It had seemed that all of the moments from the last few years were converging at this point. All of her sins, all of her treacheries, all of hopes and desires.
This was the moment that she prayed for and at the same time prayed to never come.
She didn't know how they were going to be received. She tried to think about how she would react if she were a Queen and this was presented to her. There were a number of plausible outcomes. They ranged from death and lifelong torture to opened arms.
The stories that she had to share were varied in their believability; she had hoped that what little evidence she had was enough as it was likely that her word would count for much.
She told herself that she would not lie. She had become far too good at spinning and extending the truth, its what happens when you are exposed to such behaviour from such a young age. She had to learn well and learn quickly if she was to survive her stepmother and her new house, if she was to save her boys from the perils of Westeros and the Iron Throne.
She waited for her guard to remove their weapons, it was as if the activity was taking longer than necessary. Her trusted Monteyrs, head of her guard was the first to object to his men removing their weapons. He was wise, he knew that they may never walk out of the hall beyond the large ordinate doors before them, but his loyalty to his lady that he had protected from the time she arrived in the Stormlands, from the time she arrived in this world drove him to follow.
"My lady, we only have ten men in our company, I hope you do not expect us to be very effective to protect you and the children with no weaponry. It isn't safe, you need to reconsider." Monteyrs stood before her. He was the only member of the guard still armed.
"My dear Monteyrs, we have discussed this. We need to do all that we can to win the Khaleesi's favour. We pose no threat to her and pray to the Old Gods and the new that she is no threat to us. Disarm." She tightened her jaw and looked at the man fiercely.
He smirked at her with his twisted smile. It was times like this she reminded him of her father in her little act that she had done for as long as she could remember. Staunch and confident in her gamble, something her uncle often reprimanded her for. He would often call her un-calculating and rash like all of his young soldiers, but she took no meaning from his words. She needed to be confident enough for the both of them, for all of their sakes.
"Khalessi will see you now."
The entered the large throne room, the furnishings weren't nearly as ornate as the doors but it still held the same wealth as the rest of the manor, of course the treated their own households as such.
Monterys walked close by her side. She could feel his discomfort, without his broadsword he was naked. The rest of her men followed closely behind but as the face of Daenerys Targaryen came closer into view she signalled for her men to stop approaching as she and Monterys continued forward.
As she and Monterys reached the base of the stairs to the throne she knelt and bowed her head low. The majority of her hair and face were covered, nothing but a thin silk wrap concealing her.
"Rise."
"Remove your covering."
She did as she asked. She had not come to cause trouble, although she knew she inevitably would.
"Who are you and why have you requested my audience?"
The girl before was small in stature, her frame was much smaller than her own but she held such grace, only the grace and dominance gifted to a leader.
"Khaleesi, your grace, none of the names I have will please you but before I continue I must be clear that I am more than a name that I was born with or that I was a granted in a Sept. I am Lady Vesara Lannister, of House Baratheon, first born of the Usurper Robert Baratheon and Princess Mariah Martell."
She sustained eye contact with Daenerys. Her face had not moved an inch as Vesara spoke but her shoulders had become tense, as she had said her name.
"I should have your head on a pike outside the city just for having the audacity to request an audience with me. Are you a fool girl?"
"No your grace, I am merely a girl born and married into the wrong families, families of great treachery and dishonour, one that I am forced to bear the burden of, one that I wish to make right."
"Make right? You really are a fool. What does the daughter of a usurper have that could possible make things right?"
"I have a gift for you Khaleesi, it is very little but perhaps very useful. I come before you, as a humble servant of the realm, in the hopes that the Gods will have mercy on the people of Westeros who have become engulfed in a war that belongs to few. Do what you will with what I provide."
Daenerys turned to the man to her left and whispered something. He had his eyes locked on Vesara the entire time she had been in the room, his eyes greeting her with a smouldering look.
"Ser Jorah will take you to my quarters, your men will remain here."
