Last updated: 08.07.2016
She wasn't sure how she had slept that night or when they had decided to sleep at all, the next morning Senna was confused. Not because of what had happened the day and especially the night before, but because where she woke up. Or did she even wake up? Her surroundings looked too unreal to be true.
She was alone in a room so white it hurt her eyes just looking anywhere. Add to that, that she was still nude and disheveled from the nightly exertion, she was anything but at ease. At least until he appeared. Death, in all his skeletal and creepy glory. Dressed in thick black robes, he did his best to mimic the common superstitions of her first life.
"So it has been done," Death cackled, "All for the sake of the prophecy." Bones rattled loudly, as he trembled from his laughter.
"What do you want, you creep?" Senna shot back. She glared at him, her arms folded. She did not even try to preserve what modesty she might have left, knowing that if there was anyone not getting lecherous ideas at the sight of nude, beautiful woman, it would be this… whatever Death was. She wasn't sure. He wasn't a god at least, she had seen real gods like Thanatos defer to him.
"Such harsh words. We are partners, my dear Senna. Or Harry… or do you prefer Cassandra, from your second go? Being Cassandra was the most natural form you've taken thus far. So much raw power wasted on blind idealism. But you were the closest to perfect you could come to in a mortal shell."
"I am Senna Peverell until I die that won't change," she told him pointedly.
"Targaryen, my dear. You are a Targaryen now. That prince's little bed warmer and soon his breeder for more insane little fire worshipers," Death replied, cackling again. "But we all know why you do this. You've done well. All to protect this world from certain annihilation. You must be proud of yourself. You are a hero once more and all you had to do was spread your legs."
"I'm asking you one last time, why am I here?" His words had struck a chord, but she was both too proud and too stubborn to talk about this with Death.
"For one, you have not even left your bed. Neither has your husband, who is still drooling onto your breasts like some toddler. It would seem he mistakes your not so impressive bust for his favorite pillows." Death was obviously amused by his attempts to rile her up. But Senna wouldn't allow him the satisfaction of getting a rise out of her. "You can be such a bore at times." he sighed, "Very well. I am just here to congratulate you in person, my dear. Never has a royal wedding saved so many lives."
"I..."
"And one final warning, before I leave you to the tender mercies of your husband once more. Beware Aerys Targaryen. He may be an insane fool, but even you are not immortal. Better rid yourself of him, before he endangers everything. Next to him even your assassins are of no consequence."
"You know who sent the assassins?" Senna demanded.
Death nodded, "I do. But I won't reveal everything to you. That would be boring, my dear. But don't think too harshly of those who sent the murderers, it is only a common courtesy to try and kill the next queen. It's been nothing personal," he cackled again.
But as Senna wanted to press on and demand that he would reveal more. She had no chance, though, as the world around her got progressively brighter until she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer.
Then she woke up with a startled gasp, in her bed, in her husband's arms. Rhaegar was still sleeping soundly, an utterly carefree expression on his face. No worries, no stress, just the bliss of sleep after a night of lovemaking. She quite liked seeing him like this, he looked far more handsome when his worries are far from his mind.
A soft knock on the door drew her attention away from her husband. A servant entered, as silent as only the cats would be able to and stood a respectful distance away from the bed, waiting for her to acknowledge him. It was Roro, the head of her servants in Myr and the man she had left in charge of her estate in her absence.
With some trouble, she managed to pry herself free of her husband without rousing him from his sleep. She fetched herself a robe from her wardrobe nearby before she turned towards the waiting servant.
Roro, dutifully as always, had kept his eyes averted the entire time, despite the sight her nude form must have been to his eyes. But he was always a professional, something that she valued greatly and the only reason why the magisters had not fussed when she freed him from his bonds as a slave to have him work as her steward.
"You may raise your head, Roro," she told him kindly, as she walked past him to leave the room. There was no use in waking Rhaegar now, not for any kind of business Roro would have with her.
"You have a guest, milady," Roro told her, "the red priestess has come and asked for you specifically."
Senna sighed. She should have known. She had brought Rhaegar here so they could enjoy their first night as husband and wife in peace, but even in the early morning hours, someone would bother them here. And that though no one except her servants is supposed to know that she is here in the first place. Typical. But at the same time she was intrigued what her former mentor would want from her. She hadn't seen the priestess in nearly four years now.
"I see. She is in her usual spot, I presume?"
"Yes, milady," Roro nodded.
The potions lab. She had been quite fascinated by the potions Senna had supposedly 're-invented'. There was no use telling her about other lives and other teachers. So Senna had claimed that she had paid much gold for scrolls from Valyria, with detailed instructions. Sometimes, however, she wasn't entirely sure if the priestess really believed her or just humored a child that tried to keep secrets that just could not be explained.
"Stay here, Roro, and see to it that my husband has everything he might desire, should he wake up before I return," Senna ordered before she walked away from him.
With swift steps, she reached the lab, where she found her guest. The red priestess sat at one of the tables, studying a scroll Senna had left there. One of the potions she had yet to master… the nasty one to regrow bones.
"Good to see you, my dear," the priestess said, without looking up from her current reading material. Once she was finished, she stood up and approached Senna. "I believe congratulations are in order. Even though I would have much preferred seeing you wed in one of our temples and not according to the customs of those feeble-minded children and their false gods."
