Author's Note: Wow, has it really been almost three years? That is absolutely terrible and I am so sorry! There were a couple of really big changes in my life the past couple years and I guess I just sort of lost my muse. Now that we're at home for the foreseeable future, the writing bug has snuck up on me again and I was able to write this chapter. Hopefully I'm not too rusty. I hope this is a good distraction for everyone and can help take their mind off of what's going on in the world right now.

If you are a nurse, doctor, firefighter, police officer, grocery store employee or any other essential worker during this time, thank you. Thank you for your service and thank you for risking your life while the rest of us sit on our asses on the couch.

I highly suggest re-reading the story before reading this chapter (I know I had to). I also changed a few things in chapter 5. Special thanks to Dannylionthe1st and Darkwolf 76 for helping with this chapter!

Chapter 28: Mereen

Rhaenys couldn't remember ever feeling like this in her entire life. No more secrets pressing against her chest and making it difficult to breathe. No more guilt coursing through her veins and twisting her insides. She stood at the bow of the ship with her eyes closed, enjoying the feel of the salty wind against her face and the sturdy wood beneath her hands. She felt light and happy and free.

Robb's smiling face appeared in her mind's eye, causing the happy bubble in her chest to pop, wither and turn to lead in her stomach. While shedding the weight of her fake persona may have given her this general sense of freedom, she didn't feel quite whole. The cause was obvious – she had left her heart behind with her husband.

A familiar cry disrupted her peace and her brown eyes opened, spotting her white dragon flying high in the sky, almost blending in with the clouds. Gasps and exclamations of awe echoed around her as Meraxes effortlessly flipped and spun through the air before folding her wings against her body and diving down into the water. A small smile crossed Rhaenys' face as Meraxes resurfaced, dripping water droplets as her wings fought to regain altitude.

"You are just loving all this attention, aren't you?" Rhaenys murmured as Meraxes flew over to her and perched on the railing. "My fierce little dragon, a big showoff."

"You would think that they haven't seen her do that almost everyday since we left Lys," Dacey said in a disgruntled voice, coming up next to her and resting her elbows on the railings of the ship.

Rhaenys ran two fingers down the scales on Meraxes' back, taking care of the spikes. She settled back on her haunches, stretching her neck out towards the sun. Rhaenys had kept her promise to her dragon. When they reached Lys, she destroyed the crate so Meraxes would never have to be locked up again. Since then, she had been trying to strengthen the bond between them. She wanted Meraxes to fully comprehend her no matter what she said, so she found herself talking to the dragon in both the Common Tongue and High Valyrian. She talked about everything – her thoughts and feelings, her family, different objects around them, whatever she could think of.

In addition, she recalled a lesson about trust that Obara had taught her many years ago when she first learned how to ride a horse. It was a long time before Obara let her actually get on the horse. They did several trust exercises, first brushing the horse's coat and then slowly running her hands along its body until it was comfortable in her presence. Rhaenys did the same exercise with Meraxes and now, at this point in the journey, she was able to run her fingers down her spine from her head to her tail and even over her outstretched wings.

"Go easy on Jantara's friends," Rhaenys said, chuckling lightly. "We should just be grateful that they're reacting with amazement instead of fear. The captain told me that he felt blessed to be able to have a dragon aboard his ship. Once he learned that she wasn't able to breathe fire yet," she added with amusement. "Though that didn't stop him from having gallons of sea water stored on board just in case."

"I know," Dacey sighed, running a hand over her face. "I suppose I'm just growing tired of constantly being on these ships. I'd give anything to have two feet on solid ground again." She watched Meraxes as she bathed in the sun, her golden eyes half-lidded and a rumbling sound coming from her chest as Rhaenys found a spot just under her jaw. "She grows bigger everyday," she commented, changing the subject.

"She's about the size of a small dog now, wouldn't you say?" Rhaenys asked, feeling proud. "She's like a different dragon when she's not stuck in that crate."

"She's been happier since we escaped that pirate ship," Dacey agreed, sending her a sidelong glance. "You both have."

Rhaenys nodded, a small smile on her face. "I feel like I'm finally learning who I am now that I'm putting my family back together. I have my dragon back and Robb's child is growing inside me - it's all perfect except for…"

"Your surly, smirking asshole of a brother," Dacey finished, shrugging slightly at Rhaenys' raised eyebrow. "Sorry."

"No… you're right," Rhaenys sighed, pulling her hand back as Meraxes stood and stretched out her wings before leaping off the railing and flying off into the setting sun once more. "Aegon didn't want to come with us. When he killed the captain he wasn't left with much of a choice. What if – " She hesitated, feeling uncertain and out of her depth. "What if he resents me for what happened? He killed the man who basically raised him in order to save me – someone that he doesn't even know."

"I take it your attempts to talk to him haven't gone so well?"

