known sorcerer. I am the leader of the clan. I make the rules. I enforce the rules. Are there any questions before we begin?” Aeren said quickly and firmly.
Ned asked “is everyone in this city a sorcerer?”
“Fair question. Everyone here can do magic to some point. Some only make potions. Some can only enchant items. Some can do one of the four elemental based magic, but if that’s what they do, no one can become a master. They never exceed the apprentice level,” said Aeren.
“Elemental based magic?” Rhaenys questioned out loud.
Kinvara spoke, “water, all things dirt and rock, fire, and the wind. You all will become masters of water and the ground you walk on. Of course if you want to learn fire and wind later, we will teach you, but the other two are more important right now. That is what is represented here on this floor of the building. This is your arena.”
“So…um…how are we going to learn? And how will this work against all the Grey Scale? There are only 12 of us. And we physically cannot be touched by them. Samwell knows a cure but could he get to all of us quick enough?” Aegon started going off and asking too many questions to count.
“12?” Rhaenys thought. “That’s odd. He must have miscounted by one.”
“You won’t be alone. You will have your Westerosi Army as well as your Essos one. You also have blood relatives in Mantarys, don’t forget. They will come here in a few moons to train as well. Notice was already sent. I also believe your Uncle Brandon is working on something, and at the opposite end of the border, someone else will be working on something that will be very effective in the war to come. There is time,” said Kinvara.
There was a moment of silence.
“So are we ready?” Aeren asked finally, and there was a census around the Targaryen-Stark crowd. So they begun.
——
Two weeks into the grueling practices everyone was able to move a nice stream of water from one fountain to a bucket on the other end of the hall.
——
One month in they could create a tornado with the water and raise a rock about the size of their fists into the air for a few seconds.
——
A month and a half in, they practiced throwing and catching water to each other. Same with the rock, but without touching it of course.
——
Two months in the were getting restless. Even Aegon, who just missed his wife. Bharbo was acting a bit more rambunctious than usual and Rhaenys, Rhaegar, and Ned needed time take turns watching him. They all had their own tiny rooms and a medium sized common room to gather in together in the evening. They took turn reading stories to each other or making up games to keep themselves sane.
They were working on freezing the water this week and it was proving to be very difficult. Rhaenys in particular was having a tough time with this. Yeah she was half stark but she only felt fire and warmth inside.
“Concentrate Rhaenys! Think! What’s the coldest place you’ve ever been to?” shouted Aeren.
Winterfell was chilly even during this long summer. Freezing? Not really. One coat and a pair of gloves are enough. She’s been to Brienne and Tormunds cabin beyond the Wall that sits on the edge of the Bay of Seals. That was definitely very cold. She hated it up there. But the most freezing place she’s ever been was when she took her Uncle Bran back to the Three-Eyed Raven cave when during a Winterfell trip. She was gone for less than a day and didn’t stay long, but that was so cold it was uncomfortable. Uncle Bran showed her the cave and the tree, and were he set up a small room with a bed, fire, some food, pots and pans, a small table and a wooden chair. Out of curiosity she was glad to look, but as soon as the little tour was done, she went right back to Winterfell. So she answered Aeren “the Three-Eyed Raven cave.” She concentrated hard on the way her body felt then. All of a sudden jets of ice were shooting out from her fingertips. Aeren smiled.
——
Almost three months at Asshai now. They all passed their novice and apprentice exams, and they are now working at the Adept level, but Aegon was a step ahead at the Expert level. Kinvera said it’s because his brain has been fully developed and everyone else hasn’t reached that level of maturity yet. Jon, Daenarys, and Grey Worm finally arrive. Everything came quite naturally to Daenarys, and within only a fortnight, she was at the same level as Aegon.
Jon was making good progress too. He was especially quick and gracefully when it came to the ice.
There was something strange and tense about the air though. Daenarys and Jon seemed to both be on edge and they couldn’t understand why. They did wonder why Jon was able to do magic. Was it because he’s married to the most powerful woman in the world? At night sometimes, Rhaenys would catch a glimpse of Kinvara speaking to just the two of them in hushed voices but was able to over hear Kinvara say “when will you tell them? It is important for them to hear the story. Especially Rhaegar and Talisa. It’s a tale that the Targaryen bloodline depends on.” “Soon. Right before Rhaenys has to leave for Meereen. Will you be there with us when we tell them? It’s important that you help explain things,” Dany said.
“I am here for your family always,” Kinvara said.
——
Grey Worm was surprised about why he was there. He didn’t believe Kinvara or Aeren the entire first day. “But why you say I can do this? I am not a Targaryen!” he said.
“We arent Targaryens either but there are a select small few in this world that harness the power. You do. You might not be able to do all four branches, but we know you can at least do one, maybe more. Now, try please,” Kinvara said to him.
Within a month, Grey Worm was caught up to the rest of the kids, at level Expert. Dany, Jon, and Aegon have reached Master.
——
Over five months now in Asshai, and they were all allowed to take a hiatus finally. Rhaenys needed to go back to Meereen in the morning. A leader from Voltantis will be there to meet with her. Aegon was eager to spend some time with his wife, who has been in Kings Landing in Jon and Dany’s place because Tyrion wanted to go back to The Rock for a little while. Little Margaery was going to go with him. Jon and Dany were heading back to the Capital with Bharbo and Rhaella. As for Ned, Rhaegar, Talisa, Loras, and Benjin, they all wanted a break. The little dragons that Dany hatched months ago found their way to Benjin and Margaery. They were now the size of a child of 8 years. They were happy they finally got dragons of their own. Margaery named hers Rosie and Benjin named his Winter.
The night before everyone left, Dany and Jon came into the common room holding hands and the room became quiet.
“I know you all have been anticipating this moment. You’ve sensed the anxiety and discomfort,” Jon said.
“When I met Jon, he was Jon Snow. The bastard of Ned Stark. And we fell in love with each other kind of quickly,” Dany said and she gave a loving glance to Jon.
She continued “for as long as history goes back, the Targaryen’s have married each other to keep the bloodline pure. Many other families have done the same but it was important to us to we could have the dragons and magic. But with years and years of incest, we started going mad. Like my father and brother Viserys. I wanted to break that cycle, and so did Aegon. But the night before the War at Winterfell, we found out something with the help of Uncle Bran and Samwell. To be straightforward, Jon isn’t a bastard and never was. He wasn’t the son of Ned Stark, but Lyanna Stark, Neds sister…”
“Who you named you direwolve after!” Bharbo chimed in.
“Yes, who my direwolf is named after. He was secretly married to my much older brother, Rhaegar…”
“Who I’m named after,” Rhaegar said.
“Yes. My brother Rhaegar annulled his marriage with Elia, which are the two parents of Aegon here. Rhaegar loved Lyanna and she loved him back. During the peak of Robert’s Rebellion, Lyanna was hidden in the Tower of Joy while Rhaegar went to go fight Robert. Unfortunately Robert killed him. Well, Ned tracked Lyanna down and went to her at the Tower as she is giving birth to a black haired boy. She dies in childbirth but tells Ned that his name is Aegon Targaryen and that no one can ever know. To raise him as his own son. And he did.”
“Wait, two Aegon Targaryens?” Talisa said.
“My brother Rhaegar was a firm believer of prophecy and thought Aegon was a leaders name. When he thought Aegon died, he wanted his other son to have the name.”
“Who knows about this?” Loras asked.
“Only our closest friends. I consider myself to be Stark. I have the hair. I have the eyes. I have the skin. And I was raised as a Stark. I am half Targaryen, which I am proud to be, but I am a Stark, which is why I kept the Stark name and told no one,” Jon said.
“So why are you telling us this now?” Rhaenys asked.
“Well because you are all probably wondering why Jon is the second head of the dragon, why he can walk through fire, why some of the dragons listen to him, why he’s here, able to do magic with us. We thought it was time. And now that you all are getting older and will marry soon, we needed you to understand. Kinvara has vital information…” Dany finished.
Kinvara stepped from the shadows. “You all understand by now that I serve your family. I will be around to see your great, great, great, great, great grandchildren and even passed then. But in order to serve your family for that long, you all are responsible for keeping your blood pure enough. I definitely will never recommend marriage between brother and sister, but a good way to get around the madness is by marriage between cousins, at least after every other generation. Or by marrying someone of strong Valyrian blood. Like Rhaenys, you will marry Zhowo who is of half Valyrian decent. It will be important that your ruling child marries a cousin. Same with yours, Rhaella. You won’t rule Essos or westeros but you will rule other lands. Rhaenys line will always rule Essos. Rhaegars will always rule Westeros, and Rhaella’s will rule her dominion. We will get that in writing one day, so your in case your grandchildren ever forget their purpose they can reference that. Any questions?”
Rhaegar speaks up, “we always knew our family history and I don’t think anyone were raised to think it was odd or different, but what if we are scared of the madness coming back or by what people think?”
“Daenarys is the last person that will ever have 100% Targaryen blood. That madness will never occur unless you have generations of that. In terms of what people think, every noble house din existence have marriages between cousins, for similar reasons why we are doing it. No one will think anything of it. If you want to marry Talisa, you should,” Kinvara said. Realizing quickly she may have been too forward. Talisa’s face turned beet red and Rhaegar looked a little panicked.
Daenarys quickly stepped up and said “this doesn’t change anything. I think we all knew this to some extent. We are still who we are. Now everyone please enjoy their time off and we will be back to complete the last tests in two months.” She looked at Rhaenys, “are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?”
“No, I need to do this alone. They won’t respect me if I bring my mommy and daddy along,” Rhaenys said.
Jon gave a small laugh. “Very well, but Daario will be advising you the whole time,” Dany said. Rhaenys nodded.
“Now if we have nothing else to say, go to sleep, long day tomorrow.”
They all left to go to their rooms, feeling a bit strange, not sure how to take the news. But their parents were right. It doesn’t change anything. They are still mom and dad. Still consider themselves half Targaryen and half Stark. Maybe just now there’s a little more Targaryen, and that’s okay.
Ned didn’t like being lied to. He didn’t care about the news, he was just mad that it was a lie all this time.
Rhaegar was the happiest about the news. He could finally be with Talisa and not have it be a secret anymore. So long as she will still have him.
——
Next morning they all eat together. It was still a little awkward, but it was less than what it was in the previous days. Rhaenys needed to leave first. Her visitors would be arriving soon. She hugged her mom and dad and kissed them both on the cheek. “Just so you both know, none of us care. We are glad you’re our parents.” Dany and Jon looked at each other and smiled. “Rhaenys, before you go, I’m having Grey Worm go with you. I don’t care what you say, you have to camp for two nights and it would bring me peace knowing he was with you. He will wait in Meereen for a day and then I’ll pick him up to take him back to the Capital so Missandei can get him. Okay?” Dany said.
To be honest, Rhaenys was relieved. She was worried about the nights alone. “Okay. Seems fair,” she said.
She and Grey Worm are about to head out the giant black door when she realized she forgot to say goodbye to Ned and Rhaegar.
She runs over to them and gives them a hug. “So where will you go on your break?” she asked them.
“I’m going to fly to Storms End and pick up Cella. I think she wanted to build a small cabin in the Rainwood somewhere in between the Weeping Tower and Stonehelm. Near the beach on the Sea of Dorne. She wanted a peaceful place to escape to every so often. I was going to help her build it,” said Ned.
“Oh that sounds lovely! I wish I could help. Make sure you fly up and down the coast to get the safest and most beautiful spot! What about you Rhaegar?” Rhaenys asked.
“Talisa and I want to explore more over here. I think we are going to take a trip to the Thousand Islands. You know, get cultured before I become King of the 7 Kingdoms one day,” he said. Talisa came strolling across the floor and said “I think I want to visit the Isle of Elephants too. I would love to see all the elephants in their natural habit. The island is supposed to be beautiful.”
“Then I guess we are visiting there too!” Rhaegar said with excitement in his voice. Rhaenys have Talisa a hug goodbye and started to walk off towards the black door with Grey Worm. She quickly turned around and ran back over to Rhaegar and Talisa. She grabbed their hands and forced them into each others. “Just so you know, I approved of this.” She smiled and then waved goodbye to the rest of her family and headed out the door. Dreamfyre was there waiting already. She gather a small crowd of curious people who were staring at the three of them. She ignored it and climbed on Dreamfyre and Grey Worm followed.
Off they were to Meereen. She was jealous of her siblings and cousins who get to go on a holiday. But she had bigger things to do, like make Volantis bend the knee.
Rhaenys Targaryen Part V will be here soon.
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“I’m going to be the next King,” Rhaegar said to Talisa in disbelief. “W-What about Rhaen?” Talisa said back. “My parents don’t think she’s going to want to come back home…I can’t believe it. Rhaenys is loved here by everyone already, and she knows everything that was ever taught to her. Ned and I have sat in on a lot of lessons, so I do know some things but I’m not as prepared…will I be accepted?” Rhaegar said.
“Listen, Rhaegar, if you don’t want to, I’m sure you can just tell your parents. You have other brothers and sisters. But if it is fear of not doing well or not being liked, those are not valid excuses. This entire family is smart and will have your back. You will have the best counselor’s any King could have. Your mom and dad are widely accepted and if they chose you to reign, the people will listen. Be strong and tough but also show kindness and mercy. Always remember that. You will be great, and you have time to learn, as your parents aren’t stepping down anytime soon. Here, your mom wants you to call a town briefing, why don’t you go fetch Tyrion and Sam and go over what to say. I’ll go talk to the courier’s and tell them to notify the city. Will sundown work?”
“Yeah that should be enough time. Thank you, Talisa” Rhaegar said to her. She walks off and Rhaegar takes a breath. The first thing that needs done is to talk to Ned and Bharbo. Rhaegar feels bad for Ned, they all always thought the triplets would make up the Targaryen dragon. He is quite nervous to tell Ned, but he has his mother’s letter in his hand for proof. He slowly walks through the castle trying to find his brothers. He passes Tyrion to which he asks “Can you find Sam and meet me in the small council room shortly?”
He finds his brothers in one of the sun rooms. It has a tall ceiling and a large map of Westeros painting on the floor from the days of Cersei. Daenerys didn’t want to cover it up, as she thought it was a nice work of art regardless who ordered it to be painted. Ned is playing with Bharbo and they’re passing a ball back and fourth. When Rhaegar walks in, Bharbo throws the ball to him and Rhaegar quickly catches it. He tosses the ball back and fourth for a while before he says “Listen, I need to tell you both something…Mom wrote me” he said standing there quite nervous, shifting his weight back and fourth on his feet. Ned sensing the discomfort says “what’s wrong? What did she say about the attack?”
Rhaegar speaks “well she’s glad we are all safe, and that we were all brave and handled the situation well, but I think you should just read it…here.” Rhaegar hands Ned the letter and takes a few seconds to read the note. Rhaegar knew when he got to the part where their mother said he wasn’t apart of the Targaryen dragon because his eyebrows furrowed and he frowned. Ned shoved the letter to Bharbo who began reading it very quickly. “What the hell does she mean, she knows there’s another path for me? We all thought it would be Rhaenys, you, and I. I have lived my whole life believing so, and that bit about you being King? Why wasn’t I considered?” Ned said, with each word getting louder. Rhaegar felt sorry for his brother. He wasn’t sure how he would feel if he were in Ned’s position. He had no words for his brother, feeling his anger, and all he could say was “I’m sorry.” Ned stormed out of the room.
Bharbo gave the letter back to him and looked up innocently at his big brother and said, “I think you will make a great King. Ned probably just feels like he lost his purpose. He will be happy for you soon.” Looking surprised, Rhaegar said “when did you get so wise?” Bharbo shrugged his shoulders and simply said “do you need help with this meeting?” Rhaegar thought for a moment and said “yes, actually. I might need you to recall what exactly went on here at the castle when I was on Dragonstone. Would that be okay with you?” Bharbo nodded at once. “Would you like to come talk to Tyrion and Sam with me to tell them the contents of the letter and to prepare for this evening?” Rhaegar continued. “Sure, I’m bored now anyways” Bharbo said. They both walk up to the small council room and fill them in. Both Tyrion and Sam were shocked at the news. “Well, if Daenarys thinks her daughter will want to stay over there, there is not much to be done. I guess her training won’t go to waste if she decides to rule over there. You are really bright, Rhaegar, and an equally great choice. But we will need to start counseling you at once” Tyrion said. Rhaegar knew he had a lot of catching up to do, but he was ready. They made plans on how this evening will go.
Sundown came and the turnout was huge. The Throne Room was overflowing with people from all backgrounds. Nobles, peasants, and everyone in between. Tyrion spoke for a while and then Rhaegar stepped in to retell the tale of some of the events at Dragonstone, which prompted a quick statement from Talisa and Loras that Dragonstone is unharmed and the Stark-Targaryen family remains strong. Then little Bharbo announced what happened in the castle. There was an uproar when the people heard someone tried to attack the little prince. Rhaegar then had to answer many questions about who their attackers were, why they wanted to attack them, who the Shrouded Lord was, and what it meant. “It means, we might be faced with another very difficult war, only this will be more challenging than the army of the dead because we cannot risk being touched by the stone men. It means, if things escalate, we will need your help to fight and to come up with a solution.” No one knew what to say, until a young peasant boy, no older than 13, dressed in rags and was very dirty, stepped forward and said “we are loyal to the crown and will do whatever we can to help!” One by one the crowd started saying “aye!” Even the ladies of the court. Rhaegar couldn’t help but smile, feeling thankful for the world their parents built for their children, but no one in Westeros knew that the new stone men couldn’t be killed by fire or Valyrian steel yet. Rhaegar dismissed the crowd but welcomed the poor to stay behind to eat dinner. Rhaegar, Talisa, Loras, Tyrion, Sam, Gilly, and Bharbo stayed in the dining hall to eat with all the people and engage in conversation. Rhaegar befriended the young boy who spoke up in court, and found out his name was Xavier. He did not have a last name, as both his parents were low born. At the end of dinner, Rhaegar allowed the people to empty the tables to take the rest of the food home to their families. He pulled a few children aside who looked like they needed a lot of help, and offered them a wash and new clothes. Xavier’s mom looked saddened and said “he grows so fast, I can’t afford to buy him clothes every time he grows.” Bharbo speaks up and says “but we open our doors to the less fortunate and help when we can. Mom always wanted it that way.” Xavier’s mom said “I know, and that’s very kind of her, but a lot of us don’t like being a burden.” Rhaegar was baffled and said “no one is a burden! We are the royal family and it’s our duty to help everyone in need!”
“But it would be impossible to cloth everyone, especially growing children,” Xavier’s mom said. “Well we can try, can’t we?” said Rhaegar. Truth was, Daenarys has a large group of wealthier women who will send in donated clothes the women have made or no longer need from their family. When Gilly, Dany, Rhaenys, and Rhaella had downtime, they often would knit simple shirts, pants, socks, and put together shoes. Sansa and her daughters were doing it for the North, while Missandei and her daughters were doing it for Highgarden.
There were two medium sized rooms in the healing wing that stored all these clothes and a large bathing area. One for men and one for women. Only Sam realized it wasn’t practical to have bathtubs, as the water would quickly get dirty after each person used it. So with the help of Tyrion, they hired a lot of Flea Bottom residents to lay pipes that went from the Blackwater Rush River, to a few parts of the Red Keep, one going directly into the healing wing. The water would go into large tanks that sit over a fire outside the castle, and then run though other pipes in the castle to spigots. Iris then built another large tank that could fill with water. There was a sliding piece of metal that once removed, would show various holes, and the water would fall through the holes. This was more effective, as more people could be washed better and more quickly. Gilly made the soap. Tyrion continued the project into Flea Bottom so they would have proper drainage and so they could be able to place a few water pumps for the residents to use. Flea Bottom now no longer smells of piss and shit, and less people are getting ill.
Sam and Rhaegar walked off with the boys while Gilly and Talisa took the girls. Within minutes, they were all clean and picking out a new pair of pants, a shirt, socks, and shoes if needed. Rhaegar grabbed a second outfit that was two sizes larger than what Xavier was currently and handed it to his mom and said “for when he grows.” His moms eyes begin to water and she mutters “thank you.”
Rhaegar felt like he did his duty well today but was still feeling sad for his brother. He talks about it with Talisa for a bit, and she assured him that Ned will come around. They fall asleep next to each other every night for the next week.
But Bharbo kept thinking about his mother’s letter.
——
Rhaenys changed into a night gown and brushed out her hair, leaving soft curls behind. She grabbed a book and a cup of wine and waited for Zhowo.
Nearly a quarter of the way done with the book, she heard the familiar tapping on the glass doors and eagerly ran over to the balcony to let him in. But instead of him coming inside, he held out his hand. “Where are we going?” Rhaenys questioned. “You’ll see, but you should probably change into pants if you have them” said Zhowo. Rhaenys was confused. She changed into this night gown because she assumed they were going to stay here again. No matter, she was excited regardless. Zhowo waited by the opened glass door. Rhaenys walked up the few steps to the bedroom area and opened her wardrobe. She grabbed a pair of brown pants and a blue top she changed behind the lattice on her wall, to which Zhowo could still see through parts of it. Rhaenys knew he could see her but she didn’t care. He stood there gazing at her, wanting so bad to go over there and lay her on the bed, but he didn’t move, remembering what his mother taught him. When she was done changing, Zhowo quickly looked away, staring beyond the balcony, pretending to gaze upon the large fire in the distance that Khaleesi and Jon were sitting in.
Rhaenys emerged on to the balcony and they begin to scale the wall. Having landed on the second balcony and Zhowo already on the ground, he whispered “jump.” Rhaenys looked down and his arms were out. She smiled, sat on the railing, and slid off, having Zhowo catch her under her arms, making the landing smoother and easier on her legs. “This is so exciting, I never even snuck out of the castle back home,” Rhaenys whispered to Zhowo who laughed lightly. They walked quietly around some buildings and found a beautiful, massive, black and white striped horse. “I’ve never seen a horse like that before,” said Rhaenys. “It is called a zorse. The Jogos Nhai breed them. They are half normal horse bred with another type of horse that is all stripes. Some Dothraki have them from trading but some of us killed their former rider to get the zorse. I got mine from a Jogos Nhai who was caught stealing from the market. I followed him until he was out of Vaes Dothrak and then I killed him with my arakh, shedding his blood just beyond the border. Took back the stolen items and then I took this” finished Zhowo and patted the zorse. “She’s beautiful, does she have a name?” asked Rhaenys. Zhowo said “no, the Dothraki don’t name their animals.”
“She needs a name, Zhowo, I assist on it. Any animal that is part of someone’s life needs a good name!” demanded Rhaenys. Zhowo laughed and said “then I shall think of a good name. Come.” Zhowo mounted his zorse and then helped pull Rhaenys up. He leaned back and said “hold on.” Rhaenys wrapped her arms around his chest, feeling his abs pressed against her fingers. They rode for several minutes and soon approached a massive field surrounded by mountains filled with thousands of tents and yurts. “Is this where most of you live?” Rhaenys asked. “Some of us. We are spread out far into the Dothraki Sea, as there are over 50,000 of us. We encircle Vaes Dothrak. Those of us you like coming into the city live the closest, that’s my yurt over there. Those of us who tend to be more nomadic live on the outskirts,” Zhowo said. Rhaenys looked over to the yurt where he pointed. It was bigger than the ones behind them and any other tent that she could see. She figured this was because he was a Ko. “So what do you do when you travel? Do you take the yurt with you?” Rhaenys asked curiously. “Oh no, I have a tent I travel with, much smaller and easier to carry. Some Dothraki will take along their tents but a lot will just take a bed roll so they can strap it to their horse.” Rhaenys then saw two Dothraki fighting in the distance and a crowd was gathering around them. Rhaenys said ” look, they’re fighting!” Zhowo didn’t seem to care. He only said “I wonder who will win, they haven’t liked each other in a long time……….ah Bakho won, good, I like him.” Rhaenys looked back and saw a man slice off another mans head and then cut off his braid. “How often do fights like this happen?” Rhaenys asked him. “Before Khaleesi took charge, my father told me there were several deaths a day. But when Khaleesi took charge, she united us a lot more than we have ever been. We fight better, and our ranks have grown because of it. I only see a deadly fight only a few times a week now. There still are a lot of hands on fights though, without weapons or the intention of killing. I see those several times a day.”
There weren’t many fights in Westeros, or at least from what she has seen. She’s never seen such big and brave people all around her. She wondered why so many Dothraki decided to stay in Westeros, she thought this was much better. Life here was exciting.
Staying out of view from people, they continued to ride on for nearly and hour and Zhowo announced they have arrived. Rhaenys who was enamored with the night sky the entire time, finally looked around her surroundings for the first time. There was a large lake in front of them that had a sandy beach. There were boulders and tall exotic trees and plants spread out over the area, and the moon was reflecting off the water. “This is beautiful,” Rhaenys said. “It is my favorite place to come,” said Zhowo. He untied two fur blankets from his zorse and then he tied the zorse to a tree. He grabbed Rhaenys hand and headed down towards the sandy beach. He laid the first blanket down to sit on and then wrapped Rhaenys in the second one. Zhowo built a small fire in seconds, and then sat down next to Rhaenys on the blanket. Rhaenys offered him half the blanket, which forced them to sit very close to each other, but both of them preferred it that way. “So did you think of a name yet for your zorse?” asked Rhaenys. Zhowo paused and said, “what about Rain? It sounds a lot like your name.”
“My siblings and Daario call me Rhaen all the time. Only they spell it like my name,” Rhaenys said. “Then I’ll spell it like yours too. R-h-a-e-n instead of r-a-i-n,” says Zhowo. Rhaenys blushed.
They sat there for a long time, watching the moon pass over the sky. Rhaenys worked up the courage to sit in between Zhowo’s legs and leaned back on his bare chest. They talk for a long time, before Zhowo then worked up the courage to lift Rhaenys up and turn her around to face him so her legs were now wrapped around behind him. For a moment she didn’t know what was happening, but then he slowly and gently cupped her cheek with his hand and leaned into kiss her. Her heart was pounding. As soon as she felt his lips touch hers, she ignited on the instead. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned hard into his lips. His hands were slowly moving down her back and he rested them on the curves of her hips. They stay like this for a while, before Zhowo pulls away and says “I’m going to need to leave tomorrow, to lead the khalasar to Dragon’s Bay.” Rhaenys looked heavily disappointed. She was looking forward to more night time adventures and conversations. “There are other Ko’s you know. Why don’t you stay back and ride with me?” Rhaenys asked innocently.
Zhowo looked nervous and said “on Dreamfyre with you?”
“But of course,” said Rhaenys. Zhowo spoke again, “I don’t know. They’ll expect me to ride with them I’m sure. And what about my zorse? I’m going to need her for the battle.” Rhaenys said “no problem, I can take her on Dreamfyre or we can ask Cavo to tie her to his zorse and take her with him. The rest of the Khalasar won’t mind you staying behind if I ask you to. After all, all of us were going to stay behind ourselves with the Dosh Khaleen, and other women, children, and elderly. They’ll think you’re staying for protection.” Still looking unsure, he nodded and said “whatever you wish.” They continue to talk for another hour, but then Rhaenys ended up falling asleep, with her head on Zhowo’s chest and an arm draped around him. Zhowo smiled down at her watching her sleep for a few minutes, then gazed up at the night sky, soon falling asleep too–unexpectedly.
Rhaenys has another strange dream. More sorcerers with glowing hands, trying to show her something but she couldn’t tell what they wanted. Then pictures shown flying across her face. From a city that her mom told her was probably Meeren, across the Great Grass Sea, across a wasteland with red sand, past the Bone Mountains, past many strange cities and the Jade Sea. Finally on a peninsula on the southern most tip, the words Asshai appeared.
Rhaenys wakes up quickly because something large and warm nudges her body. It was Dreamfyre. Rhaenys noticed that dawn would soon be here, as the sun was slowing beginning to rise, but it was still dark out. “I wanted to be sure you were alright, it’s best if you get back now, before everyone wakes up at the house” said a deep female voice in her head. Rhaenys acknowledges her and wakes up Zhowo. “We have to go back now” said Rhaenys as she is shaking him awake. “We have to go back on the zorse, everyone will see me come back on Dreamfyre” she continued. “Can you wait for me outside the house? I will need help being lifted up to the top floor, pretend you’re just sleeping behind the house until I get there,” Rhaenys said to Dreamfyre, and her dragon took off. Zhowo quickly packs up and Rhaenys puts out the fire. They mount the zorse and head off, riding quickly. “I had a great time with you, Zhowo.”
The sun was rising more, and by the time they reached the house, they were able to make out all the figures walking around. It seemed Jon and Dany’s fire was nearly out, and Rhaenys could see baby dragons sitting on both her parents. They were so small, they could be held in the palm of your hand. Rhaenys quickly kissed Zhowo on the lips and said “I’ll see you around lunch” and jumps off the zorse. She climbed on Dreamfyre who lifted a wing to the third floor balcony and Rhaenys hopped off. Rhaenys quietly went back into her room, slipped into a night gown, and fell back asleep happy. Zhowo went to his yurt and fell asleep happy too.
The following days were some of the best Rhaenys ever had. During the day, she hung out with Zhowo and her family and friends, who all seemed to like Zhowo. Daenerys, Missandei, and Sansa spent a lot of time caring for the baby dragons, and Arya and Yara went exploring a lot around the Dothraki Sea. Rhaenys would also help raise and train the little dragons, she always thought the babies were so cute. They would often perch themselves on top of Dany’s, Jon’s and Rhaenys shoulders purring and looking all over the place. Izi loved playing with them too.
At night, Zhowo would come visit her. Most nights they stayed in her room, but others he’d take her out on an adventure and one time he took her to his yurt. Rhaenys and Zhowo were falling in love, and nothing made them happier.
The evening before they were going to fly to Meereen, Rhaenys got a letter from Rhaegar, Talisa, and Bharbo checking in with her and asking her how her ceremony went. They also told her that Ned didn’t take the news very well, and that he has been hiding out with Cella and Jojen in Storm’s End. She felt horrible for her triplet brother, but she heard what Uncle Brandon said. He will have another duty, taking after the direwolves. Rhaenys ended her letter with this:
“…and I seem to have found someone. A person I can see marrying. But would Westeros accept a Dothraki King? Would a Dothraki even want to be a King? I’m not sure if I belong in Westeros, to be completely honest. I feel like I belong here, in Essos, but mom and dad would be furious. They spent all those years preparing me for my duty, I cannot let them down. If it depends on my happiness, would they perhaps listen to me reasoning then? I feel like this land and these people are apart of me.
I need to make a choice soon.
Can you ask Bharbo if he has been seeing dreams of strange people and glowing hands? I have them every night and I don’t know what it means. It has to do with Asshai, but that’s all I know.
I am nervous for my first battle, but I have no doubt we will destroy the enemies army quickly.
Love you, can’t wait to see you,
Rhaen
”
The morning came and they all get ready to leave for Dragon’s Bay before the sun was even up. Dany, Missandei, Sansa, and Rhaenys line up once again to braid each other’s hair, but only for the flight. They all put on their Targaryen-Stark armor, besides Zhowo who only wore blood red pants, looking fiercer than ever. The baby dragons stayed behind in the house, which took much convincing. Two of them desperately wanted to follow Aegon and Sansa. Dany asked her handmaiden’s to look over them.
Jon, Daenarys, and Rhaenys call the dragons, and with in a few minutes, they all come flying towards them.
Izi came running towards them, with her hair parted down the middle and each side contained a braid. She was wearing traditional Dothraki clothes and carried an arakh. “I have decided I would like to come” she said speaking to Rhaenys. Now closer, Rhaenys saw that she had black and red war paint on her face. “Are you sure? Do you fight well? I don’t want you to get hurt,” Rhaenys said to her. Izi smiled politely, “yes I am sure. All Dothraki who are capable are taught to fight, even the low born.”
“Well, okay. You can come with Zhowo and I on Dreamfyre,” said Rhaenys.
Dany looked like she was speaking to all the dragons whom weren’t transporting dragonriders, presumably to ensure they were still okay with doing so. She pats each on their head and walks towards Jon who she kisses quickly and mounts Drogon and Jon mounted Rhaegal. Once on Rhaegal, Jon looked over to Rhaenys with a worried face, and then glared at Zhowo who took his place sitting behind Rhaenys. Rhaenys chuckled lightly, then gave her dad a reassuring smile. Everyone else mounts their dragons and Izi gracefully climbed into the pocket on Dreamfyre’s saddle where she felt the most safe. Dany yelled “fly” in old Valyrian and they all took off.
They flew for several hours. Rhaenys, Zhowo, and Izi all chatted on their way there. Rhaenys was trying to ignore the anxious pit in her stomach, as she was going to see Dragon’s Bay very shortly, and in two days time, she will be fighting in her very first battle. She glanced over and saw during part of the flight that Sansa landed over on Syrio, Arya’s dragon, to speak with her and Yara. They looked like they were talking about something serious and then all agreed on something. Dany also shortly went to talk to her two best friends on Visenya. Every time someone would jump off their dragon, Zhowo and Izi gasped, thinking that they’d surely fall to their death. Rhaenys was used to it by now, as Tormund and Octavia did the same thing. After another long while, Dany flew in closer to Rhaenys and yelled “look! There it is! The Great Pyramid of Meereen and Dragon’s Bay!” It was very early in the afternoon when they arrived and Rhaenys locked her eyes upon the 3 great cities her mother liberated and ruled from for a while. The pyramid that was once the color of limestone was now all black and had a giant red Targaryen symbol painted on it. If she looked closely, she could see the beautiful grey marble balcony’s on it.
The cities here have been slave free for 9 years now, and things seemed to be going smoothly. House workers were still allowed, so long as they were paid a fair wage, were given a proper room and bed in the house, and were no longer subject to beatings. Dany, Grey Worm, and Tyrion thought of ways to bring more jobs in the cities and it was so successful that the cities actually needed to expand. A secondary wall was placed around each cities perimeter to hold all the less fortunate families, which Dany ensured they still had decent living conditions. Meereen alone now held four million people, which is almost four times larger than King’s Landing. Astapor and Yunkai held slightly over three million people.
Dany fly’s ahead and she lands right on top of the Great Pyramid and Drogon let out a mighty roar. Without directing Dreamfyre, Rhaenys lands on the wall to the left of her mother and Jon lands on the wall to the right. Dreamfyre and Rhaegal roared loudly. Dany must have overruled the communication with the dragons because Rhaenys didn’t tell Dreamfyre anything. One by one, the rest of them land in a circle all around the wall, gently enough so the wall didn’t crumble. Everyone as far as Rhaenys could see started crying out “Mhysa!” and raising their arms in her mothers direction. She then noticed Daenarys climb of Drogon and walk down the steps that led from the top of the pyramid to the highest balcony. Rhaenys then heard Dreamfyre and Rhaegal speak at the same time “time to dismount, take your weapons, walk along the wall to the steps, and meet Mother inside.” Rhaenys told Zhowo and Izi what to do, then she grabbed her sword, shield, and bag and slid off Dreamfyre. Noticing what Rhaenys and Jon were doing, the rest followed their lead.
This city was so different from King’s Landing, but Rhaenys thought it was much more beautiful and exotic.
Looking beyond the walls, Rhaenys saw the massive Khalasar camping around the perimeter. All the dragons take off, with Drogon, Rhaegal, and Dreamfyre staying close to Meereen, and the others taking off towards the other two cities. Rhaenys makes her way towards the pyramid and she caught whispers of people saying how much she looked like her mother. This made her smile. Daario greets everyone just beyond the entrance and says “welcome to Meereen.” Rhaenys is taking in every detail of the pyramid, and as she was looking around, she noticed she wasn’t the only one. Zhowo, Izi, Octavia, Arya, and Tormund are all moving their eyes around so fast.
They get led into the Throne Room. The throne itself sat on top of large limestone steps. There was a marble floor and limestone pillars, and there were even pools of water on the floor that contained exotic looking fish. Dany was already there and Jon went up to where she was and stood by her side. Daario’s wife and children come down to greet everyone as well. Rhaenys knew Daario’s kids, as they often traveled with him when he came to King’s Landing.
Everyone talks amongst themselves for a while until Dany stands up. “I think we should discuss some plan of action before we relax this evening. Daario informed me that the other army doesn’t have confirmation that we are here and are prepared. They think by the time we find out they are attacking, we will be too far away, so we use that to our advantage. The largest battle will be fought here, outside the outer walls of Meereen, since they would have to come through here to get to the other two cities on foot. Octavia and Jamie, I need you to command the left flank. You will have the Dragon’s Bay warriors behind you and some of the Second Son’s. Daario will command the right flank with the rest of the Second Son’s. Daario, if you would take them to the meeting place so they could become aquatinted with those who they’ll be in charge of keeping safe…” Dany drifts off and Daario bows his head slightly to Dany and walks out of the room with Jamie and Octavia. As soon as they walk out of the room, a group of strange women came in. They wore no shirts, had jewelry in their nipples, were heavily tattooed and had rubies in their cheeks. Everyone in the room looks taken back by their entrance. Only Daenerys, Grey Worm, Missandei, Zhowo, and Izi seemed to know what they were. They march in and the room falls very silent. The woman, who appears to be the leader approached the bottom of the steps while Grey Worm and Aegon step in front of her so she can’t go any further. The woman looks at the both of them then up towards Dany and Jon and takes a few steps backwards. She speaks in a strong accent but in the common tongue, “Queen Daenarys, we are the Hyrkoon–from the Bone Mountains. My name is Annithi, we were here on our trade routes and saw you all fly in. We have been wanting to meet with you for a long time, but we have never been in the same place at the same time. We heard of your arrival in the Dothraki Sea and some of us left the mountains to make our way over to you. We have made camp about 15 miles east of Meereen, in the Khyzai Pass. We know there is a fight coming and we want to help defeat those bastards coming this way. They never respected us or the Dothraki. We saw how you ruled here in Dragon’s Bay for the last 20 years and we know how strong and fierce you are and how much you truly care for the people here. But we ask for your help with something. We need help with eliminating the Jogos Nhai. They have been attacking our people for many generations, and their numbers are getting so large, they are killing and raping many people in our cities, and even in Yi Ti and surrounding areas. They are stealing from us and attacking us whenever they can. They have become a big problem in the Far East,” Annithi trailed off for a moment. Dany glanced at Zhowo to see if he knew anything about this and he spoke, “the Jogos Nhai have started attacking the Dothraki too. They find smaller sites where only a few of us live, and attack them with overwhelming numbers. Dothraki are better fighters, but they are cowards and only attack when only a few of us are around. They’ll bring triple the number of fighters to attack. They try stealing from Vaes Dothrak too. They are being a problem. The Dothraki and the Hyrkoon have understandings with one another, and I believe her. The Hyrkoon can be trusted, and if she wants to fight for you, let them. No one else in the Known World has all female fighters, and they’re great with spears and bow’s.”
Annithi smiles politely at Zhowo and slightly lowers her head out of respect and Zhowo does the same. Dany takes a moment to consider this and then speaks to Zhowo, “so you wouldn’t mind riding part of the Khalasar to the land of the Jogos Nhai and fighting with these women, destroying an entire culture?”
“Yes, Khaleesi. I know innocent lives deserve not to be punished but the Jogos Nhai are not innocent. They want all of us dead.”
Dany had a glazed look in her eye. Jon spoke next and said “will you then, pledge your loyalty, for all of the Hyrkoon, to House Targaryen?” Rhaenys was used to his father saying “House Targaryen-Stark” but they once told her the Stark name doesn’t mean anything in Essos. Daenerys Targaryen, and Daenerys Targaryen alone liberated Dragon’s Bay and won over the Khalasar.
Annithi spoke and said “of course. What do you Westerners do? Bend the knee, correct?” Annithi didn’t wait for a response and she dropped to one knee and said “I, the leader of the Hyrkoon promise our loyalty to House Targaryen until the end of time.” The other women behind her drop to one knee too.
“Very well, please note my daughter over there, Rhaenys, will rule after me. Your loyalty will extend to her once it’s time” said Daenarys. Annithi looked over and said “we will remain loyal to your entire bloodline.” Rhaenys suddenly noticed how pretty Annithi was. She was tan and had very long and very curly black hair. She wore it in a high half pony that sat on top of her head. She had a bit of dark makeup around her large green eyes. She looked to be no more than 25 years old. The tattoos on her arms and legs were beautiful patterns that she’s never seen before. The rubies in her cheeks glisten. People in Westeros might find her strange and unattractive but Rhaenys thought she was the opposite. Rhaenys gave her a small smile in return. The woman continued staring at Rhaenys and when Zhowo noticed this, he moved closer to Rhaenys. Annithi’s eyes shifted up to Zhowo and then she quickly turned back to Dany.
“How many of you are there?” Dany asked. “Nearly 2,000 of us are here, but in the mountains, there are about 23,000 of us. We needed to travel quickly without many breaks, so only the strongest made the trip, we rode non stop to get here in time” Annithi said.
Jon looked at Dany and Rhaenys could tell they were impressed by their numbers. Between the Second Sons, Dothraki, the Essos Unsullied, and now the Hyrkoon, and other Dragon’s Bay waarior’s, their Essos army was 100,000 strong.
“Gendry and Meera, you both will be in charge of the archers. You will line up along the outer walls and prevent anyone from getting passed the city. Meera, I want you to command Meereen and Gendry, I want you to command Astapor. Those are the two most critical positions. Meera you’ll have 800 to command here of the Hyrkoon and Gendry you’ll have 800. Annithi, you’ll take 400 to Yunkai and command there. You’ll be the most secure as Yunkai is the center city. If any enemies make it through to you, you will see that they will not continue their journey. Gendry and Meera, ride to the place were they are camping and separate them accordingly and tell them to camp outside their stationed city’s walls or if they would like, to stay overnight within the city” stated Dany. Gendry, Meera, and Annithi nod. Gendry and Meera stand next to the warrior women, waiting to hear the rest of the tactics that may concern them or be dismissed.
