A/N: Great news! In the process of getting a book published, an original work. But rest assured. This will be updated regularly.

Daenerys walked along the bridge in Volantis before she, Jon, and Rhaenys arrived at the Black Wall of the city. All along the way, soldiers of the Jade Company, Company of the Rose, Wolf Pack, the Golden Company, the Unsullied, the freedmen, the Dothraki, and others lined the way, watching as their rulers secured the final victory over the tiger party of Volantis. In front of them was Ghost and Grey Wind, their heads up high as they basked in the attention and glory that were also given to them. Robb, Benjen, Arya, Gendry, the Hound, Ser Davos Seaworth, Prince Kaijin, and her cousin Shireen Baratheon were behind them, marking the unity that had won them the battle. Meanwhile, Drogon, Meleys, Rhaegel, and Viserion flew above Volantis, screeching and roaring for their riders in pride.

Daenerys first visited the red temple to see her cousin Shireen Baratheon, since they were related to each other by courtesy their common ancestor Aegon the Fifth of His Name, or the Unlikely.

Shireen hid behind Ser Davos, afraid of what they would say to her.

"Please understand, Queen Daenerys," Davos addressed her. "She has every right to be afraid of you, given what her father tried to do and what her uncle. She has nothing to do with them."

"I know. I merely want to know my blood, as she is exactly that," Daenerys assured him. "Don't be afraid. I have no wish to hurt you."

Shireen slowly showed herself from behind Ser Davos, but she kept her eyes on the ground. Daenerys could see that she had greyscale, which she was made aware of prior, and that she was still coming to terms with the death of both of her parents.

"Please. You were not alive during the Rebellion. Why would I hate someone who did nothing wrong to our family?" Daenerys asked her. Shireen was still afraid, but she raised her eyes at her.

"What will you do to me?" she asked, clearly frightened.

"We are not going to do anything to you." Jon also said. "You will be safe under our care, and we will protect you."

Daenerys had discussed that earlier with him. Rhaenys was skeptical, given that she only knew of Stannis from when he helped his brother take the throne from their family, but she was persuaded into not hurting Shireen.

"What happens now?" Ser Davos asked, protectiveness over Shireen very clear.

"Nothing. If you want to stay in Volantis, you can. If not, you can come home with us."

"To whom will I go back to? Both my mother and father are dead."

Daenerys exhaled. She knew exactly what she felt, but she had to stop her from feeling alone. "You are not alone, Shireen. You have Gendry, your cousin, with you. And you will be able to have the life that everyone your age should have. And you have Ser Davos with you. He protected you so far, so he will protect you still if not us."

Daenerys wanted to include Shireen in the procession towards the hall of the triarchs, where they would usually discharge their duties and run elections. It was to show to the world that the blood of the dragon was one and united, and that they would not split apart again.

At the gate of the Black Wall of Volantis, there stood Jaenyra Vhassar. She was the first to return to the city, ahead of the other members of the Old Blood who were aligned with the elephants and were wise enough to leave the city before the rebellion and the seizure of the city took place. She bowed her head to them.

"House Targaryen, I bid you welcome here. Volantis is at your command."

"Thank you, Lady Jaenyra. You have done us much good work," Daenerys accepted. "Has everything been ready at the hall of the triarchs?"

"Yes, my queen. They are waiting."

Upon realizing that Malaquo and thus Varys had no more use once Volantis had been taken, it would only be fitting for them to have a trial. It would be a special convening, as Kinvara would act as the judge. The red temple had grown in terms of influence and Jaenyra realized that she had to include them in some manner in order to both appease the followers of Rh'llor and prevent the slaves from getting too restless.

The local leaders of the slaves, curious onlookers from the other Free Cities, and the some of the rest of the army had already filled the hall. This should be the end of everything. No more Maegyrs and the beginning of the end of slavery here in this city, she told herself.

"Bring the prisoners forward!" Kinvara commanded.

The former triarch of Volantis and the former Master of Whisperers were pulled forward by their chains. Everyone wanted to see both gone, as they remained threats if they were alive. And the only way to really signal to the inhabitants of Volantis that everything has changed was to kill them.

