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It had been many moons since I arrived in the Stepstones and by now I was used to life here, court life seemed like a dream or something from a distant past. And while the harsh living conditions in the Stepstones was a steep learning curve, not a day went by where I regret the impulsive decision I’d made to leave the capital. In fact, I regretted not having done it sooner.

*

Life at the Red Keep had become a torturous since the King had taken the Hightower girl to wife.

Father had tried to get me to show her a little more respect and to call her by her new title but that was out of the question for me. And I could be just as stubborn as my uncle. After yet another argument in which I shouted that I would never accept his whore as my Queen in front of all the nobles present in the garden at the time, he never broached the subject with me again.

But that day something within me cracked. After once again being belittled by Otto Hightower without my own father bothering to defend me, I stormed out of the Small Council chamber, not caring that this outburst will only confirm Hightower’s assertion that I was just an immature girl unfit to take part in adult discussions.

Once in my room, I tried to calm myself down but nothing helped. Once again my thoughts had turned to the only person who really understood me.

Despite the way our last meeting went before he left for the Stepstones he was still the most important person in my life. On that bridge, realising that I had been the only person to make my Uncle bend and confess the truth that he had never planned to sell this egg to a nobleman from the Free Cities in exchange for a large amount of gold, had proved to me beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was also the most important person to him.

So it was with this memory in mind that I hurriedly gathered up a few things and after a brief visit to the kitchen to gather some provisions, I headed for the Dragon Pit. Since my father and lady-in-waiting’s betrayal, it was not unusual for me to spend hours in the air with my Lady Syrax, so no one thought it odd that I was heading to the Dragon Pit in the middle of the day.

On arriving at the Dragon Pit it was as if my Golden Lady had guessed that today’s flight would be different from our previous ones. She seemed more excited than usual to take to the skies.

Once the dragonkeepers had saddled her and moved away, I approached my Lady to place a kiss on her snout, as was my custom whenever we met up again, and after making sure one last time that no-one but her could hear me, I whispered to her: "My Lady, I hope you ate well this morning, because today we’re off on an adventure. And if all goes well, we’ll be seeing Daemon and Caraxes very soon. "

On hearing the name of the Blood Wyrm, my Lady began to fidget, attracting the attention of several dragonkeepers. "Hush my Syrax, do you want to end our adventure before it has had time to begin? "

Just as I sorely missed having Uncle Daemon around, I knew that my Lady missed the Blood Wyrm. He was the dragon she felt closest to and when Caraxes was at King’s Landing they were practically inseparable.

So before anyone could stop us we were off to the Stepstones.

*

It took me the rest of the day, with a few stops along the way to allow my Lady to rest, she wasn’t used to such long flights, to finally see the Stepstones appear on the horizon.

I still couldn’t believe I’d had the courage to run away from the Red Keep. Although I was a little apprehensive about the reaction my Uncle was going to have when he saw me land in the middle of the battlefield, I was quite proud of myself.

What a surprise it was to be joined in mid-air by Caraxes which I could sense made my Syrax very happy. The sight of the Blood Wyrm, who was the first dragon I ever ridden strapped to my Uncle’s chest as a two week old babe, never failed to bring a smile to my face. The fearsome dragon many feared for his cantakerous attitude and wild temperament seemed to view me as en extension of his rider, and seemed to have developed a bond with my Lady from my Uncle and I’s many flights together.

Caraxes welcoming flight and escort to the ground left me with a sense of ease, thinking that Caraxes enthusiasm and obvious pleasure at seeing Syrax and I would reflect my Uncle’s own feelings with regards to my arrival. But once I landed at the top of the hill where a welcoming committee was already waiting for me, among the soldiers I recognised Laenor, who gave me a big smile, and a little further back was Vaemond Velaryon, who was giving me a murderous look. Strange.

But the only opinion that interested me was that of my Uncle and it was clear that the rider didn’t share the same enthusiasm as his dragon by seeing my Lady and me. I’d never seen him with such a closed off and emotionless face. Even when I took my first flight with my little Lady at the age of seven I’d never seen him in such a state. Even from a distance I could feel the fire boiling inside him.

"My tent. Now." said my uncle, barely holding back his rage. And without waiting for my reply he turned and walked back to the camp expecting me to follow. Not wanting to provoke his wrath any further I did exactly that.

All the way to his tent I could see the same thing on the face of every soldiers who made eye contact with me : pity for what was going to happen to me once I will be alone with the Rogue Prince.

Perhaps I overestimated the reaction he’d have to seeing me in the Stepstones. But I remained the spoiled and confident young woman he raised me to be. My uncle never denied me anything and always forgave me my mistakes, I was his little dragon after all.

But that confidence had evaporated like snow under the sun once we’d been alone in his tent and I’d met his eyes.

"WHAT ON EARTH WERE YOU THINKING COMING UNESCORTED IN THE MIDDLE OF A BATTLEFIELD? DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH YOU PUT YOUR LIFE AT RISK?"

"My Lady is worth a hundred escorts," I tried to defend myself.

"An inexperienced dragon facing a scorpion isn’t worth any escort," he retorted.

"Haven’t you missed me just a little? " I could hardly hold back the tears at that point. I knew he was worried about my safety but I was so on edge that I couldn’t be reasonable anymore. Did he now feel that I had no place in his life either?

Seeing my eyes fill up with tears, his hardened face softened and he took me in his arms. Cliched as it was, once he wrapped his arms around me, I felt like I could breathe again after the longest time feeling like I was suffocating under the burden of my inheritance.

"Of course I’m happy to see you and I’ve missed you enormously. In fact, from that nest of vipers called King’s Landing you’re the only person I miss but it was sheer madness to come here. You can’t imagine how precarious the situation is here."

"And you don’t know what hell my life has become since Father married the traitor and you left for the Stepstones," I finally confessed.

"Oh my little dragon, I’m so sorry. I could never have imagined that my brother could sink so low. Neither Hightowers can be trusted. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there to hand you that traitor’s head on a platter."

It was a response worthy of my uncle and it had caused a genuine smile from me. The first in ages.

"Please let me stay by your side. I promise I won’t cause you any trouble and my Lady and I could be useful on the battlefield." I could already see myself flying alongside my uncle launching offensives against the Crabfeeder’s men.

"There’s no way you’re going to the front! Syrax is just a baby and you’ve never been in combat."

I wanted to protest, but I told myself not to provoke the Rogue Prince any further if I wanted to stay here. I have easily gained his forgiveness and was determined to remain by his side as long as the situation permitted it.

"All right, but there are plenty of other ways for us to make ourselves useful. Please, Uncle, let us help." I implored him.

After a long silence during which I tried to put on my most angelic face and begging eyes, he reluctantly said yes. But he warned me that if I dared disobey him he would tie me up on Caraxes’ back and take me personally back to the Red Keep where he would ask my father to lock me up in the highest tower of the fortress.

But in the meantime he was going to write to the King to tell him to recall all the search teams and inform His Grace that his runaway daughter had joined him in the Stepstones where she would be his guest until the end of the conflict. Given the toxic atmosphere in the Red Keep at the moment the Princess would be safer with him than in his palace.

And that’s how I traded courtly life for life in a war-torn, isolated island and my life was the better for it.

*

At first everyone was surprised that the Rogue Prince agreed to let me stay. After all, a woman’s place was not on a battlefield, let alone the Heir to the Iron Throne. But after a few words from my uncle all the comments stopped as did all the looks that were a little too insistent. I learned much later that Vaemond had also clearly been put in his place after he demanded that my Uncle send me back to King’s landing just after I arrived.

Naturally, I was installed in my uncle’s tent where he had added a bed and a partition to give me a bit of privacy. He didn’t trust any of the soldiers not to try anything. And despite Laenor’s well-known preferences to squires, there was no way I was sharing the same tent as him. I had a reputation to uphold even though the fact that my presence in the Stepstones has already tainted it in the eyes of the Andals that made the majority of my Father’s court. So it was the only alternative left.

It’s true that apart from arriving in the Stepstones in one piece, I hadn’t thought about all the logistics that my arrival would entail in a camp made up entirely of men.

When I was just a child I didn’t hesitate to invite myself with my plush dragon, one of the many gifts from my Uncle, and favorite blanket into my Uncle’s room when I’d had a nightmare or couldn’t find sleep. But now I was a young woman and the crush I’d had on him for years only complicated the situation.

But, I’d promised Uncle Daemon that I’d obey all his orders and obey them I would.

Unsurprisingly, my father had been furious upon receiving Uncle Daemon’s letter. He had demanded that I be taken back to King’s Landing immediately by Ser Westerling who had been charged with delivering the King’s missive and taking me back to the palace.

My Uncle refused categorically, saying that he might be in the middle of a war but that didn’t mean he had forgotten about the welfare of his beloved niece. If he wanted his daughter back with him his brother would have to send his Hightower’s whore back to Old Town with her pimp of father. He had written all this knowing that Ser Westerling would never dare repeat the terms he had used to the King. The old knight, after making sure that I was not being held against my will and that my uncle was putting my safety first, seemed rather amused by the situation and left with no complaints after wishing me well.

After that, there were several more exchanges. My father even tried to send several soldiers led by my sworn shield, Ser Criston Cole to kidnap me and force me back to King’s Landing.

However, my Uncle wasn’t joking when he wrote to my father that my safety was his number one priority and that he would do anything to ensure it. Hence, Ser Cole ended up with a broken jaw, a dislocated shoulder and a fractured leg for his troubles. And it was him that the other soldiers had been obliged to carry back to the Red Keep with a letter from my Uncle saying that this plan smelt of the stench of that viper Hightower and that was exactly why he refused to let me return to King’s Landing.

Following this attempt my father had capitulated and apologised for the kidnapping attempt orchestrated by his Hand. He just asked me to be careful and to let him know how I was doing.

*

Even in the Stepstones, Hightower or Highcunt as my uncle called him, couldn’t leave me alone. At first I thought my father had forced him to write to me to apologise directly for the botched kidnap attempt. In fact he was writing to tell me that Alicent had given birth to a little girl and that the King was over the moon to have a little Princess. The real message was : that I was no longer the King’s only daughter now, therefore I was replaceable. If he had been in front of me I would have gladly strangle him with my bare hands.

That evening, sitting around the fire with my uncle and some of the men he trusted implicitly, I couldn’t help expressing my anger. Here I no longer had to be the sweet little Princess who put up with all the insults and backhanded comments from the Hightowers and their sycophants in court without saying a word.

Instead of judging me after my rant they had encouraged me and offered words of sympathy. These men whom the nobles of the Capital would have considered boorish and uncouth had shown me more true respect and kindness than the men of high birth by whom I had been surrounded since my birth. It is no wonder that Uncle Daemon preferred to spend his time down in Flea Bottom where the true worth of a person is measured not by the station of their birth but by the strength of their character.

My uncle and his men went so far as to say that once I was Queen, I should declare the Hightowers traitors and have them executed. They also said that their swords were in my service. And that I should have my father’s marriage to the usurper annulled so that all their children would be declared bastards.

I really liked that idea. I should keep it in the back of my mind when I ascended to the throne. That is, if I ascended to the throne. His whore had given him a son and now a daughter. What was my place in this new family of his?

How long would it be before my father succumbed to Hightower’s poisonous whispers and disinherit me for the son he had so longed for ? It had been hard for me to admit it before, but now I saw my father as he truly was : a weak-willed King, who for the sake of keeping the peace, allowed people who wanted to destroy the House of the Dragon free reign of the Seven Kingdoms.

Uncle Daemon could have defended him against all those snakes, but my father let his jealousy of his brother get the better of him, thus endangering the future of our family on the throne. Although he claimed that all his decisions were made so that we, or our descendants, would be ready when the prophecy of The Song of Ice and Fire struck the realm, his actions proved quite the opposite. Every decision he made put us more at risk and I wondered if there would still be something to save when that time came.

*

One day, I had been surprised to see Lord Corlys give my uncle a letter from his daughter, and even more surprised to see my uncle throw it straight into the fire without reading it once we were in our tent.

