Elia POV

She dreamt a memory that felt ancient yet, was not. She was back in her chambers and it was the hour of the wolf. She was in her chamber and before knelt Rhaegar with his hand clasping her own hand.

Rhaegar begged on his knees, "Please Elia, I beg this single favor of you. I shall never ask anything else of you. Grant me your consent to take Lyanna Stark as a second wife".

She had said, "Why? So, can you disinherit our children and shame me further"?

Rhaegar with a sad apologetic look said, " Never. The line of succession will stand. To dishonor you was never my intention. I had to honor her in some way. She deserved that crown of blue winter roses as she could not claim a different prize without putting herself even more in danger, my father would have had her burned if he had known".

Elia had been stunned into silence by that and asked, "What do you mean"?

Rhaegar sighed and said, "That mystery knight with the laughing weirwood was Lyanna. She had taken a place in the lists to defend one of her friend's honor as the squires of those knights had attacked Lyanna's friend for merely being a crannogman. He was even the heir to Greywater Watch, but that had not mattered to them. She drove them off with a tourney sword and tended to Lord Reed's wounds. After she had learned who they were and that due to being a crannogman was not skilled at the joust, she became a mystery knight to avenge his honor. When my father ordered the arrest of the mystery knight, I had managed to find her as she was removing her armor before a weirwood". A smile broke out on his face as he said, "She pulled a knife on me and refused any aid let alone come with me, unless I swore before the weirwood that I would not take her to my father. It was the easiest oath I ever swore as I had never intended to bring her before my father. That was the moment that I had fallen in love with her. So when I won the tourney, I had to honor her in some way, so I did. I am sorry for the insult to you".

Elia said, "At least I know that it was more than just because you had desired her. But why must you marry her?"

Rhaegar said, "Lyanna would never consent to lay with anyone she has not pledged herself to in front of a heart tree. While a sept works just fine for me, I am of the same mind. I will father no bastards nor take any mistresses, I shall have only wives that I have pledged myself to before the eyes of gods and men".

She said, "Viserys the First never fathered a bastard as well, but the Dance still happened. Love and honor is all well and good, but what of your children by her? Won't her sons feel like they deserve the throne as you favored her more"?

Rhaegar had looked hurt by those words and said, "I believe that my first child by Lyanna will be a girl and when she is old enough I will have Visenya marry Aegon when they reach their age of majority. Any son by Lyanna will be raised as a true brother to Aegon and they will be like Prince Ameon and Prince Baelon, no brothers closer or truer save for twins. That is my promise on how I will raise the children. If you wish me to swear a holy vow, then I shall". He moved to grab a copy of the Seven Pointed Star and vowed, " I Rhaegar of House Targaryen, Prince of Dragonstone, a sworn knight, and heir to the Iron Throne. Do hereby swear that my children by my first wife, the Princess Elia of House Nymeros-Martell will have their rights on inheritance protected as my trueborn children. Any children I have by Lyanna of House Stark, my soon to be second wife, will be raised as full siblings to their elders and I will not allow any dislike or jealousy to arise".

Elia thought to herself, "He is as drunk on love and his prophecy as lesser men are on wine".

She looked at his dark indigo eyes and his beautiful face and found that she could not refuse him. He rarely opened his heart to her and only had twice before had, which had been when she learned she was with child and he spoke of the prophecies that he had read and the visions that he had dreamed.

Elia said with a small smile, "So you have already decided on Viseyna then"?

Rhaegar said, "Yes, I have".

Elia finished, "Very well, you may take Lyanna as your second wife. You have my consent and I shall have Ashara take the letter to Doran. I suggest you write one as well to reassure him. Doran will relent, but Oberyn may still be very wroth with you. I would suggest having multiple food tasters if ever returns".

Rhaegar moved to kiss her on her forehead and said, "I shall and thank you".

The dream faded as Elia felt pain all over her body. Even the tiniest of movements hurt. She forced herself to move though. The last thing she remembered was Ser Gregor bursting into her room and she found she could not remember what happened next.

