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The lords whisper that it is unnatural for a woman to be in such a position of power and that the young prince’s regent should be either one of them or one of her brothers. When they all gather to the throne room to swear fealty she asks them point blank to air their grievances. She listens carefully to how they believe that the realm needs a strong manly hand and how her heart is a soft mother’s one. They all fall silent when she points out that strong manly hands brought the realm to the brink of destruction and that when Aerys was burning High Lords none of them voiced their disagreement openly. Cowards and opportunists the lot of them.
She starts by appointing her son’s Kingsguard first, the small council follows and many are shocked when she appoints Olenna Tyrell as her Mistress of Coin. They thought she would appoint Lord Mace even though it’s common knowledge that true wit in Highgarden is his mother. Her coffers double with Lannister gold; had Jaime not warned her not to open the gates, Tywin would have had them all killed. He pays for his life in gold, Jamie is pardoned and Cersei is wed to the old Lord Arryn. That should teach the girl humility. Lord Stark is pardoned and Stannis Baratheon has to surrender his little brother as a hostage. Robert’s corpse is to stay and rot at the Trident and she wishes she had left Rhaegar’s body there as well, but sometimes a mummer’s farce is needed.
She then turns her attention to the rest of the Targaryens. She knows that Viserys, if left unchecked, is going to be a problem. He is his father’s creature and she will suffer no future attempt to usurp her son’s reign. There is no doubt in her mind that he must be sent to Dorne, her niece will teach him his place and, if that fails, she has no doubt that Oberyn would gladly dispose Arianne of a less than stellar consort. She asks Rhaella not to withdraw to Dragonstone again. Little Daenerys can grow up alongside her niece and nephew and the old queen can help guide her in the running of the realm. She deserves the place of honor Aerys had deprived her of for all those years.
Patiently Elia builds her realm. After a few years she earns the “Good Queen” moniker and people speak of her as highly as Alysanne. When the history books will write of her they will claim that the Sun Queen ruled and the Mother above smiled upon the entire realm.