He then informed me that the Velaryon girl had taken it into her head to write to him since the beginning of the Stepstones War. But he had no interest in corresponding with her. Her letter was soon forgotten and we spent the evening discussing the various strategies and attacks that my uncle wanted to put into action against the Crabfeeder and his men in the weeks to come.

It was a habit we’d developed. He often shared his plans with me asking for my opinion. After years of being ignored by my father and his small council he didn’t know how much the simple fact that he asked my opinion and shared his thoughts with me could affect me.

I also attended all the War’s Council meetings despite Vaemond Velaryon’s disapproval.

At the same time, my uncle taught me military tactics and strategies. I absorbed all the information like a sponge. I finally felt seen and important since my father started obsessing about having a son. While I had always felt seen by and connected in an innate way to my uncle, I reveled in finally being able to relate to him in his capacity as a warrior and a leader. It was another side of him that I was not privy to previously, as I was a Princess, sheltered from the harsh realities of life outside of the castle ground, while he was a seasoned knight, an accomplished leader and Commander of the City Watch, and now he commanded the entirety of the war effort in the Stepstones, a Conqueror in the making.

It was an exhilariting and humbling thing to witness and experience, and I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

*

I had befriended my uncle’s squire, Tommen, who worshipped the Prince like a God. He had become a sort of ‘lady in waiting’ for me, although I would never dare say that to his face.

When I arrived, he and my uncle did everything they could to help me adapt and explain how the camp worked and to avoid that I was being subjected to the darker side of the war. It’s true that it had nothing to do with the idea I had of a military camp but I wouldn’t swap my place for anything in the world.

While my uncle was on the battlefield launching attack after attack with Caraxes, Tommen and I often gossiped together while we cleaned and maintained Uncle Daemon’s weapons and armours. At first he did it to distract me, seeing as I was worried sick about the Prince and because my uncle didn’t want me to be alone while he was away. But now it had become a habit. Although I could have done without some of the gossip about the men serving under my uncle. And people dared to say that women were gossips. Whoever said that had apparently never lived in a camp of soldiers deprived of all other kinds of entertainment. Tommen would have made an excellent Master of Whispers.

*

Two weeks later, Lord Corlys had once again given my Uncle a letter from Laena. Curious as I am, I couldn’t resist asking my uncle for permission to read it. "If it pleases you," he replied, before turning his attention back to cleaning and sharpening Dark Sister’s blade. Clearly Dark Sister took precedence over a letter from Laena Velaryon.

He seemed to have no interest in the missive from the Sea Snake’s daughter. But for my part I wasn’t expecting such correspondence.

It started with "My dear Daemon". I recoiled thinking how this girl could address my uncle in such a familiar way. Who did she think she was? Then she recounted how fondly she remembered Daemon’s stay at Driftmark just before he left for the Stepstones. How she thought about him every night and how he was in every one of her dreams. And she was telling him about those dreams. Which were very inappropriate to say the least. I was expecting this sort of missive from a whore, not from the daughter of a Targaryen Princess. My face was on fire from rage, not embarrasment by the end of my reading. I could feel the dragon inside me raging. Who did she think she was? I couldn’t let it pass.

Ever since I was a little girl, I never liked to share my uncle’s attention. It was a well-known fact throughout the Red Keep. Growing up this trait of my character didn’t change much, rather it seemed to intensify as I matured. More than once, I had an urge to claw out the eyes of Court Ladies whose gazes lingered too long on Daemon.

Since now I was mature enough to not throw huge temper when someone wanted to talk to him or diverted his attention away from me, I have other means to ensure his attention remains my own. My possessiveness over him remained as strong as when I was a child, and Laena Velaryon was seeking to take my Prince from me, an unforgivable deed. So I decided to answer her.

Dearest cousin,

  It’s Rhaenyra, I hope this letter finds you well. I’m writing to tell you that your last missive has safely reached my uncle and me.

  Since my arrival in the Stepstones my uncle has instructed me to read and reply to all correspondence that has nothing to do with the conflict we are currently involved in or that is of no interest for him.

  I apologise for not getting back to you sooner. The daily grind of a battlefield is very taxing and we don’t have many moments to distract ourselves, so it’s always a pleasure for me to receive one of your letters.

  I hope to hear from you soon.

  Sincerely,

Rhaenyra Targaryen

Princess of Dragonstone, Heir to the Iron Throne

I then asked Tommen to give the letter to Lord Corlys without telling him that it was from me and not from Uncle Daemon.Tommen told me that he had met Lady Laena before they left for the Steptones and he had not been impressed by her. Hearing the bards’s songs about her beauty Tommen said he was expecting someone more exceptional, not a silly chit obsessed with her own legend. I really regretted not being a fly on the wall to see the look on her face when she will see that was me that had replied.

*

From then on my Uncle received no more letters from Laena. To thank me, Uncle Daemon promised that as soon as this conflict was over he would organise a wonderful surprise for me. I was already looking forward to it. I always loved his surprises.

*

As the war dragged on with no end in sight, the men began to lose hope. My uncle and his War Coucil were doing everything they could to achieve a decisive breakthrough that could give us a victory, but Vaemond’s words and actions were doing nothing to help us and it discourage the men any further. Every time Driftmark’s second son opened his mouth I was tempted to offer him up as aperitif to my Lady Syrax. And judging by Laenor’s exasperated expression and Daemon’s silent anger, I wasn’t the only one who felt this way.

*

I was sure that if I hadn’t been there to hold him back, Daemon would have beaten that poor messenger to death. Since my mother’s death I often wondered what was going through my father’s head. After all these years of conflict, he chose now to send aid and provision.

Did he have any idea how many lives had been lost through his inaction while he revelled in opulence and ate his fill at the countless banquets and tourneys he organised to celebrate the birth of each of his new child or any fancy that crossed his mind ? Men fought and died to prevent a blockade of our trade routes while he swept the conflict under the rug. And when he finally did send help he did it in a way that insulted Uncle Daemon and his men, pretending to be a generous man and their great saviour.

What did he expect by doing this? That the Rogue Prince would let himself be insulted like that? Did he not know his brother at all? Or did he know exactly what he was doing by trying to show my uncle that he could never get anywhere without him?

It was high time to show him who held the real power and which of the sons of Baelon the Brave was the True Dragon and seed of the Conqueror.

*

Dawn was close at hand but the men were still celebrating our victory, a victory achieved thanks to my Uncle, Tommen and I were at Uncle Daemon’s bedside tending to his injuries. After being treated, he had refused the milk of the poppy wanting to make sure that our enemies were truly defeated and join the men in the celebrations.

But after a few hours I noticed that he was exhausted and dragged him by force to our tent to change his dressings. There I realised to my horror that he’d started bleeding again and hadn’t said a word. I rushed the Maester, who told me that my uncle was starting to run a fever. This time I left him with no choice but to drink what the Maester gave him and go to bed. But this did nothing to reduce his fever, so Tommen and I took turns all night changing his compresses and making him drink the concoction that the Maester had left us with. The fact that Uncle Daemon hardly protested showed me that he was suffering much more than he let on.

He’d only just recovered from the flaming arrow he’d received and now this. I had been horrified to learn what had happened to him a few moons before my arrival. Fortunately, Caraxes had reacted quickly and flown off without waiting for orders from his rider and had took him straight back to safety.

I knew I’d have to wake Tommen up so I can rest for a few hours, but I wanted to stay by my uncle’s side for a while longer. His fever had finally broken and he was now sleeping peacefully.

Yesterday still seemed surreal to me, as if I’d had no part in it. After reading my father’s letter, it was clear that my uncle wasn’t going to leave it at that. So finally, without waiting for the Velaryons’ approval, he carried out the plan that we had both thought up with Laenor’s help. While he acted as bait, his men were going to sneak into enemy territory. Laenor and I would attack from the air just when the Crabfeeder thought the Rogue Prince had surrendered.

And yes, after days of begging my uncle had finally agreed to my Lady and I taking part in the battles. But before that could happen, a suit of armour my size had to be made, hours of training flights and the non-negotiable condition that we never stray far from Caraxes and him.

That day, as my uncle was on the battlefiled, I would act as a second wave after Laenor had passed through, while Caraxes would protect Syrax and I. When I finally saw my uncle reappear at the entrance to this cave, I feel I could breathe again. Seeing him covered in the blood of his enemy no one could doubt that Daemon Targaryen was really a True Dragon.

However, when I saw the extent of his injuries while assisting the Maester I had great difficulty holding back my tears realising how close I had come to losing him. I can never thank the Fourteen Flames enough for protecting my uncle.

*

Once my uncle had recovered, the men had crowned us King and Queen of the Narrow Sea. The coronation was followed by another memorable feast. It had been some time since Tommen had told me that many of the men thought that Uncle Daemon and I were now lovers (although none of them had dared to say it in front of my uncle) and at the time I had turned red which had made the young squire laugh. And this coronation had only confirmed what they thought of our relationship. It didn’t bother me at all that they thought that about our relationship but I wondered what my uncle would think about it.

Now that the war was over, what was going to happen to our relationship? I was afraid of losing the bond we’d created on that faraway island in the middle of the ocean by returning to King’s Landing. I never imagined that we could become even closer than we already were. But away from the stifling atmosphere of the court, our relationship was able to blossom and develop even further. I was able to confide in him even more than I already did. Just as he confided in me.

Our discussions about strategies and the losses we suffered always took a more intimate turn. We often lie on his bed and talk until dawn about things we’d never discuss with anyone else. Our fears, our wounds both physical and emotional, our most precious dreams and above all our hopes for the future. I confided in him how seeing my mother pushed to her limit, birthing stillborn babes year after year until her life was forfeit traumatized me to such an extent that I fear the thought of marriage and child bearing. I told him of how I felt I was never enough for Father because I was not a son. That despite him naming me his Heir, he would still replace me in a heartbeat with his new children, princes he believed were the Promised Ones.

In turn, I finally saw the extent of the damage Otto Hightower has done to the relationship between my father and uncle. The Sons of the Spring Prince, taught by their late father to protect and love each other, held little love and trust for each other now. Father’s spurning of Daemon, not just by the frequent banishments, but also his refusal of annuling the most detestable marriage in all the land and not naming Daemon as Hand of the King, something Targaryens kings have customarily done have obliterated what little love Uncle Daemon held for him. The only thing holding him back from turning his back completely from his elder brother was the fact that Father was the only thing Uncle Daemon had left of Grandsire Baelon and Grandmother Alyssa.

"A Targaryen alone in the world is a terrible thing, Zaldritsos. " He once said to me during one of our late-night conversations. " And you and I are the only families we have left  Princess. "

Another thing I’d discovered was how much Mother’s death had affected my Uncle. I knew that she was one of the few people for whom he had a real respect, but I didn’t know that over all those years my mother had filled a void that the death of Grandmother Alyssa had left in my Uncle.

But there was one subject we had never discussed : our feelings for each other. I would give everything I had to know how my uncle really felt about me now. I, who could now boast of being the only person who knew the Rogue Prince best, sometimes even I didn’t know what he was thinking or feeling. Did he still only see me as his beloved little niece, or did I represent something more now ? Or was it the young girl in me who was always dreaming of her Prince Charming and telling herself fairytales ?

Sometimes I had the impression that he felt the same as I did, when his gaze became more tender and linger on me longer when he thought I don’t see him, when he kissed me on the forehead, a kiss that lasted longer than a simple token of affection from an uncle to his niece. A caress on the cheek, his hand on the back of my neck. All these little touches during our training hours, because obviously it was inconceivable to him that another man would train me in the handling of weapons.

How proud I had been to realise that my hands were no longer those of a maiden after hours of sword training. I had become a true Warrior Princess like the sisters-wives of Aegon the Conqueror.

I’d also had the impression that on several occasions over the last few moons he’d wanted to say something to me but always changed his mind at the last moment. I was dying to know what he didn’t dare confide in me, but I never had the courage to ask.

As for me, there was no longer any doubt about the nature of my feelings : I was irrevocably in love with my uncle. The crush I nurtured for him since I was a young girl had turned into love, and I also knew that I could never love another man the way I loved him. I wanted to spend the rest of my life by his side. But what did he want from our relationship?