"Malaquo Maegyr, you have been charged with the crimes of murder, corruption, and conduct unbecoming of a triarch. How do you plead?" Kinvara asked.

The former tiger triarch of Volantis stood defiantly. Despite being weakened from his imprisonment and from old age, he was still as firm as he was when he first gained power.

"This court is a sham. This trial is a joke," Malaquo told them. "Every one of you has an agenda against me. All of you here, have fought against me. If you want to kill me… at least have the courage to just get it over with. I am quite bored, and I await my final fate at your hands. I have lost the battle, and I will accept the consequences. The question is, are you ready to handle the world that will change with my death?"

"And what world do you speak of, Maegyr?" Jaenyra asked him venomously.

"A world where slavery no longer exists. Where the ones who were formerly bonded now must take responsibility for their own safekeeping, for their food, for their own destinies. Do they even have an idea on what that means?" Malaquo asked them all. "These slaves that you so love," he turned his gaze to Daenerys. "You really believe that after spending generations in chains, they are ready to make their own decisions, without guidance?"

"They will have guidance," Daenerys corrected him. "But determining their fates while they are chained is not a world that I want to continue to uphold. As you can see, the Unsullied and my friend Missandei are examples of those who can do great things without wearing irons around their necks or their limbs."

Missandei and Grey Worm both remained stoic, but they were touched by Daenerys defending them.

"The Unsullied and your slave companion, are only the exceptions rather than what would be normal. Did you not have a few slaves at the least beg you to return them in chains when they were starving? Who's going to feed them? Do you really think that they can take care of themselves as well as their masters had done?" Malaquo spat.

Daenerys glared at him. "You are right, in that I did have slaves who wished to return to bondage. But they saw the truth in what I was doing. And you think that keeping them enslaved was out of the goodness of your heart. The only problem is, I have talked to Robb Stark, who was married to your niece Talisa. It seems that you did not cry for her death, even though she was blood. Do you even have a heart?"

Malaquo trembled in rage. "Do not talk as if you know me."

"She does not know you, but she does not need to," Robb bit at him. "Quite frankly, I never heard bigger bullshit come from your mouth than your implication that you were keeping slaves out of the goodness of your heart. You have no heart, which says much about the rest of your kind."

"My kind?" Malaquo asked with offense.

"Your kind, that became rich off the back of so many others like Missandei and the Unsullied and those before them," Daenerys told him. "But no more. And we have digressed very much, as you have not pleaded whether you are guilty or innocent of the charges presented."

"She is right, former triarch," Kinvara told him. "How do you plead?"

"If that is the choice…" Malaquo kept his head up higher. "Then I plead guilty."

"So, it is settled," Kinvara declared. "Malaquo Maegyr, you have pleaded guilty to the charges of murder, corruption, and conduct unbecoming of a triarch. The punishment shall be… death by beheading."

Robb stepped forward. "I volunteer to do that. He is my former's wife's uncle and as much as it sickens me, he is my family. It is only proper that I send him to his death, like the First Men."

Jon nodded with approval, as did Arya, Benjen, and the officers of the Company of the Rose and the Wolf Pack.

"Your request is granted," Kinvara accepted. "Now, we come to the charges of Lord Varys Blackfyre. Among the many charges laid against you, you are charged with high treason against the rightful rulers of Westeros, House Targaryen. How do you plead?"

Varys spat on the ground. The once calm demeanor of the former Master of Whisperers and the last descendant of the Blackfyres had now been replaced by that belonging to a man who had lost everything and therefore had nothing more to gain. His eyes were red, dark circles were around them, and he had a more hunchback posture than before to reflect his twisted nature.

"Fuck off." Varys no longer cared about speaking properly, which only caused his guard to strike him in the buttocks. This caused cheers among the onlookers.

"The accused will give the respect due to these proceedings by speaking properly," Kinvara ordered him. "How do you plead?"

"Kiss my eunuch ass!" The guard hit him in the belly, and he was only prevented from getting on his knees by the guard holding him up.

"Answer your charges, or we will also consider them as your admission to guilt," Kinvara told him straight. Varys remained silent. "Then in that case, you have been found guilty. Both you and Malaquo Maegyr are to be sentenced to death, by beheading."

