Author's Note: I've gotta say, I'm honestly blown away by how many people still want to read my story even after all this time. A HUGE thank you to everyone who reviewed - I missed all your kind words, encouragement and advice!
In record time for me I think, here's the next chapter! Special thanks to darkwolf76 for beta-ing with this chapter! She is writing her own Robb/OC story and it's great, go check it out!
Hope you all enjoy!
Chapter 29: Convince Me
Daenerys Targaryen took the city of Mereen in a single night. After Meraxes' grand entrance, she had shown Rhaenys and her people to a spare tent and told them to wait until she called on them. They were told that they weren't prisoners, but several guards were posted outside their tent anyway. From the rumors they heard, she had sent several of her Unsullied men into the sewers, disguised as slaves. They armed the other slaves of Mereen and together they rose up and overtook the city.
The plan worked well - perhaps too well. Dead bodies were piled in the streets, their blood pooling in puddles around them. The Mereenese slaves and the starving horde following Daenerys looted the city, killing those that got in their way.
When the Unsullied got the city back under control, Rhaenys and the others were ushered in. Mereen was huge. The outer walls were thick, with defensive towers at every angle. There were several smaller, different colored pyramids throughout the city. She saw a pink and white and a green and black pyramid on the way through the city to the Great Pyramid.
The Great Pyramid towered over the other pyramids. A harpy used to stand at the top, but it was torn down during the siege. It was replaced with a huge black flag, a blood red three headed dragon emblazoned across the center of it. Rhaenys stared up at it as she walked into the pyramid, a strange feeling in her chest at the sight. Meraxes nuzzled her scaly face against hers, making Rhaenys' lips twitch. Rhaenys hadn't let her out of her sight since she saw Daenerys' and her dragons reactions to her.
She lost track of how many flights of stairs they climbed, but her legs were burning and she felt embarrassingly out of breath when they finally reached their destination. If they stayed, she was really going to have to continue training with Daemon in order to stay in shape.
They were shown into two rooms, one for Rhaenys and Dacey and one for Aegon and Daemon. Daemon sent Rhaenys a look of annoyance over his shoulder as they went into their room, but she could only shrug. Rhaenys' room was decent. The bed was large, the sheets were smooth and the one window in the room showed a breathtaking view of the city. There was a small writing desk along the far wall and a table and two chairs on the other side, a bowl of fruit on top.
Dacey's room was attached to hers, though it was separated by a door. Her room was smaller and the furnishings weren't as nice as Rhaenys', but Dacey must not have cared because she fell face first into it.
Smiling slightly, Rhaenys walked further into the room, letting Meraxes jump from her arms onto the bed. "Stay close, Meraxes," Rhaenys murmured to her in High Valyrian. Meraxes blinked her golden eyes up at her, her head tilting to the side slightly. "Daenerys may be my aunt, but we are not giving her our trust this early on." She rubbed her favorite spot between her wings, causing Meraxes to snake her head forward happily, her wings opening slightly. "Did you see her dragons though? Never in my life did I think I would see a dragon… and now I've seen four."
"Your Grace?" Rhaenys looked over her shoulder to see Dacey standing in the doorway, watching them both. "How are you feeling? Are you doing alright?"
Rhaenys sent her a reassuring smile as Dacey moved to sit in one of the chairs at the table. "I'm a little worried that Daemon has strangled Aegon, but other then that I'm doing alright. I don't - " She stopped for a second, looking down with a shrug. "I didn't really know what to expect from meeting my aunt for the first time, but I guess I was hoping that it would have gone differently. That she would be happy to see the nephew and niece that she thought had been murdered. I don't know…. It's stupid."
"It's not," Dacey disagreed gently. "I haven't known you long, Your Grace, but anyone can see how important your family is to you. Give your aunt some time. It can be pretty shocking to have someone you thought was dead show up in your life with a dragon - I know from experience."
Rhaenys chuckled at the grin on Dacey's face, her green eyes twinkling. "Point taken." She rose, walking to the window and leaning against it, watching the tiny dots of people moving in the streets below. "I want to be honest with my aunt," she told Dacey, voicing something that she had been struggling with for several hours. "I want to tell her my story and I want to try to convince her to join our cause." She paused for a moment, looking down as she placed a hand over her flat stomach. "But I am not going to tell her about my baby until I know I can trust her." She spun around, looking at her imploringly, trying to get her to understand. "I want to change. I want to be a better person, a person that will deserve Robb. But I will not put my baby at risk."