"Their gods or yours, I have yet to see any god interfere with the world we live in," Senna told her, "but I'm glad to see you again, Lady Melisandre."
Melisandre frowned lightly, not that it would have done anything to mar her beauty. Senna wondered, would Rhaegar see them now, which would he find more alluring. The shining copper of the Red God's priestess or the shining silver of the daughter of Valyria?
"My dear child, you are the living proof of his existence. Your parents were firm believers, they prayed for your birth and their faith was rewarded." Melisandre told her. "And they thanked their god for his gift, by having you trained by me."
"Yet they died and the Lord of Light did nothing to protect his faithful servants," Senna replied bitterly, "But I am sure you have not come to discuss religion with me… again. We are both beyond wasting time for such idle nonsense."
Melisandre smiled benignly at her former student, as she appraised Senna, "You have become such a beautiful young woman. And your powers will be perfect to do our lord's work in this world. You will do all that I have envisioned." She stepped even closer and pressed a kiss on Senna's forehead. "Our lord has shown me much. But your future is still so clouded. It is your path and yours alone. But I can only give you one last piece of advice."
"What is it?"
"Watch for the sky, my dear. Be wary, darkness gathers even now. When the red star bleeds, Azor Ahai shall be born again and you shall be the mother of our savior," Melisandre said. "This won't be our last meeting, my dear. The day will come when we will meet again. Farewell."
Then Melisandre left, not giving Senna even the slightest chance to ask any questions. Mysterious as always, she had dropped one of her premonitions and left her student to deal with the fallout. She was almost as frustrating as Dumbledore had been. But unlike the old codger, Senna was never sure whose side Melisandre was really on. The only thing that no one would be able to doubt would be her devotion to her god.
None the less, she wrote Melisande's words down. It was almost like an instinct, something that the priestess had instilled into her when she had been just a small child. Make sure you never forget anything important, the priestess had told her. Promises of fire and blood… well, threats more likely were given, should she ever forget her path and what was needed of her.
She shook her head softly, unwilling to let Melisandre's words bother her. Her mood was still too good to bother with such nonsense like prophecies and foretold saviors. Her mind was entirely occupied by her husband, who was still sleeping in her bedroom… and all the things she wanted to do with him at that moment. The queen and her mother would have frowned deeply, had they even seen a glimpse of her thoughts at that moment. But Senna could not care for the wishes of these women, especially not for what her dead mother might have wanted. In most ways she was still just a simple teenage girl… a married teenage girl with a rather handsome and interesting husband.
After that she returned to her bedroom, she found that her husband was already awake and waiting for her. He had partly dressed and looked out of the large window onto the city outside. "Well look who's woken up in my absence," Senna said. She smiled brightly as she approached her husband kissed him.
Rhaegar seemed still quite eager and kissed her back. "It is still rather odd to imagine that we are on the other side of the Narrow Sea at the moment."
"Scared?"
"Should I be scared of you and your powers?" he asked her back.
"No. Not you," Senna told him, "But this whole situation still seems so unreal at times."
"I know. Duties aside, being married is still an odd concept for my mind to grasp. I am sure, however, that I couldn't have married a more interesting woman," he smiled at her before he leaned down and captured her lips once more in a brief kiss. A promise of what he wanted and would do with her."
"We will find out how this whole marriage thing works. Together," she agreed. "But we should return soon or else you should fear your father's wrath."
"How long have we been gone?"
"Only for the night. We disappeared in the early evening hours… and the sun rises here earlier than in Westeros, so..." she wondered, maybe there wouldn't be as much trouble as she had thought. Well except for spiting a degrading customs that only the lecherous old men in the realm like. "If we return now, we would still have some more hours before sunrise."
"Well, we only need to be in our room when they come looking for us..." Rhaegar said with a smirk on his lips, "and I find the bed here much more… inviting."
Senna laughed as she heard him and she quite liked his way of thinking, "If that's so, my prince," she said, as she shed her robe and slowly walked towards her bed, her hips swaying gently. "Then come back to bed, husband." Delaying their return for one or two hours more hours shouldn't be a problem… and even if it was, Senna did not care. Kings, priestesses, Death, they all mattered little at the moment, as she allowed her husband liberties with her body that no one else would ever enjoy.
Robert Baratheon was in a jolly mood for once. He couldn't frankly remember when or if he had ever laughed as much as the moment when the time for the bedding ceremony had come and the new princess was nowhere to be found. The look of outrage on those old bastards' faces was priceless. He wouldn't have thought it possible for Senna to escape this particular custom, but by the gods, she had eluded them, together with her husband.
But now the whole keep was one chaotic mess of knights, servants, and even some lords, all searching for the newly married couple, who had yet to show up again. They had not retired to the prince's chambers, as some had expected. And even the lady's own rooms had been vacated, except for her servants, who had been mortified by the sudden attention they were given by the horde of angry men. Had it not been for the captain of Senna's guards, the servant girls would have suffered the men's anger. But Robert could easily understand why the princess had trusted this man with her
Now even Robert's own father had sent him out to find the missing prince and princess. A waste of time for sure. With Senna's powers, he wouldn't be surprised if they were on the other side of the world already doing gods' know what… he really did not even want to imagine what they were up to. Thinking of Senna in that way seemed… wrong in a way. He had to snort. She had called him an awkward little brother and brothers don't bed their sister… usually. Maybe she wasn't too far off with her claim. But having her as a sister would be just as odd, if not even more...