They were quickly brought to the execution block, which was waiting outside the hall and for all the formerly enslaved to witness. Malaquo was the first to be brought forward.

"Any last words?" Robb asked as he unsheathed Ice.

"Good luck in the new world. Let us see how long you last, especially since you have only just tasted my niece for a little bit." Even near death, Malaquo had to talk about Robb's dead wife in that manner.

Robb, to his credit, was calm, while he brought Ice down and his head rolled.

As for Jon, he unsheathed Longclaw. They decided that they were not going to give Varys the honor of dragonfire, for that privilege was lost when he tried to mask his nephew as Aegon.

"Any last words?" Jon asked.

"Fuck you, and your dragon whores!" To the end, Varys was defiant.

"All right." Jon wasted no time, as Longclaw was brought down and thus ending the colorful life of Varys Blackfyre. Everyone cheered, as the slaves saw the leader of their pain be killed while everyone from Westerosi backgrounds saw the end of the great schemer.

Jon had to go inspect the troops with Robb, so he wasn't there with her. Upon reaching their chambers inside the former Maegyr manse, Daenerys felt nauseous and Rhaenys was quick to get her a pot, of which she emptied her insides into it.

"Daenerys, what's wrong?" Rhaenys asked after she and Arya closed the door behind them.

"I don't know," Daenerys answered. But seeing their faces, she became afraid.

"Daenerys, what's going on?" Rhaenys asked her.

"What are you talking about?"

"How long has it been going on?" she pressed.

"Rhaenys, you are not being very clear. Tell me what you are talking about," Daenerys told her.

"Your Grace, can you please stand straight?" Arya asked. Daenerys did so and Arya went to her and squeezed her breast hard.

"Arya, what are you doing?" Daenerys recoiled.

"Daenerys," Rhaenys crossed her arms. "We all know the signs of pregnancy, and you have them."

"What signs?" Daenerys knew them, but she wanted to know how they knew.

"You just threw up, and you are pissing more than before," Arya told her. "And you have been struggling to walk straight, and you are not a drinker."

Now that she thought about it, she did notice that she was relieving herself a little too often as of late. "It can't be."

Rhaenys smiled as did Arya. "A child! She's pregnant."

Daenerys felt herself in a blur. She never expected to carry again after Rhaego, but here it was.

"I guess all that fucking did do something in the end, huh?" Arya cracked.

"Very funny," Daenerys humored her. And then she cried, with Rhaenys and Arya comforting her. "A child… it's happening."

"I'm going to be an aunt. Both me and Arya," Rhaenys said. She grew to trust Arya long ago, so she called her by her name.

And Daenerys spent the next few moments releasing tears of joy. Wherever you are, muña, you are to be a grandmother. I only wish you were here.

She thought back on the witch said. Mirri Maz Duur's words were still clear as day: "When the sun rises in the west and sets in the east, when the seas go dry and mountains blow in the wind like leaves, when your womb quickens again, and you bear a living child."

You bitch. You made me go through the hells because of your words. Wherever you are, I hope you will soon learn that your words of prophecy have no more meaning anymore. And you did not know that we were blessed by the divine, from the red comet itself, and that I was not alone. Both Jon and Rhaenys are with me now. I am not the last dragon, nor will I be ever. You have no more power over me, anymore.

They wait for Jon to return, which fortunately did not take long for them. He and Ghost, who had now grown to the size of a large pony, both looked very fearsome as they were when they first showed their potential to the world.

Jon noticed their faces, while Ghost moved to Daenerys and sniffed her belly before snuggling it against it. "What happened?"

"Jon, your wife is pregnant!" Arya squealed.

His eyes widened while he looked at Ghost. "Boy, is that—"

"He must sense the wolf in our child, as much as it is a dragon," Daenerys was beyond happy as she moved over to Jon and kissed him deeply. "I thought I could not have children again, but it happened. And you are going to be a father."

Jon finally got on his knees, the entire thing overwhelming him. Daenerys went down on the floor with him while Rhaenys, Arya, and Ghost went around him.

"A child…" he could only say.