Rhaenys gave an unladylike snort and rolled her eyes. "Pretty horribly actually. I've tried so hard to get to know him in the weeks since we left Lys and he's resisted every attempt. I can't seem to break through to him and I don't know what else to do." A gust of wind blew her hair across her face and she impatiently tucked it back behind her ear. "He's been up all hours of the night gambling and drinking with the crew, then sleeping it off all morning. Some days he won't even look at me let alone talk to me. But I'm not his mother, I can't tell him what to do."

"Maybe you just have to give him some time," Dacey suggested gently, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Imagine being secure in your future one moment and then the next moment not knowing what each day will bring."

Rhaenys nodded, taking a deep, steadying breath. "I just… I feel like I've failed him – that his family has failed him. This isn't the life he was supposed to live. He's grown up without a mother or a father or any kind of role model besides an exiled knight and a pirate. He's never had a real home or real friends – Gods, I don't know if he even knows what it feels like to have somebody love him." She swallowed against the lump forming in her throat.

"Rhaenys?" Dacey asked in concern, peering down at her face. "Are you alright?"

"No," Rhaenys muttered, flicking away the stray tear with impatient fingers. "One minute I'm annoyed, the next I'm happy, then I cry for no reason. Half the time I can't tell if I'm hungry or nauseous – it's like I've lost control of my body," she groused, throwing up her hands. She saw Dacey's sympathetic and slightly pitying expression and she sighed yet again. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to complain."

"Don't be silly, I don't think of it as complaining, it's more like venting," she kindly assured her. "I understand that first and foremost you're my queen, but I've begun to feel as if we're also becoming friends. And friends can vent any time they like."

Rhaenys looked up at Dacey, surprise flooding through her as warmth spread through her chest. "I – thank you, Dacey," Rhaenys stuttered, feeling incredibly touched. "I don't have very many friends outside of my family, so your friendship…it really means a lot."

"Your Grace." Both Rhaenys and Dacey turned to see one of the crew standing behind them. He bowed respectfully before speaking. "I hate to trouble you, but we thought you should know… it's your brother."

Again? Rhaenys' facial expression didn't change but on the inside her stomach swooped down to her toes. "Thank you, Zarin. I know the way," Rhaenys murmured, sending him a small smile before turning back to look at Dacey. "Can you find Daemon for me? I'm going to need his help."

"Of course," Dacey nodded, her eyes sympathetic. "Let me know if there's anything else that you need."

Rhaenys took a moment after Dacey jogged off, taking a deep breath and trying to prepare herself for what she knew was waiting for her below deck. It had been the same the last half a dozen times since they'd been on this ship. Every so often, Aegon's drinking and gambling would spiral out of control until he was either picking a fight with one of the crew or passing out in his own puddle of vomit.

When she made her way down the stairs to the room where the crew members occasionally gathered, she found herself facing a mixture of both scenarios. Daemon either had already been present or had beaten her there because when she walked in he had an arm wrapped Aegon's chest as her brother drunkenly struggled to reach a taller, bigger crew member who was smirking and counting coins in his hand. It was still early, thankfully, so there weren't as many men around as usual. Still, she saw the looks of amusement and heard the disapproving mutters echo around the room. Several mugs were strewn across the floor and something wooden was broken into pieces.

Steeling herself, Rhaenys walked forward into the room, putting a hand on her brother's chest and trying to get his attention. "Aegon!" She said in what she hoped was a calming voice. "Aegon, let's go. We'll get you back to the cabin so you can sleep this off – "

"Don't touch me." His words were more of a slur than the snap that he probably meant but Rhaenys still flinched back anyway. He always seemed to grow angrier when he saw her; she didn't know if she would ever get used to the look of rage reflecting out of his purple eyes. "Let me go," he growled, fighting against Daemon as hard as he could in his current state. Daemon gritted his teeth as he struggled to keep his hold on Aegon, but it was only a moment before her brother suddenly bent over and emptied the contents of his stomach. Both Daemon and Rhaenys leapt back in the neck of time.

"We will clean that up," Rhaenys called over her shoulder to the disgruntled crew members as both she and Daemon caught Aegon before he fell over. Rhaenys gripped his wrist, pulling one of his arms around her shoulder as they half carried, half dragged him back to the cabin that they shared.

Both she and Daemon easily fell into the routine that they had developed. Daemon deposited Aegon against the wall where there was already a pile of blankets waiting for him. They learned the hard way that putting him in one of the hammocks was a terrible decision – the last time they did that he nearly suffocated on his own vomit. Rhaenys brought over a clean bucket for him just as he rolled over with a groan and began heaving again. "Go away," he moaned miserably, glaring up at her through a fringe of greasy silver-blonde hair, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "I don't want you here."

"Do you want me to stay with him again?" Daemon asked her quietly, moving to her side.

Rhaenys shook her head, jaw set. "I've tried to respect his wishes, but I can't keep leaving and running away. He needs to learn that I'm his sister, his family and I'm not going anywhere no matter what he says to try and scare me away."