"I have a request my Queen." Daenerys raised a brow at her.
"Oh, you have a request do you? Very well."
"I wish for one of my men to accompany me. He has something of interest for you." Vesara nodded towards Tallon, one of her finest men and personal guard to the children.
One of the other guards made his way towards the man and inspected the contents he had with him in the chart. He was confused as he peered inside but gave a nod of approval to his Queen.
As Daenerys entered the room she heard muffled gurgles coming from the small cart that Vesara's guard had brought with her.
Vesara hovered over it. Her face calmer and softer than Daenerys had seen all morning. It made her relax a little, probably more than she should.
"For what reason does the daughter of the man who destroyed my kingdom and my family come before me? Every reason that springs to mind makes me think that you are a mad woman with wish to meet the Gods early." She hissed.
Daenerys opened the balcony window and spoke out towards the skies. Vesara was relived that the Targaryen girl did not receive her as a threat. Hopefully it would make things easier.
"Some days it seems that meeting the Gods early would be a blessing, but this is not about me, this is about my people, about my kin, about every man, woman and child that resides in Westeros. The lords are destroying each other in desperate attempts to gain power, territories and the favours of higher lords and false Kings, meanwhile the common people become enthralled in their quarrels. Westeros is being to crumble your grace."
"It's all very well that you express concern for the people of Westeros as your kind go about destroying, but I fail to understand what it is that you want from me."
Vesara removed the cover of the cart and revealed a grey bundle that had been residing in the cart.
Daenerys was confused now. This girl truly was a fool; she may have just brought that baby to its death. Not that Daenerys was one for the slaughter of innocent children.
Vesara paced the room and soothed the child as it began to awaken from its slumber. Daenerys felt a pang of jealousy. It was times like this that she had truly realised what she was missing without Rhaego.
"You see, upon the death of my father I fled. King's Landing is a disgusting place at the best of times, drowning in secrets, debauchery and slaughter. My lord husband is off fighting a war, like the glory, repentance seeking creature that he is. My men and the men he had gifted to me were barely enough to get me out of the city safely and we nearly didn't."
Daenerys listened intently. She was curious as to where this story was going; she did not pity or feel sorry for the girl in any way. This sort of thing happened regularly, it was all a part of the game.
"I have never felt a heat so intense, a flame so bright and so strangely coloured. They hit Stormborn, the ship at the rear first and I knew mine was next. I could hear the screams of my men, as they were burnt alive, of the men that I had grown up with, my friends. The next one nicked the stern of our boat and the flames spread so quickly with nowhere to move."
She saw the sadness in Tallon's eyes. He had seen very few wars before and what happened that night was something he had never imagined in his worst nightmares.
He came to her side a gently clasped her shoulder before taking the bundle from her arms.
She began removing her cloak and outer layers.
"I held a babe in each arm, both had come squalling into the world no longer than a moon prior."
She unhooked the clasp on her left shoulder and the entire dress pooled at her feet. The soft fabric that once shielded her now left her exposed to Daenerys.
Daenerys was taken aback by the girl's actions. Her body was beautifully worn, as a woman's should be. The soft swell of her womb remained, giving evidence that it had recently housed a babe. Her breasts were full and swollen, bursting at the teat. All of this did not detract from the ghastly condition of her skin.
The burn spread from her left shoulder, across her upper arm and onto the left side of her torso under her breast with another burn on the outer of her left thigh.
She dressed herself swiftly once she was certain that Daenerys had taken in her appearance. She knew that being in this state made Tallon uncomfortable.
Her arms were outstretched as she begged for the bundle in Tallon's arms.
She gestured to Daenerys hoping that she would be able to come closer so that she may see the boy in her arms.
"Torrhen was in my left arm. He suffered no burns, he did not even scream or make any noise as the flames engulfed my left side. From the silence, I thought he was dead. I sobbed uncontrollably, drowning out the cries of Durrandon in my right arm until we were safe on Durran's Defiance."