"Yes, my love. A child. Our babe."

"And my nephew," Rhaenys said with pride.

"Why is it a boy? It could be a girl," Arya told her. "I want another Visenya to be born."

"As much as I would like another great warrior like Visenya to return to the world," Rhaenys said. "We have to be practical. A son would reassure to the world that House Targaryen would continue to be strong."

"How about I give birth to both?" Daenerys shrugged.

"All the better," Arya hugged both Daenerys and Jon while Ghost licked their faces.

"Should we announce it?" Jon asked.

"Why not?" Daenerys accepted.

Everyone throughout the city cheered. Robb, Benjen, Mingyu, Missandei, and even Jaenyra congratulated them, with the family and Missandei boasting on what they would do when her child was born. Robb thought about getting a direwolf pup from beyond the Wall, Benjen promised make a warm coat for him or her, Mingyu talked about how she would train the child to be a good fighter, and Missandei considered teaching the child how to speak in many tongues.

As for Ser Jorah Mormont, he was more hesitant to give congratulations.

"Why are you worried, Ser Jorah?" Daenerys asked.

"It's just that… I am happy that you are happy, but I wonder if you—"

"If I what?"

Ser Jorah took a moment to gather his thoughts. "Be able to carry full term."

Daenerys became firmer in tone. "I will. It will not be like with Drogo. I finally found someone who can be the best father that I can ask for my child, and I plan for this to be only the first of many. The question that I want to ask you is, will you be by my side after everything?"

"You know I will," Ser Jorah promised.

"Good. But remember this. Betray me again, and I won't be so merciful. Consider my debt to you cleared after I saved your life."

Daenerys had to show to him that he was now just another subject, just esteemed above many others because of their history. And that his actions would have consequences. Perhaps he forgot what consequences were.

But now, she was going to celebrate the end of her pain, the final traces of it being swept away.

Sansa walked with her betrothed Harrold Hardyng as they inspected the fortifications of Moat Cailin. The crannogmen who manned them gave the respect that was due, and she returned that after they had performed admirably against the first of the Frey forces. No crannogmen was killed while at least one thousand Frey bannermen lay dead, their bodies stripped of anything that could be used such as boots, swords, surcoats, and hats. And Howland Reed gave the order to kill any Frey wounded, as they simply did not have the resources and the time the was necessary to keep watch over them.

"My lady," Howland Reed ran up to her after he drowned a Frey bannermen who was bleeding out. "They will be back, and in greater numbers. We have to be prepared for that."

"Of course, Lord Howland. I leave the organizing of Moat Cailin's defense up to you." Sansa trusted him completely by now, and thus began to wonder if she had learned to rely on him early on.

"I have to admit, my lord. I did not have much opinion of your people, since I never saw crannogmen on the same level as the knights of the Vale." Harrold was being impertinent, causing Sansa to almost grab his arm and scold him. "But seeing as how you overcame such long odds… I wonder if how one fights does not matter as long as the enemy is dead."

Howland did not appreciate Harrold Hardyng's dim view of his people, but he knew to be polite since the Vale garrison at Moat Cailin gave them an extra layer of defense. "Well, we all have our presumptions, Ser Harrold. Perhaps this battle and the ones that follow will do much to end any more that you have towards us and the North."

Harrold walked up closely to Howland, as if to size him up. Which Sansa had to admit looked pathetic given that Harrold was still practically a boy while Howland had seen it all, from assisting her father at the Tower of Joy to the current conflicts to free the North from the clutches of House Bolton.

Howland recognized that and saw how foolish Harrold was being, causing him to give him a stare that Sansa saw in older men trying to teach younger boys a lesson. "What are you doing?"

Harrold was caught off guard by that question. "I beg your pardon?"

"Why are you in my face? I might be a crannogman, but I am more than a head taller than you in terms of experience and leadership. Whereas you… still have much to learn when it comes to what is necessary to lead."

"I have led men plenty of times, my lord. I am not afraid when it comes to leading them to their certain deaths if necessary," Harrold tried to portray his confidence.