"Here," Daemon murmured, handing her a clean shirt. "I'll come back down and check on you shortly. Shout if you need anything, alright?"

"Thanks," she answered, taking the shirt and mustering up a reassuring smile at the look of concern on his face.

Aegon jerked violently at the sound of the door closing behind Daemon, looking up with bleary eyes. His expression collapsed into another angry glare at the sight of her still standing there. "I told you to leave," he growled, using the wall to help him sit up further. He tried to keep his narrowed eyes fixed on her but that only made him more off balance.

"I'm not leaving, Aegon," she told him in a clear, calm voice. "Here, let me help you put on a clean shirt, that one reeks of rum and sick." She moved closer to him, holding out the shirt, but he grimaced and shoved her back several steps.

"How many times do I have to tell you to leave me alone?" He snarled, growing angrier as he struggled first to his knees and then to his feet. "You're not my mother! I don't know you! Stop trying to protect me, stop – just stop trying to take care of me!" He yelled. He started towards her, stumbling heavily as the ship tilted and crashing into her. Rhaenys let out a startled yelp as her back hit the wall, Aegon somehow managing to brace his hands on either side of her head. "I was doing fine on my own, I never needed a family!" He roared, spittle flying in her face as she struggled not to flinch. "I didn't want to come on this fucking journey so why don't you do us both a favor and leave me the fuck alone!"

Rhaenys stared up at him as he breathed heavily, trying to ignore the putrid stench of his breath. "You may not need or even want a family, but you have one now," Rhaenys told him firmly, her own eyes narrowing slightly in response to his expression. "If there's one thing I learned in the past nine and ten years, it's that family is absolutely everything. There's no one that fights dirtier it's true, but family, my family, shows up when you need them most. They stand behind you no matter what and they love you even when you're at your lowest point. Blood cannot be denied, Aegon," she finished gently, putting a hand on his shoulder and hoping he understood her even through his drunken haze. "So why don't you do us both a favor and accept the fact that I am your sister. I am not giving up on you. I am not going anywhere."

They both glared at each other for a second. Aegon's nostrils flared just a moment before the fight seemed to drain out of his body. "Stubborn," he muttered, stepping back and swaying dangerously.

"Apparently it runs in the family," Rhaenys grunted, catching him once more and guiding him back towards the blankets. He grumbled slightly but otherwise didn't protest much as she carefully helped him out of his soiled shirt and put on a new one. It took her several minutes and she was sweating at the end of it, but when she finished and sat down, she looked at her baby brother and her chest hurt. This was the only time he wasn't looking at her with anger or regret. He looked so innocent with his eyes closed, and she couldn't help reaching out to move his hair further out of his face. "I'm going to prove to you how important family can be," she swore, whispering softly, her other hand unconsciously drifting to rest on her stomach. "I won't fail you the way our father failed us."

Dry, scratchy mouth, pounding head, a fuzzy memory… it was becoming an all too familiar way to wake up. He swiped a weary hand over his eyes, rubbing the crust from them as he attempted to blink them open. "Fuck," he swore under his breath, the taste in his mouth absolutely horrid. And what was that smell? Was that him?

He tried to piece together the events from the night before, but he could only remember brief flashes. The pain from a fist splitting his lip, getting violently sick yet again, and Rhaenys…

Groaning again and wishing that he had ate something before he started drinking last night, he forced himself to roll over and sit up. His bleary gaze landed on a tall figure standing against the opposite wall, staring down at him. Aegon belatedly recognized Daemon from the disapproving and slightly pissed expression that crossed his face every time he looked at him. He looked away, searching, but Daemon answered his unasked question.

"She's not here," he told him, crossing his arms. "She was up most of the night making sure you didn't choke on your own vomit. I only convinced her to leave about an hour or so ago; she's gone to apologize to the captain yet again on your behalf." Guilt trickled through him and he found that he couldn't hold Daemon's cold gaze. "Here." Daemon tossed him a biscuit but Aegon's reactions were incredibly slow and he fumbled with it. "She insisted that I make sure you eat."

"You don't like me much, do you?" Aegon asked. Even in his current state, his first instinctual defensive strategy was his amused smirk. Not only was it an effective mask to cover what he was really feeling, but it always served to get under people's skin. Daemon was a perfect example. At the sight of the smirk on Aegon's face, Daemon's eyes narrowed into infuriated slits.

"Not even a little," he answered bluntly. "My prince, your uncle, charged me with Rhaenys' safety and well-being. Since finding you, she's been worried about your behavior and stressed by both your words and actions. She hasn't been sleeping either, and in case you've forgotten she's carrying the heir to the Northern Throne. It isn't healthy."