Dacey stood, walking over to Rhaenys and taking her hands, bending slightly to make sure she had her full attention. "I don't presume to know what happened between you and the king, and I don't presume to know what it means to be a wife. Frankly, it's none of my business. But I do know that you are a queen. And sometimes, queens need to do whatever is necessary to benefit their people. I trust you, Your Grace."
Rhaenys squeezed her hands gratefully, blinking away tears and cursing her fluctuating emotions. "Thank you, Dacey. Your support means more to me than you know." She hesitated, searching her friend's gaze. "Should we talk about the fact that your cousin is here, half a world away?"
A flash of anger flickered across her face as she pulled away. "Jorah Mormont." She spat his name like a curse. "My dear cousin Jorah met a woman named Lynesse Hightower at a tourney years ago. He won the tourney and named her his queen of love and beauty. They married and he brought her home to Bear Island. Lynesse was… accustomed to a certain wealthy life style. Jorah tried to give her the life she was used to but he fell into debt. In order to pay off his debt, the idiot sold poachers to a Tyroshi slaver and Lord Stark condemned him to death. His father, my uncle, is Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. He had the option to take the black, but instead he took Lynesse and fled Westeros before Lord Stark arrived on Bear Island. My mother took over as head of House Mormont when he fled. That was five years ago. We haven't heard from him since."
"I'm sorry, Dacey," Rhaenys murmured. "That must have been hard for you and your family."
Dacey shrugged it off. "The women of Bear Island are strong… we've had no choice."
"I would love to visit Bear Island one day." She was interested to see the place that shaped women like Maege and Dacey Mormont. "Maybe meet all your sisters."
Dacey sent her a wicked grin, green eyes twinkling. "I think you'd like them. Alysane is as stubborn and prickly as a bear; she'll give you her opinion whether you asked for it or not and she won't mince words. Lyra is the pretty one of all of us, and as diplomatic as a Mormont can get. Jory loves to learn, she has pretty much devoured every book in the library. And Lyanna…" she trailed off, her face softening as she thought of her youngest sister. "You're not supposed to have favorites, but Lyanna is mine. She's a spitfire at nine and already destined for great things."
"You must miss them."
"I do." Dacey sent her a glance. "But no more than you're probably missing your family."
"Yes," Rhaenys whispered, looking back out the window. Missing her family. The words didn't seem enough for the pain and longing in her chest. She missed Arianne and Trystane, her father, the rest of her Sand Snake cousins. She missed Dorne, she missed Winterfell, she missed her Stark family. "But that's why we're doing all this, right? To make the world a better and safer place for them." She paused for a moment, considering."It didn't start out that way I suppose. We left the north in order to free Lord Stark and rescue Sansa and Arya. Now Lord Stark is dead and we don't know where Arya is. While we still have to rescue Sansa, I feel like our objective has changed. I want our future children to live in a world where the north is independent from the rest of Westeros. A world where Robb Stark is our King."
"You're worried about him, aren't you? I can hear it in your voice." Robb. He was always hovering around the edges of her thoughts, but she had been trying not to think of him lest she get too distracted. Dacey hurriedly spoke again when Rhaenys was quiet. "My apologies if I overstepped, Your Grace - "
"No, no… it's alright Dacey," Rhaenys reassured her, turning back around. "I'm always worried about Robb," she chuckled, shaking her head. "It's going to be difficult to know that I'm alive when the rest of Westeros think that I'm dead. He's going to have to pretend that I am dead as well… he's going to have to do what is necessary to win. That could mean making new alliances."
Dacey caught on to her meaning at once. "His Grace wouldn't - "
"His Grace might not have a choice. He needs more men in order to defeat the Lannister army - a marriage alliance could be the only way to do that." The thought of Robb marrying another woman hurt so bad it was a wonder that she didn't fall to her knees. She couldn't help picturing him kissing another woman, touching another woman and loving another woman. She violently shoved those images to the back of her mind. If she didn't, she might just call off the entire trip and go home.
