Dream
It felt like a dream he had once not too long a time ago. He on a Dragon's back riding above the clouds, sharp cold wind cutting his cheeks.
A scream of elation echoed between the clouds, he later realized it was his. He had never thought he would be riding a Dragon but today not only was he high up in the clouds but that too on Balerion's back.
Almost two decades ago he thought he had lost everyone but then came Elia followed by Daenerys and Visenya.
The pain of losing Rhaenerys and Aegon never left him and Elia, they mourned for their two children. But Rhaegar's grief was greater; he had held himself responsible for their deaths and also of Lyanna and Jaehaerys. He had lost his best friend Arthur too.
Meeting Elia and his sisters alleviated some of the sadness but for a long time he could not bring himself to meet Elia's eyes. Even though she had told him time and time again that it was not his fault Rhaegar did not absolve himself. His union with Lyanna was with prior knowledge of Elia. Rhaegar had had tunnel vision when it had come to that prophecy. The damned prophecy of the Prince Who Was Promised made him believe he needed a Visenya for his Aegon and Rhaenerys.
The prophecy was his downfall. It was a miracle Elia forgave him.
Meeting Jon was like a dream. His son had not only survived but thrived too. He had made powerful allies and his chosen Rayne; she was the best girl he could ask for his son. She had given their house their biggest treasure; Dragons.
High up above the clouds Rhaegar felt free, he was finally happy with his life and free of all his troubles.
Balerion, the legend reborn, he had chosen Rhaegar as his rider. His black leathery wings were open as they sailed over the clouds.
He had thought the rumors of Balerion's size were over exaggerated but seeing him side by side Rhaegal, the previous largest Dragon all doubts were erased Balerion stood three times as large as Rhaegal.
His black scales and ruby red eyes would soon become the hero of his enemies' nightmares.
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With the first breath that Balerion took a great wave of magic spread all through the world. The glass candles in Oldtown lit confusing the Maesters. Far in Qarth the warlocks felt the presence of magic deep in their veins.
Deep in the hidden mountains of the Land of Always Winter on a throne of sat a human block of ice. Feeling the wave of magic his crystal blue eyes opened.
After eight thousand years he could feel magic again, he could manipulate it.
For the first time in eight thousand years he felt powerful.
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News came to them at the earliest by Varys. Jon Arryn was dead. The entire realm thought him to be dead of old age but only a select few knew the truth. He was killed by his own wife. Working with Peter Baelish she had killed her own husband; she did this all for a man who lusted after her sister.
Jon's death had many repercussions, Robert blinded with his love for the Starks asked Ned to be his hand but Ned refused saying he would like to go back North soon and that he thought himself a woefully inept replacement for Jon's post. The real reason for the refusal being that Ned did not want to be the part of the Lannister and Baratheon brigade when the Targaryens would come with their dragons to Kings Landing.
With Ned's refusal the only one who could be hand was the Queen's own father and Targaryen enemy number one Tywin Lannister.
As soon as Tywin took the office of the hand Ned sent Robb back to Winterfell while Jon sent many of his Wolf Guards to the capital for his uncle's protection.
Things were moving quickly in Westeros. Wherever one looked they could see the fragile peace ready to be tearing at the seams.
Lysa Tully had fled to Vale and sealed the Eyrie from everyone after her husband's funeral. The Tyrell's and Martells had cautiously begun their preparations for war. Stockpiling food, repairing armor and fortifying major holdings had begun both in the Reach and the Dorne.
Meanwhile the Lannisters were not idle. Seeing the political climate of the continent they had started their own schemes as well. A major shock came when news reached that Hoster Tully had married his only son and heir Edmure Tully to the daughter of Tywin Lannister's brother Kevan's only daughter Joslyn Lannister.
With that all hopes that the River Lords would be at least neutral were snuffed. Tully's would now support the family of their good daughter who would bear the future heir of the house over the son of the sister of the husband of a Tully daughter.
It wasn't just the Tully's the Lannisters had ensnared in their quest of gaining political alliances.
Lannisters were marrying their children left and right to gain the right advantage. The son of Antario Jast and Lanna Lannister betrothed to a Frey gave them the biggest advantage; the Frey's controlled the single largest passage to the North. They could hold off if not completely stop northern armies if needed.
With the rebuilding of Moat Cailin the North was now a force to be reckoned with.
The Lannisters had managed to gain smarter if not stronger allies.