Howland was even more unimpressed. "That's the difference between you and me. A good leader always is prepared for the deaths of the men under his command, but his priority is to ensure that they come back alive, as much as they can. And this comes from a practical place. If you were willing to sacrifice your men without regard to their lives, you will end up losing all of them. A lord's power is partly laid in how many men he can command call upon, and being callous with their lives will merely weaken him."

"The smallfolk can simply breed again. They can multiply like rabbits," Harrold said.

"That is not the case for us northerners, who had to live in more limited conditions and had to go without for many instances. And we crannogmen have to stick together, because when the hammer falls… each other is all we'll have. Who will you have when the hard and important times come your way? You certainly cannot rely on your bannermen since they respect your power, but not yourself."

Harrold gulped. He knew that Lord Howland was telling the truth, as he was only considered important because the current Lord Arryn, Sansa's cousin, had no children and was also not considered a serious threat largely because of the coddling from Lysa. And now, he was facing one who was not afraid to speak his mind.

"Lord Howland, perhaps you can take us to the weirwood in Moat Cailin. I very much would like to see it," Sansa intervened.

"Of course. Follow me."

The weirwood located outside the largest tower of Moat Cailin was not that different from the one in Winterfell, except for the size. There was no weirwood that she had seen that could be bigger than the one that she grew up spending some time under the shade.

But there was something different about this one. She felt something in her bones, as she saw her body and her hands come closer to it. As soon as she touched the bark, she was brought into another place that she did not recognize. It was in the morning, contrasting to the dusk that was coming when she saw Howland Reed and Harrold Hardyng size each other up. Looking around, it was nothing but rolling hills covered in green.

Then, she saw someone that she did not expect to see. "Bran!" She ran up to him and hugged him tightly, with both laughing and crying. Sansa was in tears, as this was the first time in a long time that she laid eyes on her brother. "Thank the old gods, you're alive!"

"I haven't died yet, Sansa. I intend for it to stay that way," Bran told her.

Sansa looked at Bran up and down. "By the old gods… you can walk now."

"Not quite. Only in here is my body undamaged by what had happened," Bran told her.

Sansa was confused and looked around. "If that is the case… what is this place?"

"A place where only I and those carrying the blood can see. But as I have the green sight and I can do other things, you're here because of me."

"You… the green sight?" Sansa was shocked at that. She knew what it was, and it didn't dawn on her that her brother could have that ability.

"And much more. You have questions, Sansa, and I have answers. But you must choose what you ask carefully, since I can't spend all day like this. I have to do something important."

"Like what?"

"Trying to get back to you, which is not easy since the Mormonts protect me and I'm on the other side of the North. It's crawling with Bolton men, especially the traitor in Lord Glover."

Sansa sighed. She knew about Lord Glover, and she promised that he would face the consequences if she succeeded in defeating Ramsay Bolton. "First question. How did you get out of the Winterfell?"

"I and Rickon hid in the catacombs of Winterfell, where we hid with Osha and Hodor as the Boltons sacked our home. We were able to find both Summer and Shaggydog on the gates of the godswood, where Maester Luwin also was. He told us to go north to the Gift so that Jon could keep us safe. And Osha put him out of his suffering."

"So… that's how he died." Sansa felt sad for his death. "And you've been running around the Gift until now."

"And getting answers. But as I said, our time in this space is limited. So, ask you questions wisely."

"I only have one more to ask. Did you know… about Jon? Who he really was?"

Sansa still struggled with the truth when she heard it and she needed more confirmation since Bran had the green sight.

"It was hard for me to accept the truth as well," Bran told her. "But our father did what he had to do to keep him safe, all of us safe. And he will soon return, with armies and dragons at his side."

Sansa closed her eyes and dipped her head in shame. "If I could go back in time and take back everything that I did to him, I would. But I can't."

"You might find him more forgiving than you think. He loved you as well, and he never held anything ill against you." Bran rubbed his forehead and groaned, while Sansa moved to keep him standing straight.

"What's wrong?"

"As I said, we don't have much time to talk in this place. And my abilities have been stretched since I am now warging."

"Warging? Into what?" Sansa asked with concern.

"You'll see soon enough."