And Robert was not really searching for Senna at all. Instead, he had been looking for his best friend… to exchange information about the whereabouts of the princess, of course. But truth be told, he just wanted an excuse to get away from the madness… and possibly get a look at his own betrothed… if she would let him. Maybe even talk to her for some time.
When he finally found Ned, he couldn't believe his own good fortune, as Ned wasn't alone, as usual, but in the company of both his siblings. Brandon, Ned's older brother, was on the training field, unleashing all his fury on a training figure made out of wood and straw, whereas his siblings watched.
Ned was sharpening his own sword, but Lyanna was arguing loudly with her brothers. She wanted a sword of her own, something that her brother's had obviously denied her.
"I said no, Lyanna. Not here, where you have to be prim and proper for all those poor southron lords," Brandon told his sister. "Their feeble mind's can't deal with the ferocity of a fine northern woman."
"But I always train with you when we are at home!" Lyanna protested heatedly.
Brandon was obviously annoyed by her at this point, as he brought his sword down and cut deeply into the dummy before him. "I said no. We are not in Winterfell here. And even though all other men in this keep are currently busy chasing their missing princess, I will not allow you to do anything that might make us look bad in front of the other lords. Father would have my hide!"
Robert watched this exchange with some amusement. Lyanna was truly spirited and wild. Maybe Senna was right and pushing the girl too much too soon would be a mistake. She was obviously not even willing to entertain the idea of marriage at the moment, at least judging by the scathing glare she sent his way as she pushed past him to leave the yard. But even with her face distorted in anger, she still looked beautiful to him.
"Robert," Ned greeted him happily, "Up already?"
"Far too soon, but with all this commotion it is hard to sleep," Robert replied, "Senna has really done it this time."
Both men chuckled lightly, as Brandon joined them. "Brandon, this is Robert Baratheon, son of Lord Steffon Baratheon and the heir of Storm's End." Ned introduced his friend. Brandon said nothing but studied Robert with great interest. "And Robert, this is my older brother, Brandon Stark, the heir to Winterfell."
"So this is the lout that wishes to marry our sister?" Brandon said darkly. "Prove to me that you are worthy of Lyanna or else I will end you before I let you marry her."
"You will find no better man for her than me!" Robert replied indignantly.
Brandon laughed darkly at him, "We will see. You have your chance at the tourney. Melee or jousting, I don't care. Just don't disappoint me, Baratheon." And with those parting words Brandon left, likely to find his sister.
"Don't be too angry with him, Robert," Ned said, "All of us are rather protective of Lyanna."
"Yet you agree that I am worthy of her!"
"I do. But I know you as if you were one of my brothers, to them you are a stranger from the other side of the Seven Kingdoms," Ned lamented. It was obvious that the younger Stark son was quite eager to see his sister with his best friend. And his trust was something that Robert was loath to disappoint.
"So, what will we do now?" Robert asked, "Senna has dumped us all, not that I mind that."
"Yes, but..."
A great commotion suddenly started in the keep. Like a wave, it seemed to travel from on end of the keep to the other. Robert already grumbled in annoyance, when they heard one of the servants call, "They have been found. Prince Rhaegar and Princess Senna have returned to the throne room!"
Aerys Targaryen sat upon his throne, looking menacingly at all the courtiers around him. His expression only showed signs of changing, when he saw his son and daughter-in-law enter the room through a side door.
The commotion in the room suddenly died down, only to be replaced with hushed whispers, that sounded like the waves crashing against the shore. All eyes were focused on the newlywed royal couple.
"Greetings, father. I hope this day has been pleasant so far," Rhaegar greeted the king cordially.
The ghost of a smirk played on the king's lips, as he understood his son's plan. The whole commotion about the previous evening would quickly be a forbidden topic at court, should the king show any signs of approval.
"Has the marriage been consummated," the king asked directly.
Rhaegar seemed unfazed by this rather private topic, but Senna's cheeks showed a deep red color. "It has. Several times in fact," the prince replied with a winning smile. Embarrassing as it was, this had to be done to silence all those would doubt and spread dangerous lies.
"And the first sheets have been red?"
"Yes, father," Rhaegar said.
Aerys nodded, pleased by this. Now the girl was truly a Targaryen. He had won. Now he only needed the dragons and with fire and blood, he would have them soon.
"Good. I expect her to be with child within a year," the king said, "You are dismissed. Get ready for the tourney."
And so the discussion was over. No one would be allowed to question this or the marriage. Those who dared wouldn't like the consequences.
Senna was quite annoyed with the unrelenting attention she had to face, as she and Rhaegar finally returned to their rooms. It would seem that she had underestimated the interest of the people had in the new royal couple and now there wouldn't be much privacy for her in the near future. Even more surprising, it weren't more guards that had been sent to follow her, but it was the queen herself, who kept a close eye on her new daughter-in-law.
Even as they finally sat in the stands for the grand tourney, Queen Rhaella wasn't far. She sat next to Senna, not next to the king as she should have. But with Rhaegar participating in the joust, no one would object as the queen usurped his place for the day.
"Too many of the men ride with anger now, Senna," Rhaella told the girl. "As a foreigner, it was unwise for you to forgo our traditions. Some people think that you disrespect our gods."