*

It had taken us two moons to organise our withdrawal from the Stepstones. My uncle was now completely recovered, although his old burns sometimes still caused him a little discomfort.

We then headed for Driftmark where the Sea Snake’s family were waiting to celebrate our hard-won victory.

As soon as we arrived Laena did everything she could to steal my uncle’s attention. Although he was polite and declined all invitations to spend time alone with her, she didn’t seem to take the hint and continued to follow him around and try to strike up a conversation with him. She started dressing in inappropriate gowns, but Uncle Daemon remained unmoved. I was getting more and more enraged by the situation and if it hadn’t been for my uncle’s behaviour which clearly showed that he was not interested I would have ordered Syrax to devour her a long time ago. In any case, the situation seemed to amuse Laenor and Tommen. I wanted to punch them too.

Four days after our arrival, a banquet had been organised in our honour. Naturally, Laena had rushed to sit next to the Prince. So, I had no choice but to sit between Rhaenys and Laenor. However, before the food started to be served, my uncle got up and asked for a chair to be brought to him.

"What a poor King I would be if I didn’t sit next to my lovely Queen", he proclaimed, which provoked boisterous laughter and whistles from the men present, and for my part I turned red but couldn’t help throwing a smug look at the Sea Snake’s daughter, who was green with envy. I thought it appropriate as their house color was the shade of green.

My Prince had spent the rest of the meal sitting between Laenor and I regaling us with stories of his many travels. Fortunately this meant I didn’t have to make conversation with the Princess Rhaenys, as I didn’t know how to behave towards her. It was very difficult for me to watch Lord Corlys playing the dutiful husband to his wife with a straight face knowing that every time he said he was going to visit his dear wife because he couldn’t stay away from her he was actually going to visit one of his many whores. Uncle Daemon was as disgusted as I for the disrespect levied against his cousin by her husband but neither of us felt another nobleman’s affairs were not our business. In any case, this little bit of information might be useful in the future if we ever need to ensure House Velaryon’s loyalty to the Crown.

After dessert had been served with Uncle Daemon giving me his, the servants made room for the guests to dance, but before Laena could approach him Uncle Daemon took me by the hand and led me onto the dance floor.

After nearly an hour and a half dancing with my uncle he leaned over to me and whispered in Valyrian "In five minutes meet me outside in the corridor leading to the kitchens".

Before I could question him he had placed a kiss on my cheek before disappearing into the crowd. What was my uncle up to? After five minutes, following my uncle’s instructions I discreetly slipped away. Everyone was far too busy drinking and having fun to notice my exit or, in Lady Laena’s case, to look for someone in the crowd.

I quickly made my way to the corridor where my uncle was already waiting for me.

"What does this mean, Kepus? "

"I’m just keeping my promise to you Princess. Didn’t I promise you a surprise after the war was over?"

I had almost forgotten the surprise he had promised me as a reward for getting Laena to stop writing to him.

"What is it? Tell me quickly Uncle". I was giddy with impatience I have always love my uncle’s surprises.

"Patience, My Little Dragon. Come on Syrax and Caraxes are waiting for us".

"What do you mean? But we can’t just leave like that !"

"Everything is already arranged I gave Tommen a letter to give to Rhaenys and Corlys explaining our hasty departure. Let’s go Princess, new adventures await us." My Uncle told me in the language of our ancestors.

In reply I slipped my hand into the one he was holding out to me and followed him to where our dragons were waiting.

*

Volantis. As a surprise, Uncle Daemon had taken me to Volantis. I couldn’t believe it, I’d always wanted to visit this City and my uncle had made my dream come true.

We spent our days exploring the City, my uncle always insisting on buying me plenty of trinkets, silks and jewels. In the evenings, we were invited to banquets organised by my uncle’s friends or acquaintances, where each dish was more exotic than the next.

I knew perfectly well the image we were giving to people who didn’t know about our family ties. They would be more likely to think we were husband and wife than uncle and niece. I liked the fact that everyone we met in town thought we were in love. Which was true in my case. As for my uncle, I still couldn’t work out the true nature of his feelings for me. And that was really starting to bother me. But I wanted to make the most of the extra time I had with the man I loved.

*

We’d been in Volantis for a week now. Since our arrival Uncle Daemon had been even more attentive to me than usual and very jealous too.  No man was allowed to get too close to me if he didn’t want to experience the Rogue Prince’s ire.

I loved the fact that he was so possessive of me and I more that loved the fact that no woman (noble or common) could tear my uncle’s attention away from me. They all seemed to like the new haircut I’d given him (another consequence of our stay in the Stepstones). And believe me when I tell you that there were some who didn’t know the meaning of the word subtle. I’m sure that some of them had already known the Prince intimately, but that didn’t stop him from ignoring them completely or making it clear that he wanted nothing to do with them.

Was that part of the surprise or was it that away from home it was easier for him to show his true feelings? My uncle really was a very hard person to read sometimes.

Tonight Daemon had refused to tell me what we had planned, he wanted it to be a complete surprise, so needless to say I was bursting with anticipation.

*

It was as if I was in a dream, Daemon had planned a picnic by the sea where he gave me a magnificent jade tiara that I insisted on wearing straight away, the story said that it had once belonged to an Empress. I really was his spoiled litlle Princess. Then he took me to the City where there was a festival that evening. Not for one minute during our walk did he let go of my hand. I liked the way we fit together as we walked hand in hand. His hand was big, rough, and strong, just like him.

We talked a little here and there but neither of us felt the need to fill the silence with idle chatter. I couldn’t have wished for a more romantic evening. If it was a dream I never wanted to wake up.

We were slowly making our way towards the centre of town when suddenly my uncle stopped dead in his tracks. Before I had time to question him, he had changed direction abruptly, taking me to the outskirts of the town instead. Where he made me climb to the top of a hill where a breathtaking sight awaited me. From our position we had a perfect view of the whole city but it also allowed us to admire the stars without being bothered by artificial lights.

I could have stayed there for hours. I shivered against the cool air, when Daemon’s strong arms wrapped around me from behind, pulling me back into his hard chest. Holding me closer and buffering me from the breeze.

"Are you cold? Do you want to leave? " he asked.

"No. I want to stay a moment longer, if you don’t mind. And I’m warm here in your arms. "

"Your wish is my command my Princess. " he said soft and low before placing a kiss on my temple.

After a few minutes or a few hours, I couldn’t say, my uncle turned me around and made sure I stayed snuggled up to him. I’d never seen him so serious.

"Rhaenyra," I couldn’t remember the last time he’d called me by my given name, but it only confirmed that what he was about to say was of the utmost importance. His arms tightened around my waist, strong and possessive. "Although that I am a descendant of Aegon the Conqueror I am still just a man and it is impossible for me to resist any more of this fire that burns within me. I just hope I haven’t misjudged your feelings. "

"Wha-" I was not able to finish my sentence because the next thing I knew he was dropping his head and taking my lips in his. My uncle was kissing me.

My first kiss and it was with the man I was in love with. I’d never experienced anything close to the feeling of kissing Daemon. I wanted to stay there in his arms and his lips on mine until the end of time.

When our lips finally parted, slow and longingly, we were both breathless. My uncle kept me close, our foreheads touching, and said, "I’ve been dying to do that for many moons. "

"Me too " I confesses, blushing.

He seemed surprised but pleased by my answer. But I wasn’t at the end of my surprises when he said "Marry me"

" Unc-"

"I’ve never felt for anyone what I feel for you, that’s the reason why it took me so long to realise it. But now I don’t want to hide it any longer, I’m in love with you. You’re the One for me and it could never have been anyone else, I know I’m probably the worst person to consider as husband, I am aware of the reputation I bear  and the feelings that marriage and everything connected with it invokes in you, but I swear on my mother’s soul that I will never treat you the way those Andals men treat their wives and that no child will ever be more important to me than you. I swear to love you only you and to become the man you could fall in love with one day."

"Daemon, you don’t need to do anything because I fell in love with the man you are now, the real you and I couldn’t be with anyone other than you either. You are the one for me too. I love you."

"Thank the Fourteen Flames ! " he exclaimed "Little Dragon, you don’t know how these words fill me with joy. Just so you know, I have been prepared to kidnap you and court you until you fell in love with me. It’s just proof how crazy I am about you."

As I got ready for my Uncle’s surprise tonight, I could never have imagined in my wildest dreams that my night would end up like this.

"You know you still haven’t answered my question." my uncle teased me.

"Wasn’t my answer obvious? " When he brushed his lips over my cheek, pressing his hard body against me, I couldn’t hold back my lustful moan.

I felt him smiling against my cheek before he kissed me there. His lips trailed down my neck, as I curled my fingers into his sides, needing stability against my weakening knees. He’d unleash a new burning desire in me completly foreign until now, an aching need to kiss him again and more.

My nerves hummed like lightning bolts as he retraced his path, kissing up my neck, across my jaw and cheek, and dragged his tongue along the shell of my ear.

"Daemon—" I pleaded unabashedly.

"Something you want, my Princess? "

No more waiting I was a dragon too. I grabbed his head and crushed my mouth to his.

Finally I was where I belonged.

I heard a whimpering moan and realized it had come from me. What kind of spell had he cast over me? Whatever it was, I never wanted it to end.

When the need to breathe could no longer be ignored, our mouths parted but we remained in each other’s arms. Forehead to forehead.

"Yes Uncle, I will marry you. "

He lowered his lips to mine, kissing me softly. "I love you my little dragon and finally you are mine" he said just above a whisper.

" Yes and you are mine. "

*

Once we returned to our mansion Daemon spent the next few hours proving to me that a woman could experience just as much pleasure as a man in her duties as wife, in many different ways and whether in bed or not.

*

It was with a heavy heart that the time had come for us to return to Westeros. I was going to miss this city, the city where my uncle and I had declared our feelings for each other, and I hope that one day I’ll be able to come back with him.

I wasn’t looking forward to returning to King’s Landing but now with my uncle by my side I wasn’t as apprehensive about life in the capital and the prospect of marriage as before my time in the Stepstones.

Chapter Text

When I dismounted from Syrax with Daemon’s help, I didn’t know what kind of welcome we were about to receive when we returned to the capital. I imagined this was how the condemned would feel as they were led to the gallows as I climbed into the carriage that the King had sent to take us to the Red Keep.

Throughout the journey, it had been my uncle’s reassuring presence beside me that prevented me from throwing up what little I had in my stomach.

But now he was much more than that, he was also my bethroted. I still couldn’t believe it and every time I thought about it I couldn’t stop smiling and blushing.

Daemon and I had agreed to wait and see how my father would receive us before telling him we were engaged.

*

Once at the Red Keep, we were taken straight to the throne room where the King and, to my surprise, almost the entire court were waiting for us.

If at first his welcome had been a little cold, it quickly warmed up after my Uncle offered him his crown.

Daemon felt that, as the rightful Heir to the Iron Throne, there was no reason for me to offer my crown to my father.

I wanted to protest because it was because of him that we had won this war, and it was unfair for him to give up his crown while I kept mine. He hugged me to reassure me, assuring me that he was going to ask my Father for something much more important in exchange for the crown and that he would gain a great deal in the bargain. Of course, my uncle refused to tell me any more, despite my pleas.

It was only when he was face to face with the King that I discovered what he wanted to ask.

In front of the whole court my uncle declared that he knew there was only one King and that he was prepared to give up his crown on one condition. My father seemed wary of this request but asked his brother what the condition was. Of course my uncle kept the suspense going before asking that he be named Lord of the Stepstones, that a keep be built there and that the islands be bequeathed to his heirs in perpetuity.

I’m sure no one expected such a request from the Rogue Prince.

For my part, it only confirmed that I had been right to follow my heart. We weren’t married yet and already he was fighting for the inheritance of our future children, making sure that our second son had something to his name, doing what his own father hadn’t done for him, even though the Spring Prince was himself a second son.

My father quickly agreed, expecting I think a much more extravagant request from his little brother.

It was only then that he kissed his brother.

