Elia Martell carried the wailing child down the stairs of Maegor's Holdfast. The sound of his screaming echoed across the stone walls, the cold of them having seeped into Elia's bones long ago. She didn't think she'd ever feel warm again.
His wails bounced around in her head, making her dizzy and flustered, she almost tripped on the next step and a gloved hand gripped her upper arm to keep her steady. Some Northman. She nodded her head in thanks, taking care to take the next step carefully.
Rhaenys was in the arms of another soldier, the little girl quietly sobbing, her fear almost palpable. Elia wondered if Rhaegar was okay. She cursed herself for even caring, but she knew her little girl wanted her father, and curse it, Elia wanted Rhaegar too.
They neared the bottom of the tower, the sunlight streaming in from the open doorway was pale and cold and the smell of Fleabottom that stunk up the city was mixed with the stench of death. The sacking had ended after Aerys' death had been announced, the ringing of bells calling it out across the city.
Elia had heard it in the tower, a wave of relief crashing over her when she learned the news of the Mad King's demise. Who knew who else had perished in the streets of King's Landing? Elia found she couldn't bring herself to care.
The Northmen escorted Elia and her children into the main building of the keep. She was met by Lord Varys.
"My queen." He bowed, his soft voice holding a note of amusement in it that was entirely inappropriate for what had just occurred.
But it was what he had said that startled Elia and stopped her in her tracks.
Queen?
The realisation dawned on her. Rhaegar was King now. Not yet coronated, not yet officialised, but recognised as such. And so she was Queen.
Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.
Elia scoffed a laugh, receiving a small smile from Lord Varys who stood before her.
It was such a strange and empty notion. She had almost lost all she had left and now she had everything she had ever wanted. Or what her mother had wanted. All Elia had needed were her children, and Rhaegar, and her brothers, and a purpose. She had two of those things at least.
"Our King rides back with the other Kingsguard. Jaime Lannister is in the throne room, detained by the Northmen. Lord Stark is there and he's waiting for you, my queen." Varys spoke, and every word held another message. She exchanged a glance with him. She would forever be grateful to this strange and shifty man. She looked down at the baby who had finally settled in her arms. Aegon would be back with her soon. A pointed look from Varys let her know this.
Elia walked beside Varys and Rhaenys followed along, her hand in her mother's. Elia glanced between her children, then turned to Varys. "Tell Lord Stark to wait. I need to get my children settled." She said.
Varys hesitated, then bowed and shuffled ahead to the throne room.
Elia made her way to her chambers. The rooms were dark with the shutters closed, probably just as it was left after they had been moved to Maegor's Holdfast those weeks ago. She let out a sigh. Jaime Lannister had done what she could not. Had killed the king who had locked her and her children away. Who had been hurting her good-mother all this while. She hoped Rhaella was okay, and sent up a small prayer for Jaime Lannister's honour before she turned to Rhaenys.
She set the little girl down on the bed, a chambermaid entered silently, setting about getting the room into order as quietly as she could. Elia sang softly to Rhaenys until the exhausted toddler fell asleep.
"Watch over them please." She ordered the maid before leaving the rooms.
She walked down the hall, her thoughts a storm and her emotions even more so. She had to stop for a moment, and she braced a hand on the cold stone wall of the Red Keep, tears filling her eyes.
Where was Rhaegar? She needed him here. What was she meant to do?
Her mother's voice sounded in her head. Telling her to wipe her eyes, to straighten her back, to march into the throne room the queen that she was and do what she thought was right.
Elia took a deep breath, dug her fingers into the hard stone and pushed herself forward down the hall.
The guards opened the doors to throne room and she entered, alone and silent. The hall was dim, the sky darkening outside and with none of the many candles lit the room was a crypt. Aerys' body lay in a heap by the throne. Elia didn't avert her eyes when she caught sight of it. It filled her with such joy. She fisted her hands, her gaze moving across the men in the room.