Dany speaks again, “Grey Worm will command the Unsullied, but he will be here in Meereen. The Unsullied will be stationed behind the Dothraki while the Dothraki ride into the opposing army. Grey Worm, I’ll need you to go to Yunkai and Astapor to speak to the Unsullied there to let them know our plan. Zhowo, you will go to to speak with the Dothraki. Rhaenys, I want you to fly them and attend their meetings to get familiar with Dragon’s Bay. It shouldn’t take long. When you’re done, you can come back here.”
“Okay,” Rhaenys responded.
“Missandei, you will fly over the northeastern most part of Dragon’s Bay and the area between Meeren and Yunkai you are you burn any ships that make it that far, and any travelers that make it ashore.”
Missandei gives a small smile and looked reassuringly at her husband.
“Sansa and Arya, I want you to do what you do best. I think you know what I’m going to say. Your main task will to sink all the ships coming into the Bay. Each of these ships will be equipped with the weapons Euron had 16 years ago, so use caution. Yara, I want you to command the southern most troops. Some ships will no doubt try to land south of Astapor and charge the city on foot. Aegon, you will fly around Astapor while helping with any ships in the eastern part of the Bay. Brienne and Tormund, you will command the troops on the road and shoreline between Meereen and Yunkai. Jon, myself, and Rhaenys will be flying over the main battle, as I am sure we are going to be outnumbered there. We will take out all the large weapons first and then burn those who we can. The other dragons in the area will fly overhead helping wherever they are needed. I don’t want to call upon any other dragons nearby yet because I don’t want to draw any attention to us. I want them to continue to think we aren’t here. Are there any questions?” asked Dany.
There was silence.
“Alright. So if Aegon, Sansa, Yara, and Yara want to stay the night in Astapor, so you’re close by to where you need to be, Missandei can show you the way. She can introduce you to the city officials and the housecarl’s there. Gendry and Meera, you should leave now with Annithi. Stop by the stables and tell them you’re the princess and prince of Storm’s End and I sent you. They’ll give you the best horses. And be quick, the riders who need to make it to Astapor need to leave immediately, as it will take them well into the evening tomorrow to reach there by horse. I hope your women are well rested, Annithi. Ride hard and ride fast” said Dany and the three of them started to make their way out of the room and Dany added, “Gendry, if you’d like to come back here afterwards you can, I can have you fly to Astapor tomorrow evening, it will only take about two hours by dragon.” Gendry smiled as a thank you. He didn’t want to be separated from his wife just two days before a large battle.
“Brienne and Tormund, if you’d like to stay in Yunkai, you can fly with Rhaenys and Grey Worm will get you settled. If no one has anything further to say, I suggest we move on then, so we can spend tomorrow resting and doing last moment preparations. If for some reason anything changes or occurs, I will have the dragons around you roar twice if battle has begun here, three times if I want all of you to come back here immediately, or four times if we are being over taken and you need to hold your city at all costs and you will need the common people to help fight too. Are we understood?” asked Dany.
The mood in the room was now very serious, but everyone agrees.
Daenerys turned to Rhaenys and said “go now with Grey Worm, please. I should see you in a few hours.” Rhaenys walks out the door with Grey Worm, Zhowo, Brienne, and Tormund at her sides. Izi walks passed her and says she is going to find Cavo and will be back when she returns. Missandei, Arya, Sansa, Aegon, and Yara are walking behind them. Rhaenys called for Dreamfyre back in the Throne Room, so by the time they exited the Great Pyramid, she was spotted flying in. When they got outside the wall, Dreamfyre landed near where they were standing. They all climbed on her and took off. With Dreamfyre being as large as she is, everyone fit on her with ease. For the hour they rode, Zhowo, Tormund, and Brienne were talking about life in the far north and making jokes. Periodically, Rhaenys would chime in and even Grey Worm. Grey Worm was generally quiet, but through the years he has shown more personality and interest in conversation. Grey Worm told Zhowo about Highgarden and his training arena, all which sounded very interesting to him and even asked Grey Worm if he could come to visit. Grey Worm was very proud of his home, and it was heartwarming to see.
Yunkai comes into view and Rhaenys sees a city much like Meereen, only it’s covered in smaller, stepping pyramids. The whole city is yellow and copper, and camels are wondering all over the desert surrounding the city. Where there was once a large harpy statue Rhaenys saw from old drawings of the city, now stands a massive statue of a dragon, about the size of Drogon and Dreamfyre. They circle the perimeter of the city once, and Rhaenys saw millions of people looking up at the sky. They were used to seeing a large black and red dragon, but not her blue and silver one. Dreamfyre lands just outside the outer wall and by the main entrance, to which they were greeted by a high born family. Her mother told her about who the lord and lady were of Yunkai. After the liberation of Dragon’s Bay, Dany and Daario thought it was best to have trusted members of the Second Sons be in charge. The members who were chosen were to marry a high born from that city, so the people would more easily accept the new rule. In Yunaki, it was a man named Daemon, a Second Sons member who is lean with black hair and has many scars, but is still handsome, especially because of his blue eyes. Yezza is his wife. Yezza was a daughter of the wise master Yezzan zo Qaggaz. Yezzan was the fattest man to have ever existed, he couldn’t even move. He was considered one of the greatest slave traders in Essos, but he was known for being “kinder” to his slaves. He was very sick and was dying a slow death for years, and he’d reward anyone who could make him forget that, which is what resulted in Yezza. He eventually died of the pale mare, a horrible jungle disease. Yezza, unlike her father, was of normal stature.
Yezza has shoulder length wavy dark brown hair and copper skin. She was wearing a yellow dress and standing close to her husband. She reminded Rhaenys a lot of Ellaria. There were four small children standing in front of them, two of which also had yellow eyes, and the other two had bright blue. They all bow their heads and say “welcome to Yunkai, Princess Rhaenys.” They bow again to welcome Grey Worm. They lead them through the city and the children run ahead. There are the familiar whispers amongst the crowd in High Valyrian and the common tongue, making comments of Rhaenys beauty, and hearing little girls say they want to be a princess like her when they grow up. Little boys were whispering how they wanted to be a strong warrior like Grey Worm. The little girls were standing by a shop which Rhaenys could see sold toys. Dolls, wooden swords, toy soldiers, riding sticks, spinning tops, and glass jewelry. Rhaenys walked over to the shop and placed a coin purse on the table. “I think this will be enough to buy everyone? Rhaenys said to the man in High Valyrian. The man looked at Rhaenys with wide eyes and nodded. Rhaenys then said “the poor children may pick out one toy until all of the items are gone.” She picked up a few dolls and took them over to the little girls. She keeled down and said “here you go. Tell your friends to go pick out a toy too.” The little girls gasped and giggled, one even gave Rhaenys a hug. She always did charity work wherever she went. It was important for the public to see the crown doing acts of good, as that is how you kept the loyalty and support of the people, but Rhaenys just liked doing it, the people’s children were her children too.
They continued to walk to the largest stepping pyramid, which was only a little more than half the size of the Great Pyramid. When they approached the entrance, they saw Syrio, Valyria, Olenna, and Visenya flew overhead. Tiny specs on top of the dragons were waving.
Once inside, they went straight into the war room and began discussing the plans Dany ordered. A few high ranking Dothraki, Unsullied, and Second Sons were there. Zhowo spoke to his Dothraki and Grey Worm spoke to the Second Sons and Unsullied. Rhaenys sat in a chair observing the conversation and contributing when necessary. A handmaiden brought her a cup of wine and a silver plate of cheese and crackers. The meeting was going smoothly until one of the Second Son’s questioned whether or not the Hyrkoon could be trusted. “It seems odd that they now want to join forces with House Targaryen. Why didn’t they 20 years ago when we were trying to stabilize Dragon’s Bay?” Rhaenys speaks up, “I beg your pardon, but it sounds like you’re questioning the judgment my parents made. We trust the Hyrkoon because the Dothraki do. They have always had a civil and respectful relationship and have never done anything to make us believe otherwise. They most likely didn’t come to our aid 20 years ago because they didn’t know who Daenarys Targaryen was. They saw a war between a foreign queen and cities that were known to enslave thousands of people including some of their own. We mustn’t blame them for that. One day, we hope to free all the cities of their slaves and abolish the act once and for all. To bring all of Essos under Targaryen rule, and in order to do that, we will need many more allies and friendships. I trust them, and so do my parents.” With that, it ended the conversation. All the information was passed along, so Yezza took Brienne and Tormund to their quarters. They would be in charge of all operations here until after the battle was over.
Rhaenys, Zhowo, and Grey Worm now head back outside and climb back on Dreamfyre to head to Astapor.
Flying for another hour and Rhaenys and Zhowo talk most of the way. Grey Worm has fallen quiet and Rhaenys can sense there is something off. “You haven’t been back to Astapor since my mom freed all the Unsullied, have you?” Rhaenys asked. Grey Worm shook his head. “I have kept in contact with the Unsullied there but no, I have not been back.” Following Rhaenys lead to unease Grey Worm, Zhowo asks him about the Night King and what the battle of Winterfell was like, “I’ve always wondered what it was like. Of course I know many Dothraki, including my own father, who fought in it, but not many like to speak of it. Dothraki aren’t afraid of much, but whatever they saw over there did scare them,” he said. Grey Worm then sat up a bit straighter and faced the two of them. He told them about the overwhelming numbers, how Jon and Daenerys helped from above, how Jorah and Dany fought bravely on the ground, and how Jon almost died but Dany came to save him. He even told them about the Red Witch and how she saved a lot of people. Rhaenys knew all of this of course, Sam, Tyrion, and Uncle Bran wrote a book shortly after her parents won the war. She must have read it a thousand times and asked her parents a thousand questions when growing up. The book was about each of her parents journey to power, how and why they met each other, and recalled every detail of the war against the dead and the war against Cersei Lannister. Rhaenys made a note to bring Zhowo the book whenever they saw each other again, which gave her a sinking feeling in her stomach. She didn’t want to leave. It wasn’t just because of Zhowo, but he was a small part of the reason why.
Before they knew it, they were in Astapor. Another family met them outside of the gates and in the distance over the bay, Valyria, Olenna, Syrio, and Visenya were flying amongst themselves.
There was Noho, the Second Son’s member with his wife, Alia, a descendant of Kraznys mo Nakloz, who once was a slaver in Astapor. Noho was muscular with blonde hair and brown eyes, and Alia had dark red hair with auburn eyes. She was tall and thin. This couple had 7 children. They walk into the city, and it’s very similar to Yunkai, only it’s mostly a city of red and bronze.
The briefing goes well and ends quickly, when one of the Unsullied say “we have 2,300 more Unsullied soldiers who can fight. Not all of them are fully trained but they’re still better fighters than most people.” Grey Worm nods his head and says “good.”
“I thought the Unsullied were done making soldiers?” Yara asked. Aegon says “not quite, but it’s done differently now.” Arya says “how?”
“We do not force anyone to become Unsullied. The men, and now women, join because they want to. These people mostly come from poor families and want purpose, or because they see no higher honor. They come from all over Essos, even some from Sothoryos. We do not cut them or force them to kill. They are taught discipline through hard tasks and by practicing long days. Their weapons training is the same I received a long time ago” Grey Worm said. Aegon added “we make it worth their while. They get free barracks to live in and are given free meals. They are in charge of their own farm by the river, just outside the city.”
Grey Worm went back to Meeren with Missandei and Rhaenys gave her Aunt Sansa, Arya, and Yara a hug goodbye as well as her Uncle Aegon. She calls back “good luck” and leaves the city with Zhowo. The sun was setting over the Bay and it was beautiful.
Sometime later they arrive back in Meereen. As soon as the Great Pyramid came back into view, Rhaenys seemed to lose control of her dragon again. Dany took over once more. They flew to the peak of the pyramid, the same spot where Daenerys landed when they first arrived. Rhaenys climbed off and landed on a small and flat surface. For the first time, she saw the narrow set of steps that were chiseled into the side of the pyramid that led to the largest and highest balcony.
Rhaenys and Zhowo followed the steps down and jumped onto the balcony. The glass doors were all opened and she saw her parents relaxing around a table in what she assumed were the Queen’s Quarters. It was smaller than what they had in King’s Landing, but it was just as nice. Dany is the first to speak,
“You made it back with good timing. I would think you both are hungry so I could have food sent to your room, Rhaenys, or you both could go into city for dinner. The Moonstone Inn has wonderful Meereeneese food, Daario and I go there every time I am visiting.” Zhowo looked at Rhaenys and shrugged his shoulders as to say he didn’t care which they did. “I think I’d like to explore more of the city,” said Rhaenys. Dany nodded in confirmation and said “very well, come back when the moon is high. Your quarters are below mine. Zhowo, I want you to meet us in the Throne Room tomorrow morning, we have something to do.” Both Rhaenys and Zhowo acknowledged.
They ran into Izi and Cavo walking in the streets on their way to the Moonstone Inn and they both decide to join Rhaenys and Zhowo.
They arrive at the Inn and get the table closest to the fire. Zhowo and Cavo sot next to each other while Izi and Rhaenys sit across from them. A plump, big chested, but pretty lady with curly light brown hair that was pulled into a messy topknot, walks over to them and asks them what they want to eat and drink. Rhaenys remembered that Izi told her on the way to Meereen that while she was getting fair wages, she had to save her money for something important, and that she’s nearly at her goal, so before anyone could speak, she said “get whatever you three want, it’ll be my pleasure to buy us a meal.” Izi looked into her eyes and they spoke “thank you” without her mouth moving or making a sound. The two women ordered wine from Yi Ti and the two men ordered ale. They also got a chicken, vegetable stew, and a slice each of apple pie. Daenerys was right, the food was very good and the others seemed to agree. Once they were done, Rhaenys left money on the table and walked out with the rest of her friends. They took a long walk around what they could of the city. A city of this size couldn’t be explored fully in one night.
There was a large group of children and teenagers playing in a small field in the center of the inner wall. There was what Rhaenys took as a large fishing net suspended in the air by two large wooden poles that were sticking out of the ground on each end. They had a leather ball that they were hitting across to the other side of the net. When one side let the ball drop to the ground, the other side cheered. Rhaenys walked over to a nearby log to sit on it and watch the game. Of course, everyone was distracted by their presence–three Dothraki and one Targaryen Princess, who is the daughter of their Queen. It wasn’t a common sight for the Meereenese to see. After a while, a dark skinned boy approached them and asked in High Valyrian if they would like to play with them. Rhaenys translated it in Dothraki and Cavo stood up right away, obviously excited to play. Rhaenys laughed and stood where the boy told her to. Rhaenys and Zhowo stayed on one side while Izi and Cavo stood on the other side of the fishnet. The dark skinned boy hit the ball hard to the other side and then they hit it right back. The ball came to Rhaenys a few times to which she would hit it back as hard as she could. They played for a long time under the light of the moon and the surrounding fires. As they played on, a small crowd gathered around to watch the Princess and some people were watching from their windows in their homes. When the moon was high, she bid them all a goodnight. A few of the younger kids ran to give her a hug and the ones closer to her age bowed their heads. She was exhausted and had such a long day. Cavo and Zhowo walked with Izi and Rhaenys back to the Great Pyramid. Zhowo gave her a hug and kissed her hard on the lips.
“I guess I won’t be seeing you tonight. Would be difficult sneaking into the pyramid, wouldn’t it?” Rhaenys said with a laugh. “I will see you when the sun rises. Goodnight, beautiful,” Zhowo said with a half smile and brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear and kissed her again. Rhaenys takes a step forward towards the entrance of the pyramid and turns back around to say “Arent you coming, Izi?”
“Oh! I could stay with the rest of the khalasar, I brought a roll to sleep on. We aren’t in Vaes Dothrak anymore, so I do not have a place in this home” and Izi motioned towards the pyramid.
“Nonsense! I would love it if you stayed!” Rhaenys told her. She didn’t want Izi sleeping on a thin roll on the ground while she could sleep in a comfortable and warm bed. Izi paused for a moment but then smiled and nodded. Cavo, who seemed to be learning from Zhowo, took Izi’s hand and kissed the back of it. He said “until the sun rises” in Dothraki and turns around to walk off with Zhowo.
Izi tried hard to restrain her smile but she ultimately failed. She leaned into Rhaenys and Rhaenys looped her arm around Izi’s and they walked off smiling together.
It was late, so they only ran into a few guards in the halls. They climbed many sets of stairs and a level before her parents quarters, they wandered off down the hall. A large sitting room opened into view and it was very luxurious. The furniture was ornate and the walls were painted with beautiful murals. Similar to the home in Vaes Dothrak, there were gold ornaments hanging off the ceiling. There was a massive fireplace at the end of the room made of the same white/grey marble that the balconies were made of. There were so many book cases filled with books, Rhaenys couldn’t help herself, she had to look at them. Reading was her third favorite activity to do, after flying with Dreamfyre or riding Shadow and spending time with her friends and family. More than half of these books she’s never heard of before, so she grabs one and walks further. There was a large set of doors at one end of the hallway, and a metal sign was on the wall beside it that read:
“Daario Naharis, Hand of the Queen in Essos, Deputy Ruler of Dragon’s Bay, Master of Coin for Westeros and Essos, Leader of the Second Son’s.” His quarters seemed to take up a lot of the second level of the pyramid.
Rhaenys walked to the other side of the room. There was a small dagger holding up a piece of parchment on the doorthat said “Rhaenys.” She pulled off the note and opened it up and she saw that it said “don’t forget to meet me and your mother tomorrow. We have some flying to do tomorrow. I hope you like your room,
love,
Dad
”
She opened the door and the luxurious feel continued inside the room. There was a huge limestone basin in the middle of the floor–in was the bath, something Rhaenys has desperately been wanting since she arrived back into Meereen. It was filled up with steaming water already and flower pedals were floating in it. The basin was longer than a very tall man, and nearly the same width. Several feet away was the biggest bed she’s ever seen. There was a wardrobe too of course, in which Rhaenys walked over to it and pulled out two nightgowns.
“Would you like a bath? There’s plenty of room for the both of us,” asked Rhaenys. Izi responded with “sure.” They both get undressed and step into the basin. Standing in it, the water came above her waist. There was a bench in the water to sit on, and they both do so. This was the first time Rhaenys could fully see all of Izi’s tattoo’s. She didn’t have many, but she did have a few. Curious, Rhaenys asked “what do the markings on your skin mean?” Izi pointed at the pattern on her upper arm first. “This is my family’s symbol. Many Dothraki have symbols or patterns that represent their family, and they are almost always on our arms” said Izi. Rhaenys observes the circle- triangle-circle pattern wrapping around her arm. “If you noticed, Zhowo’s are a series of horizontal lines of different lengths and small dots,” she continued, “this one,” pointing at a red circle that has red lines coming off of it on one side, “is for the red comet that brings more dragons.” Pointing at the flames on her back shoulders, “and these are for Khaleesi. If we win the battle the day after tomorrow, I’ll be able to get my first set of stripes on my chest. One for the battle itself, two if our side wins.”
“Does getting them hurt?” Rhaenys asked. “Only at first, then you get used to it,” Izi responded. Rhaenys is intrigued and thinks that maybe one day she would like to get one.
Both of them gossip about Zhowo and Cavo, and the surprise visit from the Hyrkoon. They help wash each other’s hair out, put on their long gold night gowns, and brush their hair out. Of course, Rhaenys searches for the wine and pours it into two tankards and walks back over to the bed sitting on it. She gestures Izi to sit on the bed too and she does. Rhaenys passes the tankard to her. They stay up for a while longer talking to each other, before they both fall asleep.
The next morning came quickly. A handmaiden came and knocked on the door. Izi got up first to open the door. The handmaiden was carrying a tray with breakfast on it and said “the Queen has ordered for Princess Rhaenys to quickly finish her meal and get dressed. She said to prepare to ride. May I assist her with getting ready?” Izi said “no thank you, I’m her personal handmaiden, I will get her ready for the day.” Izi took the tray and set it down at the table. The Meereenese handmaiden bowed slightly and then left.
Rhaenys got up and stretched. Izi begins to turn down the bed while Rhaenys makes her way over to the breakfast. She offers Izi some food which she happily accepts. “I wonder what Khaleesi will have you be doing today?” she asked. “I’m not sure. But you’re welcomed to stay here, though I’m sure you’re going to be with Cavo,” Rhaenys said with a smirk.
Izi picked out a pair of dark red pants and a black vest. There was just the front made of leather, and at the sides, hung a strap, like a belt. Izi tied the top behind her neck and them strapped the top in place. Her entire back was exposed, and so was her mid section. Izi tossed her a pair of black boots and Rhaenys laced them up. “Interesting outfit,” Rhaenys said. “Perhaps for you, but many warriors here wear similar items. The colors were made for you, of course,” said Izi. It was something she never wore before, but she did like it, as she observed herself in the large mirror. Rhaenys sat at the vanity while Izi put a few smaller braids at the top and sides of Rhaenys head, and then pulled her hair up into a large pony tail. It looked a lot like how Octavia’s hair looks, only Rhaenys hair is silver and much longer. “Do you want me to do your hair before I leave? I think I have some time” Rhaenys asked Izi. Izi nodded. “Same thing?” ask Rhaenys, and Izi smiled slightly and nodded again.
Once Rhaenys was done, she gave Izi a quick hug and said “help yourself to anything in the wardrobe if you’d like. I’ll see you later!”
Rhaenys quickly makes her way down to the Throne Room where she sees her mom, dad, Zhowo, Daario, Jamie, Octavia, Gendry, Meera, Grey Worm, and Missandei. As soon as she walked in, Zhowo was eyeing Rhaenys up and down with the smallest smirk on his face. It made Rhaenys stand a little taller. Her mother is dressed almost exactly like her, only she’s wearing all her braids like usual and her whole outfit is dark red, besides the black boots.
Jon greets her and gives her a side hug while she tells her mom good morning. She then goes to stand next to Zhowo.
“Now that everyone is here, we will all be flying west to observe where the enemy army is at, how large they really are, and what they have…” says Dany before she could finish, Jamie chimes in and says “well what about not being seen? I thought we wanted the element of surprise of us being here.”
“…we will all be going on Dreamfyre, who blends in with the sky. I gave instructions for Aegon to do the same over the Gulf of Grief, as Valyria is white and can hide in the clouds. Tonight we will set out to see where their final campground is so we can see how long it will take for them to arrive. For that, we will take Drogon. Are we ready?” There was a consensus around the room. Rhaenys calls for Dreamfyre who of which spoke back in her head saying “Mother already called me, I am outside the wall.”
Rhaenys is the first to approach Dreamfyre and mounts her first, then Zhowo, Dany, Jon, Gendry, Meera, Octavia, Jamie, Missandei, Grey Worm, and Daario. They all straddled Dreamfyre and clutched to a spike. Rhaenys, Zhowo, Dany, and Jon were able to hold on to the reins.
They were off, and flew not even an hour before they spotted a large mass on the land. Thousands of people with large catapults and crossbows. There’s a giant wooden structure that is very long and sturdy as well, being carried by at least a hundred people. “What is that for?” Rhaenys yelled back for someone to answer. “It looks like they’re going to use it to knock down the city walls, or try to,” said Meera. Rhaenys swallowed hard. They flew quietly over the army, just barely leaving the clouds. Dany, Jon, Grey Worm, and Daario were taking notes on everything they have. After the fifth time around, Dany said “okay, let’s go back.”
They arrived back and waited around until it was dark out. Gendry left on the back of the green and brown dragon by now to go to Astapor where he was needed for the fight. He was able to tell the others on the way what they saw and when they thought they were going to arrive at Meereen.
The group hung around with each other all day, talking about what they saw, and what Valyria shown Drogon. The massive fleet is waiting to sail in, on the edge of the Gulf of Grief and Dragon’s Bay. Dinner was brought in, but Rhaenys was feeling nervous now. She couldn’t eat more than a roll of bread.
Nightfall came and they left again, but on Drogon. They were much closer–only about 3 miles from Meereen. They could see the light from their bonfires. They decided to fly south to check over the Bay. They flew for two hours and that’s when they saw in the distance the huge fleet. “I hope Aunt Sansa and Arya can handle that” Rhaenys thought out loud. Jon, who was sitting in front of her said “they destroyed Euron’s fleet in the matter of minutes once Arya arrived at the scene during the Battle of Kings Landing. As long as they think we aren’t here, they won’t expect it. But they have hundreds of those crossbows just in case. Sansa and Arya are familiar with those as well. They’ll be great.” They turned around and went back to Meereen. Rhaenys fell asleep resting her head on her fathers back.
The landing woke her up. Thankfully they landed on top of the pyramid instead of outside the wall, she didn’t feel like walking that far to her room, but she didn’t even feel like walking back to her room now. She climbed down the narrow steps and jumped on the balcony. She stumbled a little and her eyes her half closed. Before she knew it, Zhowo scooped her up in his arms and said to Jon and Dany, “I am going to carry her to bed, I’ll see you at dawn.” Jon shifted his weight and said “uh…” before Dany cut him off and said “that is fine, Zhowo. Izi is probably in there waiting for Rhaenys,” and she playfully nudged Jon. Rhaenys couldn’t keep her eyes opened. After not getting much sleep from the night before and it being as late as it is, she was tired. She felt Zhowo open the door, walk down a flight of stairs, through a corridor, and open another set of doors. It was her room. She heard Izi say hello and Zhowo whispered hello back. He laid her down on the bed and took off her shoes and kissed her forehead. She reached out and took his large hand with her tiny one, forced herself to open her eyes, and say “I wish you could stay.” Zhowo smiled and said “me too, but I need to get back and inform the other Ko’s. I’ll need to get them into position too as soon as dawn comes. I also think your father will come in here shortly to make sure I did leave. Sleep well.” Zhowo caressed her cheek and walked out of the room.
“So we need to be ready by dawn then?” Izi asked nonchalantly. “Yes, the army is only 3 miles away from Meereen and their fleet is only about a mile from southern shore. You ready to fight?” Rhaenys said. “I think so, I guess we should try to get some sleep. It is very late and both of us were up late last night too. Can I help you with anything?” Izi responded. “Just help me get out of these clothes, I want nothing more than to feel my silk nightgown on my skin.”
Soon, they both fall asleep. However, Rhaenys felt another kiss on the top of her head and she opened her eyes slightly to see the dark outline of her father. He closes the door and she falls back to sleep.
Rhaenys wakes on her own. She gets out of bed quietly, as Izi is sound asleep on the other side of the bed. She walks out on to the balcony with a cup of tea, that is supposed to give you energy. It was very good, it tasted like fruit.
It was still dark outside, but she could tell that the sun was going to rise soon. She sat on a chair on the balcony and spoke to Dreamfyre, “are you able to see if Zhowo is awake?” There was a purr of acknowledgement, and in a few minutes, Rhaenys saw Dreamfyre flying in the distance towards Meereen. She made her way over to the large Dothraki camp and circled once. She landed by all the tents and walked around, but Rhaenys couldn’t see past the wall. Dreamfyre projected an image in Rhaenys head. She was seeing what Dreamfyre was seeing. This was so cool! She never done that before. There was no sign of Zhowo being awake, only a few Dothraki guards who were staring at Dreamfyre, which made Rhaenys laugh softly. “Okay, it’s important that you stay on the ground until the battle. We don’t want to risk you or any of the other dragons being seen…are you ready to set an army on fire?”
“Yes I am. Mother and Father are now calling for all the dragons in the area to come to Dragon’s Bay but to stay hidden. I’ll be sleeping next to Drogon and Rhaegal until you come for me,” the familiar low rumbling voice said. Good, this means mom and dad are awake. Rhaenys gets another cup of tea and Izi wakes up. “Tea?” Rhaenys asked. “Sure, thank you,” Izi said in a groggy voice. She stands and stretches her arms and back. She takes the tea and follows Rhaenys out onto the balcony. The sun was slowly rising now. “Are you ready?” Rhaenys asked Izi. Izi grinned and said “yes.”
They got ready without talking much. Rhaenys was nervous. She knew Dreamfyre was indestructible but what if she was knocked off her dragon? Would Zhowo and Izi be safe on the ground? Would the other dragons who weren’t indestructible like Drogon, Rhaegal, and Dreamfyre be okay? Especially Sansa with Olenna and Arya with Syrio? Would Jamie and Octavia hold their flank? If anyone got passed Meera, would Brienne and Tormund stop them on the dragon road? Rhaenys heard the dragons give the signal in her head.
She wore a single braid in her hair, as this was her first battle. She put on her armor/riding gear that she wore when they left Kings Landing. The black dragon scale pants and the Targaryen-Stark symbol vest. She laced up her boots quickly and helped Izi get ready. Izi wanted to wear her hair in the single braid too, and she put on her traditional Dothraki leather. She put some war paint on her face and offered it to Rhaenys. She had black and red. “How do I do it?” Rhaenys asked. Izi took some on her fingers and put some around Rhaenys eyes and down her face. “There. This is Zhowo’s war pattern. He will be wearing black and you’ll be wearing red,” Izi said. Rhaenys quickly looked in the mirror while Izi grabbed her shield and weapon. They both looked like warriors. They ran out of the room, down the steps, and head towards the Throne Room, where Rhaenys knew the dragonriders would be. Izi doesn’t come into the room with Rhaenys, as she needs to join the rest of the Dothraki. Rhaenys hugs her quickly outside the Throne Room and says “stay safe. You know I’ll be watching you from above. Send Zhowo my love.” Izi hugs her back and says “if we win, we need to celebrate tonight. Today’s in 16th name day.” Izi runs out of the pyramid. Rhaenys went into the Throne Room, where children were starting to gather. “I bought everyone into the inner circle and I’m bringing all the children into the pyramid,” Dany told her. “Yeah, that’s a good idea,” Rhaenys said back to her. Dany then smirked and said “well, you sure look like a Dothraki with that war paint on your face. It looks good.” Rhaenys smiled back.
Missandei, Dany, Jon, and Rhaenys stood around for a few minutes, trying to calm down the panicked children. “Alright. We need to go out now. They’re in viewing distance. Our dragons are staying hidden behind the eastern wall. We will only take off when I say so. Got it?” Dany said. They all agreed, even Jon.
They make their way outside the wall, through a small stone gate that Rhaenys hasn’t seen before. It’s only wide enough for two people to walk side-by-side. “I had it installed for defensive and offensive purposes, when it closes, you can’t even tell there’s a gate here. Two Unsullied who are staying to guard the inside of the city nod at them. Dany says “keep the children safe.” They nod again. They close the gate quickly behind them once they entered. Rhaenys saw six dragons, two she never seen before, and they’re still young. About half the size of Rhaegal. They were still large enough to carry three adults though. “They were close by already. Eight more came, I sent four to Yunkai with the others and four to Astapor with the others. More may be on their way, but I’m not sure if they will make it in time. We will definitely be okay with just these though.” Dany gives Missandei a hug and says “you should leave now. Once you get to the Bay, stay landed until you need to fly. Fly as low as you can, so you’re not seen in the distance.” Missandei hugs her tightly back and before she says anything, Dany knew what she was going to say, “I will watch out for Grey Worm. He will stay safe, I promise.” Rhaenys gives Missandei a hug too, then she turns around to her black and white dragon, Visenya, mounts, and takes off.
Jon speaks now, “Rhaenys, when we take off, we are going to head to the middle and back of the army masses. If we kill them first, they won’t have a chance to make it to the front lines. When they get mixed with our army, it is more difficult to set fire to the enemy because we of course, don’t want to catch our own people on fire. Dreamfyre maybe indestructible and impenetrable, but if she gets hit with one of those massive boulders, she will get knocked around and you could be at risk of falling off. Hold on to the reins when you can. When we’ve done what we can do with fire, fly low enough to where you can shoot your bow at targets, but high enough so you’re not an easy target. Only come to the ground if absolutely necessary. If you do, stay in front of Dreamfyre. She will protect you.” Rhaenys agrees. Both her parents give her a quick hug and then Jon and Dany hug and kiss. All three of them mount their dragons. “They’re here” Dany said. They hear the Dothraki battle cry. It has begun.
The sound of the occurring battle was loud and was nothing like anything Rhaenys ever heard before. She closes her eyes and takes a few deep breaths and then she feels Dreamfyre start to move. Dany must have ordered them all to take off. Her heart was racing. As she was flying to her destination, she searched the ground for Zhowo and Izi. She spots Zhowo first because not many of the Dothraki have a zorse. He had a weapon in each hand and he was already splattered with blood, but we was doing fine. Octavia and Jamie look fierce. Izi, where is Izi? She can’t pick her out in the crowd. All the Dothraki has the same type of hair, clothes, and skin. Rhaenys needed to focus on the task her mother gave her. When she looked ahead, she noticed that a lot of the army was looking up, terrified and confused. They flew lower, just gliding a few feet above their army, going towards their enemy. Drogon, Rhaegal, and Dreamfyre roar. The three other dragons were already up in the sky, raining fire. They were really fast.
Large boulders were now flying through the air. Most were missing the Targaryen army, but some people were devastatingly hit. This made Rhaenys want to destroy the catapults as soon as possible. Rhaenys spoke to Dreamfyre and said “tell Drogon we’re heading towards the catapults and we we’ll attack from behind.” Dreamfyre made a growling sound in agreement. Dany looked over and nodded her head. “Now, until we get there, DRACARYS!” Drogon, Rhaegal, and Dreamfyre all released their fire. Rhaenys guided Dreamfyre up into the sky, so she could safety get behind the catapults. Dreamfyre was hit by something. It was a giant spear. She was getting bombarded with them, and when she looked down, she saw Rhaegal getting hit too. People knew from the Battle at Kings Landing Drogon was impenetrable, but they didn’t know about Rhaegal and Dreamfyre. All the spears were just falling on top of their own army once they hit Dreamfyre. Rhaenys laughed and pushed forward and laid flat on Dreamfyre to avoid getting hit.
The mass of people who were carrying the ram were half way to the outer city wall of Meereen, with their goal of knocking it down.
——
Arya and Sansa are standing on the beach next to Astapor, watching the approaching fleet enter Dragons Bay and the army that is protecting Astapor is shuffling around getting into their final positions. The other dragons that Dany sent are standing, waiting to take off. Aegon is further down the beach, southwest of the city, ready to fly. Gendry is standing in the middle of the city’s wall that faces the Bay, all the archers are waiting for his command. He has a bow in one hand, and his war hammer on his back, looking serious and extremely focused.
“You ready to do this again?” Arya asked Sansa. Sansa had her hair in magnificent braids. She smiled and looked down upon her sister and said “let do this. As strange as is sounds, I miss the thrill of battle, especially on the back of my dragon.”
“I think I understand. New battle, new continent, new enemies, and new cities to protect, but the same small minded men. Battles and wars make me feel alive. Olenna is a bit faster than Syrio, you take the south end, I’ll take the north and we will meet in the middle?” Arya asked. She had a tight top knot in her hair and both she and Sansa were wearing simple pants and a simple vest with a large Stark direwolf on it. They opted out of wearing shoes, because they would be getting wet very soon.
“Sounds good, little sister” said Sansa. It was time. The ships were coming in quickly, only about 2,000 feet from shore now. There were whispers of good luck to the two women from the Second Sons and other warriors as they walked to their dragons. Yara paces quickly over to Arya and kisses her. “Stay safe and keep your eyes opened,” she told her. Sansa and Arya mounted their dragons, looked to each other one last time and took off. Their plan was simple. Destroy as many ships as possible from the air, and destroy from below the water when necessary. Dragons could hold their breath for several minutes, but Arya and Sansa could only for a little over 60 seconds. They take off.
As planned, Sansa flys as fast as Olenna could and heads to the back of the fleet and Arya stays in the front, already setting ships ablaze. It was long before giant spears were flying towards them from every direction. Olenna and Syrio weren’t impenetrable like Drogon, Rhaegal, and Dreamfyre, so they needed to be very cautious. Sansa was weaving in and out of the spears and setting fire to the ships that were on her way to her position. She briefly looked to the east and saw a white spec in the sky and an orange trail below it. Aegon and Valyria were at work now too.
Sansa finally arrived at the back of the fleet and got to work. There was a group of 6 ships who were separated from the fleet by a line of burning ships. They were attacking her relentlessly and she couldn’t get close enough. She said “okay girl, let’s go under.” Olenna dived straight into the water and pushed herself under the ships. A few bubbles came, then a lot, then the hot fire. She sunk each ship in the matter of seconds. When the 6th ship started to sink, Olenna shot out of the water. Sansa was soaked and her eyes were burning slightly from the saltiness of the sea. She wiped her eyes quickly with her fingers and kept going. She was now able to see the blue spec in the air that was Syrio.
Arya was making through the fleet quickly. Since she was in the front, they had less time to prepare for the dragon attack. She wasn’t getting bombarded with spears until she was a fifth of the way done with burning her half of the ships. But Arya was a really good flyer, graceful too. She was the best flyer after Jon, Dany, and their immediate family.
Her and Sansa continued to burn the ships for a long while, and finally, they were close enough to see each other. Almost done, with the help of the other adult and younger dragons Dany sent. Arya looked to her right for a moment, and in that moment, Arya heard a thud and a loud screech. “No!” Arya cried.
——
The ram reached the wall and was beginning to hit it very hard. The archers were raining arrows down on them, but whenever someone died, another person would quickly take their place. After a dozen hard hits, the wall cracks and makes a decent sized whole. A young dragon flys over and ignites as many people as he could, but even then, a few hundred soldiers made it into the city. The dragon sets the ram on fire so no one else can make it through the hole. The 300 Unsullied who stayed in the city will stop them, even some of the archers were already running along the wall shooting arrows down into the city.
Jon and Dany were doing amazing. Rhaegal was spinning around doing as much damage as he could. Drogon was like a giant wrecking ball, not bothering much to get out of the way and just destroying everything in his path.
Rhaenys was now at the very back of the army, flying towards the front line, and setting everything she could on fire. The catapults and the giant crossbows were spread throughout the massive field. She destroyed nearly half of them when Rhaenys felt a huge pain in her chest, so bad she could barely breathe, and Dreamfyre made a strange noise she’s never heard before and swerved a bit in her path. “What is it?” Rhaenys asked Dreamfyre. “I think…” she began to say but then cut herself off. A huge boulder that was on fire hit Drogon. Hard. Drogon was tumbling in the air and Dany fell off. Drogon couldn’t regain control yet. “MOTHER!” growled Dreamfyre and sprinted forward so fast, Rhaenys nearly was blown off, not prepared for the speed. “Let anyone catch her, please get there!” she thought loudly to herself. Her mother was still falling through the air, like slow motion. There is no way Dreamfyre could get there in time. She saw Rhaegal and Jon flying now towards the scene and Rhaenys told Dreamfyre “No! I’m closer! Get Rhaegal to destroy the rest of those catapults!” It was like there wasn’t and hesitation. Rhaegal stopped abruptly and turned. Right as she finished, a small yellow/orange dragon caught Dany just in time. He was definitely too small to fly a grown adult for a long period of time. When he caught her, he dipped several feet in the air under the impact of her weight. The little dragon was flapping his wings hard. It was Aggo!
“Drogon? Are you okay?” Rhaenys asked him. She saw he was on the ground now, but standing. “I am,” said the deep, strong voice. Dreamfyre was close to Aggo now and Rhaenys saw that her mother was slightly shaken, but okay. Dany got to her feet, but stayed in a crouching position. Dreamfyre hovered in the air while Aggo flew right to Dreamfyre’s shoulder. Rhaenys reached her hands out to her mom. Dany grabbed both of them and jumped, while Rhaenys pulled her on. The little dragon flew away, toward the direction of the catapult that knocked Dany off. In a few seconds, he seemed to be attacking the people in charge of it while Rhaegal was burning it. The last one.
“What happened?” Rhaenys asked her mom, who just looked angry now. “You felt the pain too?” Dany looked right into Rhaenys eyes. “What? Yes, just before you fell I felt-”
“That was a dragon dying,” Dany said. Dreamfyre moaned again. “You and Dreamfyre felt it strongly, like Drogon and I. We got distracted for only a second and that’s how we got hit. When the dragons close by saw me falling, they must have momentarily looked to you on what to do. That’s how you must have overruled Rhaegal. Jon was fighting to come to my aid, I felt his and Rhaegal’s struggle, but ultimately listened to you when you told him to go finish the task. I didn’t order any of them to catch me either. I’m guessing you did that too, thank you by the way” she said with a small and awkward chuckle.
“Why did I feel it like you?” Rhaenys asked, but as soon as she did she knew the answer. “First head of the dragon,” they both said together. “You will also be their Mother one day. I only felt that once when Viserion died…I think we got as much as we could. The armies are mixed together now. Fly me to Drogon. It’s time to fight from the ground,” Dany said. As they were flying, Rhaenys had to ask “Which dragon was it?”