"With all due respect, my only concern is my husband's happiness. I am not here to degrade myself for the pleasure of some lecherous old men," Senna told the queen with a small smile. "Let them complain and rage, a night of drunken revelry in a whorehouse will make them forget soon enough."
"If it only was this easy, child," the queen said sadly. "Just promise me that you will be more mindful from now on. This isn't Myr, this isn't the land you've grown up in. We follow different gods and different customs."
"Then maybe some customs should be changed," Senna replied indignantly. She really did not wish to snub the queen like this, but she just wouldn't budge on this topic. She wasn't some piece of meat for the men to lust after like a pack of hungry wolves.
Rhaella said no more and rather diverted her attention towards Prince Viserys, who bounced around on the stands near them. The boy was much more lively, especially when he was the first to find Senna and Rhaegar after their return, something that he gleefully tells to everyone willing to listen.
"Sister, look, they are fighting again," the young prince shouted, as he rushed towards her.
In a way, it was rather odd to hear him call her sister. But apparently, the queen had made it quite clear to the boy that she would be Rhaegar's wife and therefore his new sister, something that the little prince accepted quite eagerly as it seemed. But at the same time, Viserys always glare towards Rhaegar, when he was close to her. It was such an adorable sight.
"Viserys, please calm yourself," the queen told her son.
"Come here, Viserys," Senna bid the boy. As soon as he was close, she picked him up and sat him on her lap. Queen Rhaella frowned slightly but said nothing, as Viserys was obviously pleased and quiet now. "All those men are fighting to prove their mettle. Winning this contest is a great honor."
"I want honor, too!" Viserys said cheerfully.
Senna laughed and even the queen looked amused at the young boy. "One day, Viserys. When you are big and strong, you will be a shining knight and win a great many tourneys and the hearts of all beautiful maidens in the land."
"Like you?" the boy asked.
Again Senna could only laugh, "I'm no longer a maiden, Viserys. I'm a married woman now."
"Then I don't want maidens!"
Again she could only marvel how innocent the boy seemed. It was just unbelievable that the child was related to the king. Just looking at Aerys now, as he watched the melee with a bloodthirsty grin, made it clear just how much Death's warning rang true. But maybe Viserys would grow up to be just like his brother. Two princes of this kind would do wonders for the realm, she was sure of it.
"Can I learn to fight?"
"Soon, Viserys. When you are a little bit older," the queen told her son. The prince, however, pouted. It was clear that he wasn't happy about this.
Senna meanwhile watched the chaos of the melee with some interest. Neither Rhaegar nor Mero or Robert would participate here. All of them would compete in the joust once this fight and the archery competition was over. There was more honor to win in the joust and the competition was much fiercer with the generous sum of gold the winner would receive.
This was her first time attending a tourney, as they were mostly an Andal custom and only open to the traditional knights of the lands that follow the Faith of the Seven. But as gruesome and dirty as they were, Senna would rather prefer for all conflicts to be solved in these contests of strength, than on the bloody fields. And since killing was not the objective of these fights, it was also rather fun to watch… in a bloody sort of way.
She had seen similar traditions in the Free Cities as well, though mostly from the Dothraki and their more aggressive customs. She had not enjoyed watching their fights, though, as the Dothraki had no qualms to kill. The knights here in this realm were much more careful to avoid that, so no trouble would follow these events.
"What chaos. I wonder how they will ever find a victor," Senna mused.
"They always do. Give them some more time and only one will be left standing," the queen assured her. "I have to admit, however, that I have not seen these many participants in a melee before. The knights have come from far and wide to join."
Senna nodded, as she tried to count just the number of different sigils on the shields of the knights. Some noble houses even had more than one son competing, though likely not for the handsome reward, but for the honor to be rewarded by the new royal princess, in front of all powerful men in the realm.
Especially the number of hopeful hedge knights was enormous. All of them had come with the same hope. To distinguish themselves and earn a place in the household of some lord. Senna even entertained the idea to take one or two of these hopeful men into her service, as knights in her own personal guard. Mero was due to leave once the tourney is over, so he can return to his duties as his father's heir in Myr, so she was in need of new able-bodied fighters.
"Look, fire!" Viserys said excitedly. He pointed with his little hand towards one of the fighters, who wielded a sword that seemed to be burning brightly, much to the terror of all the men near him.
"This isn't right. Steel should not burn," Senna mused.
But it also reminded her of the stories she had been told as a child. Both those her parents had told her as well as those she had heard from Lady Melisandre. A warrior with a burning sword… of course, this was nothing more than some childish trickery, but still, it evoked long buried memories. Fond memories, that made her smile. She truly must have looked odd, smiling at the sight of a burning blade. Like the fire obsessed madman who sat not far from her.
"It is nearly over now," Senna heard the king mutter. "The fire will triumph as it should!" And true to the king's words, the man with the fiery sword made quick work of his opponents. He was skilled, no doubt, but it was just as obvious that without his burning toy, he would not win this easily.
Soon enough the man was the only left standing and all other fighters had retired from the field of battle or lay battered and bruised in the dirt. The crowd cheered loudly for the splendid performance.
As the flames that danced around his blade died down, the man sheeted his weapon and slowly approached the stands, so he could receive his price. Fifty thousand coins, a hefty sum for a man who wore no sigil, no sign of allegiance to any noble house in the realm. He did not even look like a knight at all.