This was followed by a feast in the gardens of the Red Keep where Daemon and I were inseparable. There, everyone wanted the chance to speak with the King and Queen of the Stepstones and the Narrow Sea.

Many who thought I was a bad choice as Heir to the Iron Throne were now saying that the Warrior Princess will make an excellent Queen, one who isn’t afraid to take her men into battle to defend her realm.

Many people told me I was Visenya reincarnated, but everybody agreed that Daemon Targaryen was a thousand times the warrior that Aegon the Conqueror was. A Dragon Prince and a conquering king in his own right, this seemed to earn him esteem amongst the nobility who once derided my uncle for being a rogue and a tyrant. A second Maegor, they had called him. Now they will call him the Second Conqueror.

At first, not being used to so much attention from the court I was a little embarrassed but my uncle quickly put me at ease. He would tell anyone who would listen about my exploits in the Stepstones, sometimes exaggerating a little too much in my opinion, because it was he who had almost single-handedly won that war. He was the one who should be praised - I had only come in at the end, whereas he had supported his men and fought the Crabfeeder and his men for years. But he always deflected the compliments towards me. Between him and my father I couldn’t say who was prouder.

Of course the Hightower snake couldn’t let us enjoy this moment of family happiness. He had joined our little group in the company of his daughter and grandchildren. The atmosphere cooled immediately. We accepted his congratulations on our victory as succinctly as possible. His daughter also offered us hers, saying that she had prayed for our safe return.

" Alicent, one would have thought you’d be praying for our demise." my uncle mocked.

Alicent put on a shocked face, clearly not knowing what to say. Luckily for her, my father decided to change the subject.

"Brother, you haven’t had a chance to meet your new niece and nephew yet. "

"And yes, the King has a son now named Aegon like the conqueror," Otto thought it necessary to add.

Daemon did not even bother to glance in their direction, "If my brother and my beloved niece will excuse me, I have a few words to say to Lord Beesbury."

My father agreed and after kissing my hand Daemon walked away towards the old man.

The message had been clear : my mother and I were the only goodsister and niece he recognised.

*

If there were still whispers that the King was going to replace me with the usurper’s son, they had been silenced that very evening when at the banquet to honour our return, my father offered me Blackfyre, under the glare of Otto and his daughter, who must not have been aware of my father's intentions. Proclaiming before the entire assembly that I had proved myself worthy of being Heir to the throne and had shown that I would make a great Queen, not hesitating to throw myself and my Lady Syrax into every battle as the sisters/wives of Aegon the Conqueror had done.

*

With my uncle by my side, life at court had become almost pleasant. Even the King was more like a father to me than a sovereign. Even so, I was really looking forward to shouting from the rooftops that my uncle and I were going to get married. During our time in Volantis, and even in the Stepstones, I had gotten used to being free in my gestures of affection towards him, and now being forced to restrict myself felt strange, but I comforted myself by saying that it was only a temporary situation.

The only other fly in the ointment was, as usual, the Hightowers. Alicent was always looking for any excuse to chat with me, as if I had the slightest desire to talk to that traitor.

But while we were enjoying our return, others had already started scheming in their quest for power. As I had discovered two days later when our walk together in the gardens of the Red Keep was interrupted by my father who wanted a private word with his brother. Unfortunately, he didn’t anticipate the Rogue Prince’s reply.

"Whatever you want to say to me you can say in the presence of my niece I keep no secrets from her."

My father had seemed reluctant but had finally complied.

"Since you fought side by side with Lord Corlys the relations between our two families have improved greatly. And as you are now a widower following the death of Lady Rhea during the war, Corlys has suggested a union between you and Lady Laena and I think it’s an excellent idea to strengthen the ties between our families even more."

I couldn’t believe my ears. Corlys’ ambition and Laena’s obsession really knew no bounds.

" No."

Father seemed taken aback at Daemon’s immediate pronouncement, " Daemon, you’re not even going to... "

"It has been considered and there’s no way I’m marrying that girl." Daemon insisted, his tone hardening with every single word he said.

"Right now I’m offering you what you’ve always wanted : a bride with Valyrian blood and you can’t be unaware that she recently became Vhagar’s rider."

"No, Viserys. What I’ve always wanted was the ability to choose my own bride, not be sold to the highest bidder like I’m nothing more than chattel, instead of a Prince of the Blood. In any case, I’m sure the souls of Visenya and Father must be overjoyed by the fact that a little slip of a girl claimed their beloved dragon," Daemon said derisively, rolling his eyes as though the fact that Laena Velaryon being Valyrian and a dragon rider should be something that impress him, "and even if she had tamed the Cannibal it would have made no difference to me. I’d rather castrate myself than wed and bed that girl."

I found it hard not to burst out laughing at my uncle’s remark.

"Daemon." My father sighed.

My uncle discreetly glanced in my direction, to which I replied with a discreet nod.

"Anyway, I’ve already proposed to the woman I love and to my great delight she has accepted."

" And may I know the identity of this mysterious young woman ?" my father asked, clearly exasperated

" It is me " I finally spoke for the first time since the conversation started.

" What was you? " Father stared at me, dumbfounded.

" I’m the woman Uncle Daemon has proposed to."

" Rhaenyra if this is a joke, it’s a very bad one."

"It’s not a joke, my uncle and I are engaged. We wanted to wait a while before sharing the news with everyone but I had forgotten that in the Capital you should never make plans." After accepting his proposal and our first night, I asked my uncle not to announce our engagement to the court straight away, wanting to enjoy our new relationship before facing the snakes of the Capital.

"My girl, you are not thinking about this clearly. What do you think would happen if you were to make Daemon Prince Consort ? Laenor Velaryon would be a better choice for you. He is your cousin and the two of you are closer in age."

"Father, you’re in no position to talk about age differences when we see who you’ve chosen to warm your bed. If Daemon were to become Prince Consort, then it would strengthen my claim to the throne. You are not so blind, Father, as to not see that Daemon’s supporters, people who would rather see him on the throne, outnumber those who would support mine or Aegon’s claim. With Daemon as my husband, our children will be pure Targaryens and no one could contest the veracity of their claims to the throne, not even Alicent’s children. If Laneor were to be my Prince consort, you can be sure that any children I bear will be bastards because he won’t be able to do his duties with me." My father looked gobsmacked at my argumentations, " It is you who has not been thinking about this clearly, Father. The situation has never been clearer for me. The Velaryons overreached, they would like another generation of dragonriders in their house and a closer tie to the Crown. What noble family wouldn’t, after all ? But what do you think would be the fate of the Targaryens as a ruling family if we don’t have sole control of the dragons ? "

Father’s continued silence underscored the fact that he has not thought about the implications of his actions thoroughly at all. Viserys the Peaceful always rushed headlong into bad decisions to appease the Andals and the Faith while weakening the House of the Dragon’s hold on power.

" You both are squandering your duties to the realm. The Crown need this alliance with the Velaryons for the good of the realm. "

"What about your duty then ? " I interjected "When it was your turn to choose between the good of the realm and your whore, remind me, what was your choice? Instead of choosing a Lady from a great family who could have brought us powerful alliances and gold into our coffers you chose that manipulative Alicent who has been an embarrassment to our house and caused us the loss of our precious ally. An ally who was only won over after Daemon and I fought in a war with them. A war you did not support, mind you. You are the King. It is your duty to make decisions for the good of the Realm and not think with what you have between your legs. "

"I don’t intend to make the same mistakes as you, who up until now have relied on obscure dreams and appeasement to guide our House and the Realm. I will do everything I can to repair your errors and restore the Targaryen dynasty to its former glory with the man I love at my side. A man who knows what it means to be a true son of the House of the Dragon and who respects our heritage."

"Is that what this all about ? You’re doing this to punish me for remarrying ? "

From everything I’d just told him, this was the main message he received ? I shook my head in dismay.

My anger and grief at what he has done to Mother and what he did afterwards has largely subsided, but I will never be able to forgive him, him and all the people who by their actions deprived the world of a wonderful person and who disrespected her after her death.

"I’m doing all this out of love". I finally replied.

"I forbid you to," he said, a weakling King demanding more than he deserved.

"We’re not asking for your permission, we’re telling you we’re getting married." With nothing more to say, we took our leave leaving behind a speechless King of the Seven Kingdoms.

*

Naturally the Small Council took the announcement of our engagement badly. With the exception of Lord Beesbury who congratulated us warmly, Lord Strong was not a man to show his feelings and be exuberant, but his smile spoke volumes. All the others were content to say only a few words.

The most enraged were Hightower and the Sea Snake, who found it really hard to hide their disagreements. The latter had been invited to attend the council by my father. He must have been expecting an official request from the Crown for his daughter’s hand in marriage to Prince Daemon. If he knew what my uncle really thought of his daughter he would never consider marrying them, knowing that it would mean the death of his precious daughter.

As for my father, after several heated exchanges he had run out of arguments. All the shouting and threats had had no effect on our decision.

After my adventure in the Steptones, he knew very well that if someone forced my hand, I wouldn’t hesitate to give up everything to be with the man I love.

*

A few days later I was surprised when Ser Westerling came to fetch me while I was breaking my fast saying that my father wanted to see me urgently. Dying of worry, I rushed to his chambers thinking I would find him bedridden. But he was standing next to his model when the guard at the door let me in. He looked glum.

"My daughter, come and sit down."

"What’s the matter, Father ? What is so urgent that you’ve asked me to come so early?"

"I really wish I’d been wrong so I wouldn’t have to tell you this." He seemed to want to be anywhere but in this room with me.

"Father, you’re scaring me."

Taking a deep breath he held my hand and finally confessed what had put him in such a state. "I was told that your uncle was seen in the Street of Silk last night and that he had stayed there for several hours with his former paramour. "

When I heard this I almost fainted, I was glad that I accepted to sit down.

"May I ask where you got this information from?" I felt like I was in a fog

"From a reliable source, I’m really sorry, my child. My brother will never change and I’m really sorry you had to go through that to finally realise your uncle’s true nature."

With great difficulty I managed to reply, "I can’t let this go unpunished The Honour of our House and my future are at stake. Father, before you banish my uncle I would like you to do something for me. "

*

Every second felt like an hour, and there was total silence in my room. None of the people present knew what to say to remedy the heavy atmosphere. I never thought I’d find myself in such a situation. How could I have been so naive? But as they say, better late than never.

At last I heard the click announcing the arrival of someone through the secret passage leading directly to my room.

"Princess, if you only knew the day I’ve--" My uncle froze in shock as he realised that, unlike all the other nights, I was not alone in my chambers.

Sitting in an armchair was my father. The two brothers stared at each other open-mouthed and I couldn’t tell who was more shocked.

As if the situation were perfectly normal, I got up to place a kiss on my uncle’s cheek, "Good evening, My Love." He automatically placed one on my forehead in return.

I knew full well that no matter what I said to defend Daemon, my father would never believe me. He would accuse me of being a naive young girl under the spells of a manipulative man. Even though Daemon and I had promised to keep no secrets from each other, I was forced to use this ploy to clear his name.

Luckily we had a very busy schedule planned for the day and hadn’t planned to see each other until this evening. He was going to spend the day recruiting new men for the City Watch and reviewing the training of the soldiers who were already part of it, as my father had given him back his post as Commander of the City Watch.

And I was initially going to start looking for new ladies in waiting to replace the traitor. But instead, I spent it with my father so that he couldn’t accuse me of having warned Daemon of the accusations against him and that the whole thing was just a masquerade to hide my uncle’s actions. All through dinner I’d had to endure Highcunt’s smug stare. How I wanted to plunge my knife into his eye. The only thing that had held me back was the knowledge that his plan was going to backfire.

Yes, I’d been naive. Naive to think that the snake Hightower would leave us alone, that I could be happy in my own house. But it hadn’t taken him long to try and get my uncle banished again. But this time there was no way I was going to let him.

"It’s impossible that my uncle was seen last night in the Street of Silk since he’s spent every single night with me since we’ve returned to King’s landing."

In the Stepstones I had gotten used to having my uncle close by during the night and since Volantis, once we had confessed our feelings, we had got into the habit of sharing the same bed.