“Drogon showed me an image from Syrio. One of the young dragons I sent to Astapor, she was protecting Arya. A spear was flying towards Arya’s head and she flew in front of her.” Rhaenys felt an overwhelming sadness and fought hard to hold back tears. Then anger towards the people who started this battle in the first place. Dreamfyre landed on the ground close to Drogon and Dany clutched Dark Sister as she slid off Dreamfyre. “Remember, use your bow, only come down here if necessary!” Dany yelled back. Dreamfyre rose into the air again. Rhaenys saw her mom climb on Drogon to grab her Valyrian steel shield out of the pocket. She slid down Drogon and then began fighting next to her dragon. It wasn’t long before Rhaegal shown up with Jon, who embraced her first, glad to see she was alive. Then he wielded Longclaw and took out his shield too. Rhaenys wanted to look for Izi and Zhowo again, now that she was able to offer them help. “Find Zhowo,” Rhaenys told Dreamfyre, as he’d be easiest to find. Dreamfyre glided again over the intertwined mass of people. Between Drogon, Rhaegal, and Dreamfyre, they must have killed 50,000 people. The combat was numerically in their favor now.
Rhaenys climbed back to the pocket on the saddle and pulled out her bow and arrows. She then straddled herself perfectly on the center of Dreamfyre’s back and began aiming.
——
“Bharbo, I really think we should head to Meereen instead. The battle is in two days. They will need our help. I didn’t come here for some detour. I only came for mom and dad,” said Ned. “Can you get trust me? How many times do I need to prove to you that my visions are always right? I only said mom and dad would need help to get you to come. They are fine. We are needed elsewhere and we are running out of time!”
Ned, Bharbo, Rhaegar, Rhaella, Talisa, Loras, Margaery, and Benjin were all flying east. They already stopped in Old Valyria so Rhaegar could do his ceremony. With the help of stories from their parents and insight from Bharbo, they were able to find the right volcano quite easily. Meraxes, Rhaegar’s dragon, dived into the lava and arose. When he came out, the third head of the dragon was announced. Everyone thought it was either going to be Rhaella or Bharbo, even though Bharbo insisted it wasn’t going to be him. Rhaella did not care if it was her or not. It wouldn’t change who she was or what she wanted in life.
But shockingly, to everyone’s surprise, it wasn’t either Rhaella or Bharbo. When Meraxes told Rhaegar, his mouth dropped and stared at the person it was.
Talisa Catleyn. It was her. She was speechless, like everyone else. She was still mounted on top of Dusk. Margaery was the one who spoke first, “well come on now, sis. Time to get off so Dusk can go in.” Talisa had a blank stare on her face, but climbed down and stood next to Margaery, who hugged and congratulated her. Dusk then dived into the lava and came out. Talisa changed too, like her dragon. Her eyes now were just violet instead of blue and violet and her hair turned silver at the bottom. It was like a gradient–the top of her hair was deep orange and then it slowly changed to silver at the very tips. Rhaegar embraced her. They slept a few hours in the volcano, where they knew they were going to be safe, as the fields around Volantis wouldn’t be.
All but Talisa, Rhaegar, and Bharbo knew were they were truly heading. On their second to last day in Kings Landing, Bharbo called for all the people with Targaryen blood back to the Capital. Bharbo and Rhaegar had to set out first light to get to the Iron Islands and Winterfell. Bharbo had a seven hour flight and Rhaegar had a nine hour flight. Bharbo spent the night at the Iron Islands with Corlos and Rhaella, and Rhaegar spent the night in Winterfell with Benjin and Margaery. Before Rhaegar left, he flew to the Dreadfort quickly and told Sandor to go back to Winterfell. He rode quickly on the back of his direwolf.
When they got back to the Capital later in the day, Rhaella, Benjin, and Margaery stayed hidden in the dragon pit with the dragons. While Bharbo and Rhaegar were gone, Talisa and Loras were covering for them in case Tyrion or Sam went looking for them. If they saw they brought the others back early, they’d know they were up to something. Tyrion would have the Royal Guard’s barricade them all in their rooms if he knew they were leaving. Rhaegar and Bharbo thought it would be a good idea to take some of the direwolves with them. They were sure Rhaenys missed Shadow. There were nine other wolves that came to the dragon pit that night, none with a master. They were a bit different than the tradition direwolves, these ones had much shorter hair, as they adapted to the southern climate over the years. “I think they want to come with us?” Ned said in a questionable tone, unsure of why he knew that. Rhaegar, Rhaella, Talisa, Benjin, Loras, and Margaery left their direwolves behind. Rhaegar took Shadow and one of the others with him, Bharbo took Red and another one, while Rhaella and Talisa took two, and Ned took Tully and another direwolf. Loras took the last two.
They set out when it was dark, and left Tyrion a note saying:
“We are safe, and we are sorry. We have a task to do. If for some reason all of us die in Essos, you shall be king.
With love,
Rhaegar, Bharbo, Ned, Talisa, Loras, Margaery, and Benjin.
”
When they woke up in the volcano, they headed to Vaes Dothrak. Bharbo saw that the Dothraki city was going to be attacked when most of the herd was in Meereen. He saw many causalities at the hands of pointed headed people who owned striped horses–they were black and white. They had to make it on time, as the Dothraki were their people. They flew all morning, all afternoon, and most of the evening. Ned was complaining the whole way because all wanted to help with the Battle of Meereen, and that’s all.
Bharbo was right. The women, children, and elderly that stayed were attacked. They yurt that held the Dosh Khaleen was fallen and on fire. A lot of bodies were on the ground surrounding it. There were short, pointed headed people on striped horses everywhere, trying to flee once they saw sight of the dragons. They were nearly done, and were about to leave. Rhaegar, Ned, Talisa, and Loras knew who they were–the Jogos Nhai. Rhaegar didn’t know his mother was soon preparing the attack on those people, but he took matters into his own hands anyways. He knew his mother would approve of their actions next.
“Bharbo, Rhaella, Benjin, and Margaery, go to the ground and see if there are any survivors. Help them if you can. Talisa, Ned, Loras, lets go.” The group in the air did not hesitate to set the attackers on fire until there wasn’t anyone left. When they were done, Loras and Ned headed to the ground. Rhaegar and Talisa dropped the direwolves on the ground quickly and then decided to fly further east, to the land of the Jogos Nhai to see what could be done about them. Shadow took off south in a sprint, the others seemed to follow. Shadow appeared to be the Alpha here, where Nymeria was the Alpha in Westeros.
There were three Dosh Khaleen members still alive, but badly injured. Bharbo was telling the his family members how to treat the other victims that were still somewhat alive. This broke Bharbo’s heart. He knew how important the Dosh Khaleen was to the Dothraki.
Several hours pass. Bharbo, Rhaella, Ned, Loras, Benjin, and Margaery were able to get most of the survivors stable. In their efforts, two more people died while trying to care for them. Margaery, Rhaella, and Loras rebuilt the Dosh Khaleen’s yurt the best they could and patched it up. Ned worked on burying all the blood that was spilled, as it wasn’t allowed in the sacred city. Benjin and Bharbo worked on building pyres for all the dead. They decided that it would be best if they didn’t burn them yet. Their own would want to pay their respects to their people, especially to the fallen Dosh Khaleen. They just laid the dead gently on the pyres.
“We should stay here until the day after tomorrow. Let’s keep cleaning up and caring for the wounded. I can’t believe they would attack this city and the sacred Dosh Khaleen…” Ned said. All were silent for a while.
Two of the baby dragons that were staying in the Khaleesi estate were flying around Margaery and Benjin’s heads, making them laugh. The one above Benjin’s head was green and white, and the one above Margaery’s head was dark red and a pale grey.
They didn’t want to interfere with the Battle of Meereen so they all decided to set up camp and wait for Rhaegar and Talisa to come back. Once they do, they’ll head to Meereen.
——
Rhaenys was shooting arrows wherever she saw a person needed help. It wasn’t long before Dreamfyre spotted Zhowo, and Rhaenys was helping him out as much as she could. Zhowo was repeatedly fighting off at least 5 opponents the entire time. She was shooting anyone who was coming his way. She saw in the distance the archers on the city walls were busy at work, attempting to hold the entrance to the dragon road, but the gate was being knocked down in addition to the giant hole in the city wall. Missandei will get them if they make it far.
She was out of arrows, but they needed help. Rhaenys made the decision to go to the ground, grabbing her new sword and shield as they descended. A group of Dothraki pushed aside to make room from Dreamfyre. Their spirits were much higher now that a dragon was standing near them. Dreamfyre wasted no time getting to biting people and lashing her massive tail. There were people who were trying to stab her and it wasn’t working at all, their weapons just bounced off of her, leaving her attackers terrified. People slowly began to notice who Rhaenys was–it wasn’t hard with the silver-white hair and violet eyes–and it became dangerous for a Targaryen on the ground. Two people charged at her right away but Rhaenys was ready for it. Over a decade of training with the best warriors and assassins in the world would finally pay off. She got in her stance, and smirked at the two hopeless men charging her. Rhaenys was fast and moved like water, never stumbling and always moving. A sword comes flying at her head but she quickly ducks and slashes the knees of the person. He screamed in pain, but only for a moment because Rhaenys then swung her sword hard and took his head off. She didn’t believe in making people suffer in death, even if they were unkind, she just wanted it to be over with.
As soon as she was done swinging her sword the other man reached her and she had to quickly jumped to the right to avoid being hit. This man was a bit better than the last one, but not by much. Their swords clashed only three times before Rhaenys was able to confuse him and send her sword in the middle of his chest. Blood was gushing out of his mouth and his eyes were wide, full of fear. She took off his head too.
She had to do this twenty more times before she had a small opening to make her way over towards Zhowo. “Follow me,” she said to Dreamfyre. Rhaenys stayed right beneath her head as they slowly walked deeper into the fight. The Dothraki were riding quickly by on their horses and zorses, decapitating anyone in their path A few times Dreamfyre had to reach her head around Rhaenys to people who were charging at her. Dreamfyre would grab them with her mouth and launch them 100 feet away.
She finally saw Zhowo, still riding around on his zorse. He was covered in even more blood, but looked unbothered. He saw Dreamfyre first then Rhaenys. There was panic in his eyes and rode over to her. “Why are you down here?” he yelled. There was someone who was trying to take advantage of his back being turned and charging at Zhowo fast, good thing Rhaenys was paying attention. She got in front of Zhowo and was fighting the guy who tried to take his life. Before Zhowo could process what happened, Rhaenys sword already met the guys neck.
“I’m fighting. You shouldn’t get distracted,” said Rhaenys, half amused. “It’s not safe for you down here!” pled Zhowo.
“Listen, I killed 23 men and I just landed a few minutes ago. I’m capable. Im going to be the future Queen and Khaleesi, I’m not going to let my people fight for me and my family without showing them I am fighting for them too. Now, where is Izi?”
Zhowo was impressed, and so were the other people close by who heard her speak. “She was with Cavo’s section, they’re probably fighting near each other,” he said. “Let’s find them,” Rhaenys said.
They needed to push further and further in, with Dreamfyre’s chest nearly pressed against Rhaenys back. Her and Zhowo had to kill another 30 or so people together and Dreamfyre chucked a dozen more into the air and out of the way.
They see Cavo, who appeared to be doing fine, covered in blood, just like Zhowo. Rhaenys was now scanning quickly for Izi. Dreamfyre growled loudly and took off walking as quickly as she could, pushing people aside and stepping on the dead. Rhaenys ran after her and followed, with Zhowo trailing behind her. She then saw Dreamfyre raise her neck high in the air and come down hard. Her neck made several quick movements but Rhaenys could not see the scene in front of her and ran harder. There were five dead bodies laying around her and a dead horse. Izi seemed to have gotten knocked off her horse and was almost overpowered. Dreamfyre got to her just in time because she’s badly hurt. Cavo takes notice of the scene and is frozen, not noticing his surroundings. Again, thankfully Rhaenys was paying attention. She grabbed a dagger from the strap around her thigh and threw it hard, right passed Cavo’s head and it landed center face in the person who was charging Cavo. She walked over, pulled the dagger out of the mans face and looked up to Cavo and said “you men really need to stop getting distracted. The crowd was thinning out now, and an hour later the battle was over. The healers made their way onto the field and moved anyone that was still alive to a large tent they set up. The survivors surrendered and those who could, bent the knee. The dragons took care so cleaning up the dead. Whatever they didn’t eat, they burned to ash.
It was crucial that Dany and Jon flew to Mantarys, Tolos, and Elyria right away to claim the cities. Grey Worm, Missandei, Jamie, Octavia, and Daario flew with Dany and Jon. They also flew as many Unsullied and Second Sons members as they could on their dragons and with the help of others, while 3,000 Targaryen loyalist marched towards Mantarys and Tolos, while another 1000 sailed to Elyria. Their army was so huge, their cities cannot be largely populated anymore. Dany dropped Daario off with 20 Unsullied and Second Son’s members on the tiny island of Elyria. She left two dragons to constantly circle the island, as a threat and reminder to anyone who retaliates. The architecture in these cities where different from Dragon’s Bay, as these three cities were founded and governed by the Valyrian freehold. Since the Doom, they sort of just ruled together.
There were tall circular structures with a mixture of flat and pointed tops. A lot like the city of Valyria. Before Dany, Jon, and everyone left, they landed together on the island and made their presence known. Since the battle ended, six more fully grown dragons showed up. A dozen dragons landed on the beach and let out a roar. The inhabitants of the island looked terrified but bent the knee, knowing they didn’t stand a third chance in trying to defeat the Dragon Queen. They walked through the island until they came across the tallest circular structure in the very center of the island. They entered and dropped a massive Targaryen banner from the top window and Daario took his place. Dany and Jon exited and they noticed they drew a crowd of people now.
“If anyone has any concerns, you may line up at the entrance and Daario will address you one by one. Like under the Targaryen rule will be better! You mustn’t deny the popularity of Dragons Bay!” People were slowly lining up at the castle. Daario would stay inside the castle at all times until the other troops could arrive while the Unsullied guard the castle day and night, it would take almost a week for the ground troops to arrive in Tolos and Elyria. About a week and a half to arrive in Mantarys.
They did the same thing in Tolos and Mantarys. In Tolos, Octavia and Jamie took over rule and also had 20 Unsullied with them. They also had four large dragons and a small dragon to watching over them.
Mantarys was going to be the tricky city. It was said to be a city full of monsters, even Tyrion saw a two headed girl from there before. They had no idea what to expect when they arrived.
It looked much like Tolos and Elyria, but hidden in the mountains. The city looked beautiful from afar, like it was carved perfectly into the sides of the mountains. There was a massive town in the valley, surrounding the rivers and the lakes, while a smaller town seemed to sit higher in the mountains. They took the largest castle in the upper city, dropped the banner, and let Grey Worm and Missandei settle in. They were given 30 Unsullied, as well as Visenya, and five other fully grown dragon and two smaller dragons. Dany and Jon walked through the city in the valley surrounded by six Unsullied. It was huge, nearly the size of Meereen, but you could tell the battle took a devastating toll on the population. There were a lot of stares and whispers, then finally a man who appeared to be in his 40’s approached them with caution.
He had silver hair, like Dany’s, bright blue eyes, and wore purple robes. He kind of gave off this dim glow, the same way Dany, Jon, Aegon, and their children gave off. He must have been a true Valyrian descendant, like they were.
“Valar Morghulis,” he said. “Valar Dohaeris,” Dany said back. “My name is Jaemyx Narralis and it’s a pleasure to meet you, your Grace,” he said in the common tongue but with a heavy Valyrian accent. Jon said “it’s nice to meet you too. What could we do for you?”
“Your Grace, I was wondering if we could speak in private?” he was only talking to Dany. Dany wasn’t sure why, but she felt like he would be worth her time. “Very well, but my husband, and Missandei and Grey Worm of Highgarden will also listen to what you have to say. We can go to the castle, come along,” said Dany. Jaemyx looked nervously at Jon but decided to follow.
Once in the castle, they gathered in a large, grandiose, circular room that was filled with deep purples, greens, and blues. It was very beautiful. The floor and the ceiling looked like the ones in Valyria, made of Valyrian steel. It appeared to be a Throne Room, as long benches ran along the sides of the rooms and a single large chair was in the center of the room, high up on a platform. Dany didn’t see the point in sitting on the throne when it was just the five of them in the room. She closed the door and said “carry on, Jaemyx.”
“Your Grace, there have been some of us who waited a long time for you to come. Some of us who wanted to join you since your conquest in Meereen. The Mantarys politics up until this point have been very warped. We’ve been in charge of ourselves, Tolos, and Elyria for such a long time, the noble families were hungry for power and permanent independence. There is a group of us however, who believe that we need to go back to our Valyrian roots instead of continuing on as Ghiscari. We thrived under the rule of the Valyrian freehold before the Doom, and now we are shut out from the rest of the world and are under strict laws. I suppose not anymore, though. But it’s been like this for so long, it’s going to difficult to change the minds of some people,” he said.
Dany spoke now, “you said there’s a group of you who’ve been waiting? Who is this group?”
Jaemyx said “we are the true blood of Old Valyria. We are made of six old families who have only married and bred with each other so our bloodline stays pure. Three of our families, mine–the Narralis’, the Caltigar’s, and the Vaeltheon’s, were actually cousins of the ancient Targaryen’s. So a lot of us actually share blood with you, your Grace. And we’ve been waiting for you for so long. When we heard you and your brother were hiding in Pentos all those years ago, we were hoping Viserys would come here to free us…but then…you know…he wasn’t a good person or would be a good ruler. Then we turned to you. When we heard you married the great Khal Drogo, we were excited because you were closer than ever and now had a huge khalasar behind you. Then he passed on and you went out on your own and birthed 3 dragons yourself. When you brought the dragons back we knew you were meant to rule the world and we were all so eager. We tried to get word to you but it was impossible. The city gates were being watched all day. Then you caused quite a scene in Qarth, then at Slaver’s Bay. When you sent a request to be allies and the city rejected you, we were angry. We retaliated, but our numbers weren’t great enough to win the fight. We lost 27 people that day and suffered punishments. They didn’t want to kill us because we had ‘good blood.’ Now that you’re here and defeated the tyrants, we are ready to go back to the days of having a Valyrian ruler.”
“How many of you are there? And why is this called the city of monsters? No one here looks like a monster,” Jon asked before Dany could.
“In total, there are 238 of us. The city of monsters was just a rumor started by the government here to keep outsiders away, none of that is true.”
“What about that two headed girl my Hand of Westeros saw that came from here?” Dany asked curiously.
“That was a birth defect, it wasn’t something that happened here often. No one wanted her, not even her own mother. I remember when she was born, the whole city was scared of her. She was sold into slavery almost right away,” Jaemyx said.
Daenerys said one last thing, “my daughter Rhaenys is 16. She will become the Queen and Khaleesi here in Essos. Do you pledge your loyalty to her, the Dothraki, the Second Son’s, and the Unsullied as well?”
“I swear by it,” Jaemyx said, and he bent his knee.
“Very well, please bring the heads of each of the six houses here. I’d like them to pledge their loyalty to my daughter too, when the time comes,” said Dany.
Each of them did, and were very happy to finally meet Daenarys Stormborn Targaryen. They all had silver hair and blue or violet eyes.
“You are now all the new noble families of Mantarys. It will be your duty to help transition this city into the Targaryen era. Talk to the people. Organize work. Uphold my laws. Now, Missandei and Grey Worm will be working with you for a fortnight, until my Unsullied arrive and a trusted advisor comes to help rule the city in my absence. Make no mistake, I have control of 94 dragons and counting, betray me, my family, or friends, and I will not hesitate to send them all here. Missandei is of Valyrian blood, I think you will find her most capable of setting up the new regime. I trust you will respect her and her husband while they are here. That black and white dragon outside is Missandei’s,” said Dany.
There were a few smiles and a lot of nods. Even Missandei smirked. Dany gave Missandei and Grey Worm a hug, Jon shook their hands, and they left. Drogon and Rhaegal were outside the city waiting for them. Before they mounted Jon said “can you believe we have 238 cousins? Distant, they may be, but cousins nonetheless. Aegon will not believe it.”
“I know, it’s difficult to comprehend. When I was banished and when Drogo killed my brother for me, I truly thought I was alone. After the witch told me I couldn’t have children, I believed I would be the last one and that the dragons would die with me. Then I found you. Then Aegon. Then we all had Targaryen children and I couldn’t be more happy with that. Never would I have thought that there would be hundreds of distant family members here waiting for me, knowing I existed…” Dany cut herself off. Jon looked at her and could see Dany’s eyes stare off into nothingness. She stumbled and fell to the ground. She had a vision of dead bodies laying in Vaes Dothrak, and her children flying here. Bharbo in Vaes Dothrak helping the wounded and then Rhaegar setting fire to a village with Talisa. Jon runs to her and says “what’s wrong? What is it?” and helps her stand.
“Something happened in Vaes Dothrak…the Dosh Khaleen… and our children snuck out of the Capital and are here! I saw Bharbo in Vaes Dothrak and Rhaegar and Talisa somewhere else but not that far away. We need to go back to Meereen, Jon. Now.”
“We won’t get there until the late morning, Dany.”
“Then we will have to fly through the night. Try to get some rest on Rhaegal.”
Their dragons purred. Dany and Jon mounted them and took off.
Back in Meereen, the Dothraki were having a traditional celebration in the fields outside the walls of Meereen. Zhowo, Rhaenys, Izi, and even Daario’s children were all outside drinking and having fun around large bonfires. Rhaenys had the cook from the Moonstone Inn bring out a dozen large pies for Izi. Izi didn’t care that she was all bruised and had some cuts, Rhaenys could tell this was the first time Izi has enjoyed her name day. As the night went on, Arya, Yara, Gendry, Aegon, and Sansa came back to Meereen and joined in on the festivities. Arya was still upset about the dragon dying, but Rhaenys went to her and offered comfort, and told her that she and Dany already knew. She cheered up a bit as the night went on but then got a strange feeling. Direwolves? Here in Essos? Why was she sensing them? She tried to shake it off but it was like she could almost hear them. She looked around but saw nothing, so she kept it to herself.
The next morning, Rhaenys woke early in Zhowo’s tent to a loud howl. Why did that sound like Shadow? Zhowo woke up when she stood up and he exited the tent with her. There was Shadow, Red, Tully, and nine other direwolves she hasn’t seen before all jumping on Arya, who was still awake and by herself. “How?” she muttered under her breath. “I could feel them coming here all night!” Arya yelled, half giggling. She was happy to see them but was afraid of why they were here. Shadow finally saw Rhaenys and ran over to her. She jumped on her and Rhaenys gave her a big hug and kissed the top of her head. “I missed you, girl. But why are you here?” Rhaenys said quietly to her. Just then, Rhaenys had the same vision her mother had.
They all wake up and Rhaenys was the last to open her eyes. All the dragons were descending and she could see thousands of Dothraki below staring up at the sky. The land was beautiful, Rhaenys thought. Everywhere was rolling hills of green grass, and in the distance, the mountains were huge. The people below had dark or tanned skin and long black hair that was pulled back in braids that reminded her a lot of her mother’s. All the men had huge muscles and all the women were lean and fit. When they got closer to the ground, Rhaenys heard them all making a strange noise that resembled laughter. Panicked, she quickly looked over at her mother who smiled and said “Don’t worry! That’s their battle cry!” As Rhaenys looks around this strange land, she closes her eyes for a moment and inhales. She felt warmth surround her, and she was filled with an unknown happiness.
Daenerys was the first to land with Drogon, followed by Jon and Rhaegal, then Rhaenys and Dreamfyre, then everyone else. A large man walks forward and heads towards Daenerys– and Rhaenys has her eyes on him. He has over a foot and a half height on Rhaenys and her mom, and about a half of foot on her dad. His arm muscles are larger than the circumference of her head, and his chest is rippling with so many different types of muscle. He has a lot of tattoos on his chest and arms. He walked past Rhaenys, with an intense stare but kept walking towards her mom. Seeing his back now, he had a long braid that reached his bottom, and behind the braid there was a tattoo of two horses on their hind legs with the Targaryen symbol tattooed in the center. In his hair, he had bells that jingled every time he stepped. He finally reached her mom and he kneels on both knees and says “Khaleesi.” His voice was low and rough. Soon after, all the other Dothraki fall to their knees and bow chanting “Khaleesi.” Being very glad her mother and Missandei taught her the language, she was able to follow what was being said. The man stood up and locked arms with Jon. In Dothraki, he asks “why have you all come to Vaes Dothrak? We weren’t expecting your visit with this many guests.” Dany responds “we think Dragon’s Bay might be under attack in a few days or weeks. We needed to come here so we were close by. These are my friends who will fight alongside you and I. Daario said he sent a messenger to give you information on the rising threat a few weeks ago to give you time to prepare.” The large man says “he did, Khaleesi. Of course, and welcome. We are happy to see you and meet your guests.” Dany then speaks to their group now speaking the common tongue. “Everyone, this is Zhowo. His father was Aggo. He helped win the Great War and the Last War. I named his father Ko when I married Khal Drogo. Aggo died two years ago, and I have named his first son Ko, as he is as loyal as his father.” She now walk around the group introducing him to everyone. Missandei and Grey Worm both seem to know who he was already and they exchange pleasantries. He locks arms with the rest of them and they finally get to Rhaenys. “This is mine and Jon’s first daughter, Rhaenys. She is the first head of the dragon for the new generation and is set to rule after me” Dany said to him in Dothraki. Close to her now, she could really see every detail of him. She thought Zhowo was the most handsome man she has ever seen. Rhaenys stands up a bit straighter and says in his tongue “Hello, Zhowo. I look forward to staying in Vaes Dothrak and exploring the market. Thank you for serving the Targaryen name.” The Dothraki are not people who show much happiness, but Rhaenys could have sworn she saw a faint smile flicker across is mouth. He drops to his knees once more, nearly at eye level with her and he says “It is an honor meeting you. I hope to get to know you while you are here, and I look forward to the day I get to serve you.” He locks his eyes with hers and her stomach feels like it’s flipping around. His eyes were the color of an almond and suddenly that was her favorite color. She didn’t know what else to say so she smiled at him and he again, smiled faintly back. Everyone was staring at them, thankfully Dany tugged on his arm and said, “come, we should talk somewhere more private.” Dany gave Rhaenys a side eye and smirked, which made Rhaenys blush ever so slightly. The rest of the Dothraki went about their business while Dany walked off into the town and Missandei, Grey Worm, Tormund, Brienne, Gendry, Meera, Yara, Arya, Jon, Sansa, Aegon, Jamie, and Octavia, all follow. Rhaenys is still staring at Zhowo who is finally standing back up. Dany calls back to her and says “Rhaenys, you will need to come too!” Of course Rhaenys knew that, but she felt like her feet where stuck to the ground. Zhowo turns to walk toward the group and she heard him say “Rhaenys” under his breath. It now felt like there was a fire in her. She was finally walking in the direction towards everyone else, and she noticed Zhowo slowed down some so he could walk next to her. Everyone she passed stared at her. She was used to this of course, because she got the same stares in Westeros. Glancing up towards Zhowo, she noticed he was watching her carefully. Feeling the urge to say something, she asked “how old are you, Zhowo?” Without hesitation, he relied “I am eighteen.” Rhaenys was pleased to hear that he was close to her age. “I just had my sixteenth name day before we came here” she said. Before the conversation was continued further, Zhowo noticed someone was making inappropriate gestures towards Rhaenys. He begins to walk aggressively towards the man, but before he could reach him, three men and two women pounce on him, and Rhaenys heard one of the women say “you do not disrespect the Khaleesi’s daughter!” and the woman grabbed his hair and cut off his braid. The men break his arms and legs and he lets out a scream. The other woman goes behind him and snaps his neck. The mans lifeless body fell. Zhowo turns around and says “I am sorry you saw that.” Rhaenys never saw anything like that before. Of course she has seen her father behead a number of people and her mother order a dragon to eat someone, but she never saw a fight like that. She knew from her mother that blood couldn’t be spilled in Vaes Dothrak, so she guessed that breaking someone’s neck was a good way around that rule. She understood why her mother didn’t want her visiting before now, it’s a very different culture than what she is used to. Strangely though, she felt a sense of appreciation and loyalty from the Dothraki because of how quickly they all rushed to put an end to it. She half smiled at Zhowo and finally said “it’s no problem. We are now very behind, let’s hurry and get to that meeting, shall we?” She takes off jogging and he follows behind her keep his eyes on the crowd now.
They finally reach their destination. It was a large three story wooden and clay structure. Rhaenys thought it was very crude but it blended in with the surroundings. The second floor was smaller than the first floor, and had a wrap around balcony, and the third floor was smaller than the second with another wrap around balcony. At the door stood a huge Dothraki man, and another man, who Rhaenys assumed was a former Unsullied solider cause he had darker skin and was nearly bald with no tattoos. Even though no weapons were allowed in the city, these two seemed to be the only ones allowed.
Once inside, Rhaenys saw beautiful rugs on the floor, gorgeous tapestries on the walls, and unique flowers and plants in decorative vases. On a table, there was a small box that was letting out smoke that smelled wonderful. At the front of the room was a set of long and thick steps. On the top step sat two beautifully carved wooden chairs. Dany and Jon were already sitting in them. The rest of the crew from home were sitting on the steps below Dany and Jon talking. Then, about twenty Dothraki walk in and gather on the floor around the hearth. Rhaenys presumed these were Zhowo’s most trusted comrades. Zhowo gestures for Rhaenys to go up to the top stair were her parents sat. He climbed the first three steps and turned around to give out his hand to her. Shocked by his act of chivalry, she grabbed his hand as he led her up the steps. He however stayed on the 6th step while she climbed to the 7th. She was still holding onto his hand when Jon glanced over and saw their hands interlocked. They let go immediately. Dany begins talking to the crowd about the information Daario gave her. Rhaenys had a hard time focusing. She never had this feeling towards another person. Of course she thought the people in Westeros were good looking and nice, but there was something about Zhowo that she couldn’t explain. His hair was so shiny and his muscles were gleaming. She was examining every tattoo that was on his skin.
Missandei was whispering translations to Arya, Yara, Brienne, Tormund, Gendry, Meera, Jamie, and Octavia. Sansa, Aegon, Jon, and Grey Worm learned the Dothraki language many years ago.
Out of the corner of Rhaenys eyes, she sees something fly by the window. A thud is heard outside and she scoots passed everyone below her to go retrieve it. The Dothraki weren’t used to such a sight but the rest were. A small dragon, still a young one, comes walking in through the doors that were already open. Rhaenys says behind her “I got it” and walk over to the dragon. He was no larger than she was and was a deep orange color. He purrs as Rhaenys pats his head. He looks up at Dany and let’s out an affectionate sound. “Oh all right” Dany says and she gets up and pats his head too. All the dragons loved their Mother. Rhaenys unties the scroll that was tied to his leg. The dragon then stares at Jon, and Sansa, Aegon, and Arya laughed. He got up smiling and went to pat the dragon too, as he was the Father of Dragons, a unique title that will only ever belong to him. He rolled around on the floor while the three of them patted him, then Arya, Sansa, Aegon, and Missandei all came over to pat him too. Rhaenys took a step sideways to let Arya through and she backed right into Zhowo. She almost tripped and he caught her with one of his arms. The touch felt electric to her. She says “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know you were behind me” in Dothraki. He just says “it is fine” while keeping his eyes on the dragon. “Would you…would you want to pet him?” He looked alarmed. He looked exactly how a normal person would look if you asked them to pet a deadly creature. “Come on. My mom, dad, and I won’t let it hurt you.” she said to him. He looked a little terrified but curious. She grabbed his arm and led him forward. The rest of the Dothraki in the room looked anxious and terrified for him. He inched his way towards the dragon and kelt down, he reach out his hand and rubbed his side. The dragon stopped what he was doing. Usually only dragonriders could touch the dragons or special friends of her mom and dads that they communicated to the dragons. The dragon locked eyes with Zhowo and he withdrew his hand. Then, the dragon nodded his head once and continued rolling around on the floor. Zhowo petted him again, and the dragon didn’t even care. Angled so no one else could see his face besides Rhaenys, he was smiling from ear to ear, using two hands to rub him now. This made Rhaenys heart full. A few minutes went by before Dany called everyone back to the meeting. All the Dothraki looked at Zhowo like he just did magic. Dany walked over to Rhaenys and said, “you know, I didn’t tell him to do anything. Him allowing Zhowo to touch him was completely his idea.” Rhaenys glanced at Zhowo. Then Arya said, “he’s very cute, that one. What’s his name?” Dany says “I don’t think he has one yet.” Before anyone could say anything, Rhaenys says “what about Aggo?” Dany smiles and says “Aggo.” The dragon decided to stay in the house with them for a while. He curled up in the back. You could tell this dragon was a playful and needy one, who seemed to be very happy he finally had a name. Zhowo glanced up to Rhaenys, feeling honored that she named a dragon after his father. Dany says “well, what does the scroll say Rhaenys?” She looks down and undoes the seal. She reads the message in the common tongue first:
“Queen Daenarys, King Jon, and Princess Rhaenys,
We received word back from Tolos and Mantarys. They are soon marching on Dragons Bay and will arrive in a fortnight. Their estimated number is 85,000. They have seemed to have made more of those dragon killing crossbows you once told me about, and huge catapults that can throw large and heavy rocks. I have also heard there is a fleet of 5,000 ships that will sail directly into Dragon’s Bay. It seems their is only one answer to this mess.
Fire and Blood
Daario”
Rhaenys reads it in Dothraki next. They all look very concerned by the numbers, as their Khalasar only has 50,000 warriors. Rhaenys sees their reaction immediately and says to them “do not worry. We have dragons on our side” and she smiles. “Fire and Blood” she finished. Dany and Jon both respond with “fire and blood.” Then Dany addresses the room. “Even though their numbers are large, I don’t plan on making this a long fight. We will stay here for a week and a half, but the Khalasar should start leaving in the next few days, as it will take you longer to get there than us. Once you get there, half of you will camp outside the walls of Meereen and the other half I want to travel down the Dragon’s Road to Yunkai and Astapor and camp outside their walls. You can split yourselves up accordingly. We will attack from the air and help on the ground when needed. It should be an easy battle to win with the Second Sons and the Unsullied stationed there helping as well.” There was a consensus of agreement across the room, and by the end, the Dothraki looked excited about a big battle.
It was getting late and Yara, Jamie, Octavia, and Brienne were yawning. Dany and Jon went over to show everyone their rooms. There were 4 good sized bedrooms on the main floor. There was a large bed, two comfy chairs, a large bookshelf filled with books, a eating table, a fireplace, and a bathing area in each room. The baths were large and sunken into the floor, they were already filled with hot, perfumed water. As soon as Octavia saw this, she smiled at Jamie and aggressively pushed him into the room. Jon laughed. Tormund and Brienne took the one next to them and it seemed Tormund had the same idea as Octavia. At the end of the hall was a chamber room, with as nice toilet’s as they have in the Red Keep. They walked across the main room where the meeting was and there were two more identical rooms in which Gendry and Meera took one and Arya and Yara took the other. There was another chamber room at the end of their hall. Dany and Jon lead Sansa, Aegon, Missandei and Grey Worm to the second level where there were 3 rooms. One was very large and the other 2 were the same as the ones downstairs. Missandei and Grey Worm take one room and Sansa grabs Aegons hand and seductively drags him into the other room. The larger room was the king and queen quarters. They had huge doors that led out to the second floor balcony and an even larger bath. These baths on the second floor weren’t sunken into the ground, but there were marble stairs leading up to it and a marble landing around it. Jon tells Dany to get ready for the evening as he goes back downstairs to fetch Rhaenys.
While her parents where taking their guests to their rooms, Rhaenys and Zhowo stood in the great room talking. Zhowo thanked her again for allowing him to touch the dragon, and he was very excited about it. Rhaenys said “he’s a little one though. Maybe I will show you my dragon. She and my mother’s dragon are the biggest in history.” Zhowo looked slightly terrified again, but then said “I would like that. What did you name your dragon?” Rhaenys responded “I didn’t name her, my mom did before I was born. Her name is Dreamfyre, after another Targaryen she-dragon. My mother found her in a volcano in Valyria.” “I have a question” Bharbo said, “how come all those other people besides you, your mother, and father can ride the dragons?” Rhaenys smiled and said “well, my Aunt Arya and Sansa are dragonriders. Their my dad’s sisters. Their mother, my grandmother, was from the Riverlands in Westeros. When Aegon the Conqueror came, the people of the Riverlands were huge supporters. Some Valyrian’s from Aegon’s army wed and bed with the people of the Riverlands. So their mother had Valyrian blood in her. That, and the dragons found them worthy, so that’s all it took. Arya’s dragon will listen to her when she isn’t needed by my mom or dad, so her wife Yara, is allowed to ride it with her. Missandei, the pretty dark skin woman, is my mom’s best friend and Lady of Highgarden and Warden of the West. She is from the Isle of Naath, which is directly below Valyria. During the Doom, a lot of people fled to Naath, so my mom predicts her ancestors mingled with the Valyrian’s. Her dragon listens to her as well, so her husband Grey Worm, who is in charge of the entire Westerosi army, Lord of Highgarden, and Warden of the West, can ride on her too as long as Missandei is there. He holds a Targaryen ancestral sword you know, called Blackfyre. My mom says he is special, and he is one of my mom and dad’s closest friends too. My uncle Aegon is half Targaryen. My dad said it took a little time for the dragons to trust him but they eventually did, so he got his own dragon now as well. As for the others, my mom had to give them special permission. She has to talk to the dragons and see which ones are willing to fly non dragonriders. If she doesn’t communicate with them, then the dragons would never let them mount or even get close. But the entire flight, my mom and dad are in control of their dragons.” Zhowo looks back over to the orange dragon who is still laying in the back of the room, staring at him. “It seems very complicated, but it’s interesting. Not many of us know how it works over here. We think your family is full of magic” he said. “Well we kind of are, aren’t we?” she said looking right into his eyes. They could hear footsteps coming down the steps now. “Oh I’m sorry, that’s going to be my dad to pull me away. I guess this is a goodnight” Rhaenys says and as she turns to walk away, he grabs her hand and she turns back around facing him. “One more question” Zhowo said quickly, “are you promised to anyone?” Taken back by the blunt question, she stares at him for a moment and she can feel herself blush and smiling a little to big. “I am not” she said, “goodnight.” She turns just in time to meet her father at the foot of the steps, who is glaring at Zhowo. He starts to leave the room, but Aggo purrs loudly to get his attention. Rhaenys and Jon begin to ascend the steps and Rhaenys looks over her shoulder and can see Zhowo patting Aggo on the head. He looks up and smiles the smile that he doesn’t let anyone else see and waves one last time at her before he leaves.