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Tywin Lannister had the complete control of Westeros now. From the window of the hand's tower he could see the vast lands. All the seven kingdoms were ruled from this very room. He had the power. House Lannister was finally on the top.
Robert was a foolish King, he whored and drank. He never took any interest in anything that required him being sober, even the presence of his best friend in the capital was not enough for him to mend his whoring drunk ways. Seeing his best friend as a sorry excuse for the king of the seven kingdoms, the Warden of the North had begun to distance himself from him.
Initially Tywin had worried that Stark's close friendship with the king would mean that he would have a greater voice in the council but to his surprise Stark appeared to be free of all power hungry vices.
He did his work and did it pretty well; he never complained or made any irrational demands. Under his rule as the Master of law crime had gone down even the condition of Flee Bottom had improved. All criminals were either sent to the wall or made to do mandatory labor work depending on the crime. The people who begged for alms were encouraged to move to the North, either in Wintertown or in Griffin Hollow; there opportunity of finding work was higher.
But the problem was always was his children; his daughter was the biggest idiot. Staying in the capital for long Tywin finally saw the truth.
Cersei's sons were not Robert's. In the hidden shelf of the hand's tower Tywin found Jon Arryn's notes. He had discovered the truth. Joffery and Lann were pure Lannister. The only true born Baratheon was betrothed to a prince of another kingdom.
Thankfully her children were not Jaime's as Arryn had earlier suspected but Lancel's. Tywin could not imagine what would have happened to his eldest son had the truth ever came out.
He knew he was selfish but all he could think of now was damage control. None of the major houses had daughters eligible he could marry his grandson Joffery to. Eldest female Stark was betrothed to a Tyrell and the younger was too wild for his tastes. Tyrell and Martell females were older than Joffery and he knew that would not go well with his grandson and his good son.
The best match that came to his mind was the Shireen Baratheon, the only child and heir of Stannis Baratheon. She had made a miraculous recovery from greyscale thanks to the Gryffindors and their foreign healers. He knew it would be a hard sell but through her they could reclaim the Stormlands.
Tywin knew he had his work cut out for him. Something was coming; he could feel it in his bones. Something unpredictable and terrible was headed their way but he would be prepared. He was a man who led men into battle and wins every single time and he will make plans and plans for battles are won in a general's tent and he thought himself to be the greatest general in all of Westeros.
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Cassana could not believe the words that were written in the letter. Her mother had for the first time in moons had sent a letter in which she not insulted the Gryffindor royal family, she asked Cassana to break her betrothal with Dudley and to come back to Kings Landing. She had ranted about how grandfather Tywin was making Joffery marry Shireen Baratheon and how she felt the marriage between her and Dudley was beneath house Lannister as the Gryffindor family had no real nobility ties.
Cassana was furious with her mother. For the first time in years had Cersei had made an attempt to talk to her only daughter but then she did not have anything nice to say. Her mother had always liked her brothers better than her; Joffery had always claimed all of their mother's love. When she was younger she could feel her father loved her but that feeling too disappeared as she grew up.
Flashback
A seven year old Cassana was walking around the castle with her guard following her. She was looking forward to see her father after the long hunt he had.
The King's solar was dark with all the drapes shut. Her father was not there. Cassana hid under the table and waited to surprise him.
The little girl waited till she fell asleep, a loud crashing sound woke her up. She could screams. Her parents were fighting.
Mother and father were shouting.
'I wish you had died on your hunt.' Mother screamed.
'Shut up you shrew. If was not for your father's gold I would have set you aside years ago. I would have sent you and your children to the bloody Rock till I was dead and then Joffery could rule and before that I would have sold Cassana for some more gold to another wealthy house, maybe the Tyrells would like a royal in their family.'
'You will sell our daughter? Do you have no shame or love for your children?'
'I have no love for anyone anymore. All the love I could ever feel died with Lyanna and any children I could love I don't have. It is true Cassana has my mother's name and Baratheon looks but I would have loved her if she had brown hair and grey eyes, my Lyanna's eyes.'
'You would rather whine over imaginary children with that Northern whore Stark than even consider my request for a tourney for your son's fifth nameday.'
There was a sickening sound of a slap that echoed through the room. Seeing her father hit her mother made Cassana sick to her core.
'Cassana did not have a fifth nameday tourney why should Joffery have it.'
'Cassana is just a girl as you say all she would be of use to you is that you can marry her to a wealthy house but Joffery is the Crown Prince of the seven kingdoms. People should know about him. He will have that tourney because I say so and if I have to I will fund it myself you can rot here and drink yourself to death for all I care.'