With that, Sansa was brought back to where she was, laying against the weirwood. But this time, she saw that both Howland and Harrold were surrounded by men in hunter's garments. And there was a man with a thick mustache and his sword unsheathed.

"Ah, you're awake. Good," the man said with glee. "I was wondering when you would come back, especially since you looked terrifying with your eyes rolled back."

"She was communicating with someone, you fucking son of a bitch," Howland cursed at him.

The man's eyes darkened. "I have been called many names, but never a son of a bitch. That, I take offense to, which I was I will have pleasure in killing you slowly."

"But then, I can kill you as well," Harrold challenged him.

"Ah, yes, yes. That is true. Which is why I'm going to hold you back while I kill this swamp rat and then take your balls. As for the girl," the man looked at Sansa with such hunger. "She is coming with me. Apparently, you are need by my lord Ramsay."

Sansa rolled her hands into fists. "You will never take me alive."

"We shall see."

As the man and his group were about to attack them, an orange blur jumped in front of them and bit at the first man, tearing his arm off. Then, a young girl sneaked up behind another of the group and cut his knees before cutting his throat.

Using the distraction given to them, Howland and Harrold both sprang into action. Howland used his knives in a very agile manner, parrying sword thrusts at him before stabbing one up through the mouth and another across his eye. For Harrold, he was like the traditional knight in that he used his sword and arm as one tool and blocked dagger strikes.

However, the man that addressed them was not into playing fair, as he used the distraction to go at Harrold and trip him. Falling to the ground, the man was about to slit his throat before he was set upon the orange blur, dragging him to the ground and biting at him, causing him to scream in pain.

"Father!" the girl yelled as she looked at Howland and ran up to him.

"Meera!" Howland grasped her tightly. "Thank the old gods, you're alive!"

Meera? Sansa thought with surprised.

"But where's Jojen? Why is he not with you?" Howland asked Meera.

"He's still with Brandon. Don't worry. Lady Mormont is keeping both safe."

Howland kissed the top of Meera's head. "Bless you, child. It's been too long. I never should have let you go. I've been worried so long about where you both were."

"Worry not, father. I'm back, and so will Jojen," Meera assured him, as theh spent a moment hugging each other tightly.

Sansa's senses came back, and she saw that the orange blur was Summer. "Summer!" she ran up to him and petted his neck. "It's so good to see you." Summer licked her face, causing her to giggle, while she could see something different about her eyes while wiping away the blood from his mouth. "Bran?" The direwolf's head nodded.

"He's warging. You must be Lady Sansa. Pleased to meet you." Meera looked at both her and Sansa.

"You as well, Lady Meera."

"Don't use that," Meera said with a lack of amusement, which reminded Sansa of Arya in a way.

She scratched Summer's head again before she turned to the man who spoke to her in such a venomous manner. He was on his knees, clutching his mauled arm while Harrold put his sword next to his neck.

"Who are you?" Sansa was blunt.

"Locke. I was promised a thousand more acres and another holdfast if I brought you to Lord Ramsay. He has something planned for you."

"Like what?" Howland spat at him.

"He thinks that given your failed marriage to the shit Joffrey, the only seed that is suitable for you would be Bolton seed, and he's willing to provide that. Of course, drastic measures had to be done to make you come."

"I will never marry him!" Sansa yelled.

"It won't matter. Soon, he will have both you and then your sister once more. Bolton seed will rule the North, and the Stark name will die out," Locke snickered.

Harrold yelled and swung his sword across his neck. "I couldn't hear him talking of my betrothed like that."

Sansa, Howland, and Meera all exchanged a glance while Bran through Summer looked on with a surprised look.

"And is that what a direwolf is?" Harrold was afraid and he pointed his sword at Bran.

Sansa gently gestured him to put the sword down. "He won't harm you, if you don't give him a reason to." She then pulled him in for a hug. "But thank you, for helping to save me."

Sansa had to calm him down and to make him at ease, which worked at Harrold returned the hug. "You're welcome, my lady."

For Sansa, she felt empty for Harrold, but she now knew that she owed Harrold. How do I repay someone for this? She asked herself while seemingly reaching out to the old gods for advice.