The first night at King’s Landing had been hell for me, being so far away from him. The next day, seeing the look on my uncle’s face, it was clear that he too had suffered from the situation. So we came up with this solution until we got married. Contrary to the tradition of sleeping in separate chambers, my uncle and I intended to share the same room.

"What’s all this nonsense?" exclaimed my uncle, "What’s going on here? "

"Calm down, my love, you’ll soon understand. "

"Rhaenyra, what are you talking about?" asked my father, who had finally found his voice again.

"Only the truth. My uncle and I have been sharing the same bed for many moons. "

"Daemon, how dare you dishonour your niece in this way and use her for your personal pleasure! "

But before Daemon could say anything, which knowing him would only have made the situation worse, I interrupted him.

"What happens in our bed is Daemon and mine business. And although it’s none of your business what happened between us, I gave my full consent to everything. Unlike your whore who was sent to your room to seduce you by her pimp of a father. Now I demand to know who told you this vile slander."

"It was Otto who came to inform me very early this morning. They must have misled him, you know he only has our interests at heart." He finally admitted, and making excuses for his good friend Otto Hightower like he was trained for it.

"Oh, what a surprise! Good Old Highcunt," my uncle said sarcastically.

"Hightower has only his own interests at heart and there’s no way I’m going to put up with that snake in my own house one minute longer. " I added.

"What do you mean by that? "

"I mean that first thing tomorrow morning you’re going to summon him and tell him that you’re relieving him of his post and giving him the day to settle his affairs before setting off for Old Town. Naturally my uncle and I will be present to answer any accusations he may have against us directly. It’s out of the question for my bethroted and I to be continually spied on by this man and accept this kind of insolence."

"You want me to dismiss someone who has always been loyal to me ? Besides, Alicent won’t want to be separated from her father."

"I don’t give a damn what your whore wants and if she can’t live without her pimp there’s nothing stopping her from following him. After all she’s fulfilled her role by giving you two bastards."

"Rhaenyra, you don’t mean that. Alicent is your friend. And you always wanted to have siblings."

Daemon scoffed, "She was my niece’s friend before she prostituted herself for a crown. Indeed, the apple doesn’t fall from it’s rotten tree." 

"Yes, I wanted to have brothers and sisters, but from my mother, not your whore." How could my father be so blind.

"That is enough. I can’t punish my oldest friend for a simple mistake when there’s no real case against him."

"Ah yes, it never bothered you to punish me even though I’m your brother without any concrete evidence against me, only the words of your oldest friend. We share the same blood but each time you preferred to believe him instead of me."

Father had seemed shocked by Uncle Daemon’s words.  It’s true that after the first few times he’d ended up accepting each banishment without a fight - but this time my uncle had decided to fight back and I couldn’t be prouder of him.

"Last time I accepted your decision without saying anything because of the loss you had just suffered, but not this time."

"You dare say you didn’t deserve to be banished last time ?! That you didn’t say those horrible words !"

The more they spoke and the louder the tone between the two brothers became, it was impossible for Ser Westerling, who was guarding my door tonight, to not hear everything that was going on inside.

"Yes, I said those words, but they were taken out of context by your precious Otto. Unlike you, who apart from getting her pregnant time and again no matter how weak she was, I took the time to talk to my goodsister. That evening I only repeated what Aemma herself had told me. She knew that this child was not going to survive, like the previous babes she said he would only be an " heir for a day ". My exact words had been I give a toast to our beloved Queen who can never be replaced in our hearts and to the heir of one day who would have the privilege of having her all to himself in the realm of the Fourteen Flames until the end of time. That’s what I said that evening. But how could I have guessed that the man who said he loved her more than anything in the world would install his whore in her chambers and give her my cousin’s title not even six moons later. When I heard that I was never more ashamed to be your brother."

Like my father, I was shocked to hear all this. I should never have doubted my uncle’s love for my mother. I had been so blinded by my grief that I had taken at face value what Alicent had told me. Having discovered later how deceitful that girl was I should have suspected that here too she had given me a false version of the truth.

"I didn’t know all that. Forgive me, Brother" Father said, shamefaced and shaken to the core.

"I don’t want your apology, I just want you to finally open your eyes to the snake whispering in your ear day and night and protect your daughter, Aemma’s daughter’s crown."

"I promise to think about it. I’ll leave you to it, I have a lot of things to ponder through."

After wishing each other good night, my uncle and I finally found ourselves alone.

All we had to do now was wait for the King’s decision about his Hand. But whatever decision he made, Daemon and I would face the storm together.

Contrary to what I had thought that night I had no trouble falling asleep once I was snuggled up in my uncle’s arms. And despite the fact that I hadn’t been entirely honest.

It’s true that we’d been sharing the same bed for many moons but contrary to what I’d implied to my father I was still a maiden. Perhaps not as innocent and my virtue not as intact as before my uncle’s declaration in Volantis, but we never went all the way despite me doing everything to change my uncle’s mind. But apparently when it came to me, the Rogue Prince had a conscience (yes I too was surprised to discover this !). He wanted to give me a real wedding and a real wedding night. But no bedding ceremony would happen unless I wanted him to kill all the men present at our wedding. It was out of the question for any man other than him to see me naked or touch me. This had been a great relief for me because although I was now more comfortable with the idea of marriage, the bedding ceremony was an aspect that had always troubled me.

The former Rhaenyra would have been horrified to imply that she was no longer a virgin when she was not a married woman. But now I felt as if I had broken my chains, no longer subjected to the oppressive morality of the Faith and the weight of the court’s gaze. I hadn’t realised just how much of a sheep I’d become over the last few years. But those days were long gone. I was a dragon in my own right, Heir to the Iron Throne, future Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. And very soon to be the legitimate wife of Prince Daemon Targaryen, wielder of Dark Sister, rider of Caraxes the Blood Wyrm and Conqueror of the Stepstones.

So I took my pain in patience, knowing that I wasn’t the only one suffering. Because although he wanted to play the honourable man, my uncle suffered just as much as I did from not being able to give free rein to our passion. But soon we will be maried.

*

The next day my uncle and I broke our fast in my chambers not being in the mood to put up with the Hightowers.

Daemon was sure that the White Worm was working in collusion with Hightower and there was no way he was going to let that go. The rest of the meal had been spent discussing how to find out the truth and what to do next if it turned out that she really had betrayed the Prince.

*

It wasn’t until late afternoon that a guard came to fetch us, telling us that the King had requested our presence in the Throne Room immediately.

We had arrived a few minutes before Otto and he had smiled slyly when he saw us when he had arrived. But he quickly wiped it away when he addressed the King.

"You asked for me, Your Grace ?"

"Yes Otto. I want you to know that this decision pains me greatly, but in view of the latest information I have received I have no choice but to remove you from your position as Hand of the King."

This had shocked Hightower, who had his mouth and eyes wide open.

"Your Grace, I do not understand. What have I done to deserve such a dismissal! I demand to be brought face to face with those who have dared to slander my name in this way."

"You demand Lord Hightower? Since when has the King been obliged to obey the demands of the second son of a house that is not even the house paramount of his region?" I couldn’t help asking. Which made my uncle smile, as he reveled in the spectacle.

"Princess, please excuse me, I was so shocked that I got carried away. The King knows that I have the greatest respect for him and the Throne."

"I know, my friend, but your last actions, which may have been well-intentioned, have done my family more harm than good. Please say goodbye to your daughter and grandchildren and return to Old Town. I have deprived your brother of your presence for too long I am sure he will be delighted to have you back by his side."

"Your Grace, I’m sure there’s been a misunderstanding !"

"My decision is final and I will not go back on it. Your words have caused great harm to my brother and my daughter and I cannot let that go unpunished. They are my blood, they are my family."

Once again Hightower wanted to protest but my father stopped him with a wave of his hand.

"Otto please hand your pin to Prince Daemon."

If a look could kill my uncle would have been dead. But Hightower’s murderous stare had no effect on my uncle, who grinned broadly as he snatched the pin from that snake’s hands.

"Dragon’s blood is thick, you’d better remember that, Hightower." said my uncle.

Until the last moment I thought my father was going to change his mind, but for once he stood firm for the sake of our family.

Otto Hightower was no longer the Hand of the King and he would leave King’s Landing in shame. I could hardly contain myself from jumping for joy when two guards escorted him from the throne room, but I gave him my biggest smile anyway. My uncle contented himself with a farewell and the pleasure of never seeing him again. This earned him a glare from my father and Hightower.

Already I felt myself breathing more freely.

*

I’d never been down to this part of the castle.

The Black Cells, infamous since the time of Maegor. I wondered how much of what was said about this place was true.

I’d always wanted to explore this part of the castle but it was no place for a Princess. Mother had formally forbidden Uncle Daemon to take me there when I asked him when I was nine. No matter how much I begged, he remained firm in his refusal. It was one of the rare occasions where Daemon didn’t give me what I wanted.

But tonight the situation was different. I was on a mission with my Uncle.

With Otto now back in Old Town, my uncle was absolutely determined to find out whether his former whore had betrayed him. So he had instructed two men he trusted completely to kidnap her, smuggle her into the Red Keep and prepare her for being questioned by him.

I had never crossed paths with the White Worm before. Until I found out from my uncle that he had used her to try to distract him from the unnamed feelings that he was beginning to have for me when I had just celebrated my five and ten namedays my curiosity about her had completely disappeared.

When the affection I felt for my Uncle had turned into a crush, I’d been curious to know what kind of woman could arouse his interest. I had been jealous of this stranger, but now I felt nothing but pity for her who had only been a placeholder for the Prince.

"Careful Princess, the steps are slippery. " Daemon’s voice brought me back to the present moment. I was careful where I put my feet.

At first Daemon didn’t really want me to go with him, but I reminded him that we were a team now and that I wanted answers as much as he did. And although I knew she meant nothing to him, a part of me wanted to meet the woman who had been my uncle’s companion for years.

The first thing that struck me on entering the cell was the smell. A mixture of blood, sweat and urine. I immediately put my hand to my nose to try and drown out the stench. What little light there was prevented me from seeing my surroundings clearly.

It was only when my uncle had lit several more torches that I was able to make out the body in chains, her wrists shackled and hanging from a hook on the wall.

She looked really unwell. I couldn’t imagine what my uncle’s ‘friends’ had done to her to prepare her for our visit.

And dehydrated too, as I’d noticed when it took her several attempts to articulate a few words in a hoarse voice that she was trying to make sound seductive.

"My Prince I knew you would come to save your Mysaria and punish those who dared to touch what is yours."

"And I see you have not come alone. Please excuse me, Princess, for appearing before you in such a state, it was truly beyond my control." she added mockingly.

"I forbid you to speak to her. And just so we’re clear, I’m not your Prince and I never have been," replied my Uncle dryly. "I’m not here to save you, I’m here to get answers. Don’t you dare lie to me because what those men did to you will seem like a piece of cake compared to what I would do to you."

"My Prince, I don’t understand. I have always been loyal to you and served you to the best of my ability."

"Your poisonous words no longer work on me. Now tell me how long you’ve been working for Hightower and reporting my every move to him."

"I don’t understand--"

"I DEMAND THE TRUTH !" my uncle shouted, running out of patience.

At these words her face had completely transformed. The face of the innocent victim begging to be spared had been replaced by a face distorted by hatred and resentment.

"What have I always told you? That I would never again let my destiny be in the hands of anyone but myself and that I would do anything to change the cards I was dealt at birth. I always believed it was you who would give me the golden future and security I so longed for. The Prince Targaryen who would make me someone who could now look down on others. But to you I was never anything but a whore for you to use and abandon at your whim. What choice did I have but to turn to someone who promised to give me what I so desperately wanted."

The more she spoke, the more I could feel my uncle’s rage rising. True, he had never been in love with her, but she had been part of his inner circle. My uncle wasn’t the type to let himself be approached easily, and knowing that she’d hadn’t hesitated to betray him, while thanks to him she had been able to live far beyond the means of a simple whore. It must disgusted him to have met this woman.