With that both her mother and father exited the king's solar leaving behind a traumatized seven year old girl who just felt like her whole world had crashed.
Flashback ends.
That day tore off the rose colored glasses the princess of Westeros had on her. That day she knew that she was a means to an end for her parents. The little girl then grew quiet and started to fade away from everyone else and what was worse was that her parents never even realized that. The only people she talked to were her uncles.
The day she was betrothed to a foreign prince was best day of her life. Finally she was her own person; no one took her for granted here. She had real friends in Rayne, Danny and Draco. Her relation with Dudley was great, the two of them were closer and she was confident they would be in love sooner than later.
That was probably she was shocked by the letter. Cassana knew that her father and grandfather would not see the betrothal be broken so the only thing to do was to pre pone the wedding.
With a final breath Cassana straightened her shoulder, head held high made her way to Sirius's solar to tell him her decision.
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Preparations for the royal wedding were in full swing. After Sirius and Visenya's wedding the high ranking members of the Myr court were eager to see the first wedding of the first children.
Invitations had been sent to all the major houses of Westeros and the all the high ranking officials of the nine major cities of Essos and beyond.
The entire royal family of Westeros was coming to Myr for the wedding along with all of Cassana's Baratheon and Lannister relatives. The royal house of Myr was sparkling like a diamond under the warm sun as a fleet of ships reached near the port. The Starks and Tyrells had made journey in one of Jon's pinnacle ships which was by far one of the largest ships ever made and the most luxurious. When Jon had arrived at the port to pick his uncle and the Tyrell's for the journey the looks on the faces of all were a sight to behold. Cersei's face turned as red as the dress she was wearing all the while Tywin had a subtle frown on his face indicating his indignation.
Jon knew he had to be careful of him. Being the Lord Moat Cailin he had the largest amount of lands under him. He was the Lord of two of the four most populous cities in Westeros along with Kings Landing and Lannisport. His port saw the most trade in Westeros. And that he had control of mines that produced not only precious stones but gold and silver too ought to have made Tywin Lannister stew over. Jon was proud of what he had achieved but his rise to power was not well received by many not in the least my Catelyn Stark.
She had always been resentful of the fact that a great keep like Moat Cailin and its lands were given to Jon when she had two more sons who would need keeps of their own one day. She never let a moment to go by to make feel Jon unworthy of his Lordship.
Jon did not let her anger deter him, he along with his uncle had begun the funding and building of Queenscrown for a castle to be held by one of the younger Stark boys.
Also the death of Barbrey Dustin had left the seat of Barrowlands empty and such that had come under the rule of the Lord Paramount, the Starks.
There they were building another port which focus the trade on the western shore and also would carry armed naval ships that could fend of pirates and Ironborn.
Even though Catelyn was jealous of Jon's success she had no qualms in traveling in his luxurious ships but that did not stop her from having a sour look on her face which was shared by her father and brother as they saw the awe inspiring ship, all they could think was that this all could have belonged to someone of their blood.
When the Westerosi nobles reached the capital of Essos, Myr they were shocked. There was no lingering smell of shit in the air, the air was crisp and clean. The royal keep aptly named as the Crystal Dome was a sight to behold. It had huge floor to ceiling glass windows that gave the illusion that it was made entirely out of glass. The castle was glowing under the warm sun. Tall banners flowed in the air.
Cersei was jealous. Growing up as the only daughter of the richest man in Westeros she had not want for anything. Anything she desired she had. But seeing this new kingdom made her stomach roll with jealousy.
Oh how she had wished her daughter would have taken her advice and come home but no she had went ahead and set a wedding date. Now she was lost to her. Now she would marry and become a princess of another country and have her own family. She would not care about what happens in Westeros or to her brothers. She had never been close to her brothers and now she never would be.
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Tywin was a shrewd man. As soon as Myr came in front of his eyes he began thinking. What of this foreign king wants to turn his eyes to Westeros? He has two sons, a kingdom for both of them should be his goal Tywin did not believe in the altruistic nature of men, he would be cautious and assess the situation.
Meanwhile in Rayne and Jon were having their own private reunion. Traveling with a large number of nobles meant Jon had to remain on the ship during the journey and such they had been apart for weeks.
Lost in their desire for each other they explored the curves and dips of eachother's bodies. Rayne had her hands in Jon's hair while Jon had managed to unlace her dress.
The young couple was lost in each other as they laid on the bed; it was then that Sirius and Severus entered the room.