Jon takes Rhaenys passed the second floor and up to the third floor. He opens the door and says “this is your room.” It was one giant room. It had the same massive marble bathtub in it, and an entire side of the wall was covered with many glass doors that opened to the balcony. Beautiful rugs and furs covered the floor. The giant bed looked so inviting. The fire was roaring in the fireplace. A large table stood toward the side of the main room and it was covered in snacks, wine, and ale. Their were huge cushions laying amongst the furs on the floor in front of the fire. The bed sat slightly higher than the rest of the room. There were five steps up to it. To block it off from the rest of the room, there was a lattice made of gold that made a sort of wall to the steps. It was beautiful. It looked like golden vines and flowers. On the ceiling hung beautiful chandelier’s and golden ornaments. She noticed a small door towards the other end of the room and says “what is that?” “Those are your chambers” Jon said. Her own toilet in her own massive room. She climbed the steps near her bed and noticed a large wardrobe. She opened it and found a few pretty night gowns and a lot of pretty dresses that are better suited for the climate here. Rhaenys turns to her dad and says “this is beautiful.” Jon says “it used to be mine and your mothers room, but we moved to the quarters on the second floor. We figured you should take this room.” Rhaenys knew why. She would be better protected on the third floor and her parents would hear here if she decided to sneak out at night. Regardless, she was pleased with the room. She hugged her dad and kissed him on the cheek. “Goodnight!” Rhaenys said. Jon walked to the door and looked back at Rhaenys and said “I love you.” She turned to face her dad and said “I love you too” and smiled at him. Before he closed the door, he said “your handmaiden will be up shortly.” Rhaenys nodded and he closed the door. She was working on undoing the braids in her hair when she heard a knock on the door. She yelled “come in.” A young girl walked in. She was quite pretty, Rhaenys thought. She had beautiful wavy black hair that came to her collar bones. Her skin was the color of copper and she had a few tattoos on her arms and legs, and she was wearing simple Dothraki clothes. Rhaenys says “hello.” The girl says “hello, my lady, my name is Izi. I’ve been sent to be your handmaiden.” Rhaenys smiled politely at her and says “can you help me undo my hair? The braids get very complicated.” Izi walks over to her swiftly and begins working on her hair. She says after a minute “you have very beautiful hair. It isn’t common here.” She pauses and looked frightened, not knowing whether she is allowed to talk. Rhaenys grabbed her hand and looked at her and said “please do not be afraid, Izi. I’m not scary. I want us to have fun while I am here!” Izi smiled and nodded. Rhaenys spoke again, “I really like your hair too.” When the braids were all out of her hair, Rhaenys stood up out of her chair and began to undress. “Can you make sure that water is hot?” she asked Izi. Izi fiddles around with the fire and begins touching the area around the marble. Curious, Rhaenys asked politely what she was doing. “I heard the Targaryens like their bath water very hot. When your mother had this place built, she requested that the fireplaces have a tunnel that runs around the bathtub. That’s how we can keep the water hot. There is a door right here” and Izi points to a small sliding door in the fireplace “that can open and close to control the temperature. We have it in every room. Usually in the guests room, we leave it open for only a short amount of time. But your mothers a fathers we leave open and I assume you’re the same. The water is too hot for me to touch, so I felt the walls to make sure the heat was passing through properly.” Rhaenys looked impressed. She didn’t even have this in the Red Keep. “That’s genius” she said to Izi, and she smiled in response. Rhaenys climbs into the water and she completely relaxes. “I have all these for the bath too. If you would like to smell them and pick out your favorites I can be sure to get more tomorrow. You can pick which ones you want to use tonight” Izi said bringing over a bunch of bottles filled with liquids and containers filled with different flower pedals and wood. Rhaenys is happy to do so. She swims over the the ledge of the bath where Izi placed all the items. The left pile she had as things she didn’t like and the right pile was made of things she did. She decided to pick a yellowish liquid to use tonight that Izi told her was vanilla. Then she grabbed a handful of cedar chips from a container and then a bit of oak chips. She thought this was the best smelling bath she ever took. Even Izi agreed it smelled heavenly. Izi stood by the bathtub in silence while Rhaenys floated in the water thinking about Zhowo again. She wondered what he was doing now and wondered if he liked her too. Then she thought he definitely did because he asked her if she was promised to anyone. This made her smile hard at the ceiling. After a few minutes Rhaenys sits up and says “so rude of me. Would you like anything to eat or would you like any wine?” Izi looked frightened again. “Oh no, my lady, it is not rude of you at all. I can’t accept…” Rhaenys rolled her eyes. “Every girl loves sweets and loves to drink wine. I would be offended if you didn’t accept my offer.” Izi smiled and nodded. She walks over to the table and pours two goblets of wine and grabs a sweet roll. She hands Rhaenys the other goblet of wine and says “thank you!” Izi continues standing still, holding her wine in her hand and taking small bites out of her sweet roll. Rhaenys laughs. “Come on,” Rhaenys says, “all of my handmaidens back home are stuffy and boring. Go find the comfiest cushion and furs, and come sit by me and relax.” Izi hesitates but then sets her wine and roll down. She picks up the first cushion and fur she sees and moves it next to the bath. She grabs her things again and slowly sits down. “So, how old are you?” Rhaenys says. “I am 15. I heard you just turned 16” Izi responds. “I did. It was a nice name day party.” There was another silence. “Can I ask you about someone?” Rhaenys says. “Of course,” said Izi. “What can you tell me about Zhowo?” Rhaenys asked nervously. “Zhowo is the son of Aggo, who was a close bloodrider and Ko to your mother. His mother wasn’t from here though, but she’s very kind, and very different from the Dothraki. She’s still alive but her and a small group love traveling around the Great Grass Sea, never staying in one place to long, especially since Aggo died. I guess she’s a Dothraki in that way. She only comes to the city here when she wants to visit Zhowo or she needs supplies. He is a very loyal Ko as well. He’s always upholding the Khaleesi’s rules and commands the Dothraki in her name. He really respects her and your father. Many Dothraki women have their eyes on him but he has never taken interest in anyone. His only focus is to be the greatest Ko to Khaleesi. A lot of us think he is a little strange like his mother, but he mostly takes after his father and upholds the Dothraki way while doing as the Khaleesi wishes. Everyone does highly respect him” said Izi. It made Rhaenys happy to hear that he was known as a good man. She finished off her wine and watched Izi finish hers and her sweet roll. Rhaenys grabbed a clay-like substance from one jar and massaged it into her hair. She told Izi that she liked this one the best. Izi helped wash out her hair and grabbed a towel from the wardrobe. Rhaenys got out and wrapped herself in the towel and sat back down in a chair facing a mirror. Izi grabbed a comb and began combing out her hair. “Where were you before this?” Rhaenys asked her. “I usually go in between a few high born Dothraki houses here in the city. None of them are a gracious as your family.” Izi said. “What do you mean?” Rhaenys asked. “Well, they pay me a lower wage and don’t allow me to eat or drink in front of them. As it common for a girl in my position. I usually sleep on a bed of straw in a corner of their house. But here, I am paid a high wage, I get my own room with three other handmaidens of the house, and we each get our own comfortable bed and a tub. And now you allow me to have a conversation with you, drink wine, and eat food with you. I am still not used to it” Izi said. “Where do you sleep at?” Rhaenys said curiously. “There is an entire lower level to this house. There is a large main room down there where myself and the other handmaids can move around, read a book, eat, and then there are three bedrooms. Each bedroom has a small fireplace, a nice big bed, a bathtub, a wardrobe and a dresser” says Iza. Rhaenys felt proud of her mom. She always had a big heart towards people who were born less fortunate. Izi finished with Rhaenys hair and she asks if there is anything else she can do. “No thank you” Rhaenys said. Izi makes her way to the door and then she says “I am going to the market in the afternoon to pick you up the things you liked. Khaleesi will hold breakfast out on the second balcony with everyone, I will wake you up to help get you ready for the day.” Rhaenys says “sounds good, and can I come to the market with you tomorrow?” Izi looks taken back once again, not used to anyone wanting to come with her, and then smiles and says “of course. Goodnight.” “Goodnight, Izi” Rhaenys said. She hangs her towel on a bar and walks over to the wardrobe. She picks a blue night gown made of silk. It has skinny straps that go over her shoulders and it cuts off a few inches above her knee. She blows out the candles so that only the fire casted a warm glow across the room. She laid in the comfortable bed and began thinking of Zhowo again. Half asleep, she hears a light knock coming from her glass doors. Rhaenys bolts up out of bed, hearing the tapping again. She made her way over to the balcony and pulled back one of the curtains. It was Zhowo.
——
Back in King’s Landing, Bharbo is dreaming and Red is stirring restlessly at the foot of his bed. He awakens suddenly in a panic. His shoulder length curly black hair was sticking up in odd directions from his tossing and turning in bed. He looks at his direwolf who lets out a small whine. Red jumps down from his bed and runs across Bharbo’s room and stands at the door scratching it. Bharbo knows he must go wake his brother Rhaegar right away. He gets out of bed and runs out of his room, down the corridor and down a flight of stairs. The Targaryen-Stark family all lived in the largest tower of the Red Keep, so he wasn’t far now. Running as fast as he could with Red behind him, he finally pounds on Rhaegar’s door. It only took a few seconds for Rhaegar to answer but Bharbo thought it felt like an eternity. Rhaegar looks down at his little brother and says “what’s wrong?” Bharbo enters the room. “I had a dream…a vision that there are a lot of pirate ships trying to attack Dragonstone. I think Talisa and Loras are in trouble” he said. Most people would assume Bharbo just had a nightmare but his family knew all to well that wasn’t the case. Bharbo had strong seeing abilities, and everything he has predicted has came true. Rhaegar doesn’t hesistate. He quickly gets dressed and grabs his new sword and shield. As Rhaegar is getting dressed, he says “go wake up Ned and tell him to meet me there as soon as possible. Then go wake up Tyrion and tell him what is going on.” Bharbo looks sad and says “but I want to come help too.” Rhaegar puts his arm on his little brothers shoulder and says “A Targaryen must always be in King’s Landing. Please go do as I say.” Rhaegar sprints out of the room and so does Bharbo. He goes and wakes up his other older brother Ned and he flys out of his bedroom in under a minute. Bharbo then makes his way to the Tower of the Hand and wakes Tyrion up to let him know what is happening. Tyrion looks frightened. He too gets dressed and whispered to his wife who was sitting upright in bed that he will be back and to wake up Sam and Gilly so they can watch over Bharbo. Bharbo felt cheated. He was the youngest but he was just as good as a fighter as the rest of his family. Deep down though, he did understand. He was the only Targaryen left in the City. If none of his family came back, he would be King, and then he suddenly felt very important, and anxious because he didn’t desire to rule. Though his dad taught him that they all must do their duty, and Bharbo was prepared to do his. Before Tyrion left the room, Bharbo noticed he grabbed an axe and a helmet from a trunk and stormed out of the room. Bharbo made his way down to the Throne Room and sat on the Iron Throne waiting for news. Red sat by him keeping him company. A few minutes later, Gilly and Sam both walk in asking about his vision, while trying to comfort him but also prepare him for the worst.
When Rhaegar made it down the steps of the tower, he noticed Red Roach and Andrew McClay were standing on guard in the main hall. Rhaegar said “come with me now, Dragonstone is being attacked.” They didn’t say anything, they just followed. Melody was standing guard outside the door and he said “Dragonstone is being attacked. Go guard Bharbo, I’m sure he is in the Throne Room waiting.” Melody nodded and ran in the direction of the Throne Room. Rhaegar, Red Roach, and Andrew all sprint towards the dragon pit. They were there in under 10 minutes, panting and out of breath. He talks to Balerion, Bharbo’s dragon, “I don’t know if you can understand me but could you fly to the top of the castle and protect it at all costs? I don’t know if any pirates will make it to the castle.” Somehow, he seemed to understand and he flew right out of the dragon pit and landed on top of the castle, staring out into Blackwater Bay. Rhaegar climbs on top of his dragon, Meraxes, and Red Roach and Andrew follow. Theyset off towards Dragonstone. Half way over Blackwater Bay, Rhaegar looks back and see’s that Grey Ghost is now in the air. Ned is on his way.
Tyrion heads down into the castles basement and exists out of the small entrance that opens onto the beach. Thankfully, a ship from the Royal Fleet was about to dock and panicked faces where jumping over the edge, presumably running up to warn the castle. Tyrion yells as loud as he can “we know! Get back to the boat and take me to Dragonstone!” They all look at him, pause, and climb back on the ship. Tyrion reaches the ladder and climbs up it as quickly as he can, while the ship is already setting off.
Rhaegar arrives to Dragonstone first. He can see Dusk, Talisa’s dragon, down on the beach spitting fire towards anyone who comes near her. Loras’ dragon, Mist, is flying over the steps up to the castle burning those trying to get in. The Royal Fleet began attacking all the pirate ships. There’s a lot of them. Rhaegar flys down low and yells to the lead ship to not let any of the pirates deep into Blackwater Bay and to protect the castle. They nod and fall back. Rhaegar flew back up into the air over open water passed Dragonstone. There were hundreds of ships. Rhaegar says “dracarys” and begins lighting all the ships up. Ned was arriving, and Rhaegar flew towards him. “Take care of all the ships!” he yelled towards Ned. “No problem!” Ned yelled back. Rhaegar needed to land and get in the castle to make sure Loras and Talisa were safe. He flys back down towards the beach and jumps off Meraxes so he can be caught in his claw. Meraxes flys Rhaegar up the long set of stairs and drops him off as close to the castle as he can, then Andrew and Red Roach jump off after him. “Go watch over the fleet and the castle, boy!” he told his dragon. Meraxes snarled in agreement and flys away. He looks are the two Royal Guard members with him and tells them to attack everyone on the beach and to not let anyone in the castle. They run off down the steps, killing anyone who is trying to get inside. Rhaegar pulls out his sword and shield and runs straight into the castle. He knew Loras and Talisa were good fighters, but he was worried that they might be over powered. Rhaegar visited the island often, so he knew Dragonstone as well as the Red Keep. He charged in and saw two pirates trying to steal a trunk filled with items. They didn’t hear Rhaegar coming, and he quickly shoved his sword in one of them and then he pulled out his dagger and cut the other mans throat. He proceeded forward, checking every room for Loras and Talisa. He killed four more pirates in the castle before stumbling across the throne room that was covered in dragonglass and new custom thrones for Aegon and Sansa. He saw Loras trying to fight off five men at once. While he was holding his ground, he would soon grow tired and lose the fight. Rhaegar charged into the small crowd, helping Loras defeat his opponents. It only took a few minutes for their victory. Rhaegar asks quickly “where is Talisa?” and Loras looking worried says “I am not sure, I think she was in her room. She just got back from dropping Benjin and Margaery off at Winterfell so she went upstairs to bathe and rest. Rhaegar was now fully panicking. He sprinted as hard as he could towards her quarters with Loras on his tail. On their journey, they had to kill six more pirates, and once they got close to Talisa’s room, they heard her screaming, which only made them run harder. The door was locked so Rhaegar rammed into it with his shoulder and knocked it down. The scene horrified him. Talisa was in a nightgown that was completely ripped. Her hair was still wet and her sword was just out of reach. There were three dead bodies on the ground, which Rhaegar assumed were her victims. She was being held down by two men and another one was trying to hold up her night gown and rape her, but her legs kept kicking him hard. Rhaegar was now furious. He charged at the man with his pants around his ankles and Loras went after the two who were holding her down. The man with his pants down saw Rhaegar coming and swung his fist so hard and hit him right in the chest. Rhaegar stumbled backwards. Talisa was able to get free. Rhaegar stood up and began sword fighting the man. Loras was working on his last opponent.
Meanwhile, outside, Tyrion finally got to the island. He saw Red Roach and Andrew fighting a large number of people on the beach and in the distance, Ned was setting fire to the fleet and making sure no one survived. Tyrion runs onto the beach with the crew members of the ship and start charging in all different directions. To Tyrion’s horror, Mist was caught in a large rope net and 8 people managed to swing rope around his mouth and hold it shut. Others where stabbing him relentlessly with spears and Mist was making sounds of pain. Red Roach and Andrew make their way over to the dragon in need. Dusk comes flying over and she lands next to Mist. The dragon though didn’t allow Red Roach or Andrew to help. Dragons didn’t let many people walk up to them unless their Mother or rider was there permitting them to. Red Roach was able to kill four people who were trying to wrangle Mist with ropes and Andrew was able to kill the others. Dusk was eating everyone who was stabbing him. Mist still had his mouth roped shut and still had a net over him. He was growling at everyone who tried to come near him now and was getting himself more tangled in the net. Tyrion knew that if he didn’t help this dragon, he would likely strangle himself. Tyrion took off his helmet and he walked slowly over to Mist. The dragon turned around and growled at him, just inches away from his face. Mist was as large as Viserion before he died. He kept growling but Tyrion proceeded forward. Tyrion always had a special connection with the dragons, ever since he met Daenarys in Meeren. Viserion and Rhaegal both allowed him to touch them without their Mother around. Drogon allows him to pet him, as well as a few others. There was one dragon, all gold, who really liked him. The dragon was small, but a full adult. He was half the size of what Viserion was, which Tyrion guessed was still rather large. A person could still ride him if they wanted. He often noticed this dragon flying above him when he traveled back and fourth to Casterly Rock, and when he was on the ground, he’d always let Tyrion pat him a few times or offer him food.
Tyrion told Mist, “I am trying to help you.” Mist growled again and locked eyes with his. He paused for a moment and then he bent down his neck to Tyrion’s level. Tyrion patted him on the head and began cutting away the net. As he pulled the last bit off, he went back towards his head. Tyrion began untying the thick rope that held it’s mouth shut. When Tyrion pulled the last layer off, Mist nudged him affectionately but did it so hard, Tyrion fell to the side. Mist took a look around really fast and then breathed a large jet of fire into the crowd. Red Roach and Andrew were out of the way already, and Mist kept spewing fire into the crowd until there was no one left standing. Mist tried walking a few steps but he kept limping. Tyrion got in front of his face again and said “why don’t you try going in the water? The salt water will clean out your wounds.” Mist started at him again, but ultimately he stumbled into the water and laid there for a while. Dusk began eating away at the corpses. “At least we won’t have to clean up the bodies” Andrew said. The three of them now went into the castle.
A few pirate ships were making their way into Blackwater Bay. Meraxes set fire to a few of them while the Royal Fleet were attacking them. Meraxes made his way to the castle and perched by Balerion. A ship of forty men landed on the shore and was making their way around to the main side door that led the main floor of the castle out to the Bay. Meraxes and Balerion swooped down and were able to stop a little more than half of them from getting in. Angry that some of them slipped by, Meraxes and Balerion roared so loud, it shook the castle.
Back in the Throne Room, Bharbo is still sitting on the Iron Throne with a sword in his hands. To his pleasure, Rhaenys direwolf Shadow, Rhaegar’s direwolf Rickon, Ned’s direwolf Tully, his Dad’s direwolf Ghost, and his Mother’s direwolf Lyanna, all came down to the Throne Room and sat protectively in front of him. Melody stood guarding the door while Sam and Gilly were nervously talking to each other. All of them felt the vibration and heard the roar of Balerion and Meraxes. The direwolves got to their feet and started growling at the door. Melody said “this is it!” and raised her sword. Bharbo thought she was one of the bravest people he known. She didn’t know what was coming behind that door, but she took the lead and held her sword steady. Sam raised his sword, shaking a bit, and Gilly pulled out two daggers and held one in each hand. The door to the Throne Room flys opened and Melody begins swinging her sword. Five direwolves run full speed towards the crowd coming in, some of them got scared and ran back out the room. Three of the direwolves went into the hall to chase them down. Red got into a defensive stance in front of Bharbo. In front of Red was Gilly. Bharbo looked over and saw Sam charge into the crowd. Bharbo has never seen Sam fight before, but his father told him some of the brave things that Sam did, like how he was the first one to kill a White Walker. Melody was struggling to keep up, when thankfully the other two Dothraki Royal Guard members came in and helped. Two people now made it passed the crowd and where charging towards Bharbo, Red, and Gilly. Gilly lunges at the first man and Red attacks the second. Bharbo holds up his sword now, ready just in case one of them makes it passed. Gilly was sliced badly on her leg and she fell. Sam was heard screaming “no!” Gilly was bleeding a lot. Fury built inside him. A little 11 year old boy, who looked a lot like his father, was in his first battle of his life. He was too young to kill, but he was now in a situation where he had no choice. He was angry that Gilly, who is almost like a second mom to all the kids, is now badly hurt. He needed the intruders to go away so Gilly could get help. More fury was building up in him. How dare they try to hurt his family and loved ones! They have no right! Bharbo was gripping his sword so tightly, his knuckles were white. The man coming towards him was injured from Gilly, but he still was strong. Bharbo breathed slow now, watching exactly what this man was doing. It was like slow motion now. The man was close enough for Bharbo to swing, so he pulled back his sword and as soon as he started swinging, time sped back up and his sword met the man neck perfectly. The exact spot Bharbo aimed for, he hit. His sword cut cleanly through and the mans head went rolling across the floor. Staring at it in disbelief for a moment, Bharbo stood there with his sword still held in the air. He couldn’t believe he killed someone. Not sure how he was feeling, he regained his focus because Gilly was moaning in pain. Red finished off his opponent and helped kill the last few men that were still standing. Bharbo rushed over to Gilly and fell to his knees examining the wound. She was losing a lot of blood. Bharbo remembered what Sam did one time when a person from flea bottom came knocking on the castle doors for help. He was ran over by a large wagon, who didn’t seen him walking on the street. The wheels cut him up pretty bad so Sam took a cloth an tied it tightly above the wound and then put pressure on the wound itself. So Bharbo took off his shirt and ripped it. He tied it tightly above the large gash in her leg and stuck his hand over the wound and pressed down hard. The bleeding seemed to slow down. All of the attackers are now dead and Sam runs over to Gilly. He pats Bharbo on the back for helping his wife. “She’s going to need stitches” Sam said. He scooped her up in his arms and said “Bharbo, can you walk with me to the healing wing and keep your hand firmly on her wound?” Bharbo nodded. As he walked with Sam and Gilly, the Royal Guards where nodding in approval for his act of bravery of killing the man who tried to attack him and for knowing what to do for Gilly. Melody said “I’m proud of you” softly as he passed her. When they exited the room, they began dragging the bodies outside for the dragons to eat. Bharbo followed Sam quietly to the healing wing. Once they got there, Sam was out of breath and relieved to lay his wife down on a table. Sam took a strip of rubber and added it above the cut on her leg for added pressure. Sam grabbed a bottle of alcohol that smelled very strong, a needle, and thread. He laced the large needle and poured alcohol all over it and his hands. Sam said “okay Bharbo, let go.” Bharbo did as he said and Sam poured the rest of the alcohol on her wound. She screamed in agony. He began to stitch her up. She was biting down hard and she had her hands in fists. After a few minutes, he was done and looked relieved. “Twenty-five stitches” Sam muttered. He grabbed clean rags and laid them over the wound, then wrapped the area with strips of cloth so the rags underneath would stay secure. Gilly sat up and hugged Sam for a few moments and then she turned to Bharbo and hugged him. “You were so brave” she said. She tried to hop off the table but she needed help from Sam. “Help take me to the kids” she said to him. Thankfully for Sam, their family’s living quarters were on the first level next to the healing wing. Gilly had her two children locked in hers and Sam’s bedroom.
Bharbo was now alone and didn’t know what to do. So he made his way back to the Throne Room.
Back inside Talisa Catelyn’s quarters on Dragonstone, Rhaegar finally had his sword to the large man’s throat. Loras killed the two men he was fighting. “Why did you come here?” Rhaegar said with a strong voice. The large man, now looking scared that his life is about to end, he said “the Shrouded Lord is taking over our lands. He’s turning more and more people into stone men everyday. The offerings we give them every month is not enough for him anymore. Now, a sorcerer has come to find him, and he does magic to change the stone men. The Shrouded Lord and the sorcerer wanted us to capture as many Targaryen’s we could find and their dragons if we could. If we brought him what he wanted, he would leave us alone for good.” Rhaegar asked “why did he want Targaryens?” The man answered “I don’t know. He never told us why. The only thing I know is that the sorcerer is from the land of Asshai and he’s doing magic on all the stone men.” Rhaegar almost sympathized and then remembered…”so that plan included rapping Talisa?” The man smiled and said, “no, I just thought she was pretty” and he held out his finger and caressed her cheek. Before Rhaegar could act, Talisa moved in front of the man and grabbed the blade of Rhaegar’s sword with both her hand and pushed it right into his throat. The man collapsed. Talisa stood there shaking, her nightgown torn, hands were bleeding, but she refused to cry. She turned into Rhaegar and hugged him. Loras rested his hand on her shoulder and kissed her cheek. No one even noticed Tyrion, Red Roach, and Andrew entered. “The Shrouded Lord?” Tyrion said. “He was supposed to be a myth” he finished. Loras said “well, apparently he’s not.” Tyrion stood there awkwardly for a second and said “Loras and Talisa, I want you to pack a bag and head to the Red Keep. You can stay there for the night. Red Roach, Andrew, and some members of the Royal Navy will make sure the castle is clear and cleaned up. They will guard here tonight.” Talisa and Loras didn’t argue, and everyone left the room besides Talisa and Rhaegar. Rhaegar was still holding on to her and he leaned down to kiss her forehead. He backed away from her and grabbed a robe for her to cover herself. He held it up and put it on her for her. “Come on, I’ll help you pack” he said. He went to her wardrobe and picked out a pair of pants and a top for her to wear on the ride over to the Red Keep. She went and found a large decorative bag and laid it on the bed. She still didn’t process what happened. She sat on her bed and stared at her bleeding hands while Rhaegar picked her out things to take. He packed a few dresses and night gowns and folded them before he put them in her bag. “That should be good. If I forgot anything, I’m sure Rhaenys and my mom wouldn’t mind you borrowing some things” Rhaegar said. “Do you need anything else packed?” he finished. She pointed to a few things around the room and he stuffed them in the bag. Talisa still sat motionless on the bed. Rhaegar laid the packed bag by the door and grabbed a towel that was by her bath tub. He kneeled on the ground in front of her and cleaned off her hands. Luckily, the cuts weren’t deep so they stopped bleeding. Once he was done, he said “I’ll step out and let you change, I’ll be right outside the door…” Talisa finally looked up at him and said “please don’t go.” Rhaegar didn’t. Instead, he helped Talisa stand up and turned around so he wasn’t facing her. He heard her take off the robe and the torn night gown and he handed her the pants he picked out without turning around and then the shirt. She didn’t say anything and nor did he, but when she seemed to be done dressing herself, she hugged him again but from the back. Rhaegar looked down and saw her hands on his stomach. He grabbed her hand and said, “It’s time to go.” She nodded and grabbed her sword and her bag.
Tyrion and Loras were already waiting for them in the entryway when they came down. Maids were already at work cleaning up the mess. They exited the castle together and walked down the long steps to the beach. Loras yelled “Mist!” when he saw him laying in the water. Grey Ghost was on the beach but Rhaegar didn’t see Ned. Tyrion tells Loras that his dragon will be okay, “they trapped him but I was able to let him out. He’s just cleaning himself in the water now. Though, he and Dusk should stay on the island to help guard it and so Mist can heal.” Loras still ran down the steps to his dragon to make sure he was okay. Tyrion, Talisa and Rhaegar finally get on to the beach and see three shadows walking towards them. It was Ned “those fuckers trapped their direwolves in a net too! I saw them struggling in something when I was flying back towards the island! Is everyone okay?” Rhaegar looked at Talisa quickly before answering and said “yeah, for the most part. Listen, we are leaving Mist and Dusk here. Can you give Loras and Tyrion a ride back home?” “Sure thing” Ned said. Ned walked over to Grey Ghost and mounted him, waiting for Loras and Tyrion. Tyrell ran over to Loras and licked his face a million times, and Loras gave him a big hug. Robbie came running over to Talisa and jumped on her, almost knocking her backwards but Rhaegar caught her. Robbie was very excited to see Talisa and she gave him a great hug. She patted him on the head and said “stay here and protect our home, I’m going to the Capital for a little.” Robbie cried. She patted his head and then kissed the top of his head. She walked away towards Meraxes who just landed back on the beach. Rhaegar patted Robbie too, and then set off towards Meraxes. On the half hour ride back, Talisa was holding on to Rhaegar again and he held onto one of her hands that was resting on his stomach. They got back to the Keep and both Meraxes and Grey Ghost landed on the large balcony that was behind the castle. Bharbo comes running out to meet them. As soon as they all dismount, Bharbo hugs Rhaegar and Ned, and then Talisa and Loras. Rhaegar fills Talisa and Loras in on how they knew about the attack and Talisa hugs Bharbo again. Bharbo then looks to his brothers and tells them about the attack they had here “…and I had to kill someone” he finished. Ned and Rhaegar lean down to him and Ned says “you didn’t have a choice, you either had to kill him or he was going to take you away.” Rhaegar said “you did a good job, everyone is alive and here because of you.” Bharbo smiled at this, filling like his dad would be proud of him for fulfilling his duty. Rhaegar faces Meraxes and says “Can you send a message to Drogon? That way my mom and dad will know what happened here in a few minutes time.” Meraxes snarled, a sound Rhaegar took as an agreement. They all enter the Throne Room that was already spotless and Rhaegar briefs the Royal Guards, Sam, and Bharbo on what he found out from the guy that tried to attack Talisa. Sam said “how is the sorcerer changing them? What is he changing them into?” “I am not sure,” Rhaegar said. They stayed and discussed some more about it but then everyone decided to go to sleep, as it was very late now. Bharbo and Ned walk in front of Talisa and Rhaegar on their way up to the Targaryen tower. Loras went to the the Tower of the Hand with Tyrion to stay in his extra room. Melody is now guarding the entrance to their tower. She says “I checked every room, it is safe to go up.” Rhaegar thanked her and then Bharbo went to his room and Ned went to his room. “I’m sure Rhaenys won’t mind if you take her room” Rhaegar said. Talisa had a strange look on her face and then asked “would you mind if I slept in your room tonight too?” Rhaegar looked surprised. He finally said “okay.” Talisa followed Rhaegar to his quarters. She shifted her weight and then she made her way to his bed and laid down on the right side. Rhaegar went over and laid down on the left side. Talisa broke the silence and said “I was just getting a bath because of the long flight and I heard some loud talking in the hallway leading up to my quarters. I hurried up and put on the night gown I had out and grabbed my sword. I was able to fight off the first few men, but then that large one threw me on the ground and his friends held down my arms. If you didn’t walk in when you would have…if he succeeded in what he wanted to do… I don’t know how to thank you enough.” Rhaegar turned to her and gave a half smile. He touched her face with his hand and kissed her forehead again. She gave a weak smile. They stayed up talking for a while longer and then Talisa fell asleep in Rhaegar’s arms. Rhaegar didn’t want to wake her, she he just laid still and fell asleep too.
Bharbo is wide awake. He is back to tossing and turning. He gets up out of bed for the second time that night and goes to Ned’s room. He knocks lightly and opens the door. Bharbo didn’t say anything but Ned seemed to know what was wrong. Ned said “come on, you can sleep in here tonight” and Ned scooted over. Bharbo feeling safe with his big brother, he fell asleep almost instantaneously.
——
Back in Vaes Dothrak, Rhaenys opens one of the glass doors for Zhowo and he asks her “can I come in?” and of course Rhaenys steps aside to allow him in. In the warm glow of her room, she stood there staring at him and he was staring at her. “Is there something wrong?” Rhaenys asked. He replied “I couldn’t fall asleep, I kept thinking about Rhaenys Targaryen.” Rhaenys smiled, she loved the way he said her name. Everyone in the house must be asleep right now so Rhaenys asked him to sit with the cushions and furs on the floor in front of the fire, and he did. “Would you like any ale or wine?” Rhaenys asked. “Wine” he said. She poured two goblets and sat in front of him, handing him his wine. Zhowo lifted his hand up and ran his fingers in through her hair. He said “you are so beautiful” but in the common tongue. “You can speak my language?” Rhaenys asked, very surprised. “Yes, but I am more comfortable in Dothraki. My mother wasn’t born Dothraki, so she taught me her words. She taught me some of the ways of her people also” Zhowo said. “Where is your mother from?” asked Rhaenys. “She is from a place where you come from. It is called Dorne. Her family always lived there. Once Khaleesi brought Dothraki to the different land, she met my father in his travels. He was trying to gain support for Khaleesi, and Khaleesi knew Dorne would stand with her, even with the Sand Snakes dead or missing. My mother, her name is Danella. She showed my father Dorne, but Khaleesi was calling everyone back to her to prepare for war. She had me shortly after. My mother then tried getting me to Dragon Rock…” Rhaenys laughed, “Dragonstone” she said. Zhowo continued, “she tried getting me to Dragonstone, unsure if my father would take care of her and me but she wanted to try. It took her a moon she said, to get to a place called Sharp Point from her house in Sandstone. She used all her coins to get someone to take her to Dragonstone on a boat. But many people around the city were scared of the Dragon Queen, not knowing who she was yet. It took her another moon to find someone who would take her. She said she remembers seeing two dragons flying over the island in the distance, though they only looked like small dots dancing in the sky. When she was getting closer to the island, she said she will never forget seeing how big the dragons were. She thought they were magic, that Khaleesi was magic. She pulled up onto the shore, and the boat left her right away. A Dothraki warrior came up to her and asked what she was doing there. Knowing some Dothraki, my mother asked for Aggo. Aggo was brought down to the beach and my mom said he looked surprised but pleased to see her. He was even more happy when he saw her carrying a son in her arms that looked like him. He took us to meet Khaleesi and my mother pledged her loyalty to her, as the Dornish people were always behind the Targaryen cause, even since Khaleesi was exiled as a baby. They hated the Baratheon’s and Lannister’s. Aggo asked if she could stay on the island with her. Khaleesi always had a heart for women and children so she agreed and gave a room for her, my father, and me to stay in. A year later, that’s when my mom said Jon came to meet Khaleesi for the first time and she remembers it well. In six moons, they left for Winterfell to fight the dead army, but Khaleesi let the young children and women who couldn’t fight stay on the island so they were safe. Khaleesi left them a ship to use in case the war didn’t end in her favor, and she made sure the women who stayed behind knew how to sail it. Another few moons pass and word was Khaleesi and Jon beat the dead army and they were marching on King’s Landing. All of us left were so happy and celebrated the night we heard. A fortnight later, we heard she found more dragons, and couldn’t believe it. Then she won. We heard all the dragons roaring all the way on the island. My father came back to Dragonstone and was happy to see I grew to be a strong 2 year old. My mom wasn’t sure if he would come back for her, as the Dothraki aren’t sentimental people, but he did and brought us here, to the Dothraki Sea. They lived a good life together. My father taught me how to be a strong Dothraki warrior while my mother taught me how to be a noble and kind man. When he died two years ago, she started traveling all over the Great Grass Sea. I still see her when she comes to visit. My father made me promise to serve Khaleesi well and the Targaryen name.” “I never knew that story, my mom has never told me” Rhaenys said. They go through a whole bottle of wine and stay up for a long time talking about their childhood. They lay down on the furs and face each other while they were talking back and fourth. After what Rhaenys assumed were several hours passed, she felt herself fall asleep. Part of her was still awake, but she couldn’t open her eyes. She felt a large and rough hand touch her cheek, and then strong arms where lifting her off the floor. She felt him breathing, felt his heartbeat, felt his arms touching her back and legs. She breathed in his scent. He was going up a few stairs and then she felt the comfort of her bed. He laid her down and covered her with a blanket. She was so tired, but then she felt soft and gentle lips touch hers for just a moment. He whispered “goodnight” in Dothraki and then she heard footsteps walking away. She smiled. Was this real? She opened her eyes a little and saw his silhouette disappear on the balcony. Part of her wished he would have stayed.
She drifted off into sleep and had the same dream Bharbo did, only this time, she was able to see the outcome and everything that happened. Bharbo saved everyone with the warning. Talisa was almost attacked. Mist was hurt. Rhaegar and Ned took back the island. Tyrion had a bond with Mist. Bharbo killed someone. The Shrouded Lord was getting strong with the help of the sorcerer who she saw in her previous visions.
Below, Dany shoots out of bed. Jon wakes up next to her. “What’s wrong?” Jon asked worryingly. Dany paused, waiting until she got all the information from Drogon. Drogon told her only what Meraxes knew and Dany said it out loud to Jon, “Bharbo had a vision Dragonstone was attacked and he was right. Rhaegar, Red Roach, and Andrew got to the island first, and then Ned and Grey Ghost. Meraxes flew back to the Red Keep and burned some ships that weren’t ours and tried to stop people from getting in the castle but he couldn’t get all of them. Rhaegar then called him back to Dragonstone and he saw that Loras’ dragon Mist was hurt but okay. Ned, Tyrion, and Loras flew back to the city on Grey Ghost and Rhaegar flew back with and upset looking Talisa on Meraxes. They are staying in the Red Keep together and it seems Red Roach, Andrew, and some fleet members stayed behind to guard the island and let Mist heal. Meraxes saw Bharbo when he landed behind the Keep and he looked okay. They’re all safe inside, but Meraxes is still perched on top of the castle guarding it.” Jon said “they were attacked?” Dany looked over at him and said “yes. The men looked like pirates, Meraxes showed Drogon a few images. I don’t know what they wanted, but at least they’re okay. I have to go wake up Sansa and Aegon.” “It’s still dark out, can’t you wait until the morning?” Jon asked. “Their son and daughter were involved and seemed shaken. They should know their home was under attack tonight.” Jon ultimately agreed and they both got dressed and headed across the hall to Aegon and Sansa’s room. Jon knocked on the door and a very sleepy Aegon answered it. “Why are you awake?” he asked. Dany passed him and went to the bed to wake up Sansa. Once they both were alert, Dany recites to them what happened. Sansa was asking questions Dany didn’t know the answer to. Sansa said “well we have to go home, Aegon.” “I wouldn’t blame you if you did. But Rhaegar ensured me everything was handled and everyone was safe. Red Roach is seeing after Dragonstone.” Aegon was upset “those bastards decide to attack when we aren’t there? Cowards,” he said with a shaky voice. He then turns to Sansa “if Talisa and Loras needed us home, they would have asked their dragons to talk to Drogon. They are safe and okay. We wouldn’t have anything to do if we got back. They seemed to have handled this horrible situation nicely themselves. Dragonstone is being guarded. The dragons and direwolves are alive. Our children are safe. That’s all we can ask for.” Sansa didn’t like it, but she agreed to stay. Jon and Dany say goodnight once more and head back to their room. Unsure if she will be able to fall back a sleep, Dany takes a small sip of milk of the poppy and lays back down in Jon’s arms. Across the hall, Sansa and Aegon did the same.”We raised strong kids. They’re okay” Jon said to Dany and they both closed their eyes. Dany then had a dream of the event. It wasn’t as clear and detailed as Rhaeny’s, but it filled in a lot of the missing pieces. Before Dany knew it, Rhaenys was over her parents bed waking them up. The sun was now out and Rhaenys said “something happened. Wake up!” Dany and Jon sit up and they said “we know” together. “You know? Rhaenys said. “Yes, Meraxes told Drogon and Drogon told me. Sansa and Aegon know too, we told them last night. When I fell back asleep, I saw more of the story” Dany said. Rhaenys chimmed in and said quickly “did you see Talisa almost getting rapped and Bharbo killing someone and Rhaegar killing a bunch of people and Ned burning hundreds of ships?” Dany looked a little taken back “some of that” she said. Jon now spoke “wait, Bharbo had to kill someone?” “Yes Rhaenys said. “Pirates came attacking because of the Shrouded Lord, that thing we saw in the Golden Fields is growing strong. The pirates in the area have always offered food and items in return for peace between them and the stone men, but it isn’t enough anymore. The Shrouded Lord now has a sorcerer doing magic on all the stone men…he’s changing them. They wanted as many Targaryens as the pirates could grab and a dragon or two in exchange for continued peace. The pirates not wanting to become stone men or leaving their home, rallied together for the task. All of them came. The Shrouded Lord didn’t know we were gone until he saw us last night, but he saw it as an opportunity to try to infect us. Luckily he was alone and everyone was awake. Otherwise we’d be stone men right now” she finished. Dany didn’t know what to say. Jon was the first one to speak and said “another impossible army. It’s not the army of the dead, but it’s the army of the infected.” Dany said “hopefully Volantis and the other surrounding Free-Cities can control them. They are not under Targaryen rule so I’m not going to sacrifice time, people, and my dragons in trying to fight them when we already have a battle coming up.” Jon said “I agree, we saw that melting them and hitting them with Valyrian steel didn’t work. I’m not going to go in fighting an army that I don’t know how to beat.” Dany looked back up to Rhaenys and said “go back upstairs and get ready for breakfast. We will see you in a little.” Rhaenys agreed and left the room to go back upstairs.
Shortly after Rhaenys sat down at her vanity, Izi comes walking in. “How’d you sleep?” Izi asked. Her feelings were mixed. She had a wonderful night with Zhowo, and he kissed her, but her family was attacked. Settling on “I’ve slept well,” Izi asked what Rhaenys wanted done to her hair. She told Izi and her hands began workin on her hair. Rhaenys decided to have the top half of her hair braided back into a half up/half down hair style. Izi incorporated a few random and different types of smaller braids throughout her hair, but the rest was left curly. Izi put a little oil in Rhaenys hair, so by the time Izi was done, her hair was left looking shiny and smooth. Izi walked over to her wardrobe and grabbed a dress. “Do you like this? I think it would look nice with your eyes and hair” she asked. Rhaenys looked at the dress. It was very lightweight and the color of pale lavender. It had a collar that would button around her neck, leaving her shoulders and arms exposed. There was some silver detailing on that dress too. It was very simple but very pretty. Rhaenys nodded and undressed. The dress had a wide open back, she noticed once it was on. Izi said “beautiful.” Rhaenys grabbed her silver dragon arm cuff and put it on. Then she put on a silver necklace that had a little wolf attached to the end of it. Her dad got her it for her 13th name day. Lastly, she laced up her sandals and was about to walk out when her mother and Aunt Sansa walked in. Izi bowed and said “Khaleesi.” “Izi, would you mind waiting for Rhaenys downstairs on the balcony? She will be there shortly” Dany said to her. Izi bowed again and left the room at once. “Rhaenys, could you please tell Sansa what happened to Talisa?” Rhaenys felt uncomfortable. She didn’t want to be the one to tell her Aunt what almost happened to her daughter. “Didn’t you see it?” Rhaenys asked Dany. Dany shook her head. “My visions aren’t as strong as yours and Bharbo’s. I saw Rhaegar fighting someone almost twice his size and I saw Talisa with cuts on her hands but that is it. Sansa is her mother and needs to know” she said. Rhaenys understood. They sat around the table in her room and Rhaenys begins to speak,” Talisa just got back to Dragonstone after flying Benjin and Margaery to Winterfell. She was tired from her flight so she went to her quarters and got a bath. That’s when the pirates landed on the island. Talisa heard commotion in the hall and got dressed fast and picked up her sword. She fought the first three men who came in and killed them. Then a large man and his friends over powered her…he was going to….to…” Rhaenys could not finish the sentence. But it seems like Sansa knew, as a few tears in her eyes appeared. “But he didn’t. Rhaegar and Loras came into the room just in time. Rhaegar got information out of him, and then Talisa pushed Rhaegar’s sword into the man. She’s okay, Rhaegar and Talisa are both asleep in his room. I have a feeling he won’t leave her side” Rhaenys finished. Sansa spoke next “with everything I went through with Ramsey…I just never wanted my daughters to go through what I did. I hope Benjin and Margaery get their own dragons one day. If Talisa wasn’t tired from flying, she would have fought her best…” Rhaenys didn’t know much of the story, other than Ramsey Bolton was a monster. But Dany knew. She put her hand on her arm and then pulled Sansa into a hug. Dany said “it didn’t happen though. She is safe. And you heard Bran, the ancient magic is changing for us, you never know.” Sansa nodded and then gave Rhaenys a hug. “Dany, I’d like to send a dragon to her. Can you call one?” Dany said “the playful one from yesterday is still downstairs. You can use Aggo. Can you attach this to him as well?” Sansa grabbed the scroll in Dany’s hand and went off to write her daughter a long letter. Dany and Rhaenys were alone now in her room. “So on a lighter note, I can see Zhowo is very interested in you” Daenarys said to her daughter. Rhaenys tried to pretend she didn’t know what she was talking about but then couldn’t hide her smile. Dany looked at her and smirked. “And I take it you’re interested in him?” Dany said. Rhaenys looked at her mom and nodded. “Well Zhowo is a fine young man. I’ve known him since he was a baby. If you want to pursue him, I want you to know, I approve. Even though your dad is protective and may act like he doesn’t like Zhowo, he does. You seem more alive here. You’re stronger here too, I think. I should have known at least one of my children would follow in my early footsteps. If Khal Drogo didn’t die, I’d be living here at least half the year most likely. This place always strangely felt more at home than Westeros, and I think you’ll feel the same” Dany said. “I do love it here. I always had dreams of rolling green hills and the mountains. I just never knew it was here. I also often dream of standing on a marble and limestone balcony overlooking a strange city, but I’m not sure what that is yet” said Rhaenys. Dany smiled and said “that would probably be Meeren. You’ll see soon enough. Come on, let’s go to breakfast with everyone.” Rhaenys examined her mother’s words. She did feel more grounded here, more joyful and powerful. But what does that mean? She was set to take the Iron Throne. “Maybe I have a different destiny” Rhaenys thought.