"At first I thought about getting pregnant, but despite my best efforts it didn’t work out. Because even if that child would have been a bastard, you have too great a sense of family to let your offspring live in a brothel. But I knew my time was running out, you were beginning to tire of me and I had to do everything I could to regain your attention. That’s why I helped Hightower get you banished. To keep you away from your niece and brother. But I didn’t plan for you not to take me to Dragonstone when you went into exile. All my plans were dashed by that decision. Do you know how I was treated after you left? The whore who was thrown out by Lord Flea Bottom without so much as a backward glance. I was informed of your departure by one of the orphans in my service. All the mockery I had to face when all the other whores had been made aware of how you had treated me?"

"Oh Mysaria, what did you expect with that little story? That I was going to feel sorry for you? Throw myself at you, begging you to forgive me while declaring my eternal love for you?"

"You know what they say, arrogance comes before the fall and I can assure you that your fall is going to be very painful. You will pay the price of your betrayal a hundredfold. And as you are soon going to die in excruciating pain, I will tell you a little secret."

"It wasn’t just on whores I spent my gold on in the Street of Silk. There are people who, for a few coins, would make sure there are never any consequences for the good clients who frequent this street or who protect men from scheming whores like you. So you had no chance of ever getting pregnant with my bastard, I made sure of that."

This information had shocked both the White Worm and I. She who had thought herself clever must not have expected the Prince to be suspicious of her.

"The whore who wanted to become a Lady, is that it? The only thing you’re going to become is an abandoned corpse in the sewers, where you really belong. You’ve made a grave mistake in wanting to attack my family and me."

In a voice full of resentment the White Worm addressed me "Princess, see the true face of your uncle whom you cherish so much. This is how he treats the women in his life. Enjoy the moment, because when he tires of you you’ll suffer the same fate as the rest of us."

Before I knew what was happening Uncle Daemon had his hand around the White Worm’s throat, cutting off her breath completely.

"I forbid you to compare yourself to my niece. You’re a manipulative whore while she’s a Targaryen princess. She has the heart of a dragon while yours is rotten. You are nothing while she is everything to me."

For the first time since we arrived I decided to intervene.

"Calm down, my love. Nothing she can say can hurt me. She’s like a wounded animal who senses that its end is near and tries to do as much harm as possible."

At last he had loosened his fingers from the throat of the White Worm, who had greedily taken deep breaths.

"Did you really think that Highcunt was going to honour his promises? Your greed has really made you stupider than you already were. Instead of enjoying all the gold you’ve amassed thanks to me and living a long life, you’re going to die tonight in immense pain."

Realising at last that her end was near, she began to beg my Uncle for mercy on using their shared past. This was further proof that she had never really known my Uncle. Otherwise she would have known that there was no point in begging and crying any more. Nothing was more important to my Uncle Daemon than family and loyalty.

I realised today that I’d never had any reason to be jealous of that woman. Despite what my uncle had told me, I had unconsciously doubted it. After all, he had stayed with her for years.

Especially when he’d initially refused to let me accompany him when he went to question his former mistress. Hadn’t he told me the whole truth? Was there a part of him that felt something for his former whore? But I’d been completely wrong, I was really the One for my uncle all along.

As quick as lightning Uncle Daemon had made a gash in her collarbone, one in her side and one in her thigh. Although deep, they were not lethal.

He then made his way to the entrance of the cell where he whispered a few words to the man there, who then quickly moved away.

A few minutes later he returned, but not alone. He was holding a wolf on a leash. At least he was trying, as he didn’t seem to have much of a hold on the beast. Unlike my Uncle, who only needed a command for the wolf to sit down and stop growling.

My uncle had knelt down to stroke the wolf’s head and whisper something in his ear before taking off his leash. I thought I recognised Valyrian intonations. He then guided the wolf, who had started growling again, towards his former whore, whose face was filled with terror. She was beginning to understand the fate my Uncle had in store for her. She resumed her pleas in earnest.

"Farewell White Worm, I leave you in pleasant company," said my uncle, his face devoid of the slightest emotion.

As his four-legged companion made his way towards his prey growling, my uncle for his part had finished with her. He quickly led me out of the cell, and it was when we were at the end of the corridor leading to the cells that the screams of the woman who had tried to trap the Rogue Prince were heard.

*

Now that Otto and the White Worm were out of the way, my uncle and I could think more calmly about our future, while remaining on our guard. For my father’s court was still infested with snakes lurking in the grass, biding their time.

I was on my way to the Dragon Pit, where I had arranged to meet Daemon for our daily flight. Now we could spend almost all our free time together - it was as if we’d already been married, apart from a few details, when I’d been ambushed by Alicent.

"Rhaenyra we need to talk."

"I’ve got nothing to say to you. And it’s Princess Rhaenyra. As I have already told you the days when you could be so familiar with me are over as is our friendship which as you have shown meant nothing to you."

"I only did my duty, as any good girl is bound to do. How can you be so insensitive and refuse to understand my situation? And why did you have my father dismissed? He’s a good man who’s always worked for the good of your family and the Realm, he only wanted to protect you from Prince Daemon, who's using you. Why did you humiliate him like that?"

"Your father is a vile snake who did everything he could to destroy my family for his own gain. His intention was never to protect me, he just wanted to get rid of the one person who posed a real threat to him. All we did was remind him of his place. And if you believe a single word that just came out of your mouth, you’re even more naive than I thought."

"Now if you’ll excuse me I have more important things to do than discuss the former Hand of the King with you."

"I am the Queen and I say we are not done." Alicent said insistently. From the slight tremble on her lower lip it was clear to me that she tried to appear more authoritative than she was comfortable being.

I couldn’t help myself and burst out laughing before very slowly approaching her, glaring at her. She took a step backwards, not expecting my reaction.

"Your stupidity really knows no bounds. The King’s whore has no orders to give to the heir to the throne, try it again and those will be the last words you ever utter." There I had turned on my heels, barely resisting the urge to strangle her. What a hypocritical whore. All I wanted was to find my Uncle, he was the only one who could calm me down.

*

A week later, at the banquet organised in honour of our engagement, Alicent had made a striking entrance during Father’s speech to open the banquet. But her insolence wasn’t limited to her lateness, it also extended to her choice of dress, the meaning of which Daemon had explained to me quickly and discreetly.

Unlike the rest of the assembly, my bethroted and I didn’t even bother to stand up, even my father seemed embarrassed by his whore’s insolence. It was out of the question for my uncle to let this declaration of war pass and I did nothing to stop him because I completely shared his opinion. This woman had become far too arrogant.

At the end of the King’s speech, Daemon had risen, demanding the attention of the whole assembly, "My dearest goodsister, seeing the colour of your dress, I couldn’t help adding a few words to the speech given by my brother". She had seemed shocked that my Uncle had drawn attention like that to her little act of rebellion.

"By agreeing to take me as her husband, my niece has made me the happiest of men and I want you all to witness that I swear to love her and defend her in this life and in all future lives that the Fourteen Flames will grant us. I also promise to protect her and our future children from anyone who dares to attack the House of The Dragon. I will seek and destroy all the snakes that make up the Court, the Capital and the Seven Kingdoms. "

Everyone was hanging on my uncle’s every word, while during my father’s speech you could feel the boredom on their faces. Everyone knew that my uncle was a man of few words.

"And this is also a reminder to everyone that no tower, no matter how great it is, could withstand the fire of a dragon and in recent years my Blood Wyrm has gained a great deal of experience when it comes to destroying our enemies. So I wish good luck to those who would only think of usurping my future wife’s inheritance."

By the end of Daemon’s speech Alicent had turned white as a sheet and was no longer at all proud. For my part, I had paid close attention to those who had risen immediately to applaud my Uncle’s response to the effrontery of a child who was playing Queen, and those who had done so reluctantly. The ones I would have to keep a close eye on and make sure they lost what little power they currently had.

Oh Alicent you had no idea what you had just unleashed in your great stupidity. Even my father understood that his wife had just made a major enemy in the Rogue Prince and that her fate was now sealed.

The only person who could have saved her from my uncle’s ire was me. But the days when I considered her a close friend and protected her were over. From now on I would support every decision my uncle made about her and her whole family.

A new era was about to begin in King’s Landing. The era of the Rogue Prince and the Realm’s Delight. A new era that would see the destruction of the Green Tower and their allies. And I couldn’t wait to get to work ridding the Red Keep of its pests.

Chapter Text

It was hard to imagine that there was a time when I was afraid of marriage and my marital duties.

Since becoming my uncle’s wife, I’ve never been so happy and fulfilled. I could never have dreamt of a better husband. Every day he showed me with his words and actions how important I was to him and that I wasn’t just an object of pride to be paraded around on his arm.

I was blossoming more and more every day since our return from Volantis, I almost felt like I was back in the Red Keep of my childhood. The time when I was surrounded by the people I love and I felt like nothing could touch me.

*

Since returning from Dragonstone, where my husband and I spent two idyllic weeks just after our wedding, we had become more involved with life in the the Capital and begun our great work of cleaning up the City.

Since our return to King's Landing, Daemon had resumed his post as Prince-commander of the City Watch, which had greatly delighted the men of the City Watch as well as the small folks of King’s Landing. He had plenty of new ideas for improving security in the city. Tommen, who had followed my husband and I to the capital, was of great help to him. I'm sure he'd make an excellent knight one day, on this Daemon fully shared my opinion and hoped that one day he would be the Commander of the City Watch after Ser Luthor Largent, my husband's successor, is no longer in a position to carry out his duties.

From the moment Alicent became consort, she has brought nothing but shame to our family through her decisions and her lack of knowledge of royal protocol. There was no way I was going to let her continue to act in this way with impunity. With my father's agreement, I was to take over a large part of her duties from now on.

I had also decided to reestablish several projects that Queen Alysanne had initiated to improve the quality of life for the people of King's Landing. For whatever reason, most of the projects have been abandoned by Otto Hightower when he came to power. It was high time the Targaryens took back the power that Aegon and his sister-wives fought to consolidate.

Ever since the humiliation she suffered at our engagement feast, Alicent had been doing everything she could to keep what little power and influence her position as Queen consort gave her, doing everything she could to make us appear as the villains of the story.

But every attempt to discredit my uncle and I only served to drive her further away from my father.

Annora had told me that it had been many moons since my father had asked Alicent to come to his chambers. The rumor mill thought he now had a mistress in the Street of Silk. If this was true it really made him a hypocrite after the judgment he had passed on my uncle for his infidelity on his first marriage.

It was becoming increasingly clear that Alicent was not queen material and that without her father to direct her like a puppet, she was completely lost. However, after all the harm she had done to me, it was impossible for me to feel the slightest compassion for her. She had chosen to betray me and the memory of my mother, and now she had to pay the consequences.

My relationship with my father had improved, much to Alicent’s dismay, who kept trying to replace me with her children, but this didn’t seem to have any effect on her husband. On the contrary, he reprimanded her for the fact that her younger children weren't more like me, which always made Daemon burst out laughing. He never missed an opportunity to remind the King that a sheep could never turn into a dragon, which made the Hightower girl furious.

*

The gradual loss of her allies at court did nothing to improve her mood. I had not forgotten those who had been delighted by and supportive of her little act of rebellion at our engagement feast. Daemon and I had set ourselves the goal of finding valid excuses to keep them away from court and make them lose what little power they had, or to win them over to our cause by any means at our disposal.

The death of the White Worm had not only rid us of a traitor, but also allowed us to acquire her network of spies. Many of them were more than happy to serve the Rogue Prince and Realm's Delight instead of just a whore. It had been a great help in getting rid of some of the green tower supporters.

Father was reluctantly beginning to realise that my decision to marry my uncle had been the best one to secure and strengthen our family's legacy and hold on the throne. It had enabled us to win back some of our allies and above all, it made me happy. What's more, everyone knew that a solid marriage in the royal family was a source of prosperity for the people of the Seven Kingdoms.

For the Velaryons, however, our marriage was viewed in a different light. They had taken our marriage as further slight to their family and an obstacle to their boundless ambition. The progress we had made in making amends through our participation in the Stepstones War had been undone.