Jaime Lannister was the first one she saw. His golden armour and golden head stood out amongst the grey and brown of the Northerners around him. He looked up at her as she entered, his green eyes - usually so sharp - were empty. She swallowed hard. So much had changed in such a short amount of time. Jaime and her had been friends. Now he looked at her like he didn't know who she was. Like he didn't know who he was.
She scanned the group of men, easily recognising Eddard Stark among them. He was Lord now, because of what Aerys had done.
"Lord Stark." She said, stopping in the middle of the room. "I should have you all arrested for what you and your men have done."
The Northman bowed to her, his dark grey eyes unreadable. "My queen. Robert is dead, as you know,"
She watched his face, the quick flash of grief colouring his expression before it was hidden away behind that mask of stone.
"I have learned that Rhaegar returns to King's Landing. Whatever judgment he decides to pass on me and my own, I will respect."
Elia nodded, "And what of Tywin Lannister? Where is he?" She glanced across to Jaime and found him watching her.
"He is on his way. He too has recognised Rhaegar as the true heir."
Elia frowned, "This is a sudden change of heart. All this because Aerys is dead?"
Eddard nodded, his eyes sharpening with dislike as they turned on Jaime. "There is no other who claims the throne. No other we can fight for. We have lost, and Rhaegar will decide what is our fate. For now, my queen, we are at your mercy."
Elia took a deep breath, "You will be stripped of your weapons. Your men will be locked in the second level of the dungeons until Rhaegar has decided what to do with you. You, Lord Stark, will be given accommodation, but will be under guard. As will Lord Tywin." She said.
Lord Stark nodded slowly, a melancholic sigh escaping him. Elia thought this was for the best. She didn't know who to trust. And Lord Tywin would be as slippery as he always was. She wanted to keep him where he could do no more harm.
"Jaime Lannister will be held in Maegor's Holdfast, under guard. Until my husband has returned and made a decision about his fate." She looked to Jaime, allowing a reassuring smile to grace her lips, but he remained unmoved.
Eddard began to remove his sword, the clank of the buckle of his scabbard echoed in the high-ceilinged hall.
"Lord Stark," She spoke, gaining his attention. "Thank you for remembering my children and I. For sending your men to protect us during the sacking." She said. Without Eddard's help, who knows what Tywin would have done to them before the news of Robert's death stalled the fighting.
Eddard gave her a grim smile, and nodded. This man was full of honour, she felt as though Rhaegar would show him mercy at least.
She dismissed them, guards collecting the Northmen's weapons as she left the hall to return to her chambers.
Rhaegar would have to show Eddard mercy. Especially if he had done what she had suspected he had done regarding the Stark girl.
Elia felt certain she knew who travelled back to King's Landing alongside her husband.
"My queen."
Elia still wasn't used to this new title.
"The king has asked to see you."
Elia turned from the window of her chambers, nodding to the servant who had come to get her.
Rhaegar had returned late last night, riding in with the Kingsguard and Lyanna Stark. Varys had whispered to her this morning that the Stark girl was heavily pregnant and ready to give birth at any moment.
Elia had thanked the Master of Whispers and dismissed him, then spent the day in her chambers, crying and raging and then preparing for when she would finally see her husband.
She walked to his chambers, Oswell Whent - scarred but alive after the Trident - escorted her. Jaime had been her personal guard before Aerys' paranoia had forced the boy to his side, and now he was locked away in the rooms beneath her own, awaiting Rhaegar's judgment. Unless he had already decided and dismissed the golden haired Lannister from his service.
Elia nodded to Gerold Hightower who stood guard outside Rhaegar's rooms. He and Whent, and Arthur Dayne had known about Lyanna, she was sure. She could barely look at them without rage flowing through her. They had let Rhaegar do this to her.
She entered his chambers, walking through to the central room. He was seated at the end of his bed, his back curved, his elbows on his knees.
He had scars across his right cheek, and when he looked up at her his purple eyes were almost unrecognisable. He got this way after battle. It would take him time to return to normal.
Elia wondered if this time was different. This time he had returned from battle as a king. No longer a prince who had some semblance of freedom.
"Elia." Rhaegar spoke, his voice like a song. She felt her anger and sorrow rush back in a wave.