Viserys had to vacate his comfortable place on Senna's lap, as she had to stand up to reward the winner of this contest, a duty she was more than happy to fulfill. A servant handed her a gilded feather, which the victor could later exchange for his real price money once he was ready to leave.
The man who had won stopped in front of the stands and knelt, as was expected of him in this situation, as Senna descended the stairs to the ground. All eyes followed her every step as she did.
"You have won a great victory, so rise and tell me your name," she said, as she stood in front of him.
Senna heard the distinctive sounds of heavy armor moving, but not from the man before her, but the two members of the Kingsguard behind her, that watched over her in this situation. Both knights were obviously overeager as it seemed.
"I am Thoros of Myr, your grace. I am your humble servant," the man said, as he rose from the ground.
Senna was quite intrigued, as she recognized some of the intricate markings on his armor. This man was not just from her own home city, but also another follower of the Lord of Light. One of the warrior priests she had seen in the temple.
"You are a red priest?" Senna asked him.
Thoros smirked slightly, "Not a good one, I'm afraid. The fighting comes easier to me than praying and I've never been able to refuse a good drink," he laughed heartily. So similar to Robert, Senna thought with a smirk.
"Then receive your price, Thoros of Myr. You've won the melee in a great display of cunning and strength," his smirk widened as she said this, as she made it clear that she was sure that his fire had won the fight, not his prowess, "As such you shall receive the rewards of fifty thousand gold dragons. Spend them wisely." Then she handed him the gilded feather, an act that was met with great cheering from the crowd.
"Your grace, may I ask one other boon from you on this day?" Thoros asked directly, uncaring for how much he would breach the proper protocol with this.
Senna was surprised by his boldness for a moment, before she composed herself and answered, "Speak, but know that I may decide to decline your request."
"Of course, your grace. I would ask for you to take me into your service, as part of your guard, so I may serve you faithfully," Thoros asked loudly, so all would hear him.
Senna raised one delicate eyebrow, as she regarded the man once more. A red priest. A warrior with skill and he came here to ask to serve her? It sounded rather far-fetched. She wouldn't put it past the other priests at the temple in Myr to send this man to ensure that she wouldn't stray and follow the false gods of this realm. But she was in need of men to serve her… and somehow trusting a stranger from her home seemed easier than to trust a renown knight and stranger from this foreign realm.
"Very well, Thoros of Myr. I shall accept you into my service. Serve me well and with distinction and you shall be rewarded," Senna announced loudly before she turned around to return to her place. She just hoped that this wasn't a mistake.
The king looked quite intrigued by her choice, surely because of the flaming sword. But the queen… Rhaella looked more than displeased by this. So much, it actually began to worry Senna. She really did not wish for a quarrel with her new mother-in-law.
"I hope you know what you are doing, my dear. The lords are wary enough of you for being a foreigner, but employing a Red Priest… this cannot end well," Rhaella told her with a sigh.
"Please don't worry on my account, your grace. I know how to deal with zealots. But his skills can't be denied and once he has proven himself as trustworthy, he will be of great use to us," Senna assured the queen. Or maybe she tried to reassure herself at the moment. No matter what, she would have to rethink every word and every action twice as careful now. She was no longer just a lady, but a princess and a future queen. Every word, every action would be judged by the lords of the realm. 'Just why had she agreed to marry a prince in the first place?', she thought with a weary sigh.
Rhaegar stood with Arthur near the tents, as they watched the outcome of the melee. It had only been the first of five contests and by far the shortest of the whole tourney. But that did not mean that it was any less awe inspiring.
He had wanted to fight in the melee himself, unhorsing men left and right while wearing the favor of his beautiful wife. But Ser Arthur and his mother had warned him to desist. Let the men's blood cool for a bit before you give them a chance to hit you, they had said. Begrudgingly he had accepted.
Both he and Senna had underestimated the consequences of foregoing the bedding ceremony. The men had been almost too eager to see Myr's jewel without a stitch of clothing on her. Their lewdness was nauseating to the prince. And deep down he enjoyed knowing that he was the only man to see Senna as she is. To be the only man to hold her, to taste her and to make love to her, it was a triumphant feeling, one that he could not have anticipated beforehand.
He watched her for a while, as she sat with his mother and brother. Viserys sat on her lap again, happy as he had seldom seen the boy. But seeing his wife with the child, he couldn't wait for them to have children of their own. He just knew that Senna would be an excellent mother. But there was one problem and that problem sat close to his family and watched them with his cruel eyes. His own father.
"I can understand why the men are so angry, Rhaegar," Arthur said merrily, "What a marvelous woman, almost as if marriage has only enhanced her beauty. Whatever you two have done last night, it must have been fulfilling… for both of you."
"I won't tell you anything, Arthur," Rhaegar replied, looking mock stern at his friend, "I am sure you can use your imagination." But of course, he knew that Arthur was right. Senna had been beautiful before, but now she was almost radiant. She commanded the attention of the men around her like no other person.
"Look, what a fight!" Myles exclaimed giddily.
"Do you know which house that man belongs to," Arthur asked the squire, as he pointed at one fighter in black armor, with an equally black shield adorned with a golden Kraken.
"The golden Kraken… some ironborn, I think..."
"Not just some, Myles. He is a Greyjoy," Richard corrected his fellow squire.