A few days before our wedding, Daemon flew to Driftmark to pay Princess Rhaenys a little visit. My uncle wanted to tell her that we didn't want any scandals during the festivities and if she couldn't assure him that her husband and daughter wouldn't make a scene it would be better if they refrained from attending.

*

When the big day came, only Rhaenys and Laenor were present.

*

As more time passed, the clearer it became that the King no longer considered the Hightower children to be part of the line of succession, even though they were part of his family. Doubt had been completely removed when he had summoned all the lords and warden of the Seven Kingdoms to renew their oath of allegiance to me and reiterate that I remained the one and only heir to the throne. Declaring that the children he had with her current consort were in no way part of the line of succession, even if they had the title of Prince and Princess.

Alicent was incandescent with rage at this announcement, her face turning an unflattering shade of puce, even though she was doing her utmost to put on a pleasant face in front of the crowd.

I think it was the king’s hope that by making sure my inheritance remained uncontested, I would be moved to nurture family ties with his whore’s children and that we could all live together in happiness, like one big happy family.

But that was impossible for me, and the same was true for Daemon, who was renowned for holding a grudge. How could I forget all the evil he has committed to my mother’s memory ? That he'd given her place to that snake not even six moons after her death? That he had children with his whore, undermining my claim to the throne despite swearing on my mother’s memory that I would never be replaced ? I know they were just innocent children, unaware of their parents' and grandparents' sins, but I could never create the bond with them that he was hoping for.

In his misguided attempt to appease Daemon and I, I don't think my father realized that it wasn't Daemon and I he had to worry about, but rather his whore and her father.

After all they'd done to take over the Iron Throne, there was no way they were going to leave it at that.

Otto's ambition to see his grandson one day sit on the Iron Throne had rubbed off on Alicent. She mistakenly thought that her first-born was the epitome of perfection and passed on all her ambitions to him. Not seeing how ill-bred and insolent he was for a child who was supposedly educated according to the precepts of the Seven-Pointed Star. She always found excuses for him. Just as she had been and continued to be her father's enabler, she would one day become her beloved son's enabler.

The situation was such that the maids drew lots to see who would have the misfortune of caring for the Hightower brat, none of whom could see him as a Targaryen descendant, finding nothing redeemable in him and already seeing that one day this young boy would turn into a real tyrant.

As far as her second child was concerned, Alicent barely looked after her, leaving the task to the nursemaids. I got the impression that my former friend treated her daughter more like an ornament, which she would take out for feasts and special occasions before putting away on a shelf when there was no one left in the court to admire what a devoted mother she was. It was the most pathetic sight I have ever seen, especially when Helaena screamed bloody murder when she was in her mother's arms for too long. Even Daemon felt sorry for the child. Knowing how much he hated anyone with a drop of Hightower blood, it was clear how distressing this spectacle was.

Having been lucky enough to have a loving mother during my tender years, I could only imagine the difficult ordeal this poor child was going to have to endure.

*

Daemon and I knew that the current calm was a precursor to a terrible storm that would endanger our family. That's why we were on our guard and prepared for the worst.

*

When I learned that I was with child, it was a total shock for Daemon and me.

Maester Gerardys, whom my husband had sent for personally as the only Maester he trusted, informed us that sometimes Moon Tea is not fully effective, especially with the Targaryens.

Once Daemon had recovered from the shock, he was overjoyed, wanting to shout the good news from the rooftops. However, his protective side quickly got the better of him. He wanted as little chance as possible of something happening to me and the baby, so he made a quick trip to the Free Cities to find the best healers and midwives to bring back to King's Landing. Maester Gerardys would also stay at the Red Keep as our personal physician.

From now on, only people we trusted would have access to our chambers and all my meals would be tasted. He didn't want to take any risks.

But the most important thing was to get rid of the Hightower threat and their supporters once and for all as soon as possible.

*

We broke the news to my father at the end of my third moon of pregnancy, and he was obviously overjoyed at the idea of becoming a grandfather.

It was then that we shared with him our fears for our unborn child.

Like a well-trained dog, he came to Otto's defence, saying that his friend would never attack the Heir to the throne and her unborn child. We had to remind him of the tactics he had already used to ensure that Daemon was kept from the throne and that it was his grandson who became the heir.

*

After a discussion that lasted several hours, the King seemed to understand our concerns, even if he wasn't entirely convinced that Otto would prey on a baby that was still in its mother's womb.

It was then that we told him our plan to test the Hightowers' loyalty to the true line of succession.

He reluctantly agreed. I think deep down he really believed that what we were planning to do would prove how wrong Daemon and I were about his friend and wife and that our concerns were unfounded, and once again, King Viserys would be free to live on in the status quo he pictured in his head.

How could he be so blind? It would be a terrible fall for him. A dark part of me wanted him to suffer as much as he had made my mother suffer. To see what a monster he had installed in the chambers of a real Targaryen Princess.

*

It was during the final preparations for our plan that we were surprised to receive a letter from Rhaenys. Even more surprising was the fact that she asked to see us in secret, insisting that no one should know about this meeting, especially not the King and Queen.

Neither Daemon nor I knew what to make of this request.  Was it a trap or did she really have something of the utmost importance to tell us?

In the end we decided to accept, but on our own terms: we would set the time and place of the meeting. And on the day, Daemon would scout around before the agreed time to make sure there wasn't an ambush.

I had a feeling that what Rhaenys had to tell us would mean the end of peace in the Seven Kingdoms.

*

When the day arrived, we went to the rendezvous point. Daemon had chosen a small deserted  island far from any inhabited land or shipping lanes. Calling the place an island was being generous, as it was more of a mound of sand with some stones perched on top of it than anything else. It was barely enough to accommodate us and our three dragons. In short, it was an ideal place for a clandestine meeting.

Rhaenys arrived a few minutes after us and Daemon immediately wanted to know the reason for this secret meeting.

However, she refused to say anything until we assured her that there would be no reprisals against Laenor, which did nothing to reassure us. The best we could promise her was to take into consideration the fact that Rhaenys had come to see us.

Because even if Laenor had fought alongside us in the Stepstone War, he was still a Velaryon and Daemon's loyalty was only to members of his immediate family.

When Rhaenys finally told us the reason for this meeting, I could hardly believe my ears. If Daemon hadn't been there to support me, I'd have ended up on my arse on that desert rock.

Otto Hightower had formed an alliance with Corlys Velaryon to usurp my crown. On the death of my father, which they wanted to provoke, their joint forces would stage a coup to take King's Landing and the Red Keep by force. Proclaiming that Viserys Targaryen's only true heir was his son Aegon, born of his union with Alicent Hightower.

I could clearly imagine the fate they intended for us, and for all those who supported my claim and wanted to honour the oath made to King Viserys and respect the true line of succession.

Next to me, Daemon was boiling with rage, I wouldn't have been surprised if he'd started spitting flames. In the distance we could hear the cries of Syrax and Caraxes, who must surely have sensed our emotions.

Although she was married to a Velaryon, Rhaenys remained first and foremost a Targaryen, although her behaviour over the last few years tended to prove otherwise. By accepting this alliance, Corlys had crossed a line that she could not turn a blind eye to.

All these years she had put up with his mistresses and bastards, looking the other way and swallowing her pride. But what he was about to do was unforgivable.

She could never support the crime he was about to commit against her family, against the House of the Dragon. No matter how much he told her it was to avenge the affront she had suffered when she was not named official heir to the Old King or that Viserys had chosen Alicent as his wife instead of Laena, she knew full well that his only motivation was to avenge the affront that was dealt to his ambition.

In this madness Corlys was supported by his daughter, Laena, hoping to make Daemon a widower so that she can seduce him. She refuses to believe that he does not want her and for her the only reason he chose Rhaenyra over her was because she was Heir to the Iron Throne.

"I'm going to kill her!!! How dare that little bitch question my feelings for my niece, this time she's gone too far, I don't care if she's your daughter I'm going to slaughter her."

"Daemon, please, she's blinded by her feelings for you."

"WHAT FEELINGS!" he shouted "She hardly knows me. She's in love with the image she has of me and my title, not with me. For my part, I've never done anything to encourage her, quite the opposite in fact."

"She remains my daughter." pleaded The Queen Who Never Was.

"Your daughter wants to attack my pregnant wife, and in my eyes there is no worse crime." You could still hear the anger in my husband's voice.

"It is to avoid bloodshed that I have come to see you today. I beg for your mercy."

"Rhaenys, we understand the difficult position you find yourself in but - "

Daemon had mumbled something at this point but I chose to ignore it.

"Such a crime against the Royal House cannot go unpunished but we will bear in mind the loyalty you have shown us by warning us of this threat."

"What are you going to do about it?"

"We need to think about this turn of events. Is there a safe way to make contact with you." Daemon asked.

"The ravens are no problem, I've put someone I trust there."

"Good, go back to Driftmark and we'll be in touch with you shortly with a plan of action. "

With that, the three of us took to the skies.

*

On our return we shared this information with Ser Westerling, whom we included in our eradication plan. After all, he had been a father figure to me all these years and I knew I could trust him completely, he took his role as protector of the royal family very seriously.

When he learned of this betrayal, he was just as shocked as we were. But it proved that our plan was urgently needed and had to be executed immediately. We had no idea when or how they would try to kill the king. Perhaps they have already started poisoning him.

*

It had taken us another two weeks to complete all the preparations for our plan, during which time Daemon had ensured that no member of the family was ever alone and that all our food and drink was sampled by tasters before we had a taste.

On the day, we made sure that the King's departure from King's Landing was seen by as many people as possible, to give Alicent and her court the impression that they had the run of the place.

On our arrival at Dragonstone we immediately convened a council including all the emissaries who were already on the island, waiting for us.

This time there was no turning back, although I had no desire to do so. For too long we had allowed these Hightowers snakes and the Citadel to behave as if they were the rulers of the Seven Kingdoms, and it was high time we eradicated them with fire and blood.

*

A week later, a raven flew to King's Landing, announcing the death of King Viserys.

*

It didn't take long for the vultures to attack. Lord Westerling, who had remained in the capital to be our eyes and ears, told us that as soon as Alicent had received the missive she had ordered her father to be informed, and he had quickly come running like the craven he was, accompanied by the traitors who had broken their oaths to the House of the Dragon.

For our part, the order had been given to our troops to march towards the Capital so that on the day in question we could surround our enemies from all sides.

There was no doubt that my husband was a born leader, and all the men respected him, whether they were seasoned soldiers with years of combat under their belts or young men who had never seen a battlefield and were looking for glory or blood.

I know that without Daemon by my side I would never have been able to save our heritage from those Hightower parasites who coveted our throne.

How could Father have thought that Laenor would have made a better husband for me than my uncle? I hope all this will finally open his eyes to the truth.

*

After a last kiss and whispers of love from my husband, Father and I took off in the direction of King's Landing, leaving Daemon to lead the way.

By the time we could make out the outskirts of the town we were joined in the sky by Seasmoke and Meleys. Below us, the Red Kraken fleet had begun maneuvering their ships to prevent the Velaryons from escaping.

Daemon had managed to rally the Iron Islands by appealing to their bloodlust and promising them more land to reave in the Westerlands. My uncle had managed to find the right words to ensure that we had a more dangerous fleet than the Velaryons in our service. I was sure that neither the Hightowers nor the Velaryons had foreseen that the Red Kraken would support my claim to the Iron Throne. It was a mistake they had often made in my regard.

Dismissing me because of my sex, claiming that no one would ever take my side. When, on the contrary, I was supported by many more houses than they were. It also said a lot about them that they were so insecure in their manhood that they felt in danger when a woman dared to speak out that they would do anything to silence and belittle her.

Uncle Daemon was a thousand times better than them, he'd never put me down or treated me like a broodmare.

It had been the same with my mother, he had always treated her with respect, considering her a person in her own right. My uncle had never looked down on her because of her inability to give birth to sons and her frail health. Many had lost their tongues or limb for daring to utter inappropriate words about my mother in the presence of the Rogue Prince, which had been a constant source of banishment. The bad tongues mumbled that this ensured that he remained his brother's only legitimate heir, but they didn't know my uncle as well as I did.