Aegon took a bite of the slightly hardened biscuit, shaking his head. "I never asked her – "

"Yeah, yeah," Daemon interrupted, waving his hand dismissively. "That's the thing about Rhaenys. You never have to ask." His jaw worked for a moment, debating about whether he should continue on. "I grew up with her, so I know how important family is to her. She used to cover for her sister Arianne when she would sneak out to meet me. The two of them practically raised little Trystane in the absence of his mother. She would fight and argue with literally anybody who disrespected her bastard Sand Snake cousins, most of whom could defeat an experienced soldier. Once Rhaenys considers you part of her family, there's pretty much nothing that she wouldn't do for you." Daemon's eyes blazed into him. "I personally don't think you're worth the trouble."

Aegon's fist closed tightly around the biscuit, heat and irritation flooding through him. "You know nothing about me."

"You're right," Daemon conceded, nodding. "All I know is what I've seen since we left that pirate ship. The only decent thing you've done since we met you is save her from your captain." Aegon wasn't able to hide his reaction at the casual mention of Red; his whole body practically twitched and he knew the other man saw it. "Look, we all understand that you would have rather have continued your life as a pirate. For reasons that are beyond my understanding," he added under his breath. "But just because you're traveling with us for the time being doesn't mean you have to act like a complete asshole. Give her a chance. I promise you she's worth it." With that last pearl of wisdom and another long look, Daemon left the cabin.

Aegon let his forced smirk drop as soon as the door shut, taking a savage bite of the biscuit. He was a fucking pirate. He wasn't a brother or a nephew, he knew nothing about family or friendship. But he couldn't shake the guilt he felt for the way he had behaved towards Rhaenys. He may have a hard time accepting that she was his sister, but he didn't wish to cause her any stress or pain.

He resisted the urge to punch the wall in frustration when he realized what he had to do next. Grumbling under his breath, he finished his biscuit and went off in search of a bucket of sea water. He washed his face and then ended up dunking his entire head in the water in the hopes that it would help clear his mind and mask the smell.

He went off in search of his sister and found her where he knew she would be – above deck in the open air with her dragon by her side. A flash from last night surfaced in the forefront of his mind as he stood there observing her, oblivious to the hustle and bustle of the crew members rushing around him.

'…I am your sister. I am not giving up on you. I am not going anywhere.'

Rhaenys looked around at his approaching footsteps and smiled brightly at the sight of him. "Morning," she greeted, making an effort to sound cheery. "I just spoke with the captain and he said we should reach Astapor in about a days time. It will – "

"I'm sorry," Aegon blurted, forcing himself to say it before his long absent conscience decided to disappear again. Rhaenys froze mid sentence, surprise flickering in her brown eyes. "I don't remember everything that happened last night… but you didn't deserve to be treated that way." He moved closer to her, resting his elbows against the railing. Meraxes stretched her neck out towards him, letting out a small cry in greeting as he ran a hand down her scales. "I feel…. lost," he admitted, trying to explain his actions. "It's been a long time since I've felt this way and it brings up a lot of painful memories." She stayed silent, both of them looking out to sea as he struggled to find the words. "None of this excuses what I did, but… I'd put Aegon Targaryen behind me. I hadn't thought about our parents… or you… in years. And now, here you are. Raised by our uncles, surrounded by family, married with a baby in your belly and a queen? I lost my guardian when I was ten. I've been beaten, starved, homeless and that was all before I joined Red's crew. I've stolen, lied, killed, done whatever was necessary to get what I want. We have nothing in common."

"I understand where you're coming from," Rhaenys nodded slowly, a thoughtful frown on her face. "We've had very different childhoods. But I don't know if that necessarily means we don't have anything in common. We know what it's like to experience anger…sadness… pain." She peeked up a him, then focused back on the dragon in front of her. "We both know what it's like to have our parents ripped away from us. We know what it's like to grow up without our family, to have to hide who we really are from the rest of the world."

"The life or death secrets," Aegon added darkly, catching her gaze once more. "The never-ending lies."

"Yes," she murmured, her voice tight with rage. Meraxes let out a loud cry in response, snaking her neck forward and Rhaenys blinked, soothing her by running a hand down her spine. "My entire life was built on lies and secrets… they kept growing and getting heavier and I was too afraid to tell the people that I loved most." She took a deep breath and turned to face him. "I ended up hurting the point where I've broken the relationship we had and I don't know if they'll ever forgive me."

Aegon heard so many familiar emotions in her voice. He heard the unbearable pain, the utter self-loathing…the fear. He shifted on his feet, feeling awkwardness settle over him. His hand twitched as if to comfort her, but he quickly clenched it into a fist. "It seems our lives are intertwined by darkness," he responded in a forced, light voice.

"No more," Rhaenys swore firmly, brown eyes blazing. "My life will not be ruled by lies or secrets - I'm starting over. I'm going by my real name, I'm unexpectedly putting my Targaryen family back together," She gave him a brief smile. "And I'm figuring out who I really am."

Aegon didn't have that problem - he knew who and what he was. He paused for a moment as Meraxes chose that moment to take flight, his eyes following her as she soared through the air. "What do you want, Rhaenys?" He asked her, voicing a question that he had been wondering about for some time. "What are you hoping to get out of all this?"