The boy in Vesara's arms was peculiar, he was well-mannered and observant but it wasn't until they came into the light the Daenerys saw what was truly remarkable about him.
Beneath his tuft of black hair was an alarming set of violet eyes.
He gazed at her in wonder and she felt drawn to him as well.
"His eyes were not that colour before the flames came for us, I swear my lady. And when he did not burn, he remained settled in the chaos while the flames seared at the flesh of Durrandon."
A soft cry came from the cart.
Another.
Tallon removed a yellow bundle from the cart and rocked him gently. Daenerys was confused by the technique that the guard was using to hold the babe.
He was attempting not to touch the burnt leg of the babe.
"My Maester says that his leg will be fine, nothing more than a bit of damaged skin. We were lucky that he has survived as long as he has and as well as the voyage here."
"You bring me two babes, what am I to do with them. I'm sorry Lady Lannister but you must be frank with me for I do not have the patience to continue back and forth as such."
"I need you to take Torrhen, to take him as your own. I must return to Westeros, there is much work to be done and I cannot risk his safety, especially after this development."
"And why would I take the boy?"
"You are kin." She bluntly stated.
Daenerys stared at her for a moment. It had not occurred to her that he had not burnt because he was of the dragon. There had to be some other explanation for the boy to survive the flames.
"Kin? In what sense do you imply that we are kin?"
Her orbs stared into Daenerys before she looked down nervously. This was the first time that Daenerys had seen her hesitate in some way.
"I was not pure at the time of my marriage to Jaime Lannister. Fortunately the fool did not know otherwise. I had prayed that he would accept my request. I was young and foolish to assume that just because a man had taken my virtue that he would leave Westeros with me and that we could live our lives far from the treachery that I had grown up surrounded by. But he refused me, so I returned to the role that I was assigned and was wed before the next moon. On the following moon I was with child."
"Torrhen's father was of no ordinary lineage and it was only upon my confession had a learnt that he was the sire of your brother."
"Lies." Daenerys spat.
"What reason would I have to lie your grace? To be a Targaryen in this time is not something someone in Westeros would gladly acknowledge. Had my father known before his death, he would have had no hesitation in killing his own grandson."
"And what am I to do with a boy that may or may not be the grandson of my brother?"
"Make him your heir, raise him as your own and see that he is not consumed by the menial wars of Westeros. Return to the shores when all of the false kings have destroyed one another and rise from the ashes with him at your side." Daenerys had tried not to think of what would happen to her line after her death her womb had been cursed, everyone knew it. She could have with this boy what was stolen from her with Rhaego.
Daenerys simply stated. "Torrhen Targaryen."
She had to admit; she did feel drawn to the boy. He gazed up at her and she couldn't help but feel that she was staring into the soul of Rhaegar and it was if he could see the dragon in her as well.
"If I am to take the boy what is to become of you and the other babe?"
"Durrandon is my responsibility and mine alone. In the night my guards plucked him from his mother's breasts before Cersei Lannister's spies could track him down. He is my brother and I would not have seen him slaughtered to satisfy the fear that he would grow to threaten Joffrey's crown. It is rumoured that eight of my bastard brothers and sisters have already met that fate; I would not see it happen again. He will be raised as my own and I will protect him in anyway that I am able."
Daenerys was slightly impressed by her ferocity. Perhaps some qualities of the dragon were apparent in her distant relation.
"And you will not return for the boy?"
"If I am to see the boy again it will be as you return to the realm and take your place on the Iron Throne."
x
He had been at her side from the time she was brought into this world, squalling and pink faced.
She had been a beauty in his eyes from the time that she had been put in his sights. He had seen her grow from a shy child, afraid of her stepmothers reprimand to a staunch and capable strategist with a unique beauty to match.