"He doesn't know he has an heir." Rhaenys saw a grim expression on Dacey's face when she glanced over at her.
"Which is why we have to convince my aunt to join our cause and learn as much about dragons as we can as fast as we can. I have no intention of delivering my child without my husband by my side."
"That doesn't give us much time."
"No, it doesn't. Let's hope Queen Daenerys calls on us soon so we can begin to convince her that we are who we say we are."
There was a knock on their door several hours later. Dacey opened it to find the Unsullied soldier Grey Worm standing there. He wasn't wearing his helmet this time around and Rhaenys was able to truly see him for the first time. He was much younger than she thought he was, probably only a couple years older than her. His brown hair was cut close to his head and he had no facial hair.
"Queen Daenerys is ready to see you," he informed them. Dacey nodded and moved to leave the room, but Grey Worm held up a hand. "She only wants to see Queen Rhaenys."
Rhaenys and Dacey shared a look. Dacey looked uneasy and Rhaenys could tell that she was unhappy with this new development. "It's alright, Dacey," Rhaenys quickly reassured her before she could open her mouth to argue. She moved over to the bed, gathering Meraxes in her arms and letting her settle into her spot on her shoulder. "I'll be alright."
"I don't like this, Your Grace," Dacey argued anyway, sending a glare over her shoulder at Grey Worm, who stood silently in the doorway. "The last time a Stark stood before a Targaryen in power, he was slowly cooked to death and his son strangled himself trying to save him. What if this queen is another version of the Mad King?"
"I've always said I don't blame the child for the sins of the father," Rhaenys told her, thinking back to her conversation with Lady Stark about Jon Snow. "And don't forget - I may be a Stark in name, but Targaryen blood runs through my veins."
Dacey looked from her to the white dragon sitting on her shoulder and back. "Alright," she said after a moment. "Daemon will probably kill me when he hears about this, but I trust you."
Smiling, Rhaenys squeezed her arm in thanks as she passed her and headed towards Grey Worm. He glanced at Meraxes uncertainly. "Meraxes comes with me," Rhaenys told him in a voice that dared him to argue with her. "Wherever I go."
He gave her a single nod before turning and leading her out of the room. Rhaenys glanced around and noticed two guards posted outside of their door and another two posted outside of Daemon's and Aegon's room. He led her up yet more staircases until they reached a giant, high-ceilinged room. If she had entered this room on her own, her head would be swiveling around, her mouth dropped open in awe. As it was she did her best to control her reaction, her eyes the only thing moving to take in the splendor of this hall. The tiles and walls were purple and there were tall candles on each of the pillars, an Unsullied soldier standing before each one.
Daenerys was seated upon a bench at the top of a marble staircase, Jorah Mormont, and the other older man standing behind her. A young woman with dusty skin and short, tight curls stood to her right. There was a doorway behind her, and Rhaenys glimpsed yet more stairs leading up.
Rhaenys searched her aunt's gaze as she stopped at the foot of the stairs but she found it unreadable. Grey Worm and another Unsullied soldier took up posts on either side of the marble staircase, looking straight ahead. Her aunt was beautiful - she was thin, her features were delicate, her purple eyes were captivating, there was not a single silver-blonde hair out of place - but all Rhaenys could think was how young she looked. It didn't matter though. Combined with the hall, the soldiers, the two unyielding men behind her… it all made for a very intimidating scene. Which she supposed was the point.
The young woman stepped forward. "You have the honor of speaking to Daenerys of the House Targaryen, the first of Her Name, the Unburnt, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Queen of Mereen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Protector of the Realm, Lady Regent of the Seven Kingdoms, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons."
Rhaenys found her eyebrows rising higher and higher as the woman continued to list titles and quickly schooled her expression. She felt hysterical laughter rise up in her throat and quickly bit the inside of her cheek hard to stop it from escaping. She really wished she had gotten more sleep last night.
The hall was silent for a long moment before Daenerys spoke. "Rhaenys Stark," she said slowly, her violet gaze positively piercing her and missing nothing. "Queen in the North. How exactly did that come to be? Tell me your story," she demanded.
"It's a long story, Your Grace," Rhaenys said lightly.