"Ideally? I'd like to meet my - our," she corrected quickly. "Aunt Daenerys. She has three dragons of her own, all of which hatched before Meraxes. They should be bigger, stronger, faster - I'm hoping she'll help teach me how to train Meraxes. I'm hoping that she'll be a kind and decent person, someone who we can recruit to help us to our cause."

A doubtful expression crossed Aegon's face. "From what you've told me, her brother has died, so as far as knows she is the last Targaryen. She has three dragons - what if she wants the Iron Throne for herself? Rhaegar Targaryen was her brother, but he was our father. Both you and I have a better claim to the throne than she does. How do you think she's going to react when we show up on her doorstep?"

"I don't want the Iron Throne," Rhaenys told him honestly, shaking her head. "My husband is King in the North and I only want to be his queen… if he'll still have me," she added under her breath. She peeked up at him. "Do - do you want the Iron Throne?" She asked, sounding as if the thought had never occurred to her before. "The throne is rightfully yours."

He swallowed his automatic denial and snarky remark and took a moment to think about it, looking out over the water. He hadn't thought about becoming King for so many years. He tried to picture himself now, the pirate version of himself, with all the things that he had done, sitting on the throne. He tried to picture himself clean, stuffed into fancy clothes and forced to listen to and deal with all the problems of Westeros. He wouldn't be able to travel… feel the wind in his hair… the excitement running through his veins as he begins his next new adventure. While he might have been raised and groomed to become king in the beginning, it was certainly not something that he wanted anymore. "No," he said finally. "No, I don't want the throne."

Rhaenys nodded, the expression on her face thoughtful as she watched him. "Then we convince her that we don't want the throne. If she turns out to be the type of person that we can see ruling Westeros, then we offer to support her claim to the throne."

"And me? What do you want from me?"

"I don't want anything from you, Aegon," she correctly him softly with a sad smile. "I'd like to get to know the little brother that I thought was dead. But if - if at the end of our journey you still don't want any part of me or of having a family…then we'll go our separate ways. I don't want you to be unhappy, Aegon. I want you to have the life that you want - and if that means without me, then that's something I'm just going to have to accept."

Aegon didn't have to look at her to know how much it pained her to say those words – he could hear it very clearly in her voice. A small knot of tension loosened in his chest and it was a moment before he recognized it as relief. He couldn't ever go back to being a pirate, of course, not once word got out of what he did to Red, but at least Aegon had the option to leave if he didn't want to travel with Rhaenys any longer.

"Deal," Aegon nodded, turning to face her. He held out his hand and she slowly reached out to take it with that sad smile still on her face.

"Pardon me, Your Grace." They both turned to see Daemon standing behind them, two swords in his hand. "Catch."

Rhaenys instinctually caught the sword that Daemon tossed to her, looking from it back to him with a confused frown. "What's this for?"

"I thought we could spar for a bit. We don't want you getting rusty."

Rhaenys didn't notice how far away from her body she was holding the sword or the fact that she was shaking her head. "I'm not in the mood to spar, Daemon - "

"That's what you've said every other time I've asked you," he replied, twirling his sword. His sky blue eyes had an oddly determined gleam to them. "The girl I knew from Dorne would never have turned down an opportunity to spar."

"I'm a different person from the girl you knew in Dorne - "

"Oh, don't give me that bullshit," he cut in, now beginning to circle around her. Frustration and annoyance were now beginning to swirl within her. Couldn't he take a hint? "Fighting is in your blood just as it is in mine."

"Enough, Daemon - "

"Your back is healed. We have nothing better to do to pass the time and I need a bigger challenge than Dacey."

Aegon tried to step in on her behalf. "Listen, if she says she doesn't want to - "

Daemon shot him a quick glare, pointing his sword in his direction. "Stay out of this. It doesn't concern you."

Daemon's circles grew smaller and Rhaenys felt her palms begin to grow sweaty, her chest growing tight as she spun to keep him in her sights. "Daemon - " she warned.

"Come on, Your Grace, where is the famous warrior princess of Dorne? What would Prince Oberyn say if he saw you now - "

"I said, enough!" Rhaenys yelled furiously, throwing down her sword so hard that it clattered loudly on the deck of the ship. "Listen to me, Daemon Sand - "

"No, you listen to me, Rhaenys Targaryen." He threw down his own sword and stalked closer to her, getting in her face. "Every time a blade has touched your hand, you've frozen. I will do everything in my power to protect you and I know Dacey will as well, but if we are not enough then I need to know that you will protect yourself. You are carrying the heir to the North, Rhaenys, he or she must be kept safe at all costs - "

"Don't you think I know that?" She snapped, voice as sharp as a whip. "I just - I can't - "

"Can't what - " he growled.