Everyone is down on the second balcony, including Izi, her mother’s handmaiden, and the general house handmaiden. They are all discussing about what happened last night and are hypothesizing about what it means. Rhaenys didn’t want to hear about it anymore, so she sat next to Izi and was making conversation about something else. After breakfast, Rhaenys tells her mother and father that she’s going into the market with Izi. Dany said “have fun, you might see me, your aunts, Missandei, and Octavia down there.” Rhaenys gave a half smile to her mom.
Izi led the way through the market. They shopped at a tent that sold perfumes and oils first, and then another one that sold items from beyond the Dothraki Sea and Qarth. They bought some fabrics and Rhaenys noticed Izi really liked the emerald green fabric with gold sequin’s on it but couldn’t get it. When she wasn’t paying attention, Rhaenys bought it for her. Two men delivered everything they bought to the house. Rhaenys then decided that she want to pay Dreamfyre a visit and show Izi her dragon. On the walk through the city, Rhaenys hoped she would see Zhowo but he was no where in sight. Once they got far enough away, Rhaenys called for Dreamfyre. Izi was eagerly looking up at the sky waiting to see a dragon. She’s never been able to get close to one before, let alone next to the largest dragons in the history. Just then, what looked like a small part of the sky started moving. Dreamfyre blended in perfectly with the blue sky above. Dreamfyre let out a roar and began her decent. She landed with a loud thud. Rhaenys spoke to Dreamfyre in her head and said “this is my friend Izi, be nice to her, and we protect her always, even if I’m not around.” Being the first head of the dragon, Rhaenys was able to make this specific request. Dreamfyre acknowledged her riders request. Rhaenys starts petting her head, and Izi looks into Dreamfyre’s bright green eyes. “Go ahead, I allow you to pet her” Rhaenys nudging Izi. She slowly reached out a hand and Dreamfyre sniffed it and brought her head to her hand. Izi was smiling so much. She was petting her head and then moved across the sides of her body that she could reach. When Izi circled her and came back to Rhaenys, she asked, “do you want to go for a ride?” Izi not nervous anymore, nodded her head eagerly. Rhaenys climbed on first and then helped Izi up. “Lay in the pocket here and hold on to a spike,” Rhaenys told her. Rhaenys tucked her dress under her bum, grabbed onto the reins and they were off. They flew high in the air for a little, but once Izi was comfortable enough, Rhaenys wanted to show off. She flew low over Vaes Dothrak and had Dreamfyre do a series of turns and even looped upside a few time. Coming out of a spin, Rhaenys saw Zhowo amongst the crowd staring up at her in awe. She waved at him and he waved back. He was standing next to her father who also waved back, smiling ear to ear watching his daughter. On the other side of her, she saw her mother, Sansa, Missandei, Arya, Yara, and Octavia in the market. Arya and Octavia were carefully examining bottles of poisons when Dany and Missandei both looked up and laughed. They looked at each other and ran off. Always wanting to have a bit of fun, her mother showed up on Drogon a few minutes later and Missandei was right behind her on Visenya. The riders let the dragons dance with one another, weaving in and out of each other doing a series of beautiful turns and flips. The dance of dragons was something the dragons did when they were with other dragons they liked and were happy. A lot of people described this dance as one of the most beautiful things you could ever see. The Dothraki were doing their battle cry again and watching in amazement. After a while, Rhaenys went back down to the ground and helped Izi get off. “That was the best thing I ever done!” Izi said with excitement. Dany and Missandei soon dismounted. They start to walk over to Rhaenys and Izi with their arms locked in each other’s and laughing. But before they could reach them, Zhowo walks over and hands Rhaenys a beautiful flower. It was a purple lily and Zhowo said “I saw it this morning and it reminded me of you.” Rhaenys was blushing, especially now since her mother and Missandei were walking by, staring and smiling right at her. Rhaenys locks eyes with her mom and Dany makes a hand gesture while mouthing “go on.” Izi takes the lily out of Rhaenys hand and weaved it in her hair. Then Izi said “I’ll let you two be alone, I’ll see you back at the house.” Rhaenys said “oh please don’t leave! Zhowo wouldn’t mind if you came along!” Zhowo spoke to her directly in Dothraki and said “join us.” Rhaenys walked side by side with Zhowo, letting him lead, and Izi walked a few steps behind them. Zhowo spoke in the common tongue this time and said “you look very beautiful.” She smiled up at him and thanked him. They walked over to a large opened area and Rhaenys saw people dancing, singing, and drinking around a large fire. “Are we celebrating something?” Rhaenys asked. He said “no, this is what we do everyday when we are not fighting anyone, training, or hunting.” Rhaenys thought it looked like fun. There were a series of platforms scattered around the area, with flowing drapery behind them. They were all different colors, with not one being the same. The platforms she learned that they were for people to sit on, mostly high born Dothraki who were relaxing in the sun, drinking, and watching the crowd. There was a group of people on the ground playing instruments and it was a very interesting beat. The music she heard in King’s Landing was dull. This music made her want to dance along with everyone else. Some kids were jumping off rocks into the lake next to the scene. Rhaenys followed Zhowo to the highest platform and they sat. A few of his friends came over to introduce themselves and engage in conversation. One of his friends, Cavo, is also a Ko, and is a year older than Zhowo. He sat with them for a long time, trying to win the attention of Izi, but she was oblivious. The sun was getting lower in the sky and Jamie, Octavia, Brienne, Tormund, Gendry, Meera, Arya, Yara, Missandei, Grey Worm, Sansa, Aegon, Dany, and Jon all make their way over to the crowd. Tormund and Brienne decided to sit affectionately on a blanket they brought out and began drinking with a few Dothraki people Tormund made friends with. Jon and Aegon sit side-by-side on the platform, talking, and Dany sits in between Jon’s legs, leaning back on his chest, and Sansa does the same with Aegon. Sansa seemed happier than she was this morning. Grey Worm and Missandei are sitting close to each other and Grey Worm has his arm around Missandei’s waist. Jamie and Octavia are laughing with Gendry and Meera, and Arya and Yara are sitting next to Missandei and Grey Worm, talking to them. Everyone was drinking a lot, even Missandei and Grey Worm. Their whole area was filled with lively conversation and hearty laughter. Rhaenys was the first one to get up. The music was heavier and she had to dance. She went over and pulled her mom up, who she knew would dance with her. Then Dany pulled Sansa up and the three of them dance together. Rhaenys pulls on Izi’s arm to come join. It took her a minute, but she went with Rhaenys. Izi turned out to be the best dancer in the group, drawing Cavo’s attention again. Sansa went over and pulled a drunk Missandei up, and she didn’t even hesitate. Rhaenys caught a glimpse of Tormund dancing very dorky, trying to seduce Brienne but she was laughing so hard, she was clutching her stomach. Tormund kept going anyways, he liked hearing his big lady laugh. Yara was mimicking Tormund, which in turn made Arya roll on the ground in laughter. Octavia dragged Jamie out with them to dance, and to everyone’s surprise, Jamie wasn’t a bad dancer, and he continued dancing happily next to Octavia, who he pulled in to kiss every so often. Rhaenys heard Meera finally say “screw it, I’m dancing too” and she jumped off the platform and joined their crowd. Zhowo’s eyes never left Rhaenys. He was smiling so big, even showing his teeth, which was a rare thing indeed for a Dothraki solider, but he didn’t seem to care. Jon, Aegon, Gendry, and Grey Worm sat smiling and watching the women they love dance and have fun. They ate food in between dances and when it was dark enough, Dany said she was going to hatch the dragon eggs Drogon and Rhaegal found. A pyre was already built for her, and she put on her crown to protect her hair and clothes. Some of the crowd died down, but everyone that was left was now watching their Khaleesi. Jon lit the fire and Dany walked right into the middle of the flames. Jon and Rhaenys put on their crowns that Dany brought down for them and walked in and out of the fire, placing the eggs evenly around their Mother. With the last one, Rhaenys said goodnight to her mom while they were both in the flames. She noticed Jon was getting down to sit by Dany and he said loudly over the flames “your mom has done this so many times, it can get boring staying out here all night alone!” Rhaenys laughed and said goodnight to her dad and then walked out of the flames, completely unburnt and clothes still intact. Zhowo and Izi gapped at her. Sansa called Rhaenys and said “come on, your mom put me in charge of you tonight. Time to get up to your room.” Rhaenys nodded. Zhowo leaned down and said “Goodnight, princess” in her language. Then Rhaenys asked him in Dothraki if she will see him again tonight. He winked at her and walked off with Cavo.
Rhaenys gets up to her room and everything she bought in the market was there. Izi was behind her and Rhaenys almost forgot. She picked up the emerald green and gold fabric and handed it to Izi. “I got this for you. I noticed you liked it.” Izi stared at it with her mouth wide open. “Oh but Rhaenys, it’s to expensive. I cannot accept this…” “I would be upset if you didn’t accept it. Here. Make yourself a new pretty dress. Make Cavo drop to his knees next time he see’s you” Rhaenys said. Izi looked confused, “who?” she said. “Cavo. Zhowo’s friend. The other Ko. He couldn’t stop trying to get your attention all night” said Rhaenys. Izi smiled like she couldn’t believe it. “I had no idea,” Izi said. “Thank you. Do you need help with anything tonight?” Izi finished. Rhaenys told her that she had everything under control, as she wanted to get ready to see Zhowo. Izi walked out the door and said “have fun with Zhowo tonight” and smiled again before she shut it. Rhaenys laughed and started getting ready.
In the hallway, Izi ran into Missandei. Izi smiled politely and Missandei said “can I tell you something?” Izi turned around, accepting the invitation to speak. “You’re free here, I hope you know that. Working for the Targaryen’s was never work for me, Khaleesi chose me to be her best friend. I know it’s hard to accept all their acts of kindness as just that, with no other expectations, but that’s all they are. Acts of kindness.” Izi looked at her and said “what do you mean, Khaleesi chose you to be her best friend?” Missandei speaks, “she freed me. I was a slave and translator for horrible masters in what was once Slaver’s Bay. Daenarys came looking to purchase Unsullied for her army and she decided to purchase me too. She is smart. She tricked the master’s and set them on fire. Her first order to us was ‘you are free now, you may go if you wish, or you can fight for me. No harm will come to you if you choose to go. If you chose to stay, kill the masters, free all the slaves, and hurt no child.’ No one left. Everyone stayed and fought next to her. We stayed by her side through many battles and two of the greatest wars in history. She allowed me to council her. Someone who was formerly a slave, she let council her. She asked of my opinion and listened to it, and her and I grew into really close friends in the journey. We even call each other sisters. She saw a young girl in a collar being ordered around by men and wanted her to be a friend to talk to. She clothed me. She gave me a home. She gave me a family. I fought by her side. She walked me down the aisle at my wedding. At the end of the war, she gave me Highgarden and made me Warden of the West. Now I am a large noble House in Westeros and have my own dragon. Grey Worm and I have 12 kids. Everything I have is because of her. She never had to give me anything. I was just always being a good friend. Her and I are still very close and even fall asleep in the same bed sometimes because we stayed up talking so late. The Targaryen’s don’t ask for much, they only ask for loyalty and a good friendship, and I hope you will give that to Rhaenys. She has a large family and some good friends from other noble houses, but she’s never had a best friend. Daenarys is the Queen we all chose and still continue to choose. I hope Rhaenys will become the Queen you stand behind and council one day.” Izi didn’t know what to say. There was silence and Missandei spoke again “goodnight, Izi. Start having….fun.” Izi walked downstairs to the large decorated basement and began sewing herself a dress.
——
“A dragon as arrived for you and Talisa,” Sam said walking out to the patio where Talisa and Rhaegar both were enjoying the breeze and some tea. Rhaegar see’s that it’s his mother and fathers seal and Talisa see’s her mother and fathers seal.
Rhaegar read his and it said:
“Rhaegar,
You’re father and I are so proud of you for what you did for Dragonstone, our home, and for Talisa. We do hope they are doing okay. Make sure they know they can stay with you and your brothers as long as they would like.
We are going into battle in just under a fortnight. There is a plan of attack set on Dragon’s Bay, and I must protect what I fought for. We will be home afterwards, and we can’t wait to see you and your brothers again. Your father and I miss all of you. Keep in contact with Winterfell, we want to ensure that Benjin and Margaery are doing well.
I have some good news, and news that may be surprising. During Rhaenys ceremony, we found out you will be the second head of the dragon. I don’t know who the third is, but we know it’s not Ned. Please tell him gently. He is destined to be on another great path, and I know it. Now for the surprising news. I think your sister is going to want to stay in Essos. She doesn’t know it yet but I can see it on her face. She is so happy here with the Dothraki and I know she will love Meereen. I should have known a long time ago. I am happy in a way, because maybe she will be able to finish what I started and free all of the slaves in Essos and get all the cities under Targaryen rule. You Rhaegar, have been chosen by your father, myself, and the dragons to be the next in line for the Iron Throne. You will be King of the 7 Kingdoms in the years to come. Don’t say anything to Rhaenys yet if you write her, I want her to figure out she wants to stay on her own. When we return, your father and I will take you to Valyria so you can do your ceremony. Once yours is complete, we should know who the third dragon is. I am eager to find out. The old prophecy said that the three heads of the dragon will rule the world. With your sister being the Queen of Essos and you being the King of Westeros, I couldn’t ask for a better dream. Tell Tyrion and Sam to begin your lessons at once, and I want you to hold a city briefing that is open to anyone who has questions about what happened. People were bound to see and hear the commotion happening in the bay. Be as honest as you can with them.
If you have any questions, you can write me back any time. The dragons always know where to find me.
Love,
Queen Daenarys Targaryen and King Jon Stark (mom and dad)
”
Rhaegar looked up in shock. Then turned to Talisa who had a few tears running down her cheek. “What’s wrong?” Rhaegar asked. “Nothing, my mom and dad are just really sweet” Talisa said, folding the note back up and holding on to it. “What did yours say?” she asked Rhaegar.
Part III coming soon.
Some cool fan art I found. Dany and Jon in updated armor and a fan art of Rhaenys ♥️🐉 I did not make these, I just want to use them to add visuals to my story. I don’t know who made them, just found them on the internet.
Character timeline
It’s been 16 years since the Targaryen-Stark victory. Jon and Dany are both just as good looking at 40 as they were at 24, some would argue their looks only got better. Eddard, Rhaenys, and Rhaegar were approaching their 16th birthday, Rhaella is 13 and Bharbo is 11. Sansa is now 36 and her husband Aegon is 40. Benjin, their eldest son is 16. Talisa Catelyn, their eldest daughter, is 15. Their youngest son, Loras, is 12, and their youngest daughter, Margaery is 10. Jaime is 56 years old and his wife Octavia is 48. Their daughter, Lelia is 13 and their son Lann is 12. Tyrion is 49 and is wife Alyssa is 45. Corlos, their son, is 14 and their daughter Joanna is 13. Gendry is 39 and Meera is 38. Their daughter Cella is 14 and their son Jojen is 12. Arya is 34 and Yara is 45. Ellaria is 55 years old, Pod is 36, and their twin daughters, Irogenia and Mysaria, are 14. Brienne is 56 and Tormund is 58. Their children are 15, 14, 13, 12, and Ygritte, the youngest, is 11.
Part 1
Six years ago, Drogon told Daenerys that Rhaenys was to bring Dreamfyre to the volcano in Old Valyria, as she was destined to be the first head of the dragon for her generation. Since then, Daenerys and Jon have been preparing Rhaenys to take the Iron Throne after they were ready to step down from their position. Rhaenys was ready to do her duty and did everything her parents asked her to do. She attended school like the rest of the high born children, but also had lessons with Sam twice a week about history or medicine. She had lessons with Daenerys a few times a week to learn Valyrian and Dothraki. Jon and Dany would take turns giving her combat lessons, and during busy parts of the year, Rhaenys would be allowed to fly to Highgarden with her sister Rhaella, and sometimes the other children, to attend Grey Worm’s lessons. Of course they all would go twice a year as a family for fun–they all enjoyed combat and learning about different types of weapons. She would sit in on all the council meetings and when Jon and Dany would let the public enter the Throne Room to express any concerns, Rhaenys would sit in the middle of their two thrones on a little steel throne that they made just for her. When she was younger, she’d just sit on her dads lap. Her small throne had dragons and direwolves engraved all over it. When she was 12, she gave names to all of them.
She was busy, but she loved it. She did have a good amount of free time to be a simple kid and play with her siblings, cousins, and friends. She loved her mother very much, and would often be seen chasing her around in the halls in the morning–sometimes on the shoulders of Jon. But as Rhaenys got older, she realized she was the most free running barefoot in the Kingswood or on the back of Shadow. She loved riding Dreamfyre along side her family members but she wasn’t allowed to fly anywhere alone. Her parents agreed when the triplets turned 16, they could explore as much as they wished.
Growing up, Rhaenys loved playing with Jamie and Octavia Lannister’s children almost every evening after dinner. She was thrilled when her cousins and Aunt Sansa and Uncle Aegon visited, but she especially loved visiting them on Dragonstone. She didn’t like going to Winterfell that much because she found it to be to cold, even when wearing her mother’s old winter coats. She also really liked when Uncle Gendry and Aunt Meera would visit with their children. Storms End and Kings Landing where fairly close together, so they saw each other all the time. All of Dany and Jon’s children referred to Gendry and Meera as Uncle and Aunt, and their children called Dany and Jon Aunt and Uncle. When Missandei and Greyworm’s family would come, they’d always have the best picnic’s and play the best games. Rhaenys wanted a best friend like Missandei. Sometimes she’d find her mother and Missandei sleeping on the big couch in one of the sitting rooms because they were up all night talking. When Tormund and Brienne’s family came, they’d go on hunting trips or adventures into the Kingswood. When Tyrion’s children came to visit, they all would go fishing and read magical stories to each other. Ellaria and Pod would visit sometimes and their children would show them how to use a whip in combat or teach them about potions.
All the children grew up knowing that they’ll all probably get married to someone in this elite group, but they were okay with it. All of them mostly got along and relationships were never forced on them, even after the oldest girls started bleeding. Dany, Meera, Brienne, Sansa, Missandei, and Ellaria agreed to not arrange any marriages until their daughters were at least 18 and approved of the match. Dany didn’t want her daughters to go through what she did at such a young age. While she got lucky with Khal Drogo, and she did love him, growing up knowing you’re going to be pawned off to some stranger was a feeling she didn’t want any of the young girls in her life to experience. After everything Sansa been through, she quickly agreed.
Rhaenys always felt a little different than her brothers Ned and Rhaegar though. She would always feel this strange desire to be somewhere else. When her brother Bharbo got a bit older, she saw it in him too. She would see it in her mother when they flew together and would visit the Free-Cities in Essos. Dany didn’t want to show them Dragon’s Bay yet or the Dothraki Sea until they were older. Rhaenys didn’t ever want to speak of this with her mother and father because she knew she was the first head of the dragon and she knew someday she had to be queen of the 7 kingdoms. She loved them very much and didn’t want to disappoint them.
All of the Targaryen-Stark children had “the sight” but Rhaenys and Bharbo’s were the strongest, even stronger than Daenerys’. Bharbo was more vocal about his visions but Rhaenys decided to keep her’s to herself. Daenerys and Jon wouldn’t realize how strong her visions were until later. Rhaenys would have dreams almost every night of diving deep into a volcano, standing on a balcony made of stone and marble overlooking a strange city, or riding on the back of Shadow in a wide open field that is all of green grass, or on the back of Dreamfyre riding above it. These dreams would make her so happy, sometimes she’d wake up crying.
——
Daenerys and Jon were planning a big name-day celebration for their three oldest children. They’d always do something for their name-day but nothing as big as this event. This was the day that marked them as adults and the day where Rhaenys will get to take Dreamfyre on a special trip with her parents, Drogon, and Rhaegal, and the day where they’ll figure out who the second and third head of the dragon will be. It is the day, the dragons believe, that they are ready to accept the responsibilities of being a head of the dragon. The three heads of the dragon are meant to rule the world together.
Everyone was so excited for this day to come. The greatest people from all over the Realm will be there in one city at the same time. Dany has everything set up in the courtyard and gardens. There were decorations, jester’s, bards, and dancers everywhere. She does a final walk around to ensure everything was perfect when Jon sneaks up behind her quietly and wraps his arms around her. Dany jumps and says “I hate when you sneak up behind me like that!” and playfully hits him on the shoulder. “I can’t help it! I haven’t seen you all day. I saw your silver hair walking through the gardens from our balcony and I had to come down here to say good morning to my Queen” Jon replied. Dany smiles up at him, grabs both of his hips, and steps closer to him. “I love how even after all this time you still make it a point to be romantic” says Dany. Jon leans down to kiss Dany and after a few seconds, they hear “yuck!” and “gross, Dad!” coming from their five kids. “I told you to not come into the gardens until it was time!” Dany said. Just then, they see two dragons fly ahead. Olenna and Valyria–Sansa and Aegon’s dragons. On the back, you were able to see long, flowing orange hair in the wind on the back of Olenna as well as two little girls waving their hands down at them. On the back of Valyria, you could see a muscular man with shiny silver hair and two little boys waving down at them. The Targaryen-Stark children giggled and Jon says “why don’t you go meet them at the Dragon Pit? Aunt Arya and Aunt Yara should be arriving any minute now too…” and sure enough, Syrio is spotted in the distance. All the kids run off towards the Dragon Pit. “Well that will buy us some time” Dany says looking back up at Jon. He smiles down at her and continues to kiss her for a few moments. “Ellaria, Pod and their daughters and the Giantsbane family should be arriving soon, we should get them settled into their rooms…” Dany began to say. “Tyrion, Sam, and Gilly are waiting for them, there’s no need to rush” said Jon. “Missandei, Greyworm, and their kids arrived last night. With everyone here, we shouldn’t be gone very long” says Dany. “They can wait for a little” smirked Jon. Dany smiles at him and loops her arm in his and they take a walk in the garden together.
Rhaenys was the first one to arrive at the Dragon Pit, shortly followed by Bharbo. They were the fastest of their siblings. Rhaenys pounced on Sansa and Bharbo pounced on Aegon. Sansa and Aegon laughed as they switched to exchange a hug with the other person. As they were greeting their cousins, the rest of Dany and Jon’s kids arrive. When they were done greeting each other, that’s when Syrio landed with Arya and Yara. Before they had the chance to climb down, all nine kids now where climbing up Syrio and jumping on Arya and Yara. All of the kids loved them very much, especially young Rhaella and Margaery, who rode on their backs the whole walk up to the castle. “Where is Jon and Daenerys?” Aegon asked the kids. “They’re taking a walk in the garden and being gross!” Bharbo said. “Yuck!” Rhaella chimes in. Aegon laughs and asks “What are they doing that’s gross?” “They’re just kissing, don’t pay attention to them” said Rhaenys as she shoved Bharbo’s face aside. “They will be back up soon,” said Rhaegar. Tyrion, Sam, and Gilly meet them in the entrance. Sam leads Arya and Yara to their quarters and of course, Rhaella follows. Gilly leads Sansa and Aegon to their quarters. When Sansa’s family grew, Gilly was in charge of fixing them their own quarters which would comfortably fit their whole family. She had to do it with the Giantsbane and Summer family quarters too. Each visiting family had their own tower in the Red Keep, after all, the castle was huge. The families got settled in, washed up, and took a rest, as they all agreed to stay in the Capitol for a few days. When Tyrion and Sam came back down, the Giantsbane family arrived and was escorted to their tower by Sam. An hour later, Tyrion escorted Ellaria and her family to their smaller tower.
The early morning passes and Dany and Jon are still having their morning together when Rhaenys comes to find them. “Mom, Dad…it’s almost time to eat breakfast with everyone!” Rhaenys said. “You’re right, come on Jon, time to see our friends” Dany said. Rhaenys walks in the middle of them and she locks her right arm with her mothers and her left arm with her fathers. When they get out of the gardens and are about to enter the castle, Rhaenys stops and looks worried. “What’s wrong?” Jon said. Dany turns to face her daughter. “I–I am just a little nervous for the next few days. It will be the longest flight I ever took… and going into the volcano with Dreamfyre, what if something happens when we are there? What if we get attacked like you did when you went with Drogon?” Rhaenys said in a panic. Dany locked eyes with Rhaenys and said “myself, your father, Drogon, and Rhaegal will be with you the entire time. We all went through the ceremony. We won’t let anything bad happen to you.” Rhaenys smiled and Dany gave her a hug while Jon rested his hand upon her shoulder. The three of them walk in to the dining hall to have breakfast with their family and friends, but Rhaenys still couldn’t shake the bad feeling.
When they enter, Dany and Missandei hug tightly. They were up all hours of the night yesterday talking, but they are always happy to see each other. Arya runs over to Jon and hugs him. He lifts her up into the air and squeezes. Dany then hugs Grey Worm who is right next to Missandei. Jon greets Tormund and Brienne. Dany greets Sansa who is also next to Missandei and then Aegon. Jamie and Octavia join with their children as well as Sam, Gilly, and their two kids. They all exchange pleasantries before seating. There are nearly three dozen children in the hall and Dany says hello to all of them and they all pile on top of her to give her a hug. This makes her laugh so hard, her cheeks hurt. Dany loves when all of them are together. She loves all of her dragons, but she especially loves all of the children.
Rhaenys, Ned, and Rhaegar were always in charge of the childrens group. They normally sat together at the head of the table but lately they started to separate. Rhaegar and Talisa Catelyn seemed to grow fond of each other and wouldn’t leave each other’s side. Ned sat by Cella, who he admitted to his brother Rhaegar, was the most beautiful girl he ever seen. A lot of the boys liked Rhaenys, and it wasn’t hard to see why. She was the smartest and bravest out of all of them, a great fighter, and a beauty. Her shiny silver hair reached her lower back and had the most beautiful waves in it. She usually had some intricate braid in it but sometimes she would have it all down. Her eyes were the brightest shade of purple like her mothers. She had full lips, a full chest, a small waist, and full hips. Her arms and shoulders were defined with strong muscle. She had a lot of suitors, even outside her elite group of friends.
She would sit by Michael, one of Missandei’s adoptive kids, and Lann, who she thought would be her best options for marriage. Michael was very adventurous like her and they enjoyed each other’s company for that reason. She liked Lann too, he was big and strong, who seemed to have a soft spot for Rhaenys. She wasn’t sure if she could ever love them, but she knew she wouldn’t mind being around them for long periods of time. Their whole table is very loud as they all catch up with each other and have many conversations going across the table.
Dany sits in between her best friends, Missandei and Sansa. Arya, Yara, and Ellaria sit across from them. They are all smiling having a great conversation. Jon sits in between Tormund and his brother Aegon with Gendry, Meera, and Pod on the other side. Tormund is of course sharing stories and they are all laughing. In the middle of breakfast, Daario walks in and his two kids run to join the rest of the group. Dany gets up to embrace and greet him. He still looks at her like she’s the greatest thing he’s ever seen. “Where’s your wife?” Dany asked. “She needed to stay back in Meereen for business. Which by the way I need to talk to you about” Daario said looking very worried. “What’s wrong?” Dany replied. Daario leads Dany out into the hallway. Jon and Rhaenys were the first to look, knowing something was wrong. Then Missandei and Sansa. Rhaenys closes her eyes for a moment and sees smoke and a group of five people dressed in odd clothing. They each wore strange hexagonal patterns on their clothing, but the oddest thing was that their hands were glowing, almost like they were doing magic. Rhaenys shutters and opens her eyes. Bharbo looks at her like he understands. He was having dreams of getting trapped in a smokey place, but he never saw people. Rhaenys gets up and makes her way to the hall. Jon didn’t want to cause suspicion so he remained seated, figuring Dany would tell him later. Missandei and Sansa question what it could be as they see Rhaenys leave.
Daario starts talking to Dany “we have been having some issues across seas and they’re beginning to cause some problems. Dragon’s Bay is fine but our neighboring cities of Mantarys and Tolos are being trouble. You know they never were behind you when fighting for Dragon’s Bay, but after your victory, they stayed quiet for some time. Recently though, they have been gaining strength…” Daario looks across Dany’s shoulder and sees Rhaenys. Dany follows Daario’s eyes and turns around. “Come on, you should probably hear this too” Dany says and gestures her to come over. “She’s always been your shadow” Daario says and smiles. He continued “like I was saying, Mantarys and Tolos have been gaining strength. They are enslaving twice the number of people than before and have been developing their own type of Unsullied. This has been nearly 20 years in the making as we recently found out. Their numbers are very high.” Rhaenys opens her mouth before Dany could, “What do you think they are planning to do?” Daario answers “I don’t know, but Essos is much larger than Westeros, they have the numbers and training that should cause us some alarm. I think they want to attack Dragon’s Bay and the Dothraki. They want to restore Dragon’s Bay into Slaver’s Bay and they’ve always hated the Dothraki, even though, I must say, they have been on good behavior these last two decades. They don’t raid and rape anymore thanks to their Khaleesi.” Dany says “do they not know I have an entire Khallesar, Unsullied Army, a massive fleet, the Second Sons, this entire country, more dragons than I can count, and with Arya, at least 50 direwolves? They really can’t believe they can take us on…” Rhaenys chimes in “how do we put a stop to their forces?” Dany says “I’m not sure. I know they don’t want to talk, it’s never been their way. I don’t want to burn their cities unless it’s absolutely necessary. I don’t want to just show up either without knowing exactly what they have planned. I think the best move for right now is to send spies in to gather numbers and information.”
“Iliana is on it. She’s going over strategy with the spies I hand picked myself and are sending them in. One of which is an Unsullied who is undoubtedly loyal to you. We are going to try to get him into their version of the Unsullied army.”
“Then all we can do is wait” Daenerys said. “Have you heard anything about….” Rhaenys started to say but paused because she was nervous to say. Dany turned to her and she had Daario’s full attention. She continued, “have you heard anything about a problem with sorcerers?” Dany looks at her confused and Daario answers with “No, I have not. Why do you ask?” Rhaenys says “I’ve been having these visions of 5 sorcerers walking in smoke and I think they’re trouble.” Dany says “since when do you have visions? I thought Bharbo and I were the only ones.” “I’ve always had them, but recently they’ve become more vivid and specific” Rhaenys responded. Dany said “I’ve been dreaming of bright flashes and melted rock and Bharbo has been seeing smoke. I wonder what that means.” Daario says “do you remember what they looked like?”
“They were wearing strange hexagonal patterns and their hands were glowing” said Rhaenys.
“That makes me think of the city of Asshai. They’re known for that sort of pattern and they practice magic. But we haven’t had any problems with them. They stick to themself for the most part” Daario said. “Our Targaryen ancestors predicted the Doom of Valyria hundreds of years in advance and that’s what caused them to flee to Dragonstone. Maybe these visions are trying to tell us of an event far into the future?” Dany said in response. “Yeah, maybe” says Rhaenys, not entirely sure. Dany finishes and says “alright, let’s go finish breakfast. Everyone will need to start getting ready for the party soon.” The three of them walk back to the dining hall and Daario stops Rhaenys. “Happy Birthday, Rhaen” Daario said and kissing her cheek. He pulls out a present from his satchel and hands it to her. “Thank you” she said grinning, “shouldn’t I wait until the party to open this?” “I won’t tell if you won’t,” said Daario. Rhaenys opens the gift and it was a beautiful new dress. Rhaenys loves the clothes from across the sea. They were so different than the ones made over here. It was a silver gown that almost matched the color of her hair. It would tie around her neck, leaving her arms exposed. There was a red band across the waist with a scaley pattern. It was so exotic looking and she loved it. She hugged Daario and told him she was going to wear it to the party this evening.
Breakfast ends and the adults dismiss their children. Dany asks for her table to stay behind. She fills them in on the situation in the East and it puts everyone on edge. Another war? After 16 years of peace, another potential war surprised all of them. They all agreed to let the spies gather intel before doing anything rash. “I could start sailing the Royal and Iron Fleet to Dragon’s Bay” Yara said to the table. “It will take months for you to get there by ship, even with the new contraptions Sam invented…what were they? Motors? Yes. Besides the attack could happen any day. If something were to happen, this would have to be something myself, Drogon, Jon, Rhaegal, Rhaenys, Dreamfyre, Missandei, Grey Worm, Visenya, Arya, yourself, Syrio, Sansa, Olenna, Aegon, and Valyria will have to handle ourselves with maybe a few more dragons. It’s the only way we could get there fast enough. There was a consensus around the table in agreement until Brienne said “I will go.” Tormund said “aye, if my big lady goes, I’m going too.” Gendry and Meera said “we’re going.” Octavia said “us too” and looked at Jamie. “Prepare to leave at a moments notice. And thank you. As always, Tyrion, you will be in charge in our absence and Red Roach will help prepare the Royal Army as a precaution, as they haven’t seen real combat in 16 years,” Dany thinking back to their visions, “Ellaria, see if you can make headway on any new poisons. Might come in handy.” Ellaria responses “of course, my Queen.” “Sansa, send a dragon to Sandor and fill him in. Tell him he’s to be in Winterfell in your absence. There will be a dragon flying near your tower to use.” Dany finished. Dany and her powerful friends didn’t use ravens anymore. Dany had so many dragons with different personalities. Some of them were elusive and free spirited and some of them wanted riders and to be flown for a purpose. It was more effective to send a dragon, in most cases, the letter could arrive in just 2-3 days. Jon sent a letter to Castle Black too. Castle Black was still used for a group of people who were mostly criminals. Only now their job was to monitor the people crossing the Wall and ensuring the peace between all the Wildling clans and the peace between them and everyone south of the Wall. When Viserion broke the wall by Eastwatch by the Sea, they left it open so people could easily cross through. Another one of Castle Black’s jobs was to create a road that connects to the King’s Road and goes behind the Wall. Some other roads were created beyond the Wall that went to Hardhome, Fists of the First Men, and a few other high travel spots. They were also in charge of the memorial for all the lives that were lost during the war against the Night King. It was a huge pyre that always stayed lit. Many people in the North would come to visit this memorial to pay their respects and tell stories to their children.
Dany was very thankful that all her friends and family were willing to travel overseas with her. It wasn’t their home, and hell, not even half of them have visited Dragon’s Bay. It was comforting to her knowing they still stood by her in tough times. They’d leave tonight. Dany goes to find Rhaenys to let her know the slight change in plans. She nods and immediately finds a satchel and throws a few things in it. Jon goes to find Ned and Rhaegar. “Your mom, myself, and Rhaenys are leaving tonight and will be gone for at least a fortnight now. There might be a problem out East. Our friends are coming with us too. I trust that you both will work well with Tyrion to keep the Capitol safe and running smoothly?” They both argued that they wanted to come too, while good fighters, Jon explained that a Targaryen-Stark must always be in the Capitol for strength and to reassure the common people. They weren’t happy, but they understood. Sansa asked Benjin and Margaery to fly to Winterfell in the morning to watch over the North with Sandor. Loras and Talisa Catelyn would handle Dragonstone, which gained 200,000 more people living within its walls in the last decade alone, and it’s area of rule in the nearby shore towns and other islands. They could also help in the Capitol if need be, since Dragonstone and King’s Landing were very close together, on the back of a dragon, the could be in Kings Landing in a blink of an eye. Missandei asked their eldest daughter, Helena, who was 17, to look after Highgarden. Torwynd, Tormund and Brienne’s oldest, asked if he could go to Highgarden with her. He had a really big crush on her. He was about a year and a half younger than her, but he didn’t care. He didn’t look it, he was already very muscular and was growing a nice beard. He was over 6 feet tall already. She rolled her eyes and Grey Worm glared at Torwynd, but agreed, knowing his eldest son Michael would keep a watchful eye on him. Arya asks Dany if Rhaella could fly to the Iron Islands and stand in their place until their return. Dany wasn’t sure, because she was only 13, but Dany realized what she was able to do at her age and agreed. Corlos begged to go too, and Tyrion agreed. Dany felt better knowing they’d travel together. Gendry and Meera of course spoke to their children about watching Storm’s End and they agreed.
After a hectic morning, everything was set in place and it was time for the triplets name day party.
Everyone was starting to arrive in the courtyard. The music was loud, children were giggling and running around, and entertainers were performing. Dany and Jon sit on a balcony overlooking the party and in deep conversation about what could happen these next few days.
The announcer says loudly “and now to present the three people to whom why we are here!” Ned walks out first. He had short black wavy hair, a scruffy face, a lean but muscular build, and had beaming violet eyes. He looked so much like Jon. He was wearing a light leather armor that was black, and of course had the combined Targaryen-Stark symbol on it in red. He had a red belt on that was encrusted in rubies. His dragon fly’s overhead and his direwolf howls. A few girls nearby swoon over him. Dany and Jon notice this and they smile to each other. Next, Rhaegar comes out. He is wearing the same armor, only with reversed colors. His armor was all red and had a black symbol on it. He wore a black belt that had obsidian on it. Rhaegar was slightly taller than Ned, and was a bit more muscular. A lot of people say he looks identical to Dany’s older brother, Rhaegar. He had silver wavy hair that came to his shoulders that he’d wear half-up in a topknot. He was unique because he had a single black streak in his hair. His face was almost identical to his brothers, only difference was Rhaegar had a more rugged nose, but he had the same bright violet eyes. The same group of girls swoon again but Dany notices his eyes are only on Talisa Catelyn. She had long orange hair like her mother and her eyes were mostly blue, but like her brother Loras, there was purple around the pupil. She had long legs and a slender body. Her skin was tanned from spending most of her time on Dragonstone, and she had rosy cheeks and lips. She was wearing a dark blue summer dress that had cutouts on each side of the waist and one on her upper back. She was wearing one of Sansa’s old jewelry pieces, a necklace that was a circle and had a chain going through it. She wore a pin with the Targaryen-Stark symbol by her right collar bone. She was absolutely stunning. Talisa was staring back at Rhaegar almost blushing. Dany wondered if they would choose each other to marry, just then, Rhaegar’s dragon fly’s overhead chased by Talisa Catelyn’s dragon and two direwolves were heard howling. Jon looks at Dany and says “well I think the animals chose who they want together” and Dany laughs.
Next comes Rhaenys. As soon as she steps through the door, everyone’s head turns. She’s wearing the silver exotic dress Daario gave her. Her Aunt Sansa found her as she was getting ready and gave her the gifts she got her to wear today. They were two arm cuffs. One was a dragon that curled three times around her upper arm and the other one was a direwolf that also curled around her arm three times. They were both black and she wore one on each arm. She had on red sandals that laced up her legs and tied just under her knees, and had earrings that were ruby and obsidian. Lastly, she had the top half of her hair done in beautiful braids. On top of her head, she was wearing her tiara. It was a thin band that was in the shape of flames. All the children had one. Ned, Rhaegar, and Bharbo had ones made of obsidian while Rhaenys and Rhaella had one of silver. They only wore them when they had official business, but Rhaenys always wore her’s in public since she was going to be Queen after her mother. She had so many eyes on her, and on that day, people named her the most beautiful woman in the world.