Most of her features resembled her mothers Dornish roots, from what he could remember anyway, her dark eyes and warm skin, but you could not mistake her paternal heritage for anything but Baratheon. After the Silent Sisters tended to her mother's body after the babe pulled her from the world of the living he remembered the odd joy of Robert.
It was sickening.
There was no question that Robert loved the babe, but his own desires would always come first. With his wife, Princess Mariah Martell, upon the dying request of his father now deceased, he was free to arrange a betrothal of his own choosing.
It was the beginning of the end.
Truth was, he loved the girl like his own. Her life was his life.
As she got older he had to watch her make risky decisions, most of which he disapproved and yet things seemed to work in her favour. He feared that they would not always.
Today he had seen something he would never have predicted from the girl, perhaps motherhood had softened her Baratheon pride. She gave her child to her father's sworn enemy in the hopes that his life would be spared and that he would be sheltered from the dangers of her world, the dangers that had shaped who she was.
He thought that her involvement with Jon Arryn's ridiculous plan was too risky and unnecessary. She claimed to never having wanted the Iron Throne, she never paid much mind to the successor either and yet as soon as an opportunity to play the game of thrones presented itself she was more than willing to participate.
Sometimes he questioned her denial of wanting the Iron Throne. She treated power as if it were a sin, and yet, a sin that they were all guilty of.
In truth, her marriage to Jaime Lannister aided her silent quest for power. She wed him on the premise that she needed to prove a point by removing him from the Capitol the sentiment was foolhardy. Jon Arryn's plan had taken a step too far in his books when it required that Vesara create evidence to prove his claims.
Vesara was willing to be a pawn in their games. Frankly, he didn't see what she got out of it. It wasn't that Vesara should act selfishly, more so that she didn't consider what failure to execute this plan would mean, or what its success would mean for her long term.
Jaime Lannister wasn't the worst husband that he could wish on his beloved Vesara but he certainly wasn't the preferred.
He had taken Vesara all over the seven kingdoms once she had flowered. She would have her pick of all of the eligible lords and their sons. He was certain that Robert would have her wed to Robb Stark or Loras Tyrell, but it seemed that he trusted the loyalty of the Stark's enough to withdraw the notion and clearly didn't require the wealth of the Reach when he could have the wealth of the Westerlands.
Robert was a fool.
It was far too easy for Jon Arryn to convince him to wed his eldest daughter to Jaime Lannister and it was even easier to persuade Tywin that a union between his son and Vesara would benefit both their houses. Tywin's heir would be freed from the Kingsguard life service and would become third in-line to the throne should he need to rule alongside the King's eldest daughter.
Jaime is no king.
Jaime was the least willing in this entire arrangement. He did not wish to be freed from his vows, he did not wish to wed the girl that had pained him for a majority of her life, having to heed her every beck and call, hearing of the Queen's complaints of the child and yet he found himself at the Sept with girl at fourteen years his junior.
Since Jaime had left the Capitol in an attempt to free his brother and aid his father's war efforts Vesara had barely mentioned his name. Sometimes he wondered if the girl had actually forgotten the true reason that she agreed to the union or if she had reignited her attachment to the lion.
How she frustrated him as a child.
Either wouldn't surprise him. Vesara wasn't the most goal-orientated person and when something was out of sight it added to her disinterest. With her father gone perhaps the goal of disproving her sibling's parentage was no longer of issue.
Although now things had changed, perhaps she had changed in ways that he didn't predict that she would. She was a Baratheon through and through. It often humoured him when he noticed the distinctive qualities of her father and his brothers apparent in her. Many of the people she spent her childhood around and shaped her character. He often wondered if she had taken any notes from him.
If anything she was exactly like Steffon, the man that waited for her arrival into the world with excitement and anticipation as he sailed East on the bequest of the King, the man that never got to meet his first grandchild. He was the last true Lord Paramount of the Stormlands, the great stag, Robert was merely his offcuts, something that people often forgot after Robert's Rebellion.
She was the last true stag.