He had always behaved like a true Targaryen, our ancestors had always given the same importance to males and females. It was the influence of the Andals that had distorted our ancestral beliefs and corrupted my father and great-grandfather.

*

Once on the ground, an escort took us to the Red Keep and made sure we were safe, as fighting had started all over the City. At the gates of the Palace Ser Westerling and a contingent of White Cloaks and Gold Cloaks took over to lead us to where those rats were.

What a surprise it was to see the door to the throne room open as Otto sat on the Iron Throne, and to see the King, alive and well, enter in the company of Ser Westerling and myself.

The room was completely silent, you could have heard a fly. Unlike outside, where the cries of Caraxes, Syrax, Meleys, Seasmoke and Vhagar could be heard.

Years ago, Vhagar could have stood up to the three dragons, but now she was getting older and slower, and she no longer had seasoned warriors like the Spring Prince or Queen Visenya as her riders. She had a little girl playing at war for all the wrong reasons. As for Syrax, she had taken up position at the entrance to the Red Keep, burning anyone who tried to force their way into the palace.

"I think, Lord Hightower, that you are sitting in my place," my father said in a loud voice.

It took Otto a while, with his mouth wide open, to pull himself together and put on his fake-ass face.

At the same time, he and his daughter cried out "Your Grace" and "Husband". Desperately trying to turn the tables and make people forget that they were caught red handed committing treason and usurping the crown.

Once seated in his rightful place, Ser Westerling and I beside him, the King had ordered them to be quiet. Standing at the bottom of the steps leading up to the Iron Throne, Queen Consort Alicent with her tear-filled eyes couldn’t stop picking at the skin of her hands and her father, the disgraced Otto Hightower, with his forced mask of indifference, they made a truly pitiful picture.

"Imagine my surprise and dismay that, upon learning of my death, the first thing my wife and my Hand had the good idea to do was to usurp the crown from my heir and give it to a child. To disregard my wish that my eldest daughter should succeed me."

"Your Grace," pleaded Hightower, who had recovered from the shock of seeing the King alive and well. "On hearing this sad news, we were devastated and mistakenly thought, as I realize now, that it was Prince Daemon who had murdered you in order to monopolize the crown for himself. "

"Are you talking about my brother? The one who at this very moment is fighting with his men to free my City from all those oathbreakers who ran like cowards when they heard I was dead to steal my family's inheritance?"

How dare that snake slander my uncle when it was he who plotted to murder my father! How I wish I'd had a sword at my disposal at that moment to make him regret those words.

"Husband, my father's only concern was protecting our children, the future of House Targaryen. "

"Nonsense! I was quite clear, Alicent, when I said that my one and only heir was Rhaenyra and then her children. So if the future of my inheritance was so important to you the first thing you should have done was to keep my daughter and her unborn child safe instead of crowning Aegon."

None of them knew what to say.

"What a fool I was to put my trust in you. Rhaenyra and Daemon were right all along. Even Aemma tried to warn me. I let the snakes into our house, I even invited one into my bed. You must have laughed at me behind my back, seeing how gullible I was, swallowing all your poisonous words. I put you before my brother and my daughter, my own blood, I believed every word you said! I really was a fool."

They had tried to protest but it was clear my father was finished with them.

"Take them to the Black cells, where they will remain until their trial for conspiracy and acts of treason against House Targaryen."

The guards had had to drag them out of the throne room, their supporters present had had the wisdom to obey the soldiers knowing that whatever they said would be useless. They had wanted to attack the House of the Dragon and they had lost, now they had to pay the bloody consequences.

As the traitors were escorted to the black cells, a white cloak came to inform us of what was happening outside.

The Velaryon fleet was now under the control of the Red Kraken and Corlys Velaryon and his brother were now his prisoners, most of the Velaryon men had been massacred. The Hightowers' supporters in the City had all been subdued and the Golds Cloaks were in charge of arresting them.

As for Vhagar, she was on the ground surrounded by Meleys, Seasmoke and Caraxes, depriving her of any means of escape.

The Green Tower rebellion was over.

*

That evening when we found my father in his solar it felt like he'd aged a hundred years. He had finally discovered the truth about Otto Hightower and his daughter in the most brutal way possible and I didn't know if he would ever be able to get over it after spending so many years being manipulated and brainwashed by those vermin.

"There are no words strong enough to express how ashamed I am and how sorry I am for the actions and decisions I have taken towards you." He had finally said, he no longer looked like the strong king who had ordered his Hand and his wife to be locked up in the dungeons just a few hours ago.

"I don't have what it takes to be a great king, I never have. Grandfather should have made you, my brother, heir to the throne. You would never have allowed yourself to be taken in by those sycophants of Hightower and the Faith."

"Despite all my provocations and remarks, I never wanted to become King, Viserys, even less so now that my Rhaenyra is heir to the throne. I just wanted to be close to my family and be respected by them, not regarded as a piece of cattle to be sold to the highest bidder. Besides, I never needed a crown to protect the heritage of our ancestors."

"What a terrible brother I've been to you, Daemon, all these years, I don't deserve your loyalty."

"And you, my beloved daughter, the only piece of Aemma I have left, you too deserve better. You deserve a father who knows how to protect you and it seems that all I've done is complicate your life by allowing myself to be taken in by all these snakes."

"Father, I'm not going to lie to you, your behavior has made me suffer enormously, even more so after mother’s death and your decision to give your whore her place. And I don't know if I'll ever be able to completely forgive you for all the damage you've done to our family by wanting to be remembered as Viserys the Peaceful and not taking my feelings and those of my uncle into account. But you're still my father and I'm willing to try and rebuild our relationship."

"That's all I ask, even though I know I don't deserve it. I'll do whatever it takes to make us a family again, like the time when I wasn't king."

I glanced at my husband, who had been silent for a while; I knew him well enough to know that he was thinking exactly the same thing. Was it still possible to forget all the wounds that had been inflicted and return to the carefree days when I was just a child?

Only time will tell.

*

A few days later, the trial of the Hightowers, Velaryons and all their accomplices took place. There were so many defendants and it seemed that all the small people of King's Landing wanted to attend that it had to be held in the DragonPit.

While awaiting their trial, Otto and Alicent tried to beg for a private audience with the King, but my father had categorically refused to see them, he was done with their lies.

Laena had also asked to see Daemon, but my husband had refused to see her, knowing that he wouldn't be able to resist cutting her throat.

Of course, on the day of the execution, the Hightowers and those of the Faith had continued to plead their innocence, they had only wanted to protect the Realm and the king's children against those who would bring ruin to the Seven Kingdoms.

But all their play-acting was for nothing, and no one was fooled by their thirst for power over the Iron Throne they had always coveted. They had never really accepted that it was a Targaryen, strangers in their eyes, a family who had always refused to blindly follow the teachings of the seven-pointed star, who sat on the Iron Throne. They were just waiting for the right moment to strike. With my father sitting on the Iron Throne, they thought their time had come.

The sentences were quickly pronounced to the joyful exclamations of the people.

Corlys Velaryon and her brother were sentenced to serve in the Night's Watch, while Rhaenys was named heir to Driftmark.

Laena would be sent to the Silent Sisters where she would remain until her death.

Otto Hightower, his son and brother were condemned to death, burnt alive by Caraxes.

The great tower, symbol of the Hightowers pride, was destroyed and all their lands and fortunes ceded to the Tyrells.

Criston Cole was beheaded by my Uncle, who never appreciated the lustful looks he gave me despite his vows of chastity as a white cloak.

The sept on Visenya’s hill would be destroyed, the population could continue to worship them if they wished, but they would no longer be the official religion of the Capital.

As for Alicent Hightower, her marriage to the King was annulled and her children declared illegitimate. She was to spend the remaining years of her life locked away in the black cells, never to see the sunlight or her children again.

Aegon, Aemond and Heleana, when they came of age, would be entrusted to become septons, maesters or septa. After all, Alicent had brought them up according to their own principles, refusing to allow them to be taught the religion of the Targaryens.

All those who had supported the Hightowers would be stripped of their titles and lands, and some would even be executed depending on their degree of involvement in the treason against the royal family.

Fire and blood had been unleashed on those who had dared to attack the House of the Dragon. They would serve as an example to those who dared to contemplate usurping the Iron Throne in the future.

*

The weeks that followed saw the establishment of a new organization in the capital. Having finally gotten rid of the vast majority of the snakes (Daemon and I weren't so naive as to think that there weren't still a few well hidden in the tall grass, but their hours were numbered) we were able to think more freely about the future of the House of the Dragon and how to make it prosper.

All the symbols of the Seven in the Red Keep were removed and destroyed, the Targaryens only worshiped the Fourteen Flames and we refuse to hide our beliefs and capitulate to the beliefs of the Andals so as not to offend their sensibilities.

A dragon will never again bend to the will of a sheep.

I was appointed Hand of the King, while Daemon, in addition to his position as Commander of the City Watch, would now be the King's personal adviser on Security in the Seven Kingdoms and our relations with the Free Cities.

Ser Westerling would also have a seat on the small council in addition to his position as Commander of the White Cloaks.

The Red Kraken had also been offered a seat on the small council, but for the moment he was still undecided. In time I'm sure my husband will find the right arguments to convince him to join us.

Tommen Stokeworth was now a fully-fledged member of the City Watch, and Daemon had no doubt that he would quickly rise through the ranks. He had earned my husband and Ser Luthor Largent's respect. I couldn't be prouder of him. Of course, we still sometimes gossiped about the men in my husband's service and the members of the court.

*

With the imminent arrival of our little hatchling, it had become exhausting for me to attend all the meetings of the Small Council and to walk around the Red Keep as much as I used to. It was Daemon who reported to me on what was going on, and these reports were a lot more fun than if I'd been there, I was sure.

Now I was mostly confined to my quarters with my husband (who had reduced his duties to a minimum, which meant more for Tommen) and an army of midwives watching my every move.

Father often came to visit to check up on me and discuss ongoing projects concerning the capital and its inhabitants. Our relationship had greatly improved, although I knew we'd never be as close as when I was a child, but I appreciated the efforts he made towards Daemon and me.

*

To say I'd been scared when my water broke would have been an understatement. Thankfully Daemon had stayed with me from the beginning to the end, threatening anyone who wanted to take him out. Holding my hand and encouraging me. It felt like the pain would never end, how my mother had put up with it so often.

When she told me that when she heard me cry for the very first time it was as if all those hours of suffering had never happened, I thought she was telling me that to reassure me. Knowing that one day it would be my duty to give my husband an heir.

When Aegon gave his very first cry, I realized that my mother had not lied to me. The joy I had felt at hearing that sound had erased the hours I had suffered to bring him into this world.

Beside me, Daemon was also ecstatic about our little dragon who had just been placed in my arms. The only other person I'd ever seen him look at with such adoration was me. Softly he mumbled "I have a son", as if he couldn't believe that Aegon was really among us.

"Yes, my love, you have a son and very soon you'll be able to hear him calling you Kepa". I was already looking forward to that day.

*

Daemon and I had quickly adapted to our new life as young parents. Everyone fell in love with our little dragon. My father swore only by him since the day of his birth. I never imagined that becoming a mother would bring me such happiness.

Just as he was an exceptional husband, my uncle was a great father, It was as if he'd been doing it all his life, but it's true that he already had a bit of experience with me, having played a major role during my childhood. Family life suited him perfectly.

My little dragon loved being cuddled up in his father's protective arms, a feeling I shared with our son.

A few days after Aegon's birth, the egg we had placed in his cradle had hatched. Our son now had a magnificent hatchling, the color of a stormy sky. They were practically inseparable and it was impossible for Aegon to fall asleep without his best friend by his side.

*

If someone had told me when I made the decision to join my uncle in the Stepstones that it would change the course of my life irrevocably, I would never have believed them. But now I realise it was the best decision I could ever have made, watching my husband, my soul mate, play with our son. Our precious Aegon. While stroking my new little bump.

THE END