Rhaenys glances up to see Dreamfyre flying above and she hears Shadow howling. She always thought it was funny how the animals always knew what was going on. She then looks back to her mom and dad and they both smile softly and give a nod of approval. Ned, Rhaegar, and Rhaenys all take a seat under a heavily decorated tent and the activities resume. People casually approach their table offering them good wishes and gifts. Tyrion gave them each a barrel of Hear Me Roar wine that was made the year they were born. Ned tried it right away and said it was the best wine he ever had. Arya and Yara gave them each a brand new dagger. These daggers looked to be made from dragonglass but they were dyed red. The handle appeared to be a jawbone of some animal, and a picture of a direwolf was burned on one side and a dragon on the other. This was their favorite dagger until the end of their days and was something that was going to be handed down to their children. Rhaegar couldn’t stop looking at it. Brienne and Tormund gave Rhaenys what looked to be like a leather strap. Brienne said “you strap this around your thigh and right here it can hold your dagger. It can go under your dress when you want to be a lady or it can go over your pants when you’re out riding or if you ever go into battle.” Rhaenys smiled and thanked the both of them. She hiked up her dress under the table just enough so she could strap it to her leg and then she slide her dagger in its spot. It was very convenient she thought. Brienne and Tormund then move on and give Ned and Rhaegar a leather cover to hold their daggers. It looks like Arya, Yara, Brienne, and Tormund coordinated gifts. Daario gave the boys chainmail that they can wear over whatever they have on underneath. Sansa and Aegon got them new hunting bags and tools, and Sandor sent along new fishing hooks. Missandei and Grey Worm gave them each a book about Old Valyria that was filled with fascinating stories. Ellaria and Pod gave them an apothecary and some new mixing bowls to work on various potions. Gendry and Meera gave them each a shield. They were made out of wood but each had a strange thin silver-purple coating over it. “Is this Valyrian steel?” Ned said. Rhaegar examines it closely and Rhaenys runs her hands over it. Meera speaks “Valyrian steel is already lightweight, but even a whole shield made from the stuff would be too heavy, so we experimented and layered it on top of the wood.” Rhaenys is still admiring the pattern when Gendry asks her to stand up. She hesitates only for a moment but then stands with her shield. “Come over here, I want to show you something” Gendry said. He hands her a bow with some really strong steel arrows and takes the shield. “Okay shoot at me” he said to Rhaenys and everyone watches. “Are you sure?” Rhaenys said. “We tested it out. Go ahead” Meera said. Rhaenys takes an arrow and lines the bow up. She aims and hits right in the center. Doesn’t even make a dent. The arrow just bounced off and lands on the ground by Gendry’s foot. Arya steps forward to observe. She loves seeing different weapons and what they can do. She has an entire room in the castle at Pyke dedicated to her collection and even has one started in her quarters at Winterfell. She travels the world in search for the most unique. Rhaenys takes another arrow and aims for a different spot, to see if there are any weak points. She steps forward with each one and draws the bow back harder each time. After 6 arrows she is amazed. None of them made a dent. “Let me see” Arya said. She loads her bow with her handcrafted arrows. She only stands 10 feet from Gendry. He laughs and holds the shield up. As soon as Arya’s arrow hits the shield, the arrow breaks in half. So if standard arrows break in half and steel arrows simply bounce to the ground, these very well may be the strongest shields ever made. Rhaenys runs over to give Gendry and Meera a hug. Her and her brothers shields have flames carved carefully on the bottom. A simple design but very beautiful. Arya runs over to Gendry and says “excuse me, but I would like one.” Gendry laughs. “Don’t worry, I made one for you, myself, Meera, Dany, Jon, Grey Worm, Jamie, and Sansa. You and Sansa have small painted direwolves on the top and bottom.” Arya looks excited “well where is it?” “They’re in our quarters” says Gendry. All of a sudden Arya starts pushing Gendry to the castle to show her. Sansa and Aegon start laughing at the sight.
“So can someone tell us how this was possible? Did you melt something that was made of Valyrian steel already?” Rhaegar asked. That’s when Dany and Jon walk up with three new swords, and they all appeared to be Valyrian steel as well. “A year ago, Gendry, Drogon, and I went on a trip to the volcano in Valyria. When I first went there with Drogon, he told me that’s where Valyrian steel was made. Using the rock and lava from the volcano, he figured out how to forge Valyrian steel for the first time in 200 years. He made the shields and swords for me and saved them for this day. These swords were forged from the same fire, so in a way, they are connected. The blades are identical only Rhaenys is slightly smaller and more slender, to be built for a women.” At the center of their handle contains the amethysts Dany saved from her crown. Ned’s handle was black, Rhaegar’s handle was red, and Rhaenys handle was a deep purple. They each had a flame pommel painted to look like real flames. They couldn’t believe it. All at once, the three of them jump on their parents to give give them a hug. Rhaenys stands on her tiptoes and kisses Jon on the cheek and Rhaegar and Ned stand on either side of their mom and lean down to kiss her on the cheek.
For the rest of the afternoon into the early evening, everyone drinks, eats, sings, and dance. For a while, Rhaenys almost stopped thinking about her vision and what Daario told her. She has a feeling that she’s going to be putting her new weapons to use very soon.
After the sun has set, all the guests leave and everyone of importance heads inside to get ready. Dany and Jon head to their room to change into their riding gear and to check in with the dragons. They have three very long flights ahead of them so they have been sleeping and eating as much as they can. Dany says to Drogon “its time to wake up. Eat whatever else you can and stretch your wings. We will be making our way over to the Dragon Pit soon.” Jon says to Rhaegal “hey boy, wake up. We will be leaving soon. Get ready. The plans have changed a bit.” Then Drogon answered back in Dany’s head “Rhaegal is saying the plans have changed. What changed?” Dany then response to both Rhaegal and Drogon “there may be a problem in Dragon’s Bay. After Rhaenys ceremony, we will have to wait in the Dothraki Sea for a few days, maybe weeks, to ensure there isn’t any threats.” “We haven’t saw much action lately, this should be exciting” Drogon said. Rhaegal purred in agreement. “Just make sure Dreamfyre, Olenna, Valyria, Visenya, and Syrio are awake. See if there are three more dragons nearby who are up for a long trip.” Drogon acknowledged the message.
Meanwhile Rhaenys gets to her room and changes into her riding outfit. It was all back to match the rest of her family’s with the flames on the sleeves and dragon scales on the pants. She loved wearing these clothes because it meant adventure and importance. She was nervous for this trip though but shook the feeling, grabbed her satchel, all her new weapons, and made her way downstairs to the front sitting room where everyone was going to meet. Jamie and Octavia are the first ones there. They changed out of their metal armor and replaced it with leather and flexible chainmail. They each have a satchel with their items in it. “We almost forget, happy name day” said Octavia and handed her a bag of her favorite sweets and a pouch of gold. Rhaenys smiles and thanks the both of them very much. “This is going to come in handy on the flight” she said holding the candy up. She puts both items in her satchel. Arya, Yara, Gendry, and Meera all come down at once while being followed by a handful of kids including Rhaella who is bouncing behind Arya. Then Tormund, Brienne, all their kids and Bharbo who is chasing Ygritte. Missandei and Grey Worm followed by their 12 kids. Tyrion, Sam, Gilly, and their kids. Sansa, Aegon, and their kids next. Then Dany and Jon come down with Rhaegar and Ned behind them. The last to come in is Ellaria and her daughters. Sansa, Dany, and Missandei all line up in a row with Rhaenys and starts braiding each other’s hair while all the parents go over protocol one last time with their kids. Dany is braiding Rhaenys hair, Missandei is braiding Dany’s hair, and Sansa is braiding Missandei’s hair. They have done this many times throughout the years. It’s just something they automatically do when they are flying for a while. Talisa Catelyn goes behind Sansa and starts braiding her hair for her. Usually Dany would get done with Rhaenys first and then Rhaenys would jump behind Sansa, but since they need to get going soon, Talisa decided to help. They were fast at doing this by now, so in a matter of minutes, they were done. Rhaenys straps her dagger to her thigh and tries to look composed. Dany then announces that they need to go and she kisses each of her kids that are staying behind. All the parents say their goodbyes and Rhaenys goes up to her brothers. Without saying anything, Rhaegar says “you’re going to be okay. You have the best fighters in the world with you and dragons on your side.” Ned steps in “you’ll have to tell us about it when you get back. You’ll be great.” Rhaenys hugs both of her brothers. “Take care of the city, okay? Make sure you visit the Dragon Pit too, some of them get lonely when we don’t visit everyday. And can you let Shadow, Ghost, and Lyanna sleep in your rooms? They like being around people…” she said. Rhaegar says “no problem” and smiles. “Do you want help carrying all the stuff to the Pit?” Ned asks. “I got it. I think Shadow is outside to help” said Rhaenys. Rhaegar says a final “good luck” before they all walk out the door. Dany thanks Gilly, Sam, and Tyrion for keeping the castle together while they’re gone and she’s the last out the door.
Rhaenys was right, Shadow was outside ready to help. She climbs on her and walks next to everyone. Ghost is walking next to Jon and he is helping carry everyone else’s bags. About twenty minutes go by and they all arrived in the Dragon Pit. To Rhaenys and Dany’s surprise, Iris is fastening on saddle like objects to the dragons who are going. It fits around all their spikes perfectly. Towards the back of the saddle is a large pocket, large enough to sit three adults. “Good, you’re here. I want to show you these. I just finished making them. Each one was custom fitted to the dragon. It will allow you to ride more comfortably. I added the pocket to hold items, to stay warm up in the clouds, or to safely secure you if you needed to fall asleep on a long flight. It’s also large enough to hold a direwolf. I know Arya made a harness for hers so her dragon can carry Nymeria by his claws, but this is probably less stressful for the animals and much safer. There are reigns on top to hold on easier, and since the saddle fits around their spikes, it doesn’t need to be buckled into place. It will stay secure” Iris said. Dany chimed into Rhaegal and Drogon for a moment to make sure they were comfortable and they told her they didn’t even feel it, and if anyone hated it, it would be known. They are dragons after all. Rhaenys spoke and said “thank you Iris! This is really useful, especially for this trip.” She walks over to Dreamfyre and starts to climb on her. Dany went to Drogon, who is the biggest dragon in history, and Jon went to Rhaegal who is the size of Balerion I, the former largest dragon in history. Both their scales were indestructible. Dany yells down to Iris who is now standing by Red Roach “thank you!” Arya and Yara mount Syrio, Sansa mounts Olenna, Aegon mounts Valyria, and Missandei and Grey Worm mount Visenya. Jon yells down now, “Okay Jamie and Octavia, you will take the dragon that is dark red and gold. Brienne and Tormund, you will take the brown one with white wings. Gendry and Meera, you have the dark green and copper one.”
“But I thought we were riding with one of you?” Tormund said. “Don’t worry, you won’t have to do anything but ride. Dany and I will tell them were to fly. Seeing all of us on the back of 10 dragons will threaten anyone into standing down. Hopefully” said Jon.
They reluctantly climb on and throw all their belongings in the saddle. All 10 dragons walk out of the Pit into an open area. Dany takes off first to lead and Rhaenys follows right behind her mother on her beautiful light blue and silver dragon. Missandei and Grey Worm are next, mostly because Drogon and Visenya imprinted on each other and prefer to fly close to one another. Then follow the red, green, and brown dragon, followed by Olenna and Valyria, with Jon flanking in the back. Since Dany can speak to Drogon and Rhaegal directly, and with Jon being able to speak with Rhaegal, traveling in this pattern makes the most sense. They all fly low near the castle seeing all of their kids waving and cheering them on.
The group of them fly to The Golden Fields, a patch of land that sits on the southwest corner of Essos. It’s east of Myr and north of Volantis. They get to work and begin setting up camp. Rhaegal helps start a fire in the center and each person rolls out their sleeping bags to get ready for the evening. Arya, Meera, and Sansa quickly shot 5 rabbits with their bows. Gendry, Aegon, and Octavia caught some fish in the Lhorulu river. Brienne, Tormund, and Jamie are skinning all the animals, while Dany and Jon take two dragons out at a time so they could find some food. They didn’t want to risk the dragons flying or be out alone because they are just north of The Sorrows, a ruined city full of stone men, and south of Dagger Lake, where many pirates like to hide. A few of them just layed in the river with their mouth opened so they could catch a lot of fish, which was a very funny sight to see, and a few of them where able to burn a lot of goats, as the mountains were nearby. Missandei and Grey Worm are scouting the perimeter to ensure it’s safe. Rhaenys is standing in front of Dreamfyre and caressing her face. “I can’t wait to be able to speak with you” Rhaenys said softly to her dragon. Dreamfyre purred and nudged her gently. It was Dreamfyre’s turn to go eat and Dany takes her away.
Rhaenys fetches a pot and hangs it over the fire and begins making rabbit soup and cooking the fish on a pan. After all the dragons were fed, they rested in a layered circle around the camp for protection, with Drogon and Rhaegal on the outermost circle since they were the largest and had indestructible scales. They all sit on their sleeping bags and ate their dinner. They talk amongst themselves for a while before people start to doze off. Dany is laying on Jon’s chest and he has his arm around her. Sansa is asleep and is laying on her side. Aegon finally lays down, wrapping her up in his arms. Rhaenys is sleeping in between her mom and her Aunt Sansa. She hears Arya making fun of Gendry, and she is sure everyone else has fallen asleep, but she is too tired to get up to observe. Before she knows it, she drifts off to sleep.
Rhaenys begins to dream. There is fog everywhere. It’s so thick she can barely see her hands. In the distance, she can see 8 glowing orbs getting closer to her. Soon, she can see outlines of figures wearing the same hexagonal patterned clothing she saw before, and the glowing orbs are their hands. This time though, there are only 4 people. In her last vision, there was 5. One of them, a women, said “Rhaenys Targaryen-Stark. You have powers you don’t even realize” in a very ominous tone. Rhaenys looks down at her hands and they too are now glowing. A man now speaks “Beware of the fog. Wake up! Wake up now!” Rhaenys shudders awake. Her hands are ice cold. There is heavy fog hanging in the air, so heavy, the fire went out and her hair is damp. She crawls over to her mom and dad and wakes them up. “What. What’s wrong?” Jon said in a daze with his eyes still closed. Dany opens her eyes and senses Rhaenys fear. “Something isn’t right” they both said in unison. The sun is barely starting to rise. Dany wakes up Missandei and Grey Worm and they both quickly get to their feet. Grey Worm clutches Blackfyre and Missandei grabs her spear. Dany starts climbing over dragons to reach Drogon and Rhaegal, who are carefully scanning the horizon. “Do you see anything?” Dany asked. “Not yet, but there is something out there” Drogon said. Dany then heard Rhaegal yelling at Jon to wake up. Grey Worm and Missandei wake everyone else up. They climb on Visenya, Sansa climbs on Olenna, Aegon climbs on Valyria, and Jon finally climbs on Rhaegal–all to get a better look out in the field, or try to. Rhaenys is standing next to her mom at this point, clutching her new Valyrian sword and shield. Rhaenys was terrified. She new she was a great fighter, but she’s never been in a real battle before. Then she sees it. A figure walking towards them slowly, but still very far away. Not sure if there will be more, everyone rushes to quickly throw their items on their dragon and mount. They all stand in a line now, waiting to see who the figure is. It’s a man who looks very sick. Has bright red eyes and there’s something wrong with his skin. Jamie is the first to say it “that’s a stone man.” Dany says “dracarys” and not only does Drogon breathe fire upon the stone man, but all 10 dragons do. The stone men melts and turns into lava. The lava slowly creeps towards them and then feet start to appear. Then legs, then a torso, then arms, then a neck, then a head. He didn’t die, only melted, but then came back to life? Arya released an arrow that was made of dragonglass, and it hit the stone men with a loud thud. It made a very large crack in him, but within a few seconds, it closed back up. Dany yells “valahd!” and all of them shoot up into the sky, not wanting to risk being touched by it. Once they get high enough in the air, Sansa jumps off Olenna to be caught in her claws. Olenna flys above Drogon and Sansa is dropped. Curious, Rhaenys does the same thing. “Have you ever heard of the Shrouded Lord? He also goes by His Grey Grace and the Prince of Sorrows” Sansa asked. “Not really” said Rhaenys. “I have only heard it once in passing when I was married to Khal Drogo. One of his blood riders was telling us a story about a time when he served a different Khal that lived closer to Dagger Lake. You don’t think…” Dany says. “Yeah I think it was him” said Sansa. “Who is the Shrouded Lord?” Rhaenys asked. “Some say he’s not real, but the ones who do say he rules the mists of the Sorrow lands. He typically spreads greyscale through a grey kiss” Sansa replied. Rhaenys shudders at the thought. “Why didn’t he die when the fire went on him? I thought stone men could be killed easily?” Rhaenys said. “I am not sure. I’ve heard of people being able to kill them with anything” Sansa said. “Let’s just hope he is the only exception. Right now, let us focus on getting to the volcano” said Dany. Daenarys was worried. If all the stone men were like him, all her dragons would be useless, and her army wouldn’t be able to touch them without getting infected. She didn’t want to show her concern though. She told herself that the stone men would stay in their ruined cities. The three of them stay on the back on Drogon for about an hour talking to each other. When they got back to their dragons, Rhaenys decided to fall asleep for a while. Dany went over to Jon and sat near him on Rhaegal. She wanted to fill him in on what Sansa told her. When Sansa looked over, she could tell he looked worried.
A few more hours pass, and the smoke from Old Valyria becomes invisible. Dany yells for everyone to wake up. Rhaenys rubs her eyes and sees the volcano and ruined city for the first time and her heart begins pounding. Dreamfyre purrs, not to only comfort Rhaenys, but because she is excited about what is going to happen. The rest of the crew gasp in amazement, as no one besides Dany, Jon, and Gendry have ever visited Old Valyria. As they fly in closer, Arya, Tormund, and Brienne, take a rein to hang off the side of their dragon to get a better look. Arya takes notice of all the buildings with open roofs and smiles. Missandei’s smiles too, as this is where all their favorite stories came from–the original dragonriders. Valyria was the greatest city in the world until the Doom. Some say the residents practicing black magic caused its destruction. Gendry admires the dragon roads. Dany and Jon both notice very small, glowing specs in various buildings and even in the water. Dany figured it was more ancient artifacts from noble houses, but they are too dangerous to get. Perhaps one day they’ll be able to recover them.
All of a sudden, one by one, the dragons start diving down into the volcano. It’s pitch black until the sight of a lava pool appears. It gets larger every second of their descent.
They finally land on a large, flat ledge. Dany, Jon, and Rhaenys feel the magic of the volcano. The rest of them stood back and observed quietly, as Gendry was the only one to have been there before. Drogon and Rhaegal walk deeper into the volcano and Rhaenys sides off Dreamfyre. “Where are they going?” Missandei asked. “Dragons like laying their eggs in warm places like this. They’re going to search for eggs” said Dany. Jon and Dany walk over to Dreamfyre and begin to pet her head. “It’ll be over before you know it” Jon said to Dreamfyre, but to also reassure his daughter. Rhaenys kisses her dragon near her shoulder and Dreamfyre takes a few steps forward to the edge of the lava pool. Dreamfyre paused for a second, and then flew upwards a couple feet and then dived straight down. They all heard a thick splash several stories below them. Dreamfyre was down in the lava for about thirty seconds when she shoots out of the pool and lands back on the edge. Her scales are glowing as the last bit of lava falls off of her. There was a unison “wow” coming from the corner where the rest of their friends were standing. Even Dany and Jon said it. Not only have they not seen this done in about a decade, but they were shocked about how much Dreamfyre grew. Female dragons are naturally smaller than male dragons, so Dreamfyre was just a few feet smaller than what Rhaegal was before his ceremony, and what Viserion was. But now, Dreamfyre was as large as Drogon. “She’s massive” Rhaenys said with a smile. “It must have something to do with being the first head of the dragon” said Daenarys. Shortly after she said that, Drogon popped in her head and said “indeed.” Rhaenys walks up to her dragon and tries to talk to her. “Can you hear me?” she said in her head. “I can” a low female voice said back. Rhaenys jumps up and down, so excited. “I wonder, can you try talking to Drogon and Rhaegal too?” Dany asked. Rhaenys concentrated on the thought of her parents dragons. “Hello? Rhaegal? Drogon?” “Only I can hear you, my child” said in a voice so low and deep, it was almost a vibration. It was Drogon. Before anyone said anything, Jon confirmed by saying “Rhaegal can only hear myself and Daenerys.” All of a sudden, Arya’s eyes go completely white and she starts talking. “Old Valyria still is full of all kinds of magic. Bad and good. House Targaryen wasn’t a house of great power in Valyria before the doom, but they held a powerful source of energy, greater than the houses that ruled. Before they fled to Dragonstone many years prior to the Doom that their sight predicted, the Targaryens flew their dragons down to this very volcano and spent several days casting spells. It is because of them, this lava is special to the dragons and it is because of them you’re able to speak with them. Daenerys Targaryen, you are the Mother of Dragons, which is why you are the only one who can birth the eggs and can speak to every dragon that undergoes this process. When you feel the time is right to pass on your duties, Rhaenys will become the new Mother. Jon is an exception. The ancient Targaryens only wanted the first head of the dragon to be able to do this process and to be able to communicate with their dragon–to prevent family rivalry. The magic overtime began to trust Jon and saw him for who he is and where his heart truly stands. My niece Rhaenys is the first head of the dragon for her generation as you already know. She is going to be able to communicate with her second and third head dragons, as they will come here too. Since she is the first head, she will also be able to communicate with each generation’s first head as well. The magic is changing with the new Targaryen-Stark dynasty because your ancestors trust each of your souls and motives. You have proved to them that you are worthy of the magic. In a few months my nephew Rhaegar will come to this volcano to do the same ceremony, for reasons you’ll understand soon.” Jon talks directly to Arya, “If Rhaenys is the first, Rhaegar is the second, does this mean Ned is the third? It would make sense, they are triplets.” Arya speaks again “No, Ned is destined to follow a different path. He will adopt the name ‘Father of Direwolves’ once Arya is ready to pass that on. The third will be revealed by Rhaegar’s dragon after his ceremony.” Arya’s eyes go back to normal and she stumbles backwards with Yara catching her. “I hate when Bran does that. I hope it was necessary.” Jon says, “it was, it made this whole process a lot clearer I think. Your ancestors were complicated, Dany” and he winks at her, knowing they were partly his ancestors too. They never revealed to their children about who Jon actually was, they never thought it was important.
Drogon and Rhaegal come walking back to where the rest of them were. Drogon is holding 5 eggs in his mouth and Rhaegal is holding 3. “Look at all of these!” Dany said with excitement. No matter how many times she spent hours sitting in fire hatching the dragons, she was always thrilled to do it. She grabbed the ones out from Rhaegal’s mouth first and gently wrapped each of them with a thick cloth and put them in the pocket of Drogon’s saddle. She did the same for the eggs Drogon found, but this time she had the help of Rhaenys who couldn’t wait for the day where she got to hatch them.
“Where to next?” Aegon said. “We’re going to stay in Vaes Dothrak until further notice” Dany responded. They all fly out of the volcano and see a dragon flying far ahead in the distance. “Must be Daario returning to Meereen!” Rhaenys yelled to Dany who nodded because she was the one who sent the dragon to take him back home.
They fly for a long time until Dany sees the large horse statues known as the Horse Gate and a huge mountain as the backdrop. Feeling nostalgic, she yells “we’re here!” to everyone to wake them up.
Part II will be here soon.
A two part story of Rhaenys Targaryen, Daenerys and Jon’s eldest daughter featuring the rest of their children.
A massive effort to rebuild the North and clean up the Capital has been underway for nearly two weeks after the Battle at Kings Landing. Dany and Jon have sent a lot of volunteers from the Neck and the South to the North as they received the most damage from the Night King’s army, even though the cleanup started a fortnight ago, there was still a lot to do. Sansa and Tyrion flew back North during this time to lead the effort.
Meanwhile, every House from all over Westeros came to Kings Landing to bend the knee to Queen Daenerys and King Jon. Dany and Jon took this time to discuss who was going to rule over what parts of the country, as many holds are now left leaderless. They would also talk about their Royal Wedding that is approaching quickly–in less than three weeks. Her and Missandei would work out the details every evening. There was something she finally needed to tell Jon though, now that the war is over and their engagement is confirmed. She takes the opportunity to tell him one night. She had dinner brought to their quarters instead of them going down to the dining hall. Jon is carrying on about the ideas he has for the North and Freefolk when Dany interrupts and says “Jon” softly. He can tell something is wrong. “Are you okay?” he said. “I-I haven’t bled in nearly two moons. I am sure I have our baby growing in me. In fact, I think I theres more than one. With me finding the three younger dragons and the three younger direwolves appearing, I think it’s a sign” Dany blurted out. She wasn’t sure how to tell him so she was just blunt as possible to get it over with. Jon is usually very serious and stern. He rarely ever shows joy. This moment Dany will remember forever. Jon smiles from ear to ear and the smile carries to his eyes. He stands up and makes his way over to Dany and picks her up completely off the ground and hugs her long and tight. “I can’t believe it. I am so happy” he says in her ear. He sets her back down on the ground. “I was nervous to tell you” Dany said. “Why?” Jon responded. “I wasn’t sure how you would take it” said Dany. “Dany, I love you so much” Jon said and he gets down on his knees and takes her belly (that is only very slightly sticking out more than usual) in his big hands and he kisses her stomach. “I can’t wait to meet you three” he whispered to her belly. Dany is relieved and she is finally able to celebrate the joyous news. Jon looks up at her and says “I thought the witch told you that you can’t ever have any children” Jon said jokingly. “I don’t think she was a reliable source for information” she said jokingly back. They both laugh and enjoy the moment together. Then all of a sudden Jon runs out of their room and Dany is confused. “Where are you going?” she yelled. But he kept running. She gets up to follow him. He bursts into the dining hall and screams to everyone “I’m going to be a father!” No one is used to seeing Jon act this way so it takes everyone a few seconds to process what he just said.
What they didn’t know about him was that Jon has always wanted to be a father and have a beautiful, strong, intelligent wife next to him. Growing up thinking he was a bastard, made him determined to give his children a life that didn’t know his hardships. He didn’t want them to be treated the way he was, even sometimes by his own family. He wished to give them the childhood he missed out on. Even though Ned and Cat weren’t his parents, he knew he would want to be the family man Ned was, and even though Cat wasn’t the kindest to him, he knew he wanted someone fierce like her to help him in life. Jon has never asked for anything and has never wanted power and glory, but he has acquired both. Now, his biggest want in life has come true and he couldn’t be anymore grateful for Ned, Cat, the rest of the Stark kids, the Night’s Watch, his journey thus far, and now Daenerys. He has never been more happy.
Tormund is the first one to talk. “Aye!” and he stomps his way over to his to give him a hug and pat his back. Everyone else followed. The dining hall is so loud. Dany finally walks through the door and everyone quiets down for a moment. Then they all start cheering and run over to her. Dany wasn’t only their Queen. They respected her and many of the people considered her a friend. She saw them that way too. A good ruler didn’t have just subjects or people who feared them. They must have many friends everywhere to keep the peace and be proactive. She fought next to them in battle many times. She sacrificed herself, her dragons, her army, and her close friends. This kind of dedication was the only thing the people needed to see to stand by her. She was fearless but with a gentle heart. She wasn’t just some leader they didn’t know or have only seen once. She has been apart of their daily lives for months, something a Queen or King has never done before. For the entirety of Jon and Dany’s reign together, their relationship with the people of Westeros and Essos always went deeper than any leaders ever had their the people.
The whole room comes at her lifting her up in the air. Others lift up Jon. Everyone starts cheering again and bouncing them up and down. Dany swore she saw Jorah again standing in the corner smiling and mouthing “and you will be loved.”
The next day was Dany and Jon’s official crowning ceremony. Sansa and Tyrion arrive in Kings Landing on the back of Olenna. They called all of their friends, leaders, and people of the court to join them in the throne room. Drogon went and picked up Daario and he arrives with a beautiful woman next to him. She has skin like Missandei’s and she has long curly black hair that is very thick and full. She has two braids in her hair but the rest is left untamed. She had eyes that looked like honey. Her skin glowed. She was wearing a pale blue dress, the color was common across the narrow sea, and it had brown and gold beading all over it. She was absolutely gorgeous and Daario seemed happy to be next to her, and this made Dany happy to see. She walks over to him with Jon and introduces him to Daario and then he introduces them both to the woman he was with. Her name was Iliana and she’s from the island of Tyrosh. “Where’d you two meet?” Dany asked. “I went back home to visit with some friends about a trade deal between Tyrosh and Dragon’s Bay. I was staying at an inn and Iliana was there serving people food and drink. I knew right away I wanted to make her mine. I’m still not sure why she agreed” Daario said. Iliana chimed in “and I’m not sure why someone of such influence would want to be with an inn worker!” Daario said “she’s so smart too. I think you both will like one another.” Iliana says “of course, I already like my Queen” and she bows low. Dany take two fingers and places them on Iliana’s chin to tilt her head back up to her. “I trust Daario with my life and everything I have. If he trusts you, if he respects you, and if he likes your character, I do too. I’m so happy you found each other and I’m glad you’re here” said Dany. Iliana looks up at here with a big smile. Full lips, straight white teeth, it was difficult for even Dany to resist her beauty. Jon was polite the entire conversation and kept his arm around Dany’s waist and only stared at his betrothed.
Dany and Jon made their way around the court catching up with Sansa and Tyrion, who have seemed to have made a connection with each other that Dany hasn’t seen from either of them up to this point. They move their way to Gendry and Meera, who are completely in love. To Brienne and Tormund, they both seem completely comfortable around each other now and they look so happy together. To Jamie and Octavia who are getting more serious in their relationship. Jamie didn’t realize what being in love and being in a healthy relationship felt like until he gave Cersei up, and now that she’s dead, he feels free. Jamie and Octavia never stop glancing at each other and smiling. To Missandei and Grey Worm, who are are always holding hands. Dany told them both to dress their best, as she is about to give her two best friends the biggest gifts she could think of. Dany helped Missandei braid her hair similar to how Missandei braided Dany’s hair. She’s in a long white gown. It’s light, airy, and moves when she moves. Since the war has ended, the temperature outside has began warming up. Almost her full back is being exposed and there are half sleeves on the dress. There are hints of gold details all over. Grey Worm is wearing a new uniform that is all black and has the Targaryen-Direwolf symbol on the bust. He is the first to wear the combined symbol.
Dany herself is wearing a black gown. It is fitted on the top and is A-lined from the waist down. The skirt of the dress is ruffled with dragon scales and there is a red layer underneath to give the illusion of it being on fire. The top of her dress has a deep v-neck, and there is a sheer black lace for the sleeves. Jon is wearing traditional northern armor that is all black.
Daenerys gave a lot of work to Gendry a few weeks ago, as he was the only one she trusted to do a satisfactory job. The first task she asked him to do was to replace the amethyst’s in her Valyrian steel crown with rubies. Her brother, Jon’s father, was known for wearing rubies in his armor, and red was the Targaryen color. However, she didn’t want to get rid of the amethyst’s completely, as they were a symbol of her Valyrian roots and a source of her magic. She had one placed on the inside of the crown in the back. People wouldn’t be able to tell it was there, but she knew it was there and that’s all that mattered. She visited the area where Robert killed Rhaegar and with Drogon’s help, was able to find two rubies that where from Rhaegar’s armor. She incorporated one into her crown and held on the the other one.
One amethyst she kept for safe keeping, to which she later had it broken into three parts, and it was added to each of her children’s weapons who didn’t get Longclaw or Dark Sister passed down to them. She also decided she wanted her friends, allies, and family members to have apart of her. It was another way her legacy could be passed down through centuries and the crowns of each stronghold will have a good story.
The first two crowns made and one was placed in each crown. The first crown was two intertwined thorn vines made of silver with a few flowers scattered across it and little butterflies laying on the flowers. The front-center flower was slightly larger than the others and in the middle of the pedals, that’s where the amethyst was placed. The second silver crown was intertwined thorn vines with the amethyst placed in front.
The third crown was made of gold with pointed edges on the top. The amethyst was placed in the center and a half sun was etched around it with a bunch of engraved sun rays.
She had the Reaper crown brought in from the Iron Islands and had one amethyst placed on it.
She made Sansa a new crown as well. It was made of steel and had a dozen direwolves on it. Dany had an amethyst crushed and those were used for the eyes on the direwolves.
The fifth custom crown was a simple gold band. Two lions facing each other were on the front. Amethyst were used for the eyes on this crown too.
The last crown she asked Gendry to make was the most important one–Jon’s. She had a difficult time thinking about the design of it for many hours but she thinks she came up with a perfect idea. Obsidian. A crown made of dragonglass. The shape matched her’s identically and she had rubies placed in it. A Valyrian steel crown and a dragonglass crown, it hasn’t been seen before! Dany had one of her amethysts placed in Jon’s crown too, hidden like hers.
Dany and Jon decides that they wanted the Maester’s of the Citadel to conduct the ceremony, so a few made the journey and made their way to the front of the throne room. Sam was in this group. Everyone in the court takes a seat and both Dany and Jon make their way to stand in front of their thrones. Tyrion gave Jon a throne as a gift. Jon was insistent on Dany keeping the Iron Throne, but it meant he was going to be without one. Tyrion thought it would be a great idea to have the throne from the Dragonstone castle brought in. This throne was made of dragonstone, another material used by the ancient Valyrian sorcerers.
The Maester’s begin speaking and Dany and Jon both remain standing in front of their thrones. One of the Maester’s steps in front of Dany and asks to to recite a vow:
“I, Daenerys Stormborn Targaryen, of House Targaryen, the first of my name, Mother of Dragons, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, of House Targaryen of Old Valyria, Mhysa and Queen of Dragon’s Bay, Queen of the Rhoynar, First Men, and the Andals, the Unburnt, Breaker of Chains, protector of the Realm, and Queen of the 7 kingdoms do solemnly swear to be just and rule fairly. To protect all people, no matter their social status. To uphold the values of Westeros and hold myself to them as well. To do my best to make this country and the world a better place for everyone.” Dany kneels and lets her new crown be placed on her head. The whole room claps as she stands tall and makes her way over to the Iron Throne. She sits down and can’t help but smile because this is her first time sitting on it–she waited until this moment to do so. Dany now looks over at Jon who is taking his vows from Sam:
“I, Jon Stark, first of his name, former Commander of the Nights Watch, of House Stark of Winterfell, King of Dragons Bay, King of the Rhoynar, First Men, and Andals, protector of the Realm, and King of the 7 kingdoms do solemnly swear to be just and rule fairly. To protect all people, no matter their social status. To uphold the values of Westeros and hold myself to them as well. To do my best to make this country and the world a better place for everyone.” Jon kneels down for his crown to be placed on his head and everyone claps as he sits on his dragonstone throne. Dany and Jon look at each other for a few moments smiling at one another.
The Maester’s take a seat and Dany and Jon gesture the room to quiet down. Dany says “thank you for coming to witness this today. We hope to see you all for our wedding coming up. I have full confidence Jon and I will always do right by our people, so always feel free to approach us with any problems you may have.” People clap. Dany continues “now, we would both like to present some gifts.” One of the Maester’s approach with a decorative cart that has all the crowns on it, a few scrolls, and the sword Daenerys found in the field. Dany looks to Jon for him to present the first crown. He stands up, and says “Sansa, please come forward.” She wasn’t expecting to be called forward so she hesitates to move. Tyrion nudges her and she makes her way up the steps to Jon. Sansa looks beautiful as always. Wearing a traditional Northerner dress that appears to have been custom made for her specific style. It’s burgundy and gold. Her long red hair is down in loose curls. “My little sister, Daenerys and I have chosen to name you princess of the North, warden of the North, and Lady of Winterfell. Jon picks up the direwolf crown and Sansa gasps at its beauty. She bends her knee and he places it on her head. As it is placed on her head, Tyrion is the first to clap for her and he is smiling so big, Missandei follows as her and Sansa have become best friends. Sansa stands up and thanks her brother and Daenerys. “Please know that whenever her call for Olenna, she will come to you. Ride her as often as you can, and I permit her to stay with you in the North as often as she likes. With that said, it’s an order for you to come visit Jon and I every chance you can” Dany said with humor. Sansa smiles and says “I will. Thanks Dany” and she winks at her, Dany chuckles softly, and Sansa walks back down to Tyrion. No one noticed besides Dany, but Tyrion grabbed Sansa’s hand. Jon takes a seat and Dany stands. “Ellaria Sand, come forward.” Ellaria walks towards them. She has her hair back in a thick braid and some stray curls poking out. She’s wearing a long flowing yellow dress with colorful sequins all over it. She catches the eye of many, including Pod who can’t stop looking at her.
Dany says “Ellaria, from my young age you and your family have been allies of mine. Your late husband, Oberyn, risked his life after my brother and I were exiled to Pentos to seek us out and pledge Dorne’s allegiance to House Targaryen when one of us became of age. After he tragically passed, you yourself came to me to pledge your allegiance once more. Let us not forget that you have now earned the name of Queen Slayer. I thank you deeply for everything you have done for the Targaryen-Stark cause. With that…” Dany picked up the gold crown with the sun rays engraved on it “…you are now known as the Princess of Dorne, Warden of the South, and Lady of Sunspear.” Ellaria smiles and bends her knee so Dany could place the crown on her head. “I will serve you well. Now and always, my Queen” Ellaria says as she gratefully accepts the title. She stand up and the room claps again. She makes her way back down to the court.
Dany remains standing. She is exited for what is about to happen. “I now call Missandei and Grey Worm forward” she says. They both walk up to their Queen and King. “Torgo Nudho” she continued. Grey Worm takes one step in front of Missandei. Jon grabs the sword from the cart and brings it forward. Daenerys says, “King Aegon IV gave this sword to his bastard, Daemon Waters. He didn’t care that it was a Targaryen heirloom, wielded by Aegon the Conqueror himself, he wanted to pass it to him because he was a true warrior and he thought he deserved to have it as a gift. Daemon eventually created his own House, House Blackfyre, thus the name of the sword. After his death during one of the rebellions, his half-brother Aegor Rivers took the sword. Aegor then fled to the Free Cities in Essos where he briefly worked with the Second Sons. He went on to be the creator of The Golden Company with the sword still in his hands. It was theorized that Aegor continued the tradition in passing along the sword to the person who deserved it the most, and it must have held all this time. After the war against The Golden Company, I found this sword with a fallen soldier. Even though House Blackfyre were rebels, they were still half Targaryen and I would like to keep the tradition going that was started by Aegor. I would like to give you this sword called Blackfyre. It is the brother sword of my own sword, Dark Sister. Torgo Nudho, you are a loyal warrior and friend. Please accept this sword and be my Master of Laws and the leader of all military activities.” Only on a few occasions has Dany or Missandei seen Grey Worm show any emotion on his face, especially in front of so many people. He collapsed to both of his knees grabbing both of Dany’s hands looking serious, thankful, and happy all at once. “Thank you, I will not let you down, Queen Daenerys” Grey Worm says. Missandei is standing behind him and his reaction makes her heart swell and she smiles for him. “You have become like a brother to me, I know you won’t” Dany says as she grabs his face with both of her hands. He stands up and Jon locks his arm with his and Jon hands over the sword to him. Grey worm bows his head to Jon and he and Missandei start to walk away thinking this was their big gift. Jon says “hold on, theres one more thing.” Missandei and Grey Worm look at each other uncomfortably for a moment and turn back around. Dany reaches for the crown that is of thorns, flowers and butterflies and Jon picks up the crown of thorns. Dany speaks “we here by name you the new prince and princess of the westerlands, wardens of the West, and Lord and Lady of Highgarden. Missandei and Grey Worm look to each other again with blank faces, unsure how to react to the news. Missandei quickly looks over to Sansa because she was the person closest to the Tyrell’s and considered all of them to be dear friends. Missandei wasn’t sure if Sansa would approve. Truth is though, Dany and Jon spoke with Sansa about it prior to the ceremony for her thoughts, but Sansa agreed. Highgarden was a huge city and it needed new people to look after it. Aside from Missandei and Grey Worm being good friends with all three of them, they were honest people with kind hearts who were loyal to the crown. They were the best people for Highgarden. Missandei sees Sansa cheering for her and that helps her calm down enough to look at Dany with wide eyes asking “are you sure?” “You’ll be great” Dany responded with a smile. Grey Worm and Missandei both kneel this time while Jon places the crown on Grey Worm’s head and Dany places the crown on Missandei’s head. They rise and there’s tears coming from Missandei’s eyes. Being a friend, Dany reached for her and gave her a hug “you’re my sister. I love you.” “I love you too” Missandei said back to her. Dany stepped back and said “as I told Sansa, Visenya is yours whenever you call for her. She is welcome to stay with you for however long she likes. But of course, you must fly to visit as often as you can too.” “Of course” Missandei said with a half smile, still not believing what has happened. They step back into the court, with Grey Worm clutching his new sword like it’s the most important thing he has ever touched and owned.
Gendry is called up. Jon says “you are the Warden of the East and Lord of the Stormlands, but we would like to add prince of the easternlands to your title. He and Dany found Robert Baratheon’s crown of antlers when fixing up the Red Keep to their liking and presented that to him. He kneeled and accepted the crown.
Gendry was a great and loyal leader. He was always communicating with the Red Keep and he made the people who were living in the east very happy. A lot of people compared him to Ned Stark and his own father in Robert’s younger days. He married Meera Reed and they had two children together. They both had the blackest of hair and bright blue eyes. The boy was named after her deceased brother, Jojen. The girl was named Cella. Once things calmed down, Jamie went to visit Gendry. He reviled that Cersei was his true mother. Gendry knew his mother was blonde but he never thought it would be Cersei. However, it was known that Cersei’s first born son was a black haired beauty. Cersei would tell people she lost him during childbirth, but really she gave him up because she couldn’t stand the thought of having Robert’s child. She still had a soft spot for him so she would visit him in Flea Bottom periodically when he was younger and that’s why he can remember her hair. She disguised these trips as charity so no one was ever suspicious. Even though she didn’t accept him as hers, she still tried to protect him when she ordered to kill all of Robert’s bastards. She did want the others dead but not her own child. She knew exactly where he was and what he looked like. He would have been the first one dead if she wanted him gone. It wasn’t her that told the guards about him, it was the rumor that was started by Ned Stark that had the guards seeking Gendry out. When Jamie told Cersei that Gendry was still alive afterwards, she was actually happy about it. Cersei may have been a tyrant but she did care about her children. This took Gendry a long time to accept. He wasn’t ever a bastard. Like Jon, he was lied to his whole life. This made Jamie and Tyrion his uncles, which he was excited about though, because this meant he still had family that was alive and who wanted to be in his life now. Tyrion was a great man and Jamie became one. Gendry looked up to both of them. All three of them would visit each other when they could and they always had a great time. So when Meera birthed a girl, Gendry wanted to honor his half sister-cousin who he never met, but Jamie said she was the sweetest girl in the world. Since Storms End was close to Kings Landing, Gendry and Jamie’s children would often see each other and played together.