Arthur nodded and looked proudly at Richard. The boy had always been quicker to learn and Myles was never really interested in the heraldry of other houses. "That is correct."
"That's Euron Greyjoy, Lord Quellon's second oldest son at the moment," Rhaegar told him. "He came with his father, and older brother, Balon." And what a surprise their appearance had been. Of course, they had been invited, just like all other great houses in Westeros. However, no one had expected the reclusive ironborn to come to a royal wedding. But apparently, the rumors of Lord Quellon's wish to forge closer ties to the mainland are more than just hearsay.
"Careful with those ironborn, lads. We can never be sure what hidden agenda they might have," Arthur told the boys. "For every sword, you can see, expect ten daggers you can't!"
"Maybe they just wanted to see Princess Senna," Myles replied.
"Who wouldn't," Arthur said with a deep chuckle. "All men in the Seven Kingdoms envy you now, Rhaegar."
"Better be quiet, Arthur. I've seen your sister and it is obvious that she will be quite sought after in the near future," Rhaegar replied jestingly.
Arthur sighed and nodded, "Too right you are. Ashara is already attracting too much attention thanks to me. But my brother and I agree that we cannot hide her for much longer. Our father wishes for her to serve the royal family in some way."
"I'm sure Senna can take care of her if that would be agreeable to you," Rhaegar offered.
"I would appreciate that," Arthur answered truthfully. He would be a fool to decline this offer. His sister would be able to marry above her station, just by being close to the future queen. Such a position was usually reserved for ladies from much more influential and powerful families.
"Don't worry, Arthur, my wife will take good care of your sister. And as long as she is with her, no harm will ever befall Ashara," Rhaegar smiled, though he was slightly worried as well.
"It is true, even the smallfolk already loves her," Myles added. "No one would dare to harm her."
"All they know are stories from Myr and they already love her for that," Arthur said with a chuckle.
"More than stories. Senna enjoys the love of the people in Myr," Mero, Senna's guard and childhood friend joined the scene, already in full armor for his next round in the joust. "They named her Jewel of Myr for a reason. She has spent a lot of time and gold on improving the lives of everyone in Myr, noble, commoner and slave alike."
"Did she?" Arthur asked curiously, as Rhaegar merely listened.
"She did. She made sure that the orphans on the street were taken care of and even built schools for the children to learn how the read and write. Truth be told, some of Magisters were not very happy about literate slaves and commoners, but in the end the benefits outweighed the risks."
"The lords here would put up an even greater resistance I fear," Rhaegar sighed, "But once she is queen Senna might be able to do some good for the people here as well."
"She will try for sure. With or without your consent," Mero grinned at him, before he excused himself to get back to his own attendants.
Rhaegar meanwhile watched the melee, though his mind was elsewhere. The smallfolk had heard about Senna's deeds. Of course, they would hope that she does the same for them as well. But that would be something no one has honestly done since the days of Good Queen Alysanne, centuries ago... This would not earn her many friends among the nobles, but somehow he was sure that she wouldn't care all that much about these men.
When the winner of the melee asked Senna for a boon, Rhaegar had been ready to return to her side, worried what this man might want from her, additionally to the handsome sum he had received as prize money. His trepidation rose, when they found out that this red-haired, disheveled man was not just some hedge knight, but a red priest. But Senna was neither scared nor showed any other emotion but her almost serene the end he resolved to wait and observe. He would keep a very close eye on this man for sure.
Senna wasn't sure what she was supposed to expect when she followed Rhaegar into the large ruin that had once been the Dragonpit. The king himself had sent for them, ordered them to seek him out in the place that had once housed his family's glory. For whatever reason he had done so… she dared not think about it. Knowing the king, it couldn't be good.
The streets were still packed with people, so the prince and his princess were not exactly easy to hide from the eyes of the commoners. Instead, the people flocked to the royal couple, surrounded them the entire time, only held back by the two knights of the Kingsguard and a large group of Gold Cloaks. But it did not seem to bother the people, that they could not get closer to the palanquin. It was enough for them to watch them from afar… though most of their attention was focused on Senna alone.
By the time they had reached the Dragonpit, more members of the city guard had come and chased the people away. Their brutality in doing so made Senna frown deeply and she was sure that she would have a word with her husband about this. Judging by his look, Rhaegar was already expecting her to say something here. But he was obviously relieved that she had enough restraint to keep such discussions behind closed doors.
As they entered the Dragonpit itself, Senna allowed her gaze to wander. It was truly a magnificent sight, even in this ruined state. She wondered how it might have looked, back in the glory days of House Targaryen, when giant dragons slept in this cavernous building. Maybe she would find out, should her new family succeed with hatching the dragons...
"You are late," King Aerys rasped, as he saw his son and daughter-in-law.
Aerys stood in the center of the pit, with the queen and the rest of the Kingsguard. More servants and robed men Senna had not seen before were with them as well.
"Forgive us, father, but this isn't exactly the throne room. Getting here was rather tedious," Rhaegar replied stoically.
The king huffed derisively but said nothing about his son's excuse. Instead, he called for a servant to come closer.
Senna frowned deeply when she saw the dragon egg in the man's hands. Of course, Aerys would choose the black egg first, whose dark scales would cut into the flesh, like a freshly sharpened knife. The king was hoping to hatch a new Balerion from it, no doubt. But all he had accomplished with this strange ceremony here, was that the man who carried it had suffered deep cuts in his hands. The whole egg was sullied with blood now.