Khiara read the most recent report that she received from her agent in the Jade Company. That agent told her that the army was about to make its move on Volantis and that the three dragons, including the Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, were about to envelop the city claiming to be the direct descendant of old Valyria with help from the Dothraki. Khiara set the scroll down and leaned back in her throne, confident. Daeron defeated worse opponents than the Volantene tigers. I would give him a few hours before they surrender to his might.

At present, she was currently in a meeting held among the court officials. It was no longer just the ones who passed the examinations. Everyone who had chosen to side her were still there, while those who were not with her had either been executed, retired, or removed to a backwater post. Sitting upon the phoenix throne, she waited for the Grand Secretary, the new one that she appointed after she removed the previous one from her side, to announce the business of the court.

"Your Augustness, the question of the matter at hand is to discuss the question of your succession," the Grand Secretary told her.

"My succession?" Khiara asked with surprise. "I am not dead."

"You are not, Your Augustness." The Minister of Justice put forth his statement. "However, the issue is of great importance since Prince Kaijin is with the Jade Company, Bu Yujin is dead, and the former Crown Prince took his own life without siring children with his wife. Our worries would not be so abundant if there were collateral lines that that phoenix throne can call upon, but we do not."

"What is your implication, minister? Are you saying that if there were collateral bloodlines from the azure dynasty, you would support them and not me?"

The minister immediately saw her meaning and bowed his head. "I apologize, Your Augustness. I meant no such thing, and I should not have suggested that we would support your wise reign over the lack of experience from a male head of a cadet bloodline."

"Good. That is what I thought."

One of the things that the azure dynasty did not do well was to ensure the survival of its previously numerous cadet bloodlines. The first azure line had forty sons, and their survival lasted for many centuries. Many of the empire's distinguished families had some distant relation to the azure line, but this weakened over time as the centuries passed. Eventually, the seventeenth azure emperor decided that there were too many rivals who shared his blood, and they all posed a threat to him. The first thing that he did was to end their privileges, as all had to be grandchildren of the current emperor to receive incomes and positions, and anything further than that meant that they had to become just another noble branch. That was already damaging, as many of the bloodlines died out either through a lack of sons or their descent being carried by female descendants. After the head of a cadet bloodline organized a revolt against the eighteenth azure emperor, he got the heads of most of the azure cadet lines under one roof and then had assassins kill them. Since then, every azure emperor was hesitant to have many sons, to avoid the situation that plagued the seventeenth and eighteenth azure emperors.

"But in this case, Your Augustness, there has to be a continuation of the dynastic line." Seong Kitara, who she allowed in court, was now making his voice heard. "We cannot have no heir to the phoenix throne, not unless we want more chaos to reign."

"That will not happen on my watch, Prince Seong. And worry not. I will broach the topic of my husband soon enough, but who I will marry will not be determined by you all," Aimei made clear. "I make my own decisions on who I invite to have intimate relations with, and I will make the decision in due time."

"Your Augustness," Seong acknowledged.

That was the topic that most of the court was worried about, more than Wah's tightening control over the merchant communities throughout the empire and the remnants of the former Prime Minister's family being driven underground while she had to worry about the state of the empire's finances being stabilized so that she could be able to pursue her own initiatives. But then, she saw that she could not ignore the very people who helped become empress, because to ignore their worries would mean that she was not going to value their advice. I must avoid that, if I want them to not turn against me ever.

After dismissing the court, she stopped Prince Joon. "Prince Kitara, come walk with me."

The Prime Minister of her empire and the one who changed everything remained by her side, and they walked together through the walkways of the palace.

"How is your wife, Prince Joon?"

"Very well, Your Augustness. She has adjusted splendidly to life in the capital, and she was able to visit her mother and father recently," Joon answered her.

"And I know about your son, but what about your daughters?"

"They also love life in Yin, Your Augustness. Although I am pleased to say that they rather much prefer the quiet and good solitude that was there at Kushiro."

Kushiro was managed by a relative of the Kitara family until Joon was dismissed as Prime Minister. Given his accolades and his position among the court, that was unlikely to happen anytime soon.

"You hear of the progress made by the dragons, the three of them?"