"I can't lose this child too!" Tears burned her eyes and she clenched her jaw, spinning away from him. Her hands gripped the railing of the ship as she struggled to take deep breaths, blinking rapidly to keep the tears at bay.

There was a long, heavy moment of silence. When Daemon spoke again, his voice was softer, if a bit confused. "Rhaenys…"

"I was with child once before," she told them, her hand drifting to her belly as she remembered the bean sized flesh that had been her child. "That pain was unlike anything I ever felt before and I can't go through that again. I don't think I can survive it." Her voice broke and she abruptly stopped speaking, feeling queasy.

A hand touched her shoulder and she turned to see Daemon standing behind her, his face sympathetic. She glanced around for Aegon, but he had mysteriously disappeared. "I cannot possibly imagine what you must have gone through," Daemon murmured, touching her arm gently and drawing her attention back to him. "It must have been very difficult."

"I have this dream every night," she confessed, looking down at her hands. "It varies slightly, but the end result is always the same. Whether by sword or poison or some other means, I always end up losing my baby. Then Robb is there…" She swallows hard as his devastated and accusatory expression comes to her mind's eye. It wasn't hard to remember - it was similar to the one he gave her before she left. "And I have to explain to him that I've lost his child again."

"We won't let that happen," Daemon swore to her, his voice heated. He put both hands on her shoulders, bending down slightly to capture her gaze. "We are going to do everything in our power to keep you and your baby safe, Rhaenys. But you can't freeze when there's danger near. There may be a time when Dacey or I, or even Aegon won't be there, and you might be the only one to keep you and the baby safe."

"You're right," Rhaenys whispered, nodding shakily. "You're right, of course." She looked up at him, clutching his arms now. "I've never felt fear like this before… How do I get past it?"

"We'll do it together," he promised, bringing her close and dropping a kiss to the top of her head. She gripped the back of his shirt, taking the strength that he was offering her and clinging desperately to his words. "One step at a time."

Rhaenys stared up at the harpy of Astapor with wide eyes. A woman's torso, the wings of a bat, the legs of an eagle, a scorpions tale… all while holding a heavy chain. Just as it had appeared in her dream.

Her eyes roved over the city, trying to take everything in at once. It was very… red. Every pyramid, building and even the walls were built with the same red brick. It seemed as if the entire city was crumbling, giving it a very old appearance. They had been docked at the port for only a couple of hours but already there was a thin layer of red dust around the ship.

"Do you think Daemon will be much longer?" She asked Dacey, glancing at the tall woman beside her. Daemon had volunteered to scout out the city, to listen to and follow the rumors of a girl with three dragons, for they must be difficult to hide. Aegon was currently below deck with Meraxes, feeding her and keeping her calm and out of sight. They didn't want any trouble within the first few hours of arriving. She felt anxious. After these long days and nights, they had finally reached their destination and were that much closer to finding her aunt.

"Not too much longer, I shouldn't think," Dacey replied, scanning the bustle of people around her. Most of the people of Astapor had amber skin and dark hair and eyes. They wore what looked like sheets wrapped around their bodies, which the captain informed her were called tokars. Most women wore masks to cover their faces from the red dust.

"Look!" Rhaenys exclaimed, pointing to a cloaked figure that she recognized as Daemon. They rushed to meet him as he made his way back onto the ship.

He grunted as they stopped in front of him, pushing his hood back and using a corner of his cloak to wipe the red dust out of his face. "You couldn't pay me enough money to live in a city like this. The dust burns both your eyes and your throat. It cannot possibly be healthy to breathe it in."

"Well?" Dacey demanded impatiently, raising her eyebrows. "Did you find her?"

Daemon shot her a look. "In a matter of speaking." His eyes moved to Rhaenys. "She's not here."

Rhaenys blinked. The possibility that she wouldn't be here had not even crossed her mind and she had to fight a big wave of disappointment. "Not here? But - "

"She was here. Caused quite a big ruckus too, by the sound of it."

"How do you mean?"

"Your aunt met with a slaver, looking to purchase the Unsullied." A dark look crossed his face and he continued at the look of confusion on her face. "Eunuch slave soldiers. The slavers take them as boys, castrate them and then give them a puppy. At the end of the first year, they are ordered to kill the puppy. If they do not, then they themselves are killed. They train to fight everyday and only complete their training after they buy a newborn slave child and kill it before its mother."

Rhaenys was horrified, her brown eyes going wide. "That's - that's complete barbaric!"

Daemon made a sound of affirmation. "Yes. Anyway… Daenerys bought them all. Every single one of them, even the younger ones still in training. She then unleashed her dragons on the masters and ordered her new Unsullied army to kill the slave-masters and free all the slaves."

"Unleashed her dragons how?" Rhaenys asked.

"How many Unsullied does she have?" Dacey added, nearly at the same time.

"About eight thousand," Daemon said, responding to Dacey first. "Then several thousand of the boys still in training." Then he turned to Rhaenys. "She unleashed her dragons… with fire." Rhaenys felt a flash of triumph and excitement flowed through her. Her dragons could breathe fire. How much older were her dragons than Meraxes? How much longer until her dragon could breathe fire? "What would you like to do next, Your Grace?"

