Hi there. I am really sorry about the prolonged absence and the shortness of this teaser.

My problem is easy to tell, but rather hard to overcome, namely a severe case of writer's block. I know what I want to write, I know how the story should continue, but everything I have written recently has been... wooden and lifeless. I try to get back on track, but at the moment I am only making small progress.

So, I really didn't want to leave you all with the disappointment of a hollow author's note here, so you will get a little teaser for one of the future plotlines that will be important for Senna's relationship with Rhaegar and their dynamic as husband and wife. It's short but better than nothing...

Despite the quickly approaching end of the winter, its last frozen fingers kept the world in an icy grip, especially in the mornings, before the sun would rise to warm the world beneath. But despite the chill, Senna was up and about long before the dawn.

She had traded the warmth of her bed and the embrace of her husband for the cold streets of King's Landing, as she ventured towards the Dragonpit. She was alone, something that Rhaegar would be most displeased about, but it was what she needed. Disguised as Dorea, she could travel unseen and undisturbed. And that was just what she needed. Undisturbed moments, alone with no one around but her faithful dragon.

Six days had passed since her return. Six days filled with the almost desperate attempt to return to a normal life. Things had changed. Rhaegar and she had changed and somehow the mere span of a few weeks time had left them in an awkward position. It wasn't the love she felt for him that had been dimmed, but the feeling of coherence.

Had she truly been so blind before? Blinded by love and protectiveness, that she had entirely missed that they did not live together, but next to each other. Despite her work for the people in King's Landing, she was not truly a queen. Rhaegar ruled, Rhaegar counseled, Rhaegar bore the burden of the crown, unflinching… but alone. And she, as his wife, had a life of her own. The time in Summerhall had made that painfully clear. Rhaegar was the king of the Seven Kingdoms, with all duties and burdens that entailed. She was the Phoenix Queen of the people, an almost mythical figurehead for a religion that was absolutely foreign to this realm.

For many hours she had deliberated how to change this grievance, to make her and her husband whole again... no, for the first time in their relationship. The children were the first step. A large and immensely important step. But even in the days, since here return, Rhaegar's time to be with his children and his siblings had been scarce at best. Alysanne, Daeron, Daenerys and Viserys tied them together, but he and she still remained apart.

But how was she supposed to change this? She had purposely avoided any foray into politics before, so she wouldn't burden Rhaegar by being a foreigner who dabbles in matters the nobles didn't want to see her anywhere near. It had been the right decision, to give Rhaegar the time to become the king he needed to be, but her place in the ruling of the realm was lost. At the same time, she couldn't involve Rhaegar in her own matters. As king, he had to stay away from any matters concerning the foreign religion. The last thing he would need would be trouble from the overzealous and petty High Septon...

Soon enough she had reached the Dragonpit and dispelled all magic she had cast on herself. Draco was still sleeping, a deep rumbling sound escaping his nostrils as he heaved giants breaths. She was sure that he had noticed her presence the moment she had entered the pit but decided to return to sleep. Even as she gently caressed the scales of his belly the dragon did not rouse.

"Some days I envy you, Draco," Senna sighed, "Your life seems so simple. You sleep, fly, eat and leave a mess that gives the stable hands who have to clean up after you nightmares." She laughed lightly, as she sat down, her back leaning against the dragon's belly.

As she sat there, her gaze began to wander. The Dragonpit had been repaired in recent years. It wasn't a half-broken ruin, but rather a sanctuary for her overgrown lizard. But it was also dark… and empty.

"Are you lonely, Draco?" she wondered, as she saw the many empty little caves all around. Long ago there had been many more dragons here. Now Draco was the only one left. Maybe even the last dragon in the world. "Sometimes I feel lonely, too. I have friends and family now, but I am still alone with the burdens I have brought with me from my previous lives."

"Self-pity does not suit you," Death's dark voice scoffed.

Again the dark specter appeared before her, in his incorporeal mist form. A naked dementor, only that he had no need to draw upon her worst memories. He was the worst one all by himself.

"What is my true purpose here?" she demanded to know, "You always play your games with your prophecies, but it is hard to believe that you would even care about any such thing."

"You are here to learn," Death replied.

By now Draco had awoken. Dragons themselves were also beings of magic, just like she was one herself, so it came as no surprise that Draco saw the specter and considered his dark presence a threat. Almost immediately he curled around Senna, shielding her with his massive body.

"How touching. You give this beast the name of your first childhood nemesis and now he is your obedient little pet. Makes me wonder whether or not I should bring that annoying little bastard back for your next life. Just to see how he would react to hearing about this."

"Why are you even here?" Senna groaned.

"Because it unsettles you. And it isn't every day that one of 'my' pets manages to become a divine leader of a cult without me pulling the strings."

"I am not divine," Senna retorted.

"You had been in the past. As divine as a demigod who stole immortality could hope to be."

Senna flinched, as some of the more unpleasant memories of her past life were forced to return. It was just what Death had wanted.

"Immortality is a fluke. Even gods can die… I died, despite that damn apple."

"Only I am eternal. As are you, for as long as I find you amusing," Death cackled.

Sensing her growing agitation, Draco decided to rid Senna of her unwanted assailant. Without warning, he unleashed his fiery breath on the dark specter, though it was a futile endeavor. Death remained, undisturbed, cackling in amusement before he slowly faded away.

"Good boy," she praised the dragon, despite knowing that he wasn't responsible for Death's departure. "I'll see to it that you get an extra goat today. Or maybe a few more hours in the air, would that please you more?"

The dragon growled loudly. She wasn't sure what he had chosen, but she decided to go with both. It was bad enough that Draco had to spend so much time caged in the Dragonpit. But here in King's Landing, the people were much more fearsome of the dragon's presence than they were in Summerhall. Maybe the people there just had more trust in her ability to keep Draco on a short leash if necessary…

"You know, maybe it is time for you to get some company," she said, as she pushed herself up from the ground. She had neglected the other eggs for far too long and it might be a good choice to empower Rhaegar some more by giving him a dragon of his own… once she had found a way to hatch them without blowing up half of the Red Keep like last time.