Yara Greyjoy is called up and is officially presented with her modified crown that was stolen by her uncle. Dany declares her Queen Reaper of the Iron Islands and Master of Ships.
Bronn the Blackwater is called up. As requested by Tyrion, he is given the title of Lord of the Twins. He will control who gets to pass from the north to the south and south to the north. Most importantly, he got his castle. He settled down with a pretty woman from The Sisters, an island chain in the Bite.
Daario is called forward to his surprise and accepts the Master of Coin position. With eight dragons at Khaleesi’s command, bringing Daario to Westeros for a few days every couple months was never difficult. He always liked the journey too. He went to have a grand wedding with Iliana and had two beautiful children. They’d always love coming to Kings Landing with his parents to play with Jon and Dany’s kids.
Jon and Dany then call Tyrion up. “We ask you to continue to be our Hand to the Queen and King but would also like you to accept Lord of Casterly Rock and prince of the Rock Region. The entire area of Casterly Rock, the Red Lake, Pinkmaiden, and Riverrun were all located in a very mountainous area Dany decided to name the Rock Region.Tyrion has wanted the Rock for as long as he could remember, and as there are only two Lannister’s left in the world, Dany thought it would only be right to let one of them have it, and she knew Jamie didn’t want it. Tyrion would finally get the chance to do what his father was trying to do for so long–make a good legacy for the Lannister name. He accepted his crown.
Sam is called forward to become the Grand Maester. He, Gilly, and little Sam move to the Capital immediately and live in their newly renovated quarters. In about a year, they would find out that they’re pregnant. They would have a little girl named Melara, after Sam’s grandmother. Gilly and Dany became good friends with her living in the castle and Gilly even helped raise all of Dany’s kids. She would also teach Dany how to cook Jon’s favorite dinner and dessert.
Next was Jamie and Octavia. “Jamie, you have proved yourself worthy to the crown and we would be honored if you remained Commander of the Royal Guard.” Sam brings the Book of Brothers forward and he reads what Jon, Dany, and Tyrion added. “Jamie showed courage and bravery when he left Kings Landing as a traitor to the Usurper Queen Cersei Lannister. He came North to fight against the Night King alongside former enemies of his House because he wanted to fight for the living and made an oath to help. He fought bravely on the frontlines against the Army of the Dead, he not only defended himself well, he assisted everyone he could that was in trouble. Many lives were saved because of him. He made peace with all of the Northeners as well as with Queen Daenerys Targaryen and King Jon Stark and undoubtedly proved his loyalty. A true Knight fights for the Realm, no matter the costs and no matter of politics. He defended his King and Queen when they had a surprise attack at Winterfell. He assisted in the Battle of Kings Landing and with the assassination of the Usurper. Ser Jamie Lannister is an outstanding character and will continue to do great acts for the New World.” Sam turns to a blank page and waits with a pen and quill. A few tears roll down Jamie’s face. All he ever wanted was to be a great knight and have his part of the Books of Brothers filled with meaningful acts he did. Jon adds “we also want you to know, we abolish the rule that states the Knights of the Royal Guard, formerly known as the Kingsguard, cannot take a wife, bare children, or hold land. Love is not the death of duty. Love is duty. There would be no duty without love.” Jon smiles at Dany and then Dany glances at Octavia and smiles. Jamie looks over to Octavia next and gives her hopeful eyes. Jamie bends his knee to Jon and Dany and says “I humbly accept. Thank you.” Dany speaks now to Octavia. “Octavia Kate Oakswood, King Jon and I would like to offer a position on the Royal Guard as well. Will you accept?” “Yes, my Queen. Thank you” Octavia says and bends her knee. Jon walks over to her and knights her. She says the words. Sam writes “Ser Octavia Kate Oakswood” on the blank page in the Book of Brothers. Dany continues to talk so Sam could write “Octavia came beyond the Wall to be brave and fight the Army of the Dead. She fought on the frontlines and protected everyone in her battle position. She defended her King and Queen in a surprise attack at Winterfell. She assisted with the Battle of Kings Landing and with the assassination of the Usurper. Ser Octavia Kate Oakswood will do great deeds for the New World.” Octavia stands and moves next to Jamie. Jon hands then both scrolls with their official new titles on it and the deed to their new home, right outside the Red Keep. It was a spacious two-story home with nice furnishings. Tyrion wanted to gift it to his brother, and Dany thought it was a good idea, as she was sure they were going to be husband and wife soon. The guards barracks is not place to raise a family and for a married couple. Octavia was especially excited for this gift. She liked where she came from, but she always dreamed of living in a city and being in a warmer climate. She thought her house was a beautiful castle. She loved the busy city life, but when she had time, her and Jamie would go on camping trips. She was still a Wildling, and Jamie loved her for her spirit. They both made each other very happy. Dany was right too. Within a month the couple had a small wedding ceremony. Jamie wore his Royal Guards uniform and it was the first time he saw Octavia wear a dress. The weather was warm now and she wore a dark green silk dress to match her eyes. It was a small ceremony that contained Jon, Dany, Brienne, Tormund, Tyrion, Sansa, and a few other close friends of Octavia’s. Over the next 3 years, they would have two children. First was a little girl and they called her Leila, after the beautiful Leila Lannister who was once Queen of the Iron Islands. The second was a boy who they called Lann, after the man who founded House Lannister. They had Jamie’s kind heart and Octavia’s wild nature. The children had Octavia’s black hair but Jamie’s bright green eyes. These would be known as the new Lannister traits of his line–all his grandchildren and great grandchildren would have black hair and bright green eyes.
Jamie and Octavia step down back to the court. Brienne and Tormund approach. Jon says “Daenerys and I would like to offer you both a position on the Royal Guard.” Brienne speaks before Tormund had the chance to. Brienne quickly bends her knee and says “permission to speak freely, your Grace?” Dany says “of course.” “I have learned a lot about my person since fighting for the both of you. My entire life, I have always wanted to be a knight and have the honor to serve the king or queen, in this case both, that I chose and to serve them on the Guard. What I have realized though, is that I want many things. I still want to be a knight, but I would also like to keep traveling all over the country, to have a husband and children…I know you just abolished the rule but I want to be free to go everywhere with my family. I would love to build a home in the North. A woman should never settle for anything less than what she wants. If you would let me, I would still like to be Ser Brienne of Tarth, but serve you from all over the Realm. Wherever I go, I will fight in your name and uphold all your values and laws, and if you ever call for me, I will not hesitate to show up to be by your side” Brienne said. Dany says “I agree with you. A woman should never settle. You have mine and Jon’s blessing to do just as you said. I am assuming Tormund will be accompanying you?” Tormund blurts our “wherever my big lady goes, I go with her” he said proudly. “Plus the South isn’t a place I’d like to stay to long in. I am a Northerner by blood.” Dany smiles at the both of them as says “please be sure to visit when you can, you both will always be welcomed here. Thank you for your service to the crown.” Tormund goes in to hug both Jon and Dany. He’s so big, he was able to scoop both of them up in his massive arms. “We will. I’ll want to see these little things once they’re born” Tormund says as he cupped Dany’s bump lightly.
Tormund and Brienne have a long adventurous life together. They built a large, beautiful cabin beyond the wall and every few weeks, they’d come back to it from a trip they were on. They saw everything they wanted. They saw all of Westeros and sometimes Dany would ask them to go to Essos for her on business. They would see all the Free-Cities and Dragon’s Bay. They would have five children, three boys and two girls. As Tormund once predicted, they were huge. It made Tormund very proud. They were all around six-and-a-half feet tall. Almost all the kids had strawberry blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. Their names were Torwynd (after Tormund’s first son that died), Ryker, Sapphire (for the nickname of Brienne’s home island of Tarth), Renly (for Renly Baratheon, the first person to ever understand Brienne), and the youngest girl was named Ygritte. She had bright red hair with beautiful grey eyes. When she was born, Tormund shed a tear because she looked so much like the friend he lost in a battle at Castle Black. When Jon met her for the first time, he too was reminded so much of his former lover.
The Giantsbane family would all travel together on their adventures, leaving not one child behind. Before the kids would walk, Tormund would fasten them to his chest and would carry the. He did this for all five of his kids until they each could walk. A big man with fiery red hair and a wild red beard carrying a baby around always made Brienne laugh, but it just made her love him more, and Tormund was more than happy to do it. Brienne always admired him for being a great father–teaching his boys and girls how to fight and hunt. When they got old, they retired to their cabin to watch all their grandchildren grow up and teach them everything they knew. Their grandchildren especially loved all of their stories they had to tell.
Jon calls up Andrew McClay, a Stark loyalist who is a great fighter and who has survived every battle Jon had up to the Throne. 1. Jon says “Andrew, you have fought next to us since this war began, and you’re one of the best fighters I have ever seen. You stood your ground against the Wildlings before our peace, you’ve stood against the Bolton Army, and the White Walkers several times. We would be honored if you would join the Royal Guard.” Looking honored, he says “I accept, thank you King Jon and Queen Daenerys” Andrew said. Andrew bends his knee and recites the oath Jon says to him. They hand him a scroll with his new title.
Andrew falls in love with a strong northern woman named Maege. She’s always been loyal to House Stark and looks up to Sansa and Arya. She came from a poor family but she wanted to become a builder. She was noticed for her abilities at Winterfell and Jon asked her if she’d like to come to Kings Landing for work. They would provide a small house for her to stay in and she ended up working on a lot of big projects in Kings Landing and was paid generously. This is how Andrew met her. They were both awkward around each other for a few weeks as Northerners are very stern and serious. It took a while but finally Andrew tells a joke: “why do Lannister’s have such big beds?” Maege looked confused. “Why?” she said. “Cause they push two twins together to make a king!” Maege starts to laugh so hard she has to clutch her stomach. This made Andrew laugh, thus starting her beautiful and simple relationship. They had 4 kids together and would travel up North when they could.
Daenerys mutters a few words to Sam and he writes things down on two blank scrolls. She calls two Dothraki bloodriders of hers that she noticed who seem to like the life in Westeros. Cohollo and Haggo where their names and they have been loyal to their Khaleesi since her and Khal Drogo’s wedding night. Dany asked if the both of them would like to be on the Royal Guard and without hesitation, they both agreed. They bent the knee to Dany and they recited the oath from her and took their titles. They were the most noticeable among the Royal Guard because they didn’t want to wear fancy armor. Instead, they always wore war paint across their face and they each had a huge Targaryen-Stark symbol tattooed on their back. The both of them enjoyed their position in the city and eventually wed. Cohollo fell in love with a Wildling who had straight golden hair and auburn eyes. Haggo fell in love with a Dornish woman warrior.
Red Roach, Grey Worm’s second in command since White Rat died, is called forward. Daenerys asked Grey Worm before the ceremony if it he would make a good fit for the Royal Guard and he agreed. Red Roach took his oath and accepted his title. He too never wore the traditional armor. He had a modification of his Unsullied uniform made. An all black uniform that had a faint shadow of a dragon on the front with the Targaryen-Stark symbol on his back. He was the most serious at his job, standing close to Dany and Jon when they met with the public and patrolled the streets in silence unless someone was breaking the law. It took him a few years, but he ended up falling in love with a farm girl. She had dark brown hair that was very curly, and it came the whole way down her back. She had nice cheekbones, very full lips, almond shaped hazel eyes, and tan skin. Her name was Iris. Her family’s farm was only 5 miles north of Kings Landing. One day Red Roach was out riding his horse, just patrolling the areas outside city walls. He heard a girl scream and rushed to find the source. The farm was being attacked by three thieves! Within a few seconds, Red Roach had killed all of the attackers. They thanked him repeatedly and offered him a basket of goat cheese and fresh bread. He kindly declined the offer but then he saw her. She was covered in dirt from working in the garden but she was still the most beautiful woman he ever seen. She shoved the basket onto him and forced him to take it. Iris made a point to come to the city at least once a week to buy, trade, or sell items hoping she would see him again. The third time coming to the Capital, he finally saw her when he was on a walk. They spoke to each other more and more every time she visited. After a few months, he agreed to have dinner with her and her family. It then turned into him having dinner with them two to three times a month. Finally, after a year, he asked her to marry him. She never wanted children, she wanted to be an inventor, so she was okay with how he was, plus she never once felt unsatisfied with him. There’s many more things a couple could do. Dany gifted them a small house in the city, right next to Jamie and Octavia. It had two bedrooms but they would sleep in the smaller of the two bedrooms because Red Roach helped Iris turn the entire other bedroom into her laboratory. It took her a while to learn, she would often be seen running out of her home with a big cloud of smoke behind her or a loud crash. Eventually though, she became a very successful inventor. Dany and Jon would hire her to work on new projects all over Westeros and Essos. She and Sam would even become very good friends–they loved to pick each other’s brains. Overall, Iris and Red Roach had a very happy life together.
This would leave one more spot open on the Royal Guard. Jon and Dany gave the spot to a fierce woman warrior from House Piper of Pinkmaiden in the Riverlands. Her name was Melony Piper and she has hair that looks like Sansa’s and grey eyes. She was very beautiful and had many suitors. 2. She was a person that was suggested by Sansa, actually because noticed how she fought in battles. Melony was able to fight 10 men at once. Her and Sansa became friends and Melony has expressed her loyalty to Jon and Daenerys on several occasions. Melony takes her oath and accepts her title. She is excited to finally become a knight. She never thought it would happen until Daenerys became Queen. Melony has always valued and admired strong women, and her biggest role models were Brienne of Tarth, the first female knight of the 7 Kingdoms, Sansa Stark, a dragonrider, a successful warrior, and the Warden and Princess of the North, Arya, the best known assassin, and of course Daenerys. Melony was still young, about 17 years old, but she only got better and stronger as she aged. In a few years, she would fall in love with a woman from the Eyrie who was training to become a master archer. Melony would go on to marry her.
That completed the Royal Guard and the crowning of the leaders. A few more smaller titles were to be handed out. Sandor was offered Clegane’s Keep if he wanted it but he turned it down because of all the horror that has happened there, and all of his childhood abuse. He told Dany and Jon to knock it down. With its proximity to Casterly Rock, Tyrion asked Dany if he could buy the land. She agreed and over the years, Tyrion turned it into a massive vineyard and began making and selling his own wine. He also opened a luxury inn on the property. It didn’t take long for it to become known as the best wine in the world. He called it “Here Me Roar” after his House’s words. The vineyard and the inn became a popular vacation spot for couples.
Sandor instead accepted The Dreadfort, the former home of the deceased House Bolton. He accepted this because of its proximity to Winterfell. He wanted to be close to House Stark if something were to ever happen. When he officially took the castle, Sansa hired people to remove all tracings of the Bolton’s and to make it a better home for Sandor. Sansa and Sandor were really good friends, even though they never said they were, but they knew. Her own words echoed in her head when she first visited him, “your words will disappear. Your house will disappear. Your name will disappear. All memory of you will disappear.” The second time she visited, she refused to think about Ramsey at all. Sandor lived a simple life for the rest of his days. He visited Winterfell often and Sansa, Arya, and Yara visited him a lot too. He kept his direwolf and they went everywhere together. He named it Arry, the name Arya gave herself when posing as a boy and traveling with The Hound. To everyone’s surprise, he fell in love with a Wilding woman who was fierce but soft at the same time. They had one son together and named him Beric.
Arya gets called to the front. Dany says to her “you helped us win this war more than once, and as promise, you may ask for anything you want. Arya pauses and looks slightly nervous. “I would like it to be law that a person could be with whoever they wish to be with and not be punished.” Daenerys looks at her and says “as you wish. Did you think about what you would like to call your dragon?” “Yes, I think I want to call him Syrio.” “Then his name is Syrio. You may call to him whenever you need and he may stay with you as long as he wishes. Ride him as much as you can, and come visit me and your brother when you are able.” Dany and Arya embrace in a long hug, they would consider themselves to best friends. “I would like to ask of one more thing” Arya said. “I would like to be a knight. It’s been something I’ve always wanted.” “Arya, you are the best assassin, warrior, and spy in this entire world. I don’t believe there is anyone that could beat you in a fight, even Grey Worm. Jon, please knight your sister.” Knight was the only title Arya ever wanted to hold. She says the words, jumps on Jon and hugs him tight. Before she runs back into the crowd next to Yara, she tells Dany, ” I think you’re going to get four direwolves added to the Red Keep.”
Arya, like Brienne, became a traveling knight, protecting anyone who needed help and serving justice in Dany’s and Jon’s name. Brienne and Arya would run into each other sometimes in their own travels which they both enjoyed. Sometimes Dany and Jon would have them go on business together.
Arya went back and fourth between the Iron Islands and Winterfell a lot, but she never went the same route. Sometimes she’d stop in Highgarden, Dorne, Kings Landing, Storms End, the Vale, or sometimes other smaller towns in the North. When she traveled these long distances, she always took Syrio so she wouldn’t be gone for months. Sansa loves when Arya visted in Winterfell and so did the people. The little girls of the North would always look up to the sky for Arya’s green and blue dragon. There would be stories told about her for centuries. Jon and Dany loved when she visted Kings Landing too, because she was so good with their children. Arya and Yara obviously never had any children, they never wanted to be mothers, but they really loved and spoiled all their niece and nephews. The kids thought they were the best aunt’s in the world. When they grew up, they would often accompany them in their travels or stay with them in the Iron Islands. When Dany and Jon would travel to unfamiliar places in Essos that weren’t liberated yet, Arya always go with them and act as a guard. About twice a year, Arya and Yara would go sailing on month long trips to explore. Nymeria ended up staying with Arya too. She never owned a horse ever again. She even fashioned a harness for Nymeria, so when she traveled on the back of Syrio, Nymeria would come to. Syrio would carry her with her strapped to her ankle. People thought it was amusing but Nymeria loved it. She was a nomad like Arya.
Her and Yara got married within a few months of the war ending. They both wore their armor. They had a big party on the Iron Islands and her whole family, including Dany, Tyrion, Brienne, Tormund, Missandei, Grey Worm, Gendry, Meera, and Ellaria, all shown up for the event. It was the happiest day Arya ever had. They realized the Greyjoy line would end once Yara passed on, so they started a new tradition of giving it to the most deserved person and approved by the people of the Iron Islands. The next in line was actually one of their nieces who loved the Islands more than where she came from and felt like she was meant to be Iron born. This niece would move to Pyke when she turned 16 and work next to the Iron born for decades. When Yara would announce her ascension, the people were very happy with Yara’s choice.
That concluded the crowning ceremony and everyone went home pleased and hopeful for the future. Afterwards, Jon and Dany laughed about their Royal Guard. “Two Dothraki, a Lannister who killed my father, a Wildling, a Northerner, and Unsullied, and someone from the Riverlands. This must be the most diverse in history!” Dany said.
In the days approaching Dany and Jon’s wedding, Dany visited Missandei and Grey Worm in Highgarden to help them get acclimated. They created a new House name; House Summer. Grey Worm was born in the Summer Islands and the Summer Sea is what lays between the Summer Islands and the Isle of Naath. Their House Banner contained a beautiful butterfly on top of the Tyrell flower, to help represent Missandei’s culture. Their new House words were “Fire and Fight,” and homage to House Targaryen. Dany gifted them a few dozen banners to hang around the city, and Grey Worm invited some Unsullied to live in Highgarden if they wished. About 100 moved into the city and a few 100 moved to the country side of Highgarden. This made Dany feel comfortable that her best friends would always be safe. Missandei came to Dany and asked if she and Grey Worm could adopt some of the children from the North who lost their parents in the war. Dany of course agreed. Grey Worm stayed in Highgarden and Dany went with Missandei to the North. Their trip only took two days as they only stopped once. Drogon and Visenya were riding fast. Dany ran into Jon at Winterfell as he was helping Sansa transition into her role, even though she didn’t need much help, but he still wanted to make sure she was okay. Dany and Jon kiss as soon as they see each other and spend a few hours together. Missandei asks Sansa about the adoptions and she is more than happy to help Missandei. Drogon, Visenya, Olenna, and Rhaegal are happy to see each other too. They fly up in the sky chasing each other around.
Missandei ended up choosing 8 children. The children were young and still needed parents. The older children weren’t left helpless. Sansa has a special bunk house made just for them so they would have a place to live. They each would have their own bedroom, they were small, but they were still grateful, and they had to maintain their own farm and livestock for food. They would also take turns running the trade routes for Winterfell for jobs. They were always accompanied by a guard for protection, but they rarely ever had any issues like that. They’d run into the occasional thief but it was never anything they couldn’t handle. Sansa would let all the kids train with Arya when she’d hold lessons when she came to visit. They were also allowed to train with Sansa’s expert bowman and the expert daggermen. Sansa expanded her knowledge about how to use a her Valyrian steel dagger and became a master bowman in a few short years. The orphans were always looked out for, something Sansa ensured, a trait that she learned from her formerly good friend Margaery.
All the children kept their first names but all agreed to taking Summer as their last. When Dany saw how many children she chose she laughed. Dany, Missandei, Sansa, and Jon all assisted in the transportation. All the children thought it was so neat to be riding on the back of a dragon. They had two children on each so an adult could make sure they would not fall off. When Grey Worm saw them, he smiled because he built a bond with all of them in the North. He always fed and played with them. They run in his direction and jump all over him. It didn’t take long for them to start calling Missandei and Grey Worm mom and dad. They ended up adopting 4 more children that were orphaned in the Highgarden area. They had a total of 12 children. It was always crazy in the palatial keep but Missandei and Grey Worm loved it. You could always hear little feet running in the halls and laughter. Missandei would teach all of their children the language’s she knew and Grey Worm taught them how to fight. In fact, people would travel from all over the world to attend training with Grey Worm. The demand was so popular, he would schedule training classes a few times a month. So many people would show up that they built a massive, but modest, open arena a half of a mile outside Highgarden’s walls down the Ocean Road. Around it was designated camp grounds for the visitors. Eventually, they built a very large inn next to the area so nobles would have a nice place to stay. There would be 3 suits that were off limits though. One would be for Arya and Yara, another for Jon and Dany, and another for Sansa. They all occupied the upper floor that had a beautiful view of the Briar Maze and they could see the ocean in the distance. House Summer profited a lot from these training classes, so much so, they were able to donate 80 percent of their profits. They gave 20 percent directly to the crown so Dany and Jon could use it for good wherever they needed to, and the other 60 percent was put into the infrastructure of the West. They helped create jobs, more roads, more trading routes, homes, and put in more farms and businesses. Highgarden quickly became the wealthiest city in the known world.
Missandei and Grey Worm had a beautiful wedding one week before Dany and Jon’s. Missandei wore a traditional Highgarden dress with her own twist on it. It was sky blue and had a long train. She had a gold lace overlay on the bottom half of the dress that had flowers and butterflies all over it. The top half shown her arms and had a low v-neck, and the back was opened as well . There was gold beading lining the top of the dress. Of course, Dany did her hair in complicated braids and curls. Missandei was truly stunning. Grey Worm, for the first time, wore traditional Highgarden nobleman clothes. They were also sky blue but very simple. Grey Worm felt odd in them but everyone else thought he looked handsome. The wedding was in the garden and all of their friends attended in addition to some other Highgarden nobles and common people. Missandei asked if Dany and Sansa could give her away and they happily agreed. It was a beautiful ceremony and the beginning of a very happy life they both deserved. Missandei and Grey Worm worked so well with each other and stayed head-over-heels in love with each other for the rest of their days. People envied their marriage. Their eldest adopted daughter took over Highgarden when Grey Worm and Missandei stepped down. She married Tormund and Briennes eldest son, Torwynd.
With only one week until the wedding, Dany and Jon are covering as much ground as possible so they could enjoy some time together after the ceremony. They kept the Royal Fleet in Blackwater Bay and it extended the whole way out to Dragonstone. Some people liked living on the ships, and more than half the Dothraki went back to the Great Grass Sea, but some decided to stay. Most of the Unsullied stayed, as Essos only brought on bad memories. There were a handful though that went to live with the Dothraki. The remaining Unsullied and Dothraki went to be stationed around the country in various towns to keep peace and enjoy life. Some would stay stationed at Dragonstone.
Every night, Jon and Dany would eat dinner together and fall asleep next to each other. The floor surrounding their bed was always occupied by direwolves. Ghost slept on Jon’s side, of course. Dany’s direwolves slept on her side. Dany decided to name her Lyanna, after Jon’s birth mother and the fierce Lady Mormont. The three younger pups would take turns sleeping on their bed with Jon and Dany. They were young, but they were still big. The all orange one with brown paws and a brown tail was called Tully, for Catelyn Stark’s House. The grey one with dark red paws and a dark red nose was called Shadow, after Jonquil Pool, also know as Scarlet Shadow. She was the sworn bodyguard of Queen Alysanne Targaryen after her attempted assignation. The golden colored one with black ears and a black belly was called Rickon for Jon’s fallen cousin-brother. There was one more direwolf though who didn’t have a known owner. When Sansa showed up for the crowning ceremony and left afterwards to take a walk around the gardens with Tyrion, the tan direwolf with dark brown streaks approached her. The direwolf knew that Sansa was supposed to be his owner. There was something familiar about his eyes to Sansa, and because of this, Sansa named him Theon. Theon was always by her side, sometimes though, Sansa would find him by Theon’s statue in the Winterfell crypt which she found was odd. Bran explained that sometimes animals have part of a spirit of a passed loved one. He believed a part of Theon was in her direwolf. This made Sansa feel a sense of comfort always.
The three young dragons would fly around and hunt with Rhaegal and Drogon during the day and would sleep with them at the Dragon Pit. There was a sky blue dragon that had some Silverman dark blue in it. This one Dany names Dreamfyre, as princess Rhaena Targaryen has a dragon similar by description. The silver one with golden eyes was call Meraxes who Rhaenys Targaryen once rode. The third one, a pale grey and white dragon, was named Grey Ghost, after the elusive dragon who was never ridden or often seen.
Dany and Jon hired workers to fix the dragon pit. However this time, there would be no roof or chains. Drogon kept the other dragons in check so Dany and Jon never had to worry about them eating things they weren’t supposed to or doing damage to anything. The new dragon pit was made out of beautiful stone. In the center was a huge pool for them to play in. They’d breathe fire into the pool so it would always stay hot. They had huge patches of grass, leaves, and moss brought in so they’d have something comfortable to sleep on. Jon thought Dany was going overboard but Dany didn’t care. She wanted them to have a nice home. There were steel signs above each of their “beds” with their names on it. Including a spot for Olenna, Visenya, and Syrio. About once a month, Dany would buy cattle, sheep, or pigs from nearby farms or she would bring in a few wagon loads of fish for them to eat. She didn’t want them to be domesticated like the other dragons, she wanted the dragons to stay big, strong, and fierce, so they did have to hunt for their own food the majority of the time. But again, she liked to treat them. Drogon would sometimes express his and the other dragons jealousy of the direwolves because they got to sleep in their mother and fathers room and be in the castle with them. Dany always thought this was amusing and she would tell him “if I had a room in the castle big enough for all of you, let alone one of you, you’d be allowed to stay with us whenever you wanted. She and Jon would ride over to the pit at least once a day to visit. On the back of their direwolves, the trip was never a big deal. All of the dragons though were rode a lot. With five riders, they were never bored. Drogon and Visenya would sleep next to each other and fly together whenever their riders didn’t need them.
——–
Dany and Jon’s wedding day come. Daenerys is now three months pregnant. When she wears tighter clothes, you can see her swollen belly now. They decided to have the ceremony in the large field next to the city overlooking Blackwater Bay. Anyone who wanted to attend was allowed to for the ceremony. There were so many people who showed up. All eight dragons flew overhead and all eight direwolves were sitting in the front by the water looking into the crowd. They had a beautiful structure built which they would stand under while they say their words. It was covered in intricate woodwork and flowers. The path Dany would walk on was covered in flowers as well. They laid out so many logs for people to sit on and had their closest friends sit the front. So many people came, a lot of people needed to stand on the sides. Since Dany didn’t have any family left, she asked Grey Worm and Tyrion if they could give her away. They both felt honored to do so.
Dany’s dress was the focus everyone’s attention. It was a beautiful scarlet red A-lined gown. The train on the dress was long and covered in black sequins that slowly faded up the skirt of the dress. She had a simple belt made of dragonglass and rubies that hugged her at her waist. As a gift, Sansa made Dany her shoes. They were black slippers with a small heel. Sansa stitched small red dragons and direwolves all over the top of the shoes. They became Dany’s favorite shoes and she wore them every time she wasn’t traveling. Missandei of course did Dany’s hair but it was kept simple for today. There were three braids in her hair. One in the center and one on each side of her head. They were combined into one braid behind her head and it was tied. The rest of her hair was in loose curls. People didn’t realize how long it was until now, it was touching her lower back. Her silver hair and purple eyes were shining so bright in the sunlight. Her Valyrian steel crown was on top her head. She was wearing the dragon necklace Jon got her too. Jon was wearing new black leather light armor with the Targaryen-Stark symbol on the front of it–he wasn’t one to wear noble clothes. When he saw Dany he was speechless at how beautiful she was. Dany thought Jon was the most handsome guy she’s ever seen. Tyrion and Grey Worm take her on the long walk up to the structure where Jon was at. All the women and little girls were gasping at Dany. They had a dozen bards standing off to the side playing beautiful music.
Sam was officiating the wedding. They couldn’t think of a better person to conduct the ceremony, since neither of them believed in the 7. They wanted the ceremony to be a little different than traditional Royal Weddings. They asked Sam to tell a story about Jon and Dany, and about their journey together as a couple. It took almost 45 minutes and Sam had the crowd laughing at some parts in his story. Dany and Jon sat in golden chairs holding hands while Sam was talking. When it was time to say the words, they stood up in front of Sam. They recited the vows while Sam tied a red ribbon around their hands joining the two. When it was over, they walked closer to the Bay, right behind where they were standing, the crowd was still able to see them, and Jon lifted Dany up in the air to embrace and kissed her. The crowd was so loud they swore it shook the ground. Then all the dragons started to circle around them and they all breathed fire on the both of them. While Dany had a gentle heart, she still wanted to show their power. This became a ritual done at every Targaryen wedding for the rest of eternity when both people had the Blood of Old Valyria. It was a way for the dragons to show they approved of the marriage. Since they both have the original amethysts in their crown and they’re both of Targaryen descent, their clothes didn’t burn and neither did they. All the dragons flew up and started roaring. All the direwolves started howling. Jon mounted Ghost and Dany mounted Lyanna and they made their way to the weirwood tree in the gardens of the castle. Sam met them there and they did a smaller, quicker ceremony in front of the tree since Jon still followed the Old God’s and Dany wanted to respect that. Arya and Yara came on Nymeria, Sansa and Tyrion came over on Theon,Missandei and Grey Worm came over on Grey Worm’s stallion, and Brienne and Tormund came over on their horses. It was just those few to witness this ceremony. The crowd was welcomed on the grounds and in the city to celebrate, but only close friends and family and royals were allowed into the gardens to celebrate with Jon and Dany. They whole city partied once more all night long. When the sun was setting, they both said goodbye to their best friends and family members. Tyrion and Sansa would manage business while they went on their trip. Daario stayed to assist wherever he could. They were good at politics so Jon and Dany were confident everything would be smooth and they were right.
Jon and Dany mounted their direwolves and rode through the city waving to the crowd. Once they got passed the city’s gate, they dismounted and walked a few feet. Drogon and Rhaegal came flying in. Ghost and Lyanna went back into the city. They now climb on their dragons and fly off. They’re only gone for around 9 days, as they do have the country to run plus Dragon’s Bay. Their first stop was in Pentos. This is where Dany grew up and Jon has never seen this side of the world. In about a month, Dany would take Jon to visit Dragon’s Bay. He thought everything on this side was so different but he admired the beauty and the love the people had for Dany.
Dany would take Jon around to visit all of her favorite places growing up and they stayed with Magister Illyrio Mopatis, the person who helped raise her and fight for House Targaryen. Never did he think though he’d have a Stark under his roof. It took Illyrio a few hours to warm up to Jon but he did, Jon was hard not to like. He bestowed the both of them with foreign luxurious gifts to take back to the Red Keep. Dany’s favorites were the silk, the fabric, and the rugs. While she loves Westeros for what it is, she missed things that reminded her of the place she spent most of her life. Illyrio would have everything shipped to Kings Landing for them. On their first night there, Illyrio came to find Dany enjoying tea in the courtyard before bed with Jon. “May I have a word with you, my Queen?” he said. “Yes, of course” Dany responds. Jon gets up to leave but Dany asks him if he could stay. “Illyrio, you wouldn’t mind if Jon stayed?” Dany asked. “I think it should be for your ears only but if you insist…” Illyrio said. “I do” said Dany, friendly but stern. “The children between your brother Rhaegar and his first wife Elia Martell, Aegon and Rhaenys were presumed dead. Little Rhaenys was infact murdered, but Aegon was not. Varys switched babies. During your fathers reign, most people didn’t even recognize that he was going mad because Tywin Lannister was doing a great job hiding it and managing the Realm himself with the small council. The people did notice he was flaky and towards the last years of his reign, his madness was shown to everyone. But the people tolerated it because they all loved Rhaegar and were looking forward to his reign. They believed in Rhaegar Targaryen and they were just riding out your father’s rule. When Robert began his rebellion, he unfortunately sought Rhaegar out and killed him, as you know. Well Varys gabbed Aegon and fled because he thought Aegon would be like your brother and was the best hope for the Realm. He was raised with the Golden Company and was given the best teachers. He learned how to fight, fish, hunt, hide, cook, and learned many different languages. He was bred for the Throne. 3. Varys came back here to find him after he met you and realized you and Jon together were the better option for the world. He was raised thinking he was going to take the Throne but is pleased that you have it. He realized you two brought the entire world together, migrated them as one, fought and won the two hardest wars in history, and won the hearts of the people. That you’re the one with the dragons and he has none. People think he’s dead. The only thing he wants now is to be home and be with family. If you would have him” Illyrio finished. Dany looks at Jon and Jon looks very skeptical. That would mean his half brother would be alive. He was actually very nervous because no one except a few people knew his true identity. “Are you sure it’s him?” Jon asked. “I’m positive. I took him myself” Varys says as he walks out, “I helped raise him and I’ve been over here with him since before the Battle of Kings Landing. If you didn’t survive, I was going to bring him over to fight for the throne. I am very happy you both survived. I still think you’re the best option for the Throne and I’m glad you both are on it. Aegon is actually relieved that he doesn’t have to try to do what you’ve accomplished. He just wants to be with his Aunt.” Varys was going to add in “brother” to the end of the sentence but he realized Illyrio didn’t know about his ancestry and he wasn’t about to go against Jon’s wishes and revile the secret. “Is he here?” Jon asked. “Yes. You can come out Aegon!” Varys said loudly. A young man, slender but very muscular comes walking out. He’s only about a year older than Jon and Dany who are both 23. The man has bright blue eyes and dyed blue hair. He approaches the both of them and bends his knee. Dany can see a faint glow around him. She sees it around Jon too. When she asked Drogon about this he told her that’s a way of identifying a Targaryen, a gift from the crown. This man is indeed of Targaryen descent. Dany wants to say something warm and welcoming but all she can mutter is “hello.” Just last year she thought she was the only Targaryen in the world left. Now she has Jon and Aegon. Together they will rebuild the House. “Queen Daenerys, you are as beautiful as they say. I was once to marry you a few years ago but we could never get the meeting right. I will not use my real name. I will keep dying my hair. I pledge my loyalty to you and King Jon. I am tired of running. I am tired of hiding. I would like to get to know my family” Aegon pleaded. Dany gave a quick look at Jon and nodded her head towards him confirming that this is indeed Aegon and Jon went still. Dany stood up and said “if that is what you wish, we will not tell anyone. But if you ask me, Targaryens should not be in hiding anymore. You can go by Aegon Targaryen, son of Rhaegar and Elia. You are welcomed back home. You can also call me Aunt Daenerys if you want.” She gestured him to stand up and he did and she gave him a big hug. She told him that he could call Jon Uncle if he wanted. Dany wasn’t sure if they sure trust him enough yet to tell him that Jon and he are brothers. Jon and Aegon locked arms. They talk some more and Aegon leaves to wash the dye out of his hair. When he came back, his hair matched Dany’s. Dany thought he was very handsome. The three of them talk all night. Dany did make it a point to tell Aegon that if he ever crossed them, she wouldn’t hesitate to have one of her dragons eat him. He completely understood.
Before Jon and Dany leave Pentos, she sends out ravens to every noble house saying:
“Twenty-four years ago Rhaegar Targaryen and Elia Martell were murdered along with their children, Aegon and Rhaenys. Rhaenys did unfortunately pass away but the baby that was supposed to be Aegon wasn’t Aegon. Aegon was taken by a Targaryen loyalist and was replaced with another child. He grew up in Essos and joined The Golden Company. He is being welcomed back to Westeros and will be the new Lord of Dragonstone, as it is his ancestral right. He has pledged his loyalty to us and is excited to enter his new life.
-Queen Daenerys Targaryen and King Jon Stark. ”
The people of Westeros already highly approved of Dany and Jon, plus they didn’t know Aegon. No one ever called for Aegon to take their place. No more wars, and they new Dany had the power. Aegon was happy on Dragonstone.
They told Aegon that he and Jon were brothers about two months after meeting him for the first time when they felt like he could be trusted. By this time, Jon and Aegon would hang out with each other a lot. With Dragonstone so close to Kings Landing, it was very easy for Jon to quickly fly over on Rhaegal to visit him or pick him up to go on a hunting trip. Aegon and Jon were best friends, and when Tormund came to visit, they would all usually go on an overnight camping and hunting trip in the Kingswood. When Jon told him, Aegon was filled with happiness, because he too thought he was alone in the world. Jon would take Aegon with him to the North sometimes too. The first time Aegon went with him on the back of Rhaegal, Arya just so happened to be visiting Sansa in the North so the both of them were able to meet Aegon. They were hesitant at first, but when they saw their direwolves be playful with him, they accepted him. While he wasn’t technically their blood since he was birthed by Elia and not Lyanna, they still saw him as family. When Aegon first met Sansa, he was so in awe of her and tried to win her heart. Sansa was physically attracted to him and he was very kind to her but she wasn’t sure. She thought she was going to keep her marriage with Tyrion. This threw Sansa in a love triangle for several weeks.
—–
After three days in Pentos, Dany and Jon flew to a secluded island in the Summer Isles. They enjoyed the sandy beach and so did their dragons. Drogon and Rhaegal buried themselves in the warmth and sunbathed for the next two days after their day long flight from Pentos to where they were. Jon and Dany would lay naked on the beach and swim in the ocean exploring the beautiful reefs.
They were only a two hour flight away from Dorne, so they decided to make a stop there before their last destination. They explored the city in the afternoon and then enjoyed an early dinner with Ellaria in the water gardens. They then took off once more and flew the rest of the evening to their cave. They talk about future plans for their world and names for their children.
Five months later
Dany gives birth early to her three babies but Sam said it was normal with triplets. A black haired boy comes first. They named him Eddard. Tully howled outside the window and the dragon Grey Ghost let out a mighty roar. They were excited that their rider was finally here.
Next comes the most beautiful little girl with silver hair. Her name was Rhaenys. Dreamfyre roared and Shadow howled to welcome her.
The third child had silver hair too but there was a single black streak in his hair. They named him Rhaegar. Rickon howls and Meraxes roars.
Dany and Jon are completely in love with their violet eyed children. Their little girl was completely wrapped around Jon’s finger and was Dany’s little shadow. She was often seen riding on Jon’s shoulders or running in the halls with Dany. She always sat in the middle of them at dinner. When she became of age, she oversaw Dragons Bay in the name of her mother and father with the help of Daario and his wife. Together they brought more cities in Essos in to the Targaryen rule. Rhaenys was loved by everyone and was sought after strongly by both men and women. She fell in love with a Dothraki warrior–following in her mother’s footsteps. She lived a very happy marriage with him. When she wasn’t ruling in Dragons Bay, she was running wild on her direwolf with the Dothraki. She would ride Dreamfyre back to Kings Landing a lot to visit her parents. She was very close with them. She had two children with her Dothraki husband. A boy and a girl who were both riders of dragons and direwolves. She, within a few years, became Queen of Essos.
Ned became a great warrior who fell deeply in love with Cella, Gendry and Meera’s daughter. They took over Storms End when Gendry and Meera were ready to pass down the title and ruled under a Targaryen-Baratheon name, keeping the Baratheon name in Storms End. They took their titles very seriously and was always seen riding around on Tully or Grey Shadow visiting the people who lived in their hold. They had one child, a silver haired beauty, who was a rider of both animals. Ned would adopt the name “Father of the Direwolves” after Arya.
Jojen Baratheon ended up taking over Greywater watch for his grandparents when he became of age. He fell in love with Leila Lannister and they had two children together.
Rhaegar would grow up succeeding the Throne. He would have 4 children and would be a great King and treated his Queen equally, just as he saw his father with his mother. The people loved them just as much as Dany and Jon. His first born daughter would be the one to succeed him.
Just like that, the Targaryen blood would be diluted enough to get rid of the Targaryen “madness.” However, most of the children coming from Dany and Jon’s line had purple eyes and everyone either had silver or black hair. But it was important to not dilute the blood too much…
Dany and Jon would go on to have two more children in the next 5 years. One more girl named Rhaella, after Dany’s mother. She was a tomboy and highly admired Arya and Yara. When Dany was in her late 50’s, she would pass Dark Sister down to her. She was the most talented swordsman of all of her children, very close to Rhaegar and Rhaenys. However, she felt like Dark Sister should be continuously passed down to the women in the family, as it is a woman’s sword. Dany knew Rhaenys would not need it. Rhaella spent a lot of her time on the Iron Islands, flying back and fourth on the back of her dragon, Purplewing, who of course was mostly purple, who had bronze undertones. She had Shaera too, her direwolf that was a beautiful chestnut color. She married one of Tyrion’s children and became the Lady Reaper of the Iron Islands. She felt honored to be chosen by her Aunt Arya and Yara to succeed them.