"Follow her," Rhaenys told him instantly. "We didn't come all this way for nothing."

Daemon grinned at her. "That's what I wanted to hear. I'll go tell the captain."

Daenerys Targaryen made it very easy to follow her. She left Astapor and headed toward Yunkai, another slaver city on the coast of Slaver's Bay. Yunkai apparently received news about the fall of Astapor, because the masters in this city attempted to fight. She managed to convince the Second Sons and the Stormcrows, two sellsword companies, to join her and defeats Yunkai, liberated their slaves as well. Now armed with Unsullied as well as the sellswords, she continued her march towards Mereen.

"Are you ready for this, Your Grace?" Rhaenys looked up at Daemon standing beside her, then over at Dacey standing on the other side. Both of them had their swords at their sides, but those were only the weapons that were visible to the eye. Rhaenys herself had her two daggers belted around her waist and hidden behind her back by her cloak. Aegon was standing off to the side of them a bit, his face unreadable, but his sword was strapped to his back and he had volunteered to come with them, at least.

"I'm ready," Rhaenys nodded, feeling a flutter of nerves go through her stomach at the words.

"I with we could have gotten you a dress befitting a queen," Dacey sighed, looking at her outfit.

Rhaenys looked down and smoothed her slightly dirty and worn dress. "It'll have to do, Dacey. I didn't exactly have time to pack my finest gowns." Meraxes' claws dug into her skin from where she was perched on her shoulder, shifting her wings slightly. Rhaenys held out her right arm and her dragon climbed down it. "Fly, Meraxes," Rhaenys whispered in High Valyrian, running a hand down her neck, between her spikes. Her golden eye blinked up at her. "Stay hidden."

Rhaenys' hair ruffled as Meraxes beat her wings, taking flight into the darkening sky. They watched her for a moment before Rhaenys tore her gaze away. She started forward, her unofficial Queensguard on either side of her and her brother bringing up the rear.

"They must have known Daenerys was coming," she heard Aegon mutter as they walked. Rhaenys had to agree with him. They walked through mile after mile of scorched earth. Trees, grass, wheat, everything was burnt and unusable.

Just as Daemon had told her, it didn't take them long to reach the edge of Danaerys Targaryen's camp. They looked across the open field, noting the hundreds of fires spanning into the distance. Two guards moved towards them, wearing a quilted tunic, a short sword a round shield and a spiked bronze cap. Their faces were expressionless as they stopped in front of them, but the message couldn't have been clearer: they would go no further.

Rhaenys opened her mouth and made to step forward when Dacey stopped her with a hand on her arm. She stepped forward instead, shoulders drawn back. "I present to you, Rhaenys Stark of Westeros, Queen in the North." She waited for half a moment, but when the soldier did nothing, she continued. "We wish to seek an audience with Daenerys Targaryen."

Another moment of silence and Dacey looked back at them, uncertain. "They might not understand the Common Tongue," Daemon said.

Rhaenys nodded, repeating everything that Dacey had said in High Valyrian and hoping they understood it. They must have because the guards looked at each other and without saying anything, one of them jogged off in the direction of the camp. They only had to wait five more minutes before five more guards came back.

A guard without the helmet stepped forward, and spoke to them in High Valyrian. "This one's name is Grey Worm. I will take you to meet Queen Daenerys, but first, you must hand over all your weapons."

Rhaenys translated for them and they exchanged a dark look. This was a possibility that they had talked about. Rhaenys knew that neither Dacey nor Daemon would ever have allowed four armed soldiers into their camp to meet either herself or Robb. She nodded at the others and they unbuckled their swords, handing them over to the other guards. Rhaenys couldn't help the hint of amusement that ran through her as they watched Daemon pull daggers and knives from every part of his body, piling them into the guards arms.

"Where did you even hide all those?" Dacey asked him, mystified.

The corner of Dameon's lips lifted. "You can search me later and find out for yourself," he said, winking at her. Dacey scoffed and rolled her eyes but Rhaenys couldn't help her small chuckle.

"This way," Grey Worm instructed, leading the way. The other guards not holding their weapons fanned out around them, their hands on their short swords as they walked to the camp. They heard the camp before they saw it, and once they did, Rhaenys was shocked at what she saw. It was incredibly chaotic. There were no tents - old men, women and children were sitting or sleeping besides horses and mules. She watched a skinny dog chase a bleating goat with wide eyes, trying to hide her shock. After the relative quiet of the ship with only the ocean as far as the eye could see, this was all a bit overwhelming to the senses.

"Who are these people?" Rhaenys asked, taking in their dirty, ratted clothing. Their dark, mistrustful eyes followed them as they walked past.