"Rhaegar." She said, her voice thick with emotion.
He stood, noticing her pain and his eyes filled with sadness. That was the last straw. She felt tears fill her eyes, felt the anger sharpen her tongue. "You betrayed me."
He rushed to her side, a hand lifting to comfort her, but she stepped back. "You didn't kidnap her, did you? You love her."
It wasn't a question. But Rhaegar nodded solemnly - confirming it.
"She's pregnant?"
"Yes."
"With your third dragon."
He blinked, his eyes wide and glassy, "Yes."
Elia let out a harsh laugh, turning to walk to the fireplace. This damned prophecy. Her weakness was what led him to betray her. If only she had been strong enough to bear his third child.
"I'm so sorry, Elia. I understand you must be feeling lost. You must be hurting, and I cannot help because I am the one who has hurt you. I am so sorry for what has happened."
Elia fisted her hands, "Go and see Rhaenys soon. She was terrified. She kept asking for you." She turned to look at Rhaegar, and let the sadness fill her eyes. She had lost him. For good. He would send her away now, to be with Lyanna.
"I would rather take them to Dorne with me. At least until Aegon is of age and must return here. Unless-" She paused, "Unless, he is no longer to be your heir."
Rhaegar frowned, shaking his head and approaching her slowly. "Elia, you're still my wife. They are still my children. I won't send you away unless it is what you want."
She frowned, "But you cannot have two wives."
"And why not?" He asked, looking sheepish. It was a sight so endearing to Elia that she had to look away. He still held sway over her.
"Aegon the Conqueror had two wives. Countless kings have had mistresses."
At Elia's horrified expression he panicked. "Not that either of you will be considered my mistress!" He ran a hand through his silver hair. "I leave the decision to you, Elia. You can leave for Dorne, with Rhaenys and Aegon. Or you can stay in King's Landing, in the keep. With me."
"And with her?" Elia asked softly.
He took her hand and she let him.
He nodded once and it sent her reeling.
Rhaegar's ultimatum weighed on her mind. She did not have to decide yet, not until his coronation. Not until his marriage to Lyanna was announced.
Elia had not seen her yet. It was said she was bedridden, unable to move as she was heavily pregnant. Elia could understand, she had not had an easy time with Rhaenys or Aegon. And this girl was just that - a girl. She would be wishing for her mother.
Elia shook her head to clear her mind of such thoughts. She was sitting under the canopy in the gardens of the palace. The stench of death that still wafted in from the city couldn't reach her here. Not when the salt of the ocean and the strong breeze were all she could smell. She gazed out across the water, watching it shift and sparkle.
Tywin Lannister and Eddard Stark had been pardoned, a show of mercy from Rhaegar. He would have to strike a balance if he were to be seen as an ally, but also a strong ruler. He had taken out his revenge on Robert Baratheon's remaining family, forcing Stannis to bend the knee to him and sentencing a number of Baratheon men to death.
The people were baying for blood after the sacking, and the public executions would appease them.
Of course, it should be Lannister men who were being executed. One Lannister man in particular, Elia thought.
Jaime had been pardoned, a punishment for Tywin who so desperately wanted his heir back in Casterly Rock. But Jaime was here with her now, guarding her as he once had. She hadn't tried to speak with him, the boy was someplace else in his head. And Elia could not blame him after what he had had to do.
She glanced at him where he stood. His green eyes looked out across the sea, unseeing. She could only imagine what he must be thinking.
"My queen, Lord Oberyn has come to see you." A voice spoke behind her.
Elia turned in her chair, dark hair brushing over her back. She glanced behind the servant who had spoken, catching sight of her same dark hair and the familiar garb of her younger brother.
Immediately her spirits lifted. She stood suddenly. Jaime finally returned to the present and turned to face Oberyn as the Red Viper swept forward to embrace his sister.
She clung to her brother, his strong hold and familiarity dragged her terror and grief from deep within her and she cried quietly onto his shoulder. He only tightened his grip on her.
"Elia, my dear sister." He whispered.