"Tonight you all will be witnesses of the rebirth of our power. Tonight I will return the dragons to our realm." Aerys exclaimed in excitement, as the servant stopped not far from him. "Begin with the ceremony. Let the raging fury of the fire free the dragon from his prison, so he can unleash his might upon my enemies."
The robed men stepped forward, with strange jars in their hands. Senna could only frown as she had no clue what the king was planning to do. But the fear in the servant's eyes and the way the queen tried to look anywhere but at the man revealed that whatever the king had planned, it wouldn't be good.
The robed men began to pour the contents of their jars over the servant and the egg. A sticky green liquid, that looked like some potion's experiment gone horribly wrong. But she had never seen this substance before… and that worried her greatly.
"What are they doing?" Senna demanded to know, but no one answered. Not even Rhaegar, whose lips had formed a thin line, as the rest of his features had become hard as stone. "Rhaegar!"
"They are going to burn this man," the prince said finally. His voice was filled with revulsion.
Senna wanted to put an end to this, but when she tried, Rhaegar grabbed her arm and held her back. He trapped her in a tight hug, his hand caressing the back of her head as he tried to keep her from looking at the gruesome scene. He wouldn't release her, no matter how hard she struggled.
"It is already too late. His is covered in so much wildfire, the sun alone would be enough of to set him aflame. There is nothing we can do..." Rhaegar said bitterly.
"But..."
As the robed men retreated, one of them threw a torch at the cowering man. In a large ball of greenish fire, the man disappeared in the flames. It happened so quick, that even his agonized screams ended abruptly, as he was burnt to ash in a matter of moments.
"Take this sacrifice and the fire and rise, my wonderful beast. Rise from your shell and bathe this world in your flames!" Aerys exclaimed as he cackled madly.
"This will do nothing, you monster! Do you really believe that this is how you hatch a dragon? With a sacrifice of blood and fire!" Senna yelled at him. She had managed to escape Rhaegar's attempts to trap her and looked at the king with all the fury she could muster. In this moment, she wanted to curse this man to kingdom come, damn the consequences. But Rhaegar managed to hold her in a firm embrace once more. The prince must believe that he was protecting her, though he was only protecting his monster of a father.
"A pity," Aerys lamented, as there was no dragon. Only the black egg surrounded by green flames and ash. "Maybe a thief wasn't worthy of the dragon. Maybe he will need a better sacrifice."
"It wouldn't matter if you sacrifice one or one thousand men. You lack the knowledge to hatch a dragon," Senna told him angrily.
"Then you will hatch me those dragons or else I will burn someone you will surely miss," the king told her, as he walked out of the Dragonpit. "Ser Oswell, stay and bring me the egg once the fire is out."
Senna was shaking in anger, as she watched the king's retreating back. The queen stopped shortly near her son and shook her head sadly. She was pale and sad, as she continued to follow her husband back to the Red Keep.
"This madness must end," Rhaegar muttered.
Senna looked at him in surprise, as this was the first time he had spoken so openly about ending his father's reign. She had expected him to bide his time and wait for Aerys to kick the bucket on his own, but the anger in his voice made it obvious that he was not willing to wait. It suited her well, she would do whatever she can to aid him in this endeavor.
"Come, my dear. Let's get back home. There is nothing we can do here," he told her. He still held her close, though no longer in the iron grip as before.
"What is our home, Rhaegar?"
"Wherever we are. Wherever our family can be safe," he replied simply.
Senna frowned, "Then the Red Keep can never be our home as long as the monster lives."
"Yes… I agree," Rhaegar replied simply. There was nothing more to say. No more hushed whispers. This night King Aerys had shown the true extent of his madness. And both prince and princess knew what they would have to do now. For the sake of the realm and the sake of their own family.
As the sun rose on the tourney's second day, a feeling of great anticipation filled all the inhabitants of the Red Keep. It would be the first day of the joust. The first of seven, due to the great number of participants. All great houses had a son, grandson, brother or nephew in the competition. Add to that the sheer endless number of hedge knights, it was likely the biggest tourney of its kind in the Seven Kingdoms to this day.
But it was also a day that Senna dreaded. All those close to would participate in the competition, leaving her alone with King Aerys on the stands. The queen had felt unwell or at least Senna had been told that the she did, so there would be no one but her, the king and his guards on the royal stands. It wasn't that she feared Aerys, but his cruelty and deranged mind were quite unsettling to watch and listen to.
And as the knights of the realm all lined up in front of the king, his malevolent smile was all the confirmation she needed to understand what this man wanted. Hundreds of men, here for his entertainment. Men who would fight and possibly die, just because Aerys Targaryen had promised them riches and honor.
Senna herself wanted to sneer at him, but desisted, as she did not wish to cause a scene that could possibly have dangerous consequences for the rest of the royal family. Not with all the vultures waiting and watching for a sign of weakness, so they can strike. She would not give those opportunistic bastards the opening they were waiting for. When the moment comes to deal with Aerys, it would not be watched by the whole realm.
None the less she hated how Aerys presented her now. He had her seat moved closer to his, but slightly below his own place. To all onlookers, it must look as if she sat at his feet, like a lesser animal he kept as his pet. She forced herself to smile none the less.