"Slaves," Aegon murmured. Rhaenys turned over her shoulder to look at him in surprise. "They must have followed her from Astapor and Yunkai." His expression was unreadable.

Rhaenys turned forward again, quiet, taking everything in. They walked through a relative small portion of the camp, but she couldn't see where it ended. Just how many slaves chose to follow her?

They reached a much more organized section of camp after a few minutes. Tents were lined up in orderly rows, the biggest one being a golden pavilion at the center, where she assumed Daenerys was. Men and soldiers were hustling about, getting their weapons and looking like they were preparing for battle. Two more Unsullied soldiers were posted at either end of the tent, both their faces as expressionless as the others.

Their small group approached the tent. Rhaenys wiped her clammy hands on her dress before lacing them tightly in front of her. Nerves and excitement clashed through her, causing adrenaline to course through her veins and her heart rate to pick up. This was it - they had finally found her aunt. Everything rode on this moment. If she knew that this whole trip hadn't been a waste of time, then she knew she made the right decision in Westeros and her husband.

Several people were crowded around a table but they immediately stopped talking and looked up as they came in. Rhaenys' eyes scanned them, taking in as many details as possible.

Her eyes fell on a young girl, probably in her late teens early twenties. Her long hair was silvery-gold and her eyes were violet, very similar to Aegon's. She wore a dark blue sleeveless dress with pants and boots underneath. Two men stood on either side of her but she only had time to notice that one was significantly older than the other before a sharp, familiar sounding cry caught her attention.

Her head snapped around and there, behind the people, were three, glorious dragons. She heard someone behind her take in a sharp breath. They were resting on what looked like man made perches and she found herself drinking them in eagerly. They were bigger than Meraxes, maybe about two or three times the size. One, the biggest one, had black scales and red horns and wings. The other two were slightly smaller, one was a green and bronze color and the other was more of a yellow gold.

They were dangerous. They were fierce. They were beautiful.

Dacey let out a swift, violent curse beside her, causing Rhaenys to look over at her in alarm. "Dacey, what - "

"That's my cousin, Jorah Mormont," Dacey told her, a furious snarl on her face as she stared him down. Cousin? Rhaenys looked in bewilderment at the man in question. He was a large, middle aged man with a beard and a receding hairline. He was wearing a combination of wool and leather and there, on the front of his armor was a standing black bear, the sigil of House Mormont. His eyes were wide as he looked at Dacey, his face white. "He fled Westeros years ago and we haven't seen or heard from him since."

"Grey Worm, who are these people?" Daenerys demanded impatiently.

"My apologies, Your Grace," Rhaenys said, shooting Dacey a quick look. The other girl snapped her mouth shut, but Rhaenys could have sword she heard her grinding her teeth. She stepped forward, drawing everyone's attention. "This is Dacey Mormont of Bear Island and Ser Daemon Sand, the Bastard of Godsgrace," she told them, gesturing to each of them. "My name is Rhaenys Stark of Westeros, Queen in the North and this is my brother, Aegon Targaryen." She paused a moment, taking in the varying expressions of absolute shock and disbelief. "Our mother was Princess Elia Martell of Dorne and our father… our father was the crown prince, Rhaegar Targaryen."

"Impossible," Jorah Mormont scoffed, shaking his head. The old man said nothing, but his eyes were wide and moving from Rhaenys to Aegon and back.

Daenerys Targaryen did not look pleased. "Is this some sort of joke? My brother's children are dead, they were murdered during the Sack of King's Landing."

"That's what the world was led to believe, but someone smuggled us out of King's Landing. We had to go into hiding - "

"I don't believe you," Daenerys cut in, her violet eyes flashing dangerously. "And frankly I don't have time for this - I have a battle to win."

No. This isn't how it was supposed to go. "Please, I am telling you the truth! My name is - "

She dismissed them, turning back to the map on her table. "Grey Worm, take our guests to a tent and have someone guard them until the battle is won."

A flash of anger and irritation ran through Rhaenys as the guards around them stepped closer and there was a far away shriek in response. The three dragons heads whipped around at the sound just as Daenerys' head snapped up. There was a commotion from outside, several people yelling and scrambling as Meraxes dropped out of the sky with another shriek.

Daenerys' three dragons roared, one of them even breathing fire above their heads, their voices drowning out Meraxes' as she landed on Rhaenys' shoulder once more. Her golden eyes were narrowed in fury, and even though the other dragons were bigger than her, Rhaenys' little white dragon didn't back down an inch.

The tent was so full of tension that Rhaenys felt like she was drowning in it. "As I said before," she told Daenerys, pleased to see that the other girl was now taking them seriously. She was staring at Meraxes with wide, incredulous eyes. "My name is Rhaenys and this is my brother Aegon. We are Rhaegar Targaryen's children."

Author's Note: If there's anyone out there even reading this story anymore, I hope you guys liked it!

P.S. If there's anyone who is a GoT expert and has a lot of their military knowledge and tactics and would like to help me out, please let me know :)