Like her, Prince Joon also heard about the survival of Rhaenys Targaryen. "It is indeed a blessing when there is one more dragonrider that has survived. I personally would have preferred that both this Rhaenys Targaryen and her brother live, but we only have her. That might cause problems in Westeros."

"Why?" Khiara suspected his answers, but she wanted to hear him say them.

"Because Rhaenys Targaryen will need a husband to marry. Now granted, it is not uncommon for Targaryens to marry siblings, and I say this because I do not know if Daeron developed any feelings for her. But if I were Rhaenys Targaryen, I would hesitate to marry outside of the dragonblood."

"Because you would not want the dragonblood to be diluted?" Khiara asked him.

"Not just that, Your Augustness. Having read Westeros' history closely, it is a miracle that the Westerosi were able to remain stable at all given how much of the dragons' married outside of the family. The daughters of Prince Daemon, or the 'Rogue Prince,' married outside of the family. Especially the mother of the dead King Robert, Rhaelle Targaryen, caused problems. Now, granted, that was to appease the stag family after what Prince Duncan Targaryen did, but King Robert being born was what caused the uprising against the Targaryens in the first place."

Khiara nodded. "That is an excellent point you make, Prince Joon."

"So, if I were Daeron, perhaps I practice polygamy for this one instance. Not exactly ideal because there would be competition among his children, but I would rather keep her close and not let anyone else touch her."

Khiara let out a chuckle. "Perhaps he will do that. And regarding that matter with your son Seong and Admiral Okamoto's daughter, come have dinner with me tonight and I shall continue our negotiations."

"Thank you, Your Augustness." It was about the age for Seong to get married, and Admiral Okamoto's family was a good match. And he also has azure descent, given one of his ancestors was the twelfth azure emperor.

She dismissed her staff while she moved to a secluded place in the palace. It was where she would take her afternoon naps. It was also the place where she would release her worries onto whoever she wanted.

For this day, it was her handmaiden, Aimei. She had long suffered under Yujin when she was part of his household. Despite taking pity on her, Khiara never gave warmth without conditions.

Finding her in the secluded room, Khiara pushed her on the floor and pulled up her skirt.

"Be quiet but respond well."

Aimei moaned under Khiara. She pushed her fingers as hard as she could, although jamming her fingers inside her had taken much time.

For Khiara, even doing something like this was an ordeal. She only took pity on Aimei, and only wanted her around as long as it was required to get her feet back up. However, being empress meant that she had privileges and she was going to use them. Father sought control over his concubines, brother sought control over his captain. Why not me?

Aimei sighed as Khiara grasped just below her breasts as he began to speed up her pushing her fingers deeper in. She held onto her body for actual support as her handmaiden began to approach climax. The empress could sense that Aimei thought she would last longer than she thought she would, though she thought it wasn't her best.

"Please," Aimei whimpered.

"What?" asked Khiara, concerned that she was not feeling the things that she was supposed to be feeling.

"More into me. Make me whole again."

She did. And in an instant, she felt her juices flow into her hands.

"Good?" he asked.

"Better than that," her handmaiden replied gleefully. "Breathtaking. Incredible."

"I've heard it all before."

"But it still means the same."

"I know." They rolled around in their leisure, kissing and groping each other whenever she felt like it.

But for Khiara, she felt nothing for her handmaiden while she knew that she was foolish for liking this too much. However, recently, she began to feel things stir inside of her, things that made her… more willing. She never touched another woman intimately, and she was doing that now.

While her handmaiden was distracted, she began to feel her stomach. It was still small enough to not be noticed, but she knew exactly what it was. And she was going to have to hide that fact.

No one is above a dragonrider. But I need to marry soon to hide the fathership.

And she knew exactly who to select. One of her… partners in bed was her captain of the guards, and he came from a good family. He was also easily controlled, so she could simply make a proposition to him.

Remain a guard or be at my side…. He won't waste time thinking about that.

A/N: So, Dany is now pregnant, thus defying the witch's prophecy, while Varys and Malaquo are finally dead.

Sansa is able to talk to Bran again, even if she has still meet him in person, and shows that she is the blood of the wolf after all.

And Khiara is releasing her stress while her condition, need I say to say words on that?