As the knights presented themselves, Rhaegar moved away from the crowd approached her, his lance firmly in his hand. He asked for her favor in this competition, a request she gladly granted. He was here to fight for her, to crown her as the Queen of Love and Beauty. It was one of the traditions she actually liked. There was this romantic side to the otherwise violent and uncouth competition between men. And her husband looked quite dashing in his black and red armor. Who would ever need a shining knight on a white stead for a fairy tale when men like Rhaegar rode for her honor?
But Rhaegar knew that he would have to fight many hard battles in those next seven days if wished to emerge as the victor. The more knights Senna watched in the joust, the more she wondered just what chance Rhaegar really had in this.
There had already been some remarkable jousters among the first she got to see. A Lannister knight, a brother of Lord Tywin as far she been told, showed off his skills in a contest against some lordling from the Reach. Others of similar skill followed, knights of both great and minor houses. Most of their much-vaunted victories had been at the expense of the poor hedge knights, though.
When it was finally Rhaegar's first turn, half a day had already passed and Senna was most eager to see him fight.
"Now Rhaegar will show those imbeciles the true might of House Targaryen," Aerys muttered, as his son prepared himself for his first joust.
Rhaegar was up against a young lord from the Riverlands, a Tully. She only recognized his sigil, since the Tullys are a major House and therefore more important than the vast majority of their bannermen.
"Can you see the indomitable will to win in my son's eyes, daughter?" Aerys asked ominously. It wasn't the only reason why she despised him, though.
Oh, how she hated it when he called her daughter. She felt elated when Queen Rhaella, the kind woman that she was, had accepted her as her new child. But Senna had no wish to be connected to Aerys in any way or form. But the man knew how much it unnerved her and he got his sick pleasure from tormenting her with this.
"My husband will not fail," she replied stoically. "He is a true dragon."
"He is," Aerys agreed, "and all of those pesky lords will soon learn why House Targaryen reigns supreme. My son will humble them here and our dragons will make them cower in fear."
"You have yet to hatch one of them… your grace," Senna replied icily. She had not forgotten what the man had done the previous evening. She wouldn't forget it anytime soon, "Many have tried, nearly all have failed. Some even like to think that it is impossible for men to hatch a dragon egg without its mother's warmth to lure the beasts from their sleep in their scaly shells."
"You will find a way, my daughter. Your powers will unleash the dragons' fury once more and all of this world will learn what true power is."
"The dragons couldn't save Valyria, what makes you think that they will change the fate of this realm?"
A valid question and one that had bothered her since the first time she had seen her family's dragon eggs. So many men had tried to bring the dragons back to this world, all had done it in the belief that on the backs of these beasts, they would be able to conquer the world. Even the great Aegon the Conqueror could only conquer six kingdoms with his dragons and he had Balerion, the greatest dragon since the glory days of ancient Valyria.
"With your powers in their blood and the dragons to incinerate their enemies, my heirs will be unstoppable. Not even Aegon himself could claim that much power at once." Aerys muttered.
Senna knew that the only other people to hear Aerys talk were the three knights of the Kingsguard, that currently stood behind the king to guard him. But she wasn't happy about how openly he discussed her magic in the presence of these men. Especially the Lord Commander showed a deep frown, as he looked at her. The man had obviously not forgotten that she had attacked the king before.
Rhaegar won his first fight, however, only after the ninth tilt. His opponent was rather formidable, but ultimately inferior to the prince. But Senna enjoyed seeing her husband win. And as she watched Rhaegar she knew that she would no longer be able to deny that she might have developed a slight crush on the prince. Loving him would ultimately not be all that hard… it was remarkably easier than she had expected. But maybe she would also finally be allowed to experience some happiness. Even with the dark prophecy lurking in the future. A family and helping the people in this realm, her future wasn't all dark and gloomy… for once.
A/N: So far so good. At the moment, I'm not sure how much longer I can keep the story with the current rating. If this chapter was anything to go by, I will have to raise the rating to M, if I wish to portray Aerys' madness truthfully. So don't be surprised if the story has a higher rating starting next chapter.
And no, I am not overexaggerating Aerys madness in the slightest. Ever since Duskendale the man's paranoia and envy have ravaged his mind and made him cruel beyond any excuse. The man burns people alive for the slightest offenses, hit's and rapes his wife after burning some poor soul and shows sadism that makes Joffrey look like a pre-schooler. Seriously, when it comes to cruel and crazy, not even Ramsay can claim to be anywhere near the Mad King.
And yes, I really like to add some red priests to make everything more cheerful. Melisandre, as we all know by now, is a tad bit older than expected, so she could possibly be a mentor to Senna in her youth. And Thoros was sent to Aerys' court to convert the fire obsessed king, though he wasn't really good at his job.
Okay, I also know that some people are confused about the ages, so for some of the characters in this chapter:
- Senna, Robert, Brandon 16
- Ned 15
- Rhaegar 19
- Lyanna, Cersei, Jaime 12
Ashara, Euron, and Arthur are not really clear about how old they are, so I try to choose an appropriate age for them.
- Arthur 21 (from what we know he is at least 18 or older)
- Euron 16 (he is at least 11 or older)
- Ashara 13 (somewhere between 9 and 16 in the books)
Please don't complain about the ages, except for the last two these are their real ages in the books for the year 278 AC. And I decided to make Euron a bit older than 11 because he is one of my favorite characters and I wanted him to be present for the tourney.