"You come to me, claiming to be my long dead niece. You bring a young man claiming to be my long dead nephew." Daenerys tilted her head to the side, her voice hard. "Not only that, but you come bearing the name of the Usurpers dog. In case you have forgotten the Starks helped overthrow my father and kill my brother." Her gaze shifted to the dragon sitting on Rhaenys' shoulder. "You will tell me your story and I will decide whether or not I believe you. Convince me"
Rhaenys felt her heart pick up speed. All the risks that they had taken all led up to this moment. She needed to convince her aunt. She needed to make faking her death and leaving Robb behind mean something. She felt like their lives depended on it.
Lacing her fingers together in front of her, Rhaenys started at the beginning. "I was three when someone smuggled me out of King's Landing during the Usurper's Rebellion. Those two children who died were not us. They brought me to my uncles in Dorne and Prince Doran adopted me and raised me as his own daughter under a new name, Maliya Martell." Rhaenys' eyes hardened. "For six and ten years the need for revenge burned within me, fueled brighter and hotter by my father's and uncles need to avenge Princess Elia, their sister."
"Your father's need?" Daenerys questioned.
"Prince Doran," Rhaenys clarified. "I know he's technically my uncle, but he raised me as his daughter and I think of him as my father." Daenerys considered that for a moment before motioning for her to continue. "They knew of my desire for revenge and they knew I wanted to go directly to King's Landing. To appease me, yet still keep me safe, they proposed a marriage alliance to Robb Stark, eldest son of Lord Eddard Stark. Like you, I blamed the Starks for our family's downfall. My marriage was not a happy one in the beginning - I was full of rage and hate, but it was all pointless. It was Robert Baratheon who killed Rhaegar, not Lord Stark."
Anger flashed across Daenerys' face. "He fought against my family - "
"In order to avenge his own," Rhaenys interrupted. "Did you know that your father slowly roasted Rickard Stark alive? He put a noose around his brother Brandon's neck, left a sword just out of arms reach and watched as he strangled himself in an attempt to save his father. I don't know how many stories you've heard about your father, but there is a reason why he was called the Mad King."
"Lies," Daenerys said automatically, her eyes narrowing. "Lies spread by the Usurper and his dogs - "
"Lies?" Rhaenys repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Who on earth told you that?" Her brown eyes shifted to the tall, hairy man standing behind her aunt. "If you don't believe me, ask him," Rhaenys told her, pointing to Mormont. "House Mormont of Bear Island fights with the North. He would have fought alongside both Stark and Baratheon just as his aunt and niece fight alongside Robb and I. Yet he now fights for you and sits in on your meetings - do you trust him to tell you the truth?"
Daenerys didn't move, but Rhaenys thought she saw a flicker of something behind your purple eyes. Doubt? Uncertainty? When she didn't speak, Rhaenys continued on. "Lord Stark was a kind, fair, honorable man who loved his family. He found out who I was but didn't turn me over to the king because he knew I would be killed. He went south as the hand of the king and when the king died, his son Joffrey Baratheon chopped off Lord Stark's head. Robb had gathered his banners and they were marching south in order to free him. They named him King in the North and I became a Queen."
Daenerys' face was unreadable again. "And your dragon?" She asked, her eyes lingering on Meraxes.
Rhaenys glanced up at Meraxes, who gave a small cry in return, ruffling her wings and making Rhaenys' hair blow into her face. Smiling slightly, Rhaenys brushed her hair back and looked back up at her aunt. "I found her egg hidden in the crypts of Winterfell. I kept her a secret for months, but she didn't hatch for me until recently."
Daenerys shifted on the bench, leaning forward slightly. "Why are you here?"
"I heard you had dragons of your own, so I wanted to find you, to learn as much as I possibly could about them. I also wanted to present you with an offer." Rhaenys took a deep breath. "I know you want the throne for yourself and you must be unhappy with having not one but two Targaryens show up out of nowhere, both with a better claim than your own." Anger flickered across Daenerys' face and she continued quickly. "Neither Aegon nor I want the Iron throne. My place is in the North with my husband, I have no desire for anything else. You'll have to speak to Aegon about his reasons, they are his own to share with you if he wishes. So, here is my offer… if you come to Westeros and help us defeat the Lannisters and their army, I will back your claim to the Iron Throne as long as you give the North their independence. Robb Stark remains the King in the North."
