FIFTEEN YEARS OF THE CROWN
Honestly, three children, Visenya decides, are a complete terror. And her husband was perfectly content playing the fourth child in the midst of it all.
"Rhaegon!", Visenya shouts the moment she spots her second born son, a boy she has been chasing for the past twenty minutes. "There you are. Come here. And what is it? Honestly haven't I told you innumerous times to get ready?"
"No… no… Don't you run from me Rhaegon! Rhae!" She starts shouting the moment he begins to run away. Her second child is a menace, the most notorious of all three children. Rhaegon is wild and unstoppable. Visenya is certain that Rhaegon loves only one thing - his sword. Which is what makes it hard to stop the boy from running off to the field at the first opportunity.
"Motherrr…", Rhaegon whines the moment Ser Jaime drags him back to his mother.
"No, young man. I will hear no excuses. You have to get dressed. You are a Prince. Please act like it." She knows Rhaegon is excited for the upcoming visitors. Visenya's sister Rhaenys was visiting King's Landing with all her children which meant that Oberyn, her sister's third born and Rhaegon's favourite cousin would be coming. The boys were born only a few months apart and at ten-and-a-three, it would be an understatement to say that the boys were a terror together. Throughout their childhood, the two had been exceptionally close, especially because Oberyn had spent three whole year in King's Landing in the past.
"Ser Jaime have you seen Elian?", Visenya asked the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, referring to her eldest child.
"Where do you think the Prince can be, Your Grace?", Ser Jaime replies and Visenya shakes her head at it. Her firstborn was the exact opposite of her second born. Elian would always be in the library reading books. If he hadn't been a Crown Prince, Visenya thinks that the boy would have chosen to be a Maester. Even though Elian was good enough with a sword, everybody knew his first love was books and books alone. The boy would read and read till the light in his own eyes would diminish.
"Right, well. Take Rhaegon here and keep an eye on him to ensure that he is ready for our guests please, Ser. I will go to Elian and if you find the King will you let him know that I am looking for him?"
Rhaegon begins to protest again and Visenya turns to her son. "You behave Rhae and I promise for the whole moon you can practise under Ser Jaime for as long as you want. I will not call you away, I will not stop you and neither will your father." With that promise, she leaves Rhaegon in the capable hands of Ser Jaime.
She is certain that Ser Jaime can keep Rhaegon busy for the time being. The boy adored the Knight and would listen to everything the older man would ask of him. With this in mind, she heads to the library to look for Elian who would have probably spent the night in there. The boy would marry his books if he could.
"Elian?", Visenya calls out upon entering the library. Mentally, she reminds herself to give the boy a Kingsguard. Ever since Elian's last name-day, he had been finding excuses to not have anybody to look over him, claiming about how he was a man now even though he was only ten-and-a-five.
"Mother. Have they arrived?" Visenya turns towards her son and spots him sitting in an armchair, three books lying around him and one open on his lap.
"No. They haven't but they will soon. You need to come down by then." She doesn't need to command her son. While Rhaegon is a proper rule breaker, Elian follows them to the t. They are like day and night, her two sons but Visenya loves them both equally.
Elian nods at her before returning back to his books.
"What are you reading?", Visenya asks as she approaches him. He is a handsome boy just like his father and Visenya marvels at the knowledge that if you lined both her sons together, they could pass off as twins for Rhaegon is as tall as his elder brother.
"The Maester said that grandsire used to pour over these books day and night. I just wanted to see what they are about.", her son answers, not once looking up from the book. Ah, his grandsire - her father Rhaegar Targaryen. People said it a million times that Elian was bookish, just like Rhaegar. that if there was anybody that one could compare Elian to it was Rhaegar Targaryen.
"So what is in them?" Elian is a quiet child and Visenya needs to drag him into conversations for he never begins one.
"About prophecies actually. The other one is about dragons and there is also one about dreams as well. Why do you think he would read such books?", her inquisitive little boy asks.
Visenya sighs heavily before replying as best as she can. "You grandsire was a mystery for many people. I never understood him, I don't think any of us did. Save perhaps my mother but the jury is out on even that one. What I do know is my father was a good man and a just King. That is all you need to know about him, alright? Now leave the books for a few moments and go look for your father, will you? The Gods only know where he has gone off to. Haven't seen him since the morning."
Lastly, she goes in search for her youngest child - a devil who passes off as an innocent little angel. She enters her only daughter's chambers and sure enough the room is in a state of utter chaos.
"Rhaenarra, what is the meaning of this? Honestly where even are you?" There are three handmaidens waiting in the room and her own daughter is nowhere to be seen.
"Behind the partition. I'm getting ready mother." Visenya hears Rhaenarra call out as she picks up the dresses from the floor.
"Leave, all of you.", she commands the girls, all of whom quickly bow before leaving.
"You do recall that I had told you to get ready over an hour ago?" At only ten, Rhaenarra is a true Princess. She likes dressing up and she likes pretty songs and Visenya just prays that her daughter holds onto her innocence for as long as possible. She had known Rhaenarra would take time to get ready which is why it was her daughter that Visenya had gone to first. And now she is back here again.
"I couldn't find a good dress." She hears her daughter speak even though the innumerous dresses lying around tell a very different story. As Visenya moves about keeping the dresses away, she notices something. "All your dresses are right here. Oh Gods, do not tell me your father bought you another dress!"
When Visenya hears no reply, she moves behind the partition only to spot her daughter stuck mid-way in her dressing. "Turn around now.", Visenya orders before helping her daughter into the dress.