She pulled back to look at him, searching his face. "I thought I would never see you again."
He was angry, she could tell, but he was pushing that aside for her in this moment. He had been terrified for her, she could see that too.
"Are you well? How are the children?"
Elia nodded, "They are both fine." She said. Aegon had been returned to her the day before, the other baby had been taken back to where he had been found and Elia had her son back in time for Rhaegar to visit them both.
"Did you hear about our uncle?" She asked.
Oberyn's eyes saddened and he nodded. "He fought well."
Their uncle - Lewyn Martell - had perished at the Trident, along with Jonothor Darry. Rhaegar had two positions on his Kingsguard to fill.
"He did." Elia stepped back from him, wiping her cheeks. She caught sight of Jaime watching her. His eyes were full of pity.
She turned away from that reality, facing the sea.
"You should come home, Elia." Oberyn stepped up beside her, his dark eyes shining with the anger he had attempted to subdue. "After what he has done, how can you think to stay?"
Elia sighed, her hands ran over the stone parapet, separating them from the cliff that dropped to sharp rocks and the roiling sea.
"He has brought her with him." Oberyn snarled.
She nodded. "She is his wife, and is bearing his child. She is due any day now."
Her brother froze and Elia was reminded of his nickname. The Red Viper. She could feel him readying to strike.
"What does that make you? His whore?"
She grit her teeth, sending him a sharp glance. "No. I am his wife. Mother to his heirs."
"Then order her to leave! How can you debase yourself by staying here, allowing this to happen? You are a Princess of Dorne-"
"I am a Targaryen queen." Elia snapped. "I have not been a Dornish princess for a long while." She turned back to the ocean, watching the waves roll in.
"And what a pity that is." Her brother murmured sullenly.
The siblings stood in silence. Elia thought over what Oberyn had said. Maybe she was a Targaryen queen now, and maybe she had been something else before Lyanna had entered their lives. But now?
She glanced at her brother, his strength obvious in the way he stood, in the broadness of his shoulders, his lean form.
But it was also there in the curve of his mouth, the set of his jaw, the line of his brow. It was in the unapologetic black of his eyes. Their mother's eyes. Her own eyes.
Elia looked back out to sea, the sun dancing on the waves.
The tide was coming in.
The Stark girl wasn't at his coronation, and Elia thanked the gods for it.
She didn't think she could deal with her at the moment, let along the gossip that her presence would stir up. The pitiful glances Elia was receiving now were enough to sour her mood.
The great houses had all gathered in King's Landing for the occasion. Or rather, whoever had been able to at such short notice. The lords who had been involved in the Rebellion were conveniently absent. Their presence would have stirred up far too much gossip.
Rhaegar looked like a god. His silver hair shone bright in the sun streaming into the sept. He wore the dark cloak of his family, bearing the sigil of his house. Of Aegon the Conqueror.
Aegon had had two wives. Maegor too had taken many. Rhaegar intended to do the same, it seemed. Elia was still unsure how she felt about this new arrangement.
Oberyn stood beside her, watching as the High Septon lifted the crown of Valyrian steel and held it above Rhaegar's silver head.
Her brother would tell her to go home. To leave this madness behind. To send a message with her absence.
But he was a young man. He didn't have children to think of. He didn't love Rhaegar still.
And though Elia would never make a decision based off of how she felt about Rhaegar, not after what he had done, she did think of her children. She was carrying Aegon now, and as she looked down at her son she knew that Dorne was not the place for him. He was a Targaryen prince, he belonged with his father. So did Rhaenys.
And gods damn her, she knew she couldn't be apart from her children.
The High Septon placed the circlet on Rhaegar's head and he stood from his kneel to thunderous applause. Rhaenys cheered the loudest, the little girl tugging on Oberyn's arm. Her brother remained stone faced, watching on without a smile.
Rhaegar turned to face them all, his eyes looking over the crowd. They came to rest on her, and in them she could see his gratitude. He knew she would stay.
But to be certain of this choice Elia needed to see the Stark girl.
She needed to talk to Lyanna.