"You would have me rule six kingdoms instead of seven?" Margaery Tyrell's words came floating back to her. You would have us rule a broken kingdom? "What if I refuse?" Daenerys Targaryen asked, sounding like that was exactly what she was going to do. "If I want to rule all of Westeros, including the North?"
"Then you'll have a battle on your hands, Your Grace," Rhaenys told her shrugging. "The North will never again settle for being ruled by the thumb of the south. Their lives are different, their ways are different, their priorities are different. When I go back to Westeros, I am going back as Rhaenys, not Maliya. As a Targaryen and as a Stark, I'll have the support of Dorne, the North and the Trident at my back. If it's a choice between you, a queen who has never set foot in Westeros, or me, a queen who has grown up there, bled and fought for my people, who do you think they will flock to? You will have to defeat us as well as the Lannister army. You will have to defeat all of Westeros." Rhaenys' heard her voice growing more passionate as she spoke, her eyes alight. "I don't want that, and I hope you don't either. We're family, you and I. If we join together, if we make an alliance, I will back your claim to the throne - provided you give the North their independence."
Rhaenys fell silent, staring up at her aunt, her mouth suddenly going dry. Daenerys was sitting very still, just watching her. Did she believe her? Was she going to order her soldiers to lock her away? Call her dragons to burn her on the spot? Rhaenys flinched slightly as Daenerys suddenly stood.
"Come with me," she ordered, turning to walk up the stairs without looking to see if Rhaenys was following her. The old man and the young woman followed behind Daenerys, but Jorah Mormont stayed behind.
Rhaenys hesitated for a second, glancing at the Unsullied soldiers before climbing the steps after her aunt, feeling utterly bewildered. Jorah's expression was grave as she passed the tall man, but she quickly forgot about him as she continued up.
She paused when she reached the top of the stairs, looking around in wonder. She walked into what must have been Daenerys apartments. She had the whole top floor to herself. The apartment was in the apex of the pyramid, so the ceilings were high and reached a point in the middle. A large, plush bed was resting against one corner, a seating area on the other side complete with soft, comfortable looking couches. There were two walls of open doors leading outside, letting in lots of sunlight and a cool, pleasant breeze.
Daenerys continued through the apartments and out onto the terrace. Rhaenys followed her after a moment, stopping abruptly when Meraxes tensed on her shoulder, her head perking up. If the apartments were pretty, the terrace garden was beautiful. Flowers that Rhaenys didn't recognize were scattered throughout. There was a large, inviting looking pool and some sort of fruit tree on the other end.
There was a loud cry and Rhaenys' head snapped up. She watched, eyes wide as Daenerys' three dragons circled overhead. They moved together fluidly, their strong, powerful wings flapping, muscles rippling. The black and red dragon landed first, landing between Rhaenys and Daenerys. The green and yellow dragons landed on either side of him. All of the dragons were still, watching Rhaenys and Meraxes.
Rhaenys unconsciously locked all her muscles, hardly even daring to breathe as the world seemed to suddenly stop and she was aware of the danger she was in. Rhaenys' heart pounded once, twice, then three times, when by some unknown signal all of the dragons moved at once.
Meraxes took off with a piercing cry, her claws drawing blood from Rhaenys' shoulder as she took flight. Roaring as one, Daenerys' three dragons also took to the skies. Heart in her throat, eyes to the skies, Rhaenys ran to the low wall of the terrace, her hands clutching the edges as if she were going to climb on top and jump after them.
She could just make out Meraxes, trying to hold her own amongst the bigger dragons. They roared and clawed, shrieked and breathed fire as they tumbled through the sky. They were attacking each other, hurting each other, the other dragons were so much bigger than her - Please, please don't let them kill her!
She felt more than saw Daenerys move to stand next to her, but she couldn't bring herself to take her eyes off her little dragon. And then, just as suddenly as it started, it was over. The dragons came circling back down, one by one.
They landed on the terrace behind her and Daenerys. Rhaenys wanted to rush over to her Meraxes, check her over inch by inch to make sure she was alright but something in her resisted the urge. She had landed between the black and red dragon and the cream and gold dragon. Rhaenys didn't know much about dragon behavior, but it almost seemed as though Daenerys' dragons had accepted her and she didn't want to disrupt that.