The youngest was Bharbo after her late husbands father. She loved Drogo with all her heart and wanted to honor him by having her child take his fathers name. His hair was black but he too had violet eyes. His direwolf was scarlet and it was named Red. Drogo’s stallion was called “The Red.” It wasn’t given a real name because the Dothraki weren’t sentimental in that way. His dragon was black like Dany’s but he had green undertones and green covering the edges of his wings. They named him Balerion. He married Ygritte, the daughter of Brienne and Tormund. They were both wild at heart and would spend a lot of time with the Wildlings and of then flew over to Essos to be with the Dothraki. They always would spend at least a month in Kings Landing visiting his family though. Together they had six wild children who all became a rider of at least one animal. Some had bright red hair, some had black hair, and some had silver hair. All of them though had violet eyes. Bharbo was inspired by the Dothraki and the stories Dany would tell him about Drogo. He worked out as much as he could and trained hard with his parents Dothraki Royal Guards and became an expert with the arakh. He braided his hair and became heavily tattooed after his first few visits there. He was super muscular from all his training and almost always tan from his time in the Dothraki Sea. He reminded Dany so much of Drogo, even though he was Jon’s son, and looked a lot like Jon without the tattoos and outfits. Bharbo developed a strong sight, similar to Dany’s but more intense. He told Dany one day while visiting “I saw Khal Drogo in my dream last night. He told me to tell you ‘Yer Jalan Atthirari Anni” and that he is always with you. Part of his spirit is in Drogon and in me. He likes father, but he’s still so sorry that he left you so soon. He wishes he was by your side on the throne and was able to lay next to you in bed. He loves you.” Dany cried hard for only the third time in her life. When Drogo died, when Jorah died, and now this. After a few minutes, she smiled and hugged Bharbo so tight. “If you talk to him again, tell him ‘Shekh Ma Shieraki Anni” Dany said. She believed he was with her. She thought she would see him sometimes out of the corner of her eye, but she’s never spoke to him in a dream. In his late teenage years, Bharbo would embark on an important task in Essos with Ygritte.
——
Back in Winterfell, Sansa had a decision to make. She climbed on the back of Olenna and flew to Dragonstone to turn Aegon down. He saw her coming in the distance and quickly made his way down to the beach. She looked into his eyes and as soon as she did, she was having second thoughts. She followed him up to the glorious castle and he led her to a balcony that was now decorated with fine rugs, plants, and trays of food–including lemon cakes, Sansa’s favorite. “Aegon, I’m sorry but…” Sansa started. “I’m in love with you. I know you love me too, with the way we write to each other everyday. The way you look at me tells me that you want to be with me too” Aegon interjected. “But I know Tyrion and he knows me. He knows everything I’ve been through since I was a little girl, he’s been so loyal and kind to me, and I know he loves me” Sansa responded. “Then tell me everything. Please. Aegon gets down on his knees and collapsed his hands in her lap and says, “I want to know everything.” Sansa feels a stabbing pain in her heart because she knows she wants to be with Aegon but she’s scared because Tyrion is so familiar and she has grown very close with him. Aegon is closer to her age though, she thought. She opened her mouth to begin talking and Aegon sat and listened carefully to every word and would give sympathetic responses when necessary. He got emotional when he saw Sansa cry at parts of her story and he lifted her and carried her over to a comfortable love seat and she sat on his lap to finish her long story. When she was done, they sat in silence watching the fire crackle in the fireplace with Sansa in between Aegon’s arms. Aegon kissed her on the head and Sansa felt butterflies in her stomach. She turns around and kissed him on the mouth. He pulled back and asked “are you sure?” And Sansa replied “yes. I’m choosing you.” Aegon smiled so big and kissed her back. One thing led to another and they laid with each other that night.
The next day Sansa decided she had to break the news to Tyrion. She flew to the Rock where Tyrion was taking a break from Kings Landing. She told him that she’s going to marry Aegon and that she’s sorry. Tyrion was heart broken but he couldn’t blame her. Aegon was extremely good looking and was close to her age. They agreed to remain great friends and great political allies. They’d write to each other a few times a month and would always have a good conversation over dinner when in Kings Landing together. Whenever Dany and Jon were absent, they’d always take charge of the Capital.
Just after Dany and Jon’s triplets were born, Aegon and Sansa had a huge wedding in the North. Her dress was grey with a bunch of purple weirwood leaves on it, and since it was getting warmer out everyday, even in the North, she had short purple lace sleeves. Aegon worked hard to make her happy everyday. Since Dragonstone wasn’t really inhabited by common people, mostly just military, Aegon spent a lot of time with her in Winterfell. As the Lord of Dragonstone, he was in charge of overseeing a few islands and towns around Sharp’s Point, so he would need to check in with them sometimes. When he did leave to go to Dragonstone, he would send her a letter, flowers, treats, or other small gifts that he knew she liked everyday he was gone. For the first time in her life, Sansa was so happy to be married. He never stopped proving to her that he loved her and she was so grateful to have him. Twice a month Sansa would escape to Dragonstone for two or three days when she wanted to relax. Sometimes she’d do this before or after a Kings Landing visit. As mentioned above, they had four children. Sansa and Aegon copied Dany and Jon and hyphenated their children’s last name, but as Stark-Targaryen. The first born was a boy who they called Benjin after Sansa’s uncle. He had the Targaryen silver hair. Next was a girl named Talisa Catelyn, who was named after Robb Stark’s wife and Sansa’s mother. She had Sansa’s orange hair. She would be the one to go on marrying Dany and Jon’s son, Rhaegar and become the next Queen. She was elegant, smart, beautiful, and tactical. She was very well liked by everyone. The third child was a boy named Loras. When Loras Tyrell was alive, Sansa knew he was gay, but he was still willing to marry her and treat her with the upmost respect. The last child was, of course, named Margaery. Benjin would work towards becoming the Lord of Winterfell after Sansa and Loras would take over Dragonstone, for a short period of time.
Each of them had direwolves. Talisa Catelyn had a grey and brown direwolf named Robbie, Benjin had orange and tan one named Essy, because it reminded Aegon of the desert in Essos, Loras had a white and grey one call Tyrell, and Margaery had a blonde and white one named Goldie. Two of their children, Talisa Catelyn and Loras became dragon riders right from birth. Talisa Catelyn had a pink dragon with dark purple and dark blue wings and undertones. She was slightly smaller than Dany and Jon’s children’s dragons but she was still big. The dragons name was Dusk, because she matched the sunset perfectly. Loras had a mostly silver dragon with a sea blue undertone and an all blue tail. His name was Mist because he looked like the morning mist. Their two dragonrider children would have violet eyes while the other two shared their parents blue eyes.
When these dragons were hatched, a third dragon who was white and purple was hatched with them. Aegon and Sansa thought it was for another one of their children but it turned out to be Aegon’s. Aegon was very excited about becoming a dragonrider finally. This is what allowed Sansa and Aegon’s marriage to work while still being able to watch over Dragonstone and the entire North. They were able to quickly go back and fourth.
Tyrion became the most well liked ruler of Casterly Rock. If only Tywin knew Tyrion would be the one to create a long lasting good name for House Lannister. A year after the war was won, he would fall in love with a woman from Highgarden. She wasn’t a noble but Tyrion never cared about that. He was free to marry who he wanted, and that felt great. The woman’s name was Alyssa. Her hair resembled honey, her eyes were big and a reddish brown. Her lips were full and she was gifted with all the right curves. She wasn’t very tall, but she wasn’t as short as Tyrion and she was about 10 years older than Sansa. Alyssa was a very talented craftsman. Tyrion met her when he was seeking out someone to make Aegon a new throne for the throne room on Dragonstone. Tyrion was a very good husband to her and she was a good wife. She was smart and learned everything she needed to know about running Casterly Rock so when he needed to be in Kings Landing, she’d have everything under control. They had two children together. A boy named Corlos, after the founder of the Rock, and a girls name was Joanna after his mother. Corlos married Rhaella Targaryen and sat with her on the Iron Islands. He always preferred to be on ships, so he was happy passing on the Rock to his sister. Margaery, Sansa and Aegon’s daughter, actually entered a relationship with Joanna. Joanna lost her first husband in a hunting accident. She was devastated, as she had two boys and a little girl to raise. Margaery and Joanna already knew each other from their parents, so when Margaery heard the news, she went from Winterfell to Casterly Rock as quick as she could. They eventually fell in love and would look after Casterly Rock together and Joanna’s first born son would rule after them. Margaery would unexpectedly take over rule of Dragonstone.
Same sex relationships were becoming normal since the crown allowed it. Women in high positions too were normal. Most noble houses would pass on the title to whichever of their children deserved it the most.
Ellaria, to everyone’s surprise would marry Pod. They had a very relaxed married but they were crazy about each other. Ellaria was able to have two more children. They were a set of twins and were both girls. Their names were Irogenia and Mysaria. Irogenia would succeed Dorne, marrying Lann, the son of Jamie. Mysaria married Benjin Stark-Targaryen and became the Lady of Winterfell. Ellaria bragged to everyone about Pod’s capabilities in the bedroom.
Bran continued his work of the three-eyed raven. Drogon and Dany were discussing an idea about him. They got him to agree to meet with Kinvara, the red priestess that prophesied about Dany being the princess that was promised. Dany and Jon flew him to the Red Temple in Volantis to see her. She would be the best priestess to see, as one of her titles is “the first servant to the Lord of Light.” Kinvara worked on him for hours, and finally, Bran was able to move his toes. She kept going. By the end of it, Bran was able to walk again. Dany and Jon praised Kinvara and pledged their support to the Lord of Light. While they didn’t practice the religion, they valued and respected it.
Bran would sometimes disappear to the weirdwood tree beyond the wall where he once trained at and would stay there for weeks. Othertimes he’d visit his sisters in Winterfell, on the Iron Islands, or Jon and Dany in Kings Landing. Sam liked when Bran visited. He was one of the few people who enjoyed conversation with Bran.
——
Within the next 10 years, Daenerys would be the mother of over 50 dragons. She had to build a bigger dragonpit. Of course not one that could fit all of them, but just one that was big enough for the dragons who wanted to visit their mother. Drogon mentioned to her that the ancient magic would allow Rhaegal, and in time Rhaenys dragon Dreamfyre, to enter the volcano. Jon was now seen as an equal to Dany in the eyes of the old Valyrian ancestors. Dany was thankful because having just Drogon and her manage that many dragons was beginning to be difficult. So Dany and Jon took a trip back to Old Valyria and entered the same volcano. Dany and Drogon stood aside as Jon slid off Rhaegal. Drogon made a few snarles to Rhaegal and Rhaegal snarled back. He dived in head first into the lava. Rhaegal came out being able to communicate with Jon and Dany. He was now almost as big as Drogon. Drogon is the biggest dragon there ever was but Rhaegal was now around the size of Balerion I, Aegon the Conqueror’s dragon, which was still very large, making him the second largest dragon in history. His scales were now just as hard as Drogon’s. Jon could only speak directly to Rhaegal, but Rhaegal could relay messages to the other dragons. This would be the power of the second and third heads of the dragon.
In 6 more years when Rhaenys turned 16, her, Jon, and Daenerys would do the same thing with their daughter and her dragon. Rhaenys was the first head of the dragon of her generation, and when Daenerys was in her 60’s, she was ready to pass down the Mother of Dragons title to her daughter. And on Rhaenys 60th Name Day, she passed down the title to her daughter.
As for the other dragons, not all of them had riders. Some of them would just fly freely around the world. Some were birthed by Visenya and Drogon and some were birthed by Rhaegal and Olenna. The other dragons mated with each other when they wanted. Every time an egg was made though, it was brought to Dany who would have to do the ritual. Sometimes though, she’d stop in the volcano to find more waiting for her. A pyre was built and she would sit in the fire for hours until the egg hatched. People for all over would come to watch this process.
Arya was given the nickname “Mother of Direwolves” as she had over 50 to command as well. Eventually over a 100.
Most people of Westeros and Essos loved the Targaryen-Stark dynasty. Dany, Jon, Sansa, and Arya’s names were the most spoken names in history and most often wrote about. People would sing songs of them, learn about them in school, and name their children after them.
All of them lived amazing, meaningful lives.
The end.
Tell me what you want to hear next! Willing to do more short stories of this world!
1. Andrew McClay- this is the real actors name who was featured in every battle scene in the show. He began fighting with Stannis’s Army but then fought alongside the Starks. He had no lines, but he did have a few cameos.
2. Melony Piper- Melony was a red haired beauty of House Piper. She was the sister of Lord Jon Piper of Pinkmaiden. She was a favorite of Princess Rhaena Targaryen, daughter of Queen Alyssa Targaryen. When Prince Aegon and Princess Rhaena were on their process of the westerlands, it was Melony that showed up to pledge her loyalty of House Piper in Lannisport. When Prince Aegon rose against King Maegor, House Piper took Aegon’s side. Jon Piper said it was because of his daughters friendship with Rhaena. Melony was a warrior who wore mans armor and was talented with a spear. She led the attack during the battle Beneath the Gods Eye against Maegor, but unfortunately her and her brothers were killed.
3. GRRM called Aegon “The Young Griff.” The show never adapted his character but he is a relevant character in the books. He posses as a sellsword for Jon Connington and appear on a boat called the Shy Maid in Voltanis. When Tyrion is traveling through to meet Daenerys, he comes across the two of them.
When Daenerys was in the House of Undying (books) she saw a vision of her brother Rhaegar holding Aegon with Elia Martell laying in a wooden bed. Rhaegar said this boy was the prince who was promised because a red comet was in the sky during his birth.
During Roberts Rebellion, Varys did indeed switch out Aegon with another baby he bought. A tanners infant from Pisswater Bend. He claimed he already had sons and he’s never tasted Arbor Gold, the wine he sold his son for. When Tywin presented Robert with the bodies of Elia, Aegon, and Rhaenys, Aegon’s was the only one unrecognizable. It was damaged so bad, Ned Stark couldn’t even look at it.
Varys originallytook him to Illyrio but then Aegon was exiled to Lord Jon Connington who was Rhaegar’s good friend.
Dany was told about his survival while in Meereen and muses about him. They had plans to meet him in Voltanis to marry each other. Aegon thinks that Dany will hand over her force to him once they are married because it’s his duty to be on the Iron Throne. Tyrion tells him that this is what she created and that she deserves to sit on the throne. He says she will never hand it over to him. Aegon doesn’t take it seriously. Daenerys couldn’t meet up with them in Voltanis because of the attacks in Meereen. Tyrion advises Aegon to sail to Westeros to gain followers for the Targaryen cause. He does this but creates problems by launching an attack on Storm’s End. To read more about him, visit his wiki page:
https://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Aegon_Targaryen_(son_of_Rhaegar)
“What are we supposed to do with these elephants and the massive army Cersei bought while fighting Euron’s fleet and hundreds of those giant crossbows?” Dany said in a panic. She received Arya’s letter and she called a war council in her and Jon’s tent. “I think you’re underestimating the direwolves. Arya said she found seven of them. With Ghost, that means we have eight. If the three younger dragons fly over the direwolves to protect them from above, they all together can take down the elephants” Sansa said. “That’s a good idea. Ghost has fought with me side-by-side in every battle. I’ve seen what he can do. If they attack as a pack, they’ll be able to take down anything in their path” Jon added. “The Northmen and the Freefolk are fighting out of loyalty. They know who their Queen is. She’s fought next to them during the most dangerous war and has saved them countless times. They will fight better than this Golden Company because they support the both of you” Tormund said while looking at both Dany and Jon. Grey Worm chimes in “the Unsullied will not let you lose.” Missandei looks at her best friend and says “we can do this.” Tyrion stares intensely at the war map and Jamie looks nervous for what’s ahead.
——
Arya is still posing as Qyburn, and is only doing what is specifically asked by Cersei. Mostly her duties are seeing over the blacksmiths to ensure they were crafting the weapons on time and to keep The Golden Company happy. She has been able to sneak away almost every night now to see Yara and Sandor. Arya will usually lay with Yara until she falls asleep before she goes back into the castle. A few nights prior to Daenerys arrival, Arya was trying to sneak back in but had to take a detour, as there were many Gold Cloak’s in her path up to the Hands Tower. She tiptoed her way down a flight of steps to avoid collision with the knights. Even with her being Qyburn, she didn’t want anyone to become suspicious of her activities. The room she entered was large and dark, but there were lit torches on the walls. Arya walked a little further and was able to see two sleeping guards sitting on wooden chairs and about 20 feet to the right, she saw bars lining the wall. She knew she was in the dungeons. There was some shuffling and rattling of chains. “Who is there?” a woman’s voice said in a whisper. Arya moved quietly over to the voice. The light was dim but Arya was able to see that the woman was tall and thin. She had medium length black hair with sad brown eyes. The woman asked with an attitude, “what are you doing down here?” “Be quiet, I don’t want to wake them” Arya pointed at the guards. “Who are you?” she asked. “How don’t you know who I am?” the woman spat. “Can you please just answer me?” Arya responded. “Is your old age finally catching up to you? I’m Ellaria Sand” she said. Arya remembers Dany and Jon telling her about how House Martell was an alliance before they were captured by Euron’s fleet. “How are you still alive? I thought they killed you” said Arya. “Do you really not remember, old man? Cersei needs to find a new Hand…” Ellaria started to say but then Arya cut her off “I’m not Qyburn. I’m Arya Stark of Winterfell” she takes off her mask quickly to show Ellaria and puts it back on just in case one of the guards woke up. Ellaria gasps “how did you do that?” “No time for that, answer my question” Arya said. “Cersei poisoned my girl and wanted me to watch her rot as my punishment, and I did” she points over to a pile of bones. “They give me just enough food and water to live so I can stare at her all day.” Arya pulls some jerky out of her cloak that Sandor made and gives it to her. “Queen Daenerys will be here soon. You won’t be in here much longer. I hear that the Martells and the Sands were great warriors. Do you have a weapon of choice?” Arya asked. “Ellaria says “I am good with a spear, just like my husband was.” “Alright. I’ll have one made for you. When Daenerys arrives, we will need all the fighters we can get. I’ll bring you down food when I can so you can get your strength back. I’ll notify her that you’re alive. Prepare yourself the best you can for battle” Arya finished.
Over the next few days, Arya brought her as much food as she was able and managed to sneak in Ellaria’s spear, to which she hid under her hay pile where she slept. There were also a series of letters exchanged between Arya and Dany.
“Daenerys,
I want to inform you that Ellaria Sand is still alive. She’s locked in the dungeon. I was able to slide her a weapon so she’s ready for the battle.
Cersei is spending most days pacing back and fourth in her room. I’m not sure she believes she has enough to stop you. I think she might be planning something else. I’ll let you know once I find out.
-A&Y”
Tyrion takes special interest in this note and takes it to his tent.
“It is hard to believe that she’s been alive all this time, but I am glad to hear of it. She is a good friend of mine.
We will arrive in just a few days, and when that happens, I need you and Sandor to run with the pack to flank the army. With eight dragons, you will most certainly hear us. The pack will focus primarily on attacking the elephants and my three younger dragons will assist them. Sansa will be focused on the fleet on the back of her dragon (yeah I forgot to tell you, she’s a rider now) with your dragon (I forgot to mention that too. You were deemed worthy to be a rider). Missandei (also a rider now) will be focusing on protecting the army while Jon and I destroy all of the crossbows and go whenever help is needed with Drogon and Rhaegal. You can help lead the pack into battle but know if you call out to your dragon, he’ll come to your aid.
I know you and Yara have grown fond of each other but it’s time to say your goodbyes. She must prepare her people to attack.
Please update me as soon as you find out that information.
Stay safe,
-D”
“Dany,
Sandor and I are ready. Yara is with her fleet. There’s a problem though. Cersei is pulling the entirety of Kings Landing inside the city’s wall. She’s brainwashed them into thinking you are a tyrant and she knows you won’t attack the city with millions of innocents. I am not sure what to do.
-A”
“I talked things over with your brother, your sister, and Tyrion. As the current Hand of the Queen to Cersei, you need to convince everyone to flee the city immediately. I’m sure the people would listen to you, but don’t do it now. Go in using another face that blends in and try to convince families to leave on their own. Once they see others leaving, they might follow. Do not order the evacuation until late morning tomorrow. We will get there by tomorrow afternoon. Be careful. You don’t want Cersei finding you suspicious.
-D”
One raven came from Yara to Arya.
“Darling,
I know our Queen should be arriving tomorrow. Fight hard. Fight well. Be brave and strong.
I am looking forward to killing Euron tomorrow. I’ve learned so much from you and Sandor.
I’ll see you at the end of the war.
-Y”
Arya has a lot of work to do. She sneaks out of the castle once more and changes her face. She’s back to being the young women she was when she first arrived. She makes her way to flea bottom, as that’s where Cersei put the majority of the residents that came from outside of the city’s wall. She causally slips in to a groups conversation and very slowly begins to change the subject. “The Dragon Queen has a huge unbeatable army and two giant dragons. When she comes, this city doesn’t have a chance. It will fall. The Targaryen is merciful and will give you a chance to bend the knee, but you don’t want to get caught up in the crossfire. I’m leaving tonight and I think you should too. Cersei tricked you all into thinking she cares about you but she’s using you as a human shield. I know the common people are not loyal to House Lannister. The Northerners are the most honorable people in this country and they support the Targaryen girl. I think that should say something.” The group nods in agreement, realizing that she’s right and Cersei never had their best interests at heart. Arya continues “please, tell all your friends and family. Have them leave with you, but be discreet.” The group disperses, and she makes her way to another group. She keeps going until it’s very late and the remaining people are sleeping. At this point, Arya was able to get over three-fourths of them to leave. There may be only a few hundred people left in the Capital now. She slips back into the shadows and creeps back into the castle and puts Qyburn’s face back on. She better get some sleep, tomorrow is going to be a long and hard day. Arya opens the door to the Hand’s quarters and Cersei is sitting on the balcony.
“Where have you been?” Cersei asked. “I was tending to the elephants and to The Golden Company to ensure they’re ready tomorrow, your Grace.” “And?” questioned Cersei. “I think we have a good chance at beating them, your Grace.” “There was some peasant girl down in the streets convincing people to leave” Cersei said. “Oh?” Arya responded acting surprised. “It worked. Most of them did leave and they are now supporting the young brat” says Cersei. “I’m sorry, your Grace. I think we should both get some sleep though, we have a big day ahead of us” Arya said. “Yeah, you’re right” said Cersei as she stands up and walks to the door and continues, “it’s funny how I had to bribe and lie to people to fight for me, someone’s who has been their queen for over a decade. This foreigner comes in and wins the heart of the entire North, the Stormlands, the Iron Islands, all of the South, and most of the West. Perhaps I should have been kinder to the people, but it’s to late for that now. I would rather die than give up the Red Keep.” She closes the door to Qyburn’s room and Arya says under her breath, “we will arrange that.” Arya falls asleep after a lot of tossing and turning.
The next morning, Arya wakes up early to get Sandor and the pack. They ride them to the very edge of the Kingswood. They both fasten all the direwolves into their armor. It was something she had the blacksmiths create piece by piece so it wouldn’t be obvious, they just had to link the parts together. They each had a pair of lightweight leather boots, a lightweight leather bodice that was covered in chainmail, and a leather helmet with holes for their ears. They would be fighting animals 30 times their size, Arya wanted them protected without comprising their movement. As soon as they’re done with the last direwolf, Ghost comes prancing over, like he knew he had to be there, and gives Arya a nudge with his head and then gives Nymeria a lick on the face. Arya puts the armor on Ghost, as she didn’t forget about him. “They must be marching up on the city perimeter. I have to go. You’ll know when to charge, just keep your eyes on where I am” Arya said to Sandor but to Nymeria too. Arya runs towards the city and climbs up on the wall and runs along the rim until she reaches the middle of the city. Arya sees that the army has arrived and it’s waiting. This means Daenerys will not be long now. She yells down to everyone in town “by the order of the Hand and Queen Cersei, I demand all the citizens evacuate the city immediately!” Most of them come out from houses and start making their way to the gate looking scared. “I said now! Move!” Arya sees all eight dragons in the distance. By the time the last person exited the gate, she was able to see Dany, Jon, Sansa, and Missandei now riding on the backs of their dragons. She saw a blue and green dragon with grey wings without a rider. Arya presumed one is hers. Although she didn’t realize it yet, according to Bran later, her dragon was blue to show that she was a fully trained water dancer and the green and grey colors were for House Stark. It was time. Arya ripped off her mask to expose her true self and she looked right towards the Red Keep. She saw a silhouette of what she sure was Cersei standing in a window. She smiled at her and before any of the Golden Company warriors and anyone from the Lannister army could shoot at her, she called out for her dragon, as Dany said to do in one of her letters, to come catch her and then she back flipped off the wall. Her dragon came diving towards her and caught her with his claw. She wanted to be flown near Nymeria so she could ride her into the Targaryen-Stark army. The pack starts charging towards her and her dragon sets her down. Arya starts running parallel to Nymeria’s path and when she’s about to pass her, Arya grabs on to her and swings herself on her back. She and Sandor lead the direwolves towards the flanking side where the elephants will have to come out at. Arya notices that the three smaller dragons where already hovering over them. Sansa and Arya’s dragons fly high into the clouds behind Yara’s fleet and out of the aim of the crossbows on Euron’s ships. They were in position, waiting for Dany’s command. Missandei landed behind all the Dothraki, Unsullied, Northmen, Freefolk, and now the army from the Stormlands. Missandei is was feeling overwhelmed, needing to protect as many people has she can, but she was prepared to defend her best friends cause. She had her eyes locked on Dany. Dany and Jon fly in circles above the city. All of a sudden they hear heavy movement coming from under the castle. The elephants were stampeding out. Arya and Sandor look at each other. A bolt goes flying in the air past Drogon and Rhaegal. Dany looks at Jon and he nods. Dany gives the command. Bolts are flying all through the air now and it’s hard to dodge them all. They say “dracarys” every time they have clear shot at the crossbows and army.
There are a hand full of The Golden Company’s troops with the elephants. Arya and Sandor begin charging at the troops while the other six split up. They attack with two direwolves per elephant. They have to slow them down enough so the dragons above have enough time to set their massive bodies on fire. Arya and Sandor have their swords out to the sides ready to fight from the backs of their direwolves. Arya is the best fighter in Westeros, and even though she’s able to kill her opponents, it’s taking her a lot longer than normal. The Golden Company troops are insanely good swordsmen. Sandor appears to be having a similar issue.
Sansa and the two dragons are now diving straight into Euron’s fleet. They have to carefully weave to miss all the bolts flying at them. Yara and her fleet are now attacking Euron’s ships. Sansa see’s that Yara is about to jump on the ship where Euron is at. She is walking with two soldiers in front of her and two in the back. She has her sword out and is ready. Sansa quickly moves to the side as she almost got hit with a bolt. All the pent up rage she has over the years finally comes to the surface and she uses that to be successful in this battle. She stares at the person who is sitting behind the the crossbow that just launched the bolt at her and she says “dracarys.” The whole ship is on fire. She’s flying over a dozen ships that weren’t touched by Yara’s fleet yet, to all of which sank to the bottom of Blackwater Bay. More people are shooting at her and Arya’s dragon, causing them to retreat back into the sky. Before they do though, Arya’s dragon sets three ships on fire. “This is going to take a while” Sansa thought.
The Golden Company is holding their ground against Dany and Jon’s army, but the Dothraki, Unsullied, Freefolk, Northmen, and the other Targaryen loyalist are working well together, they are just slightly better than the army Cersei put together. Missandei doesn’t want to catch any of the Targaryen-Stark troops on fire, so she only gives Visenya the command when a large group of the Golden Company is clearly visible. She see’s Grey Worm killing a person every few seconds. He seems to be doing fine until the troops notice his talents and 10 come after Grey Worm at once. Missandei doesn’t have a clear shot, he is in her cross path.
Tormund, Brienne, Jamie, Octavia, Meera, and Gendry are all fighting side-by-side. They are working well as a team and are proving to be very successful. Every person who approached them dies within a few minutes. After the attack at Winterfell they had with them, they each practiced their technique to better themselves against their opponents, and it is working. Jamie notices Tyrion walking in the distance towards the basement entrance of the castle where the elephants came out of. Jamie starts running after him and Octavia follows. Brienne follows because she still considered Jamie a good friend and with that, Tormund follows. Meera and Gendry look in the direction to where the rest of their group is running towards and notice Arya and Sandor are struggling to stop the elephants from advancing. Meera and Gendry join Arya and the Hound. With his war hammer, Gendry was able to blow out the knees of the killer elephants. The pack and the dragons were able to finish off the rest of the job. Arya, the Hound, and Meera were able to kill all the troops that came their way. A few elephants were able to make it through the barrier they attempted to create and now they are attacking the Targaryen-Stark army. They were kicking, stomping, and tossing anyone in their path. “Girl, do you think you can handle this? I have my own business to take care of” Sandor yelled to Arya. She knew who he was going after–The Mountain. Arya looks to Meera and Gendry and they both nod. “Yeah we got this. Be careful, Sandor” Arya responded. Sandor dismounts his direwolf because he didn’t want her to get hurt where he was going. But as he attempted to walk away, she followed him. She wouldn’t leave his side and she kept kneeling in front of him. “Ah fine, you cunt” Sandor said and he climbed on top of her heading to the castle, killing every solider he could reach.
Tyrion creeps into the Red Keep. Before he could enter, Jamie, Octavia, Brienne and Tormund sneak up behind him. “What are you doing?” Jamie said to Tyrion. “You shouldn’t be here!” Tyrion yelled at him. “You didn’t think I’d let my little brother sneak into a castle full of enemies alone? Where are we going?” asked Jamie. “Just follow me” said Tyrion. They only had to kill a few guards, as most of them were outside fighting. They made their way to the dungeon and Jamie killed the two guards stationed there. “I never thought that’d I’d be fighting alongside Lannister’s” Ellaria said. Jamie stands there feeling conflicted. She killed his daughter. But Cersei started the fight, so he pushes his feelings to the side as Tyrion picks the lock. Ellaria is dirty but she was more determined than ever to finally get revenge. “Well, lets go find her” Ellaria said tossing her spear in the air and catching it. Tyrion leads the way and the rest of them, including Jamie, help fight their way to the Queen’s Tower as they hear loud crashes and bangs coming from the outside.
Missandei dismounts Visenya and pulls out her spear. Visenya walks next to her to guard and bite anyone who tries to touch her rider. Missandei stands next to Grey Worm and helps him fight.
Dany and Jon are nearly done destroying all the crossbows. Dany glances around to see how everyone is doing and that’s when she felt Drogon get hit with something hard. He doesn’t fall though, he keeps flying. “Are you okay?!” Dany screamed at Drogon. “Yeah it didn’t even pierce my scales. It seems the volcano made me stronger than we thought” Drogon said back to her. With this realization, Dany tells Jon to fly away to protect Rhaegal then to land somewhere safe so he can help on the ground. Jon agrees and flys away. Dany flys in extremely close to the point where she can see the faces of every man working the crossbows. She hugs Drogon’s body so she doesn’t get hit and says to him “light them up.” Without hesitation, he flys right over the city’s perimeter setting them all on fire. He gets hit with hundreds of bolts and not one penetrates his skin. After a few minutes, Dany and Drogon cleared the entire city of the massive weapons. She looks over to Blackwater Bay and see’s that the fight over there is still going but Sansa and Yara seem to have everything under control. She then looks to the other side and makes the decision that they need help on the ground more. She asks Drogon to tell Rhaegal and the three smaller dragons to sit and wait on top of the Red Keep. She doesn’t want them down on the ground fighting since their skin can still be stabbed and she doesn’t want to risk her troops being caught in fire. She flys down to the ground and slides off Drogon’s wing. He crawls over and finishes off the few elephants that are left with just a few bites. Dany takes out Dark Sister and begins fighting with her army. This is when she noticed Missandei isn’t on Visenya. They’re both fighting next to Grey Worm. Drogon, tell Visenya to go wait with the others! I don’t want her getting ambushed with swords and spears!” She see’s Visenya take off and perch herself on top of one of the many towers. She has quite a few wounds on her but she’s okay. Drogon continues to bite and push anyone that comes near him. Dany is doing really well. It’s like she absorbed everything she learned about fighting and learned from all of her mistakes. She makes her way through 20 men when she spots Jon. Jon is fighting off his attackers successfully. They fight back-to-back for the remainder of the battle.
With the elephants dead, Arya rides deeper into the chaos on the back of Nymeria, killing everything to the left and right of her while Nymeria killed everything in the front and the rest of the pack killed everything in the back. After seeing how well the pack was doing on their own, Arya told Nymeria that she was going to help her sister now. Arya called out of her dragon once more and he swooped in once more to pick her up with his claw. He flew high and dropped her so he could quickly fly underneath her so Arya could be on his back. She gets to the fleet and Sansa calls out “finally!” “Follow my lead! I think I have an idea” Arya yelled back. They couldn’t just burn all the ships as Yara’s people are on Euron’s boats fighting each other. Arya dives under water and gives the command to burn the ships from below the water, just enough to cause them to sink. Sansa follows. This gets rid of the remaining crossbows and bolts and forces everyone swim to shore and continue fighting on land.
Ayra tells Sansa to land and help on the ground. Olenna flys Sansa to a clear spot in the field and she pulls out her dagger. She runs into the chaos full force and moves across the field like water. Brienne and Tormund taught her well. Olenna flys up to wait with the rest of the dragons.
Euron and Yara have both made it to shore and they’re in an intense fight with each other. Arya could easily swoop in and have her dragon rip him to shreds, but she wants Yara to win this fight on her own because she deserves it. She hovers above them just in case something goes wrong. Euron looks up to Arya and smiles. He was distracted for a just a moment and that’s when Yara stabbed him right in the gut and then used her other hand to cut his throat with a knife. Yara looks up at Arya and smiles. Ayra lands quickly so Yara can climb on. They land on the other side of the castle wall and charge into the crowd. The other Iron Born soon follow and Arya’s dragon joins the others. Turns out the people who were loyal to Euron were never loyal to him, or they lost their loyalty when they saw who he really was. As soon as Yara killed him, they all backed Yara. They fought for him out of fear.
Sandor enters the city and makes his way to the castle. He and his direwolf kill a dozen people before they successfully reached the entrance. Sandor pauses for a moment before he dismounts the direwolf and he pushes open the door. They walk next to each other killing a few more guards. They make their journey up to the Queen’s Tower quickly. He knows his brother will be in there being the last thing that protects Cersei. Sandor tells his direwolf to wait in the shadows outside the room, as he didn’t want his brother killing one of the few remaining things he cares about. The Hound pushes open the door and Cersei turns around looking mortified. The Mountain turns around and steps in front of Cersei. They stare at each other for a few seconds and they don’t say anything, Sandor just goes in for the attack. They are aggressively fighting and Cersei tries to get the Mountain’s attention because she wants to leave the castle now, but he is not listening to her. She moves passed him and Sandor and heads for the door. She was too worried about fleeing to notice something big and hairy laying under the table outside the door. The Hound stabs the Mountain several times but it’s not weakening him. Sandor rips off his brothers helmet to expose a purple and green face with blood red eyes. “You were always a cunt but they turned you into an ugly cunt.” Before Sandor had the chance to take his greatsword to his brothers neck, the Mountain throws him across the room into the wall. The Mountain stomps over to him quickly and raises his sword to him now. Sandor gets cut badly on his leg and his shoulder while rolling away to miss the sword. He stumbles across the room and pierces his sword deep in the Mountain’s belly and twists. He stands there swaying back and fourth but does not fall. The Hound cannot remove his sword. The Mountain head butts Sandor and he falls back onto the ground. The Mountain reaches down and pulls Sandor’s sword out of him. He raises it in the air and as he is swinging down, Sandor’s direwolf sneaks up behind him and encloses his entire mouth around the Mountain’s head and bites down until his head is completely removed from his body. His body collapses hard to the ground. The direwolf released the Mountain’s head at Sandor’s feet. Sandor manages to stand up, pats his direwolf on the head and they walk out of the room together.
Outside, Dany and Jon’s army are winning and only a fifth of Cersei’s army is left. Dany, Missandei, Jon, Grey Worm, Drogon, Sansa, Arya, and Yara are all fighting near each other now.
Tyrion, Jamie, and the rest of the crew are about to enter the Queen’s Tower when Sandor comes limping out leaning on his direwolf. “She’s not in there anymore, she left” the Hound said to the group before they could ask. “Where did she go?” Tyrion asked. “I don’t know, I was busy killing my cunt brother” Sandor responded. Jamie said, “I know where she is, let’s go.” Brienne and Tormund stay to help Sandor while Tyrion, Jamie, Octavia, and Ellaria make their way to the throne room. They open the door and Cersei is sitting on the Iron Throne with a blank face. “When I went to visit the witch in the forest when I was younger, she said I was going to have three children with golden heads and that they would all die. That came true. Then she told me that my little brother would be the one to kill me and here you both are” Cersei said. Jamie doesn’t say anything, for the first time in his life, he was feeling cowardly. This was the woman he loved. This was the mother of his children. On the other hand, he’s killed for her and has done horrible things for her. She’s done horrible things to so many people. She’s a tyrant, and he understands that she must die, but all he can do is stand back and observe. Octavia steps closer to him and grabs his hand. “So this is your new lover? A wildling of all people. Thought you’d do better than a savage, but at least she’s pretty” Cersei continued. Octavia was giving her a nasty look and Cersei kept speaking “Ellaria, how nice to see you, how’d you get out of your cell?” Tyrion answered “I let her out. Jamie killed all the guards and I picked the lock. I taught myself when Arya Stark wrote to Queen Daenerys that she was still alive and in the dungeon. I knew Jamie and I wouldn’t have the heart to directly kill you, after all, you are our sister, so I thought ‘who is the next best person?'” and he gestured to Ellaria. “You killed her entire family” he said to Cersei. He turns to Ellaria “all I ask is that you don’t make her suffer, do it quickly.” Ellaria smiles devilishly at Cersei as she pulls her spear back and launches it towards her. It hit Cersei with great force. There was a moment of silence. Cersei was still gasping for air. Ellaria walks over to her and kisses her right on her mouth. “Don’t think you don’t deserve this” Ellaria said as she rips the spear out of Cersei’s torso and pierces it right in her heart. Cersei stops breathing and stops moving instantly. Jamie sheds just a single tear and locks eyes with Tyrion for a few moments. “Let’s go outside and see if they need help” Ellaria finally said. Tyrion separates himself from the group and dropped the Targaryen and Stark banners. Daenerys asked for both banners.
Dany and Jon’s army made their way through the city now clearing out the last remaining troops who have not surrendered. On Dany and Jon’s walk back up to the Red Keep, Dany noticed yet another item glowing and pulsating in a pile of dead bodies. She runs over to it to pick it up. It’s another sword. It has an obsidian handle with a ruby in the shape of a triangle as the pommel. It was Valyrian steel as well. Dany, hearing stories of this sword growing up, knows exactly what this is. She takes it with her and makes her way back to Jon. All eight dragons are on top of the Red Keep now and they let out a mighty roar of victory. All eight direwolves let out a howl. Ghost comes trotting over with a slightly smaller direwolf, (Ghost was larger than all the other direwolves). His friend is all black with with red hairs blended into her fur. Ghost kneels in front of Jon so he could get on him and the black direwolf kneels in front of Dany. Both Jon and Dany look surprised, and Dany hesitates to mount her but she does. Jon and Dany ride their way into the city for their victory, and everyone is cheering and celebrating so loud, Dany was sure even Daario would be able to hear it in Meereen. Their direwolves carry them up the steps to the Red Keep, with the three younger direwolves now joining in behind them. Dany and Jon dismount and stand next to each other holding hands. Dany looks to her left and she sees Missandei, Grey Worm, Tyrion, Jamie, Octavia, Varys, and Ellaria clapping and smiling at them with the crowd. For a brief moment, could have sworn she saw Jorah, Ser Barristan, Drogo, and her brother Rhaegar clapping there as well. Jon looks to his right and sees Gendry, Meera, Arya, Yara, Sansa, Tormund, Brienne, and Sandor smiling and clapping with the crowd. Dany closes her eyes for a few moments to take it all in. Jon turns to her and grabs her shoulders and says, “you did it!” Jon gets down on the ground to bend his knee and the entire crowd follows his lead. “We both did it. A king does not bend his knee. If you notice, the Stark and Targaryen banners are flying together” said Dany as she takes his arm and pulls him up. Dany then turns toward the crowd and says “Jon Stark and I are promised to each other. I am proud to be your Queen, and I hope all of you can accept Jon as your King!” The crowd roars louder. Dany and Jon face each other now and they kiss long and hard. Before she dismisses the crowd, she says a few more statements to her people. “All healers, please set up a station to treat the wounded. As for everyone else, please join and celebrate with us tonight. Tonight is the first night of the new world!” The crowd cheers again.
The whole city parties all night long. The Dothraki, Unsullied, Northmen, Freefolk, and others from all over Westeros drink and eat together.
Chapter 5 will come soon.
Rachel’s Blog 