"I need to have a word with your father. Really love, you can't have a new dress for every occasion." Her husband is wrapped around his daughter's little finger. Everything Rhaenarra wishes for is considered a command by her father. Visenya had to stop her husband. He was spoiling their only daughter and youngest child.
Finally dressed, Rhaenarra moves to sit before the looking glass handing her mother a hair brush. Visenya loves these moments with Rhaenarra. She had done this with her own mother when the latter was alive. As a little girl, Visenya would wait for her mother to come brush her hair. It was the most treasured memory Visenya ever had.
"Elia wrote to me telling me that Prince Alec is very handsome. Wouldn't you agree mother?" Prince Alec of Dorne, the eldest child of the Ruling Princess of Dorne, otherwise known as the King and Queen's cousin, Princess Arianna Martell.
"I had only met the boy when he was a little child, darling." Visenya replies automatically, her attention still on Rhaenarra's silver hair.
"They say he has the most beautiful eyes. Darker than even the night sky." Childish love. It seemed so simple and it made Visenya wonder how she had never felt that kind of innocent child-like love in her younger days. She had only found Ser Jaime handsome but she had never loved him or another boy the way Rhaenarra seemed to love Alec.
"Sounds wonderful, my dear. But how about for now you keep this love between us only? It will not sit well with your father that you like a boy." Visenya replied as she finished braiding her daughter's hair. Aegon would never like the fact that Rhaenarra liked Alec, not even if Rhaenarra had been a women of twenty. He loved his little girl far too much.
"Now come along, child. We should assemble to greet our guests." Visenya held out a hand and her youngest obediently took it before they continued to the courtyard, the girl's babbling never stopping. It always made Visenya smile, the matter of Rhaenarra's innocence. It was like her girl was the purest of the pure, so untouched by all evil that the Targaryen name carried.
As they made their way to the courtyard, Rhaenarra took off running towards Rhaegon and Visenya knew the worst had come. Her three children were too different from each other to be the closest of siblings yet there was always trouble brewing when her youngest two put their heads together. It took them less than a moment before they took off running and by now Visenya had no strength to chase them again. Her sister was coming, they were to receive them and yet her children had run off.
Though she was saved from following them when her husband swoop into action, lifting a running Rhaenarra off her feet before coming to her.
"I see you finally decided to grace us with your presence.", she addressed her husband as he put Rhaenarra down before her. Visenya grabbed the girl's hand tightly this time, ensuring that she wouldn't get an opportunity to escape.
"I had matters to attend. And I am here now. Promise I won't leave you even if it means I have to sit through gossip." her husband chuckled before pressing his lips to hers.
"Oh please. Everybody knows you enjoy gossip, love. Now go get Rhaegon before they come. Gods only know where he has run off too.", she tells her husband before calling Elian to her.
The moment the Baratheon party came into sight, Rhaegon took off again, this time going straight for Oberyn Baratheon as the two boys hugged like long lost twins.
Visenya herself stepped down to embrace her elder sister Rhaenys as Jon bowed down to Aegon and her. She hadn't met her sister for ten moons but there was no change in Rhaenys's beauty. She looked as young as she had the last time and Visenya knew that the Stormlands suited her sister.
"Was the journey well?", Aegon asked and Rhaenys instantly replied, "Oh yes. Once you got used to Jon's snores, of course."
One by one, all three of her nephews and one niece greeted Visenya - Steffon, Elia, Oberyn and Ned - and Visenya was charmed by them all. Secretly, Elia was Visenya's favourite even though she never outright said it. It was just something about her niece which made Visenya love her so much that she had almost thought of encouraging a betrothal with her eldest. However, then Rhaenys had mentioned something about the heir to Highgarden that Rhaenys liked for Elia and so the plan dropped. Now, there were talks with House Arryn of Vale whose only daughter was just a name-day younger than Elian.
As night creeped upon them, Jon again suggested taking Rhaegon with them to the Stormlands. Seeing as how close Rhaegon and Oberyn were, Jon had talked of fostering the boy since the age of ten and earlier Visenya had ensured that it was Oberyn who was fostered in King's Landing simply because she wasn't ready to let Rhaegon go.
Her uncle Viserys had already named Rhaegon his heir and at fifteen, her son would leave for Summerhall to learn his duties. Up until that point, Visenya wouldn't let Rhaegon leave for anywhere, not even to the Riverlands where his future wife, Lord Edmure Tully's youngest daughter resided. No, she wouldn't let Rhaegon leave just yet.
As the feast continued, her husband's affections did too. Wine always made Aegon more open about his love as he would look for every opportunity to kiss Visenya. She would laugh at his antics just like the guests and it would add fuel to the whispers that the kingdoms weren't ruled by a King but rather his Queen.
She turned away from her husband for a moment just to see if all her children and nephews and niece were accounted for. Sure enough, at one corner were Rhaegon and Oberyn, heads bent as they whispered to little Ned, no doubt making the boy their new guinea pig. At the high table to her husbands left sat Elian and Steffon talking of something Visenya couldn't make out but Visenya heard her father's name and so she didn't focus anymore. Steffon and Elian seemed to hold their grandsire in high regard, relegating his tales to any who would listen. No doubt, Elian would be telling Steffon of the boys he was reading this morning. Not too far from them sat Elia and Rhaenarra talking about who knows what. All Visenya knew was that it was best to keep out of their talks.
Yes, all was well. They were all safe and they were all home.