"What was that?" Rhaenys asked with a quick glance at Daenerys before focusing on the dragons again, fascinated by what she was seeing. The dragons were making noises at each other. The green dragon would let out a short cry and Meraxes would respond.
"A test," Daenerys murmured, a small smile on her face. "Dragons are highly intelligent creatures and I was curious to see how they would react to yours. What is her name?"
"Meraxes," Rhaenys responded. Hearing her name, Meraxes looked up at her. She jumped, pumping her wings down and settling on the wall next to her.
"She's beautiful. May I?" Rhaenys gave her a nod and Daenerys slowly moved her hand so that she was cautiously holding in front of Meraxes. Rhaenys held her breath. Meraxes' golden eyes stared at her aunt for a moment before her head snaked forward and she allowed her to touch her. Something inside of Rhaenys' chest eased. Meraxes reacted to Daenerys in a similar way that she did to Aegon. She took to them much quicker than she did to say, Daemon or Dacey. "Hello, Meraxes. You're an elegant looking dragon, aren't you? How long ago did she hatch?"
"About three moons ago." Rhaenys turned to eye Daenerys' dragons. Now that she was up close to them, she could see the significant size difference. "And yours?"
"Just over a year now." A year, she thought. A year and they were still relatively small. How long would it be before Meraxes was large enough to ride? The black and red dragon is Drogon, the cream and gold is Viserion and the green and yellow is Rhaegal," she told her, pointing them each out.
Rhaenys blinked. "Rhaegal - "
Smiling at her, Daenerys nodded in confirmation. "He's named after Rhaegar. Viserion is named after my other brother Viserys and Drogon is named after my late husband, Drogo."
Rhaenys' head was swimming. There were so many things that she wanted to ask her aunt. Who was her late husband? What happened to him? How did she get her dragons to hatch? What was Viserys like and how did he die? What was their childhood like?
She glanced up and met Daenerys' unfamiliar violet gaze and all of her questions died in her throat. Just because their dragons accepted each other did not mean that Daenerys accepted Rhaenys as her niece. She had to control her excitement at finding more family members and remember the position that she was in.
In the resulting silence, a different voice spoke. "You look like Princess Elia Martell."
Rhaenys' gaze shot to the older man, her brown eyes narrowing. "You knew my mother?" He nodded solemnly. Rhaenys really looked at him for the first time. He was tall, with pale blue eyes, white hair and lined features. He had a quiet strength about him in the calm and confident way that he carried himself. "Who are you?"
"My apologies," Daenerys said, gesturing Rhaenys to sit on a bench and waving the young woman forward. "We haven't made full introductions. This is Ser Barristan Selmy, Lord Commander of my Queensguard and my advisor, Missandei."
Missandei smiled at Rhaenys as she handed her and Daenerys a cup of wine. Rhaenys took the cup with a distracted thanks. "Barristan the Bold?" Her eyes narrowed at one of the men who were supposed to have protected her Targaryen family. A man who bent the knee to Robert Baratheon as soon as he took the throne. "Aren't you supposed to be serving in Joffrey Baratheon's Kingsguard? What are you doing in Mereen?"
"I was dismissed from the Kingsugard for failing to keep King Robert safe. It was implied that I was too old," he told her, anger in his blue eyes at the injustice of it. "Robert Baratheon was a sorry excuse for a king, but his son Joffrey is worse. He's a spoiled, cruel boy with a vicious temper - I left Westeros to find the rightful ruler to the Irone Throne. And I found her." Daenerys sent him a grateful smile. "I was part of King Aerys' Kingsguard when your mother and father were wed. They lived on Dragonstone for the most part, but from what I knew of your mother she was a kind, gentle hearted woman with a delicate health."
Rhaenys heard a lot of stories about her mother from both her father and her uncle Oberyn. They loved to talk about her and Rhaenys asked about her every chance she could. It was true her mother's health was delicate. She was born early and she hadn't been expected to live - but she did. Her health kept her close to home, but her brothers loved and cherished her. Though her body may have been frail, her mind was strong. She was quick witted, quick to laugh, kind and generous. With every word they spoke and every story that they told her, Rhaenys wished more and more that she had been able to know and remember her mother.