She sat up on her bed and looked around and saw that she was not in her chambers but in the chamber of the Grand Maester. Then she saw her little girl with her head lying on the bed and fast asleep. She placed her still weak hand on her sweet daughter.

The touch must have awakened her as Rhaenys awoke and began crying tears of joy and yelling too loud for the pain in her head, but it warmed her heart all the same.

The rest was a blur as the Grand Maester and Ser Jaime came in to investigate the commotion.

It was the next day before she felt strong enough to ask for information from Ser Jaime. Her heart broke at being told by Ser Jaime that her sweet baby boy had been murdered by one of his father's landed knights. She thanked him though for saving her daughter and her from Tywin's men. The last thing he told her, she could scarcely believe. Lyanna did not have a daughter like Rhaegar believed, but a son. A son who she proclaimed King and she had called for a Great Council to confirm it. Did Rhaegar not tell her? Or did Rhaegar break his oath and wanted a son by Lyanna to come before Rhaenys. Rhaenys was the boy's elder, surely she should be queen. Afterall, Rhaegar had promised to protect the rights of their children, not just Aegon's.

Doran POV:

The letter he had received from Starfall had infuriated him, despite his calm and pensive deamour. Why should Lyanna Stark's son be king when Elia's son was dead, why should he be king when Rhaenys was his elder.

Rhaegar's damned letter even assured him that his children by Elia will have their rights protected and Aegon shall be king after him. Now Lyanna Stark was trying to have her son usurp Rhaenys.

He had been brooding on the letter from Rhaegar and from Lyanna for days and contemplated the implications of each for weeks. He had even gone so far to send a letter to Oberyn asking for advice, but not recalling him. As he sat there contemplating his next step, Maester Colette arrived and said, "My Prince, your brother Prince Oberyn has returned from Essos".

Doran said, "Send him to me, I have need of him".

Colette said, "As you command my prince".

Doran waited for a few minutes before Oberyn arrived in his solar.

Oberyn said, "Greetings, brother. I have missed you dearly".

Doran said, "Your return is dangerous, Lord Yronwood will be wroth if he hears of your return".

Oberyn said, "If? Dear brother, if"?

Doran said, "You did not return just to test the limits of my love for your brother".

Oberyn said, "No, I heard about what happened in King's Landing and your letter, though the rumors spread faster that Rhaegar got a child on the Stark girl. It seems like we have another Blackfyre Rebel, brother".

Doran said, "Not a Blackfyre, a Targaryen. Rhaegar took Lyanna Stark as a second wife, as Aegon the Dragon did to his younger Rhaenys, though he did so in a Northern ceremony on the Isle of Faces. Or so the letters tell me".

Oberyn said, "Letters?"

Doran replied, "Yes, Rhaegar had sent me a letter with one from Elia via Lady Ashara as she returned to Dorne. Though it seems the Daynes have thrown their support behind Lyanna Stark's son. As the letter that came from Lyana Stark announcing the birth of her son and circumstances of their wedding and disappearance came from Starfall".

Oberyn said, "Truth be told the Daynes were too much like the rest of Westeros for my taste. Regardless we can use the fact that while it was never explicitly banned under the doctrine of Exceptionalism, the Faith will not likely support the taking of more than one wife, especially marrying an old gods worshiping Northerner like a Stark before a heart tree. Though I will admit it will be hard to argue that a daughter should come before a son to those North of the Red Mountains".

Doran smiled and said as he handed a letter to Oberyn, "Not as difficult as you may believe, Rhaegar wrote in his letter that the order of succession will stand with Aegon becoming king after him, and the rights of his children by Elia will be protected".

Oberyn smiled after reading the letter and said, "So Rhaenys comes before the Stark girl's son. It seems that Rhaegar was so drunk on love that he didn't specify if the child by his Stark girl was a boy would come before Rhaenys".

Doran said, "One of her namesakes was the Queen who never was, but this time, she will be the Queen".

Author's note:

Sorry about this one being short, it was harder than expected to write Martells. Next chapter will feature another Stannis POV and some King's Landing stuff.