"Ser Barristan knew Rhaegar better," Daenerys told her. "He could tell you stories about him - "
"No," Rhaenys snapped, fury whipping through her at the mere mention of him. She was still lost in thoughts about her mother and the thought of Rhaegar Targaryen tainted the image she had of her. Rhaenys saw the shock on their faces and she forced herself to take a deep breath. "Sorry. I do not wish to hear about him."
"If he's your father like you say he is, then surely you wish to know more about him - "
"I know all I need to know about Rhaegar Targaryen. He publicly crowned Lyanna Stark the queen of love and beauty at the tourney at Harrenhal and then abducted her, which started a bloody war and caused the death of a lot of people." Rhaenys could feel herself getting more and more worked up, but once again her emotions were out of her control she couldn't seem to stop the words from coming out of her mouth. "You could tell me that he did amazing things, but all I know is how he treated my mother, his wife. He insulted her, humiliated her and left her, Aegon and I in the Mad King's hands. My father, the man I choose to be my father, told me that Aerys used us as hostages to keep Dorne's allegiance to the throne. I hope it was worth it for him. He died, Lyanna died, my mother died and we would have died if someone hadn't gotten us out of King's Landing."
Rhaenys was panting by the time she was done and after a moment she realized that she couldn't quite catch her breath. The sun was shining down on her and sweat trickled down the back of her neck. Her heart was fluttering in her chest and she knew the stress of this whole situation was getting to her. The small gray bean appeared in her mind and she remembered what happened the last time she became overly stressed.
She abruptly stood in a panic, her eyes wide. "Are you alright?" Daenerys asked, stepping forward in concern.
"I'm fine - yes. I think it's just the heat. Would it be alright if I go lay down and rest, Your Grace?" Rhaenys asked, her voice sounding strange even to her own years.
Daenerys frowned at her. "Yes, of course. I'll have someone escort you back to your room."
"Thank you," Rhaenys murmured as she waved someone over. She called Meraxes over, avoiding her aunt's gaze as she followed the Unsullied soldier off the terrace and back to her room. A feeling of despair settled over her and she left. She didn't exactly give Daenerys the best impression of her and she was worried that she had ruined everything before she even started.
Daenerys watched the woman claiming to be her niece walk away with her dragon. Feeling contemplative, she took a sip of her wine before turning to sit on the bench Rhaenys vacated. She tilted her face towards the sun for a moment, closing her eyes and enjoying the feeling of the warmth on her skin. There was a small cry and she looked down to see Drogon walking toward her, putting his head in her lap.
"What do you think of her?" She asked Ser Barristan and Missendei as she ran her fingers down the spikes of Drogon's neck.
"It's hard to deny that she has Targaryen blood when she brings a dragon as evidence," Ser Barristan said in his deep voice. "While she has none of the typical Targaryen features, there is no doubting that she is from Dorne. She has the same delicate beauty as her mother did."
"So you believe her then?" Daenerys asked, glancing up at him. "You believe she's truly Rhaenys Targaryen?"
"Yes, I do."
"And you, Missendei?"
"I don't know much about Dorne and I've never met Elia Martell. As a person, she seems genuine enough. You could certainly hear the pain and anger in her voice when she was talking about her mother and father." Missandei hesitated. "How do you trust that someone is who they say they are based off meeting them once?"
"What do you think, Your Grace?" Ser Barristan asked. "Do you believe her?"
Drogon turned away from her, going back to his brothers. He nipped Viserion playfully then took a running start, leaping into the air and flying away, enticing them to give chase. She watched them for a moment taking the time to gather her thoughts.
She felt as if her entire being was at war with itself. For so long, she had thought that she and Viserys were the last living Targaryens. Viserys' whole existence had been about regaining control of the Iron Throne. The need to be king took hold of him until it became an obsession, but all his plotting brought him was the nickname "beggar king" and his death. When he died, she knew she was the rightful Queen of Westeros and everything she's been doing had been to achieve that goal. When he died, she knew she was the last Targaryen. She had accepted it.
But now… now there were two people who had found her, claiming to be Targaryens as well. Claiming to be family. There was a small part of her, the part that longed for the house with the red door, that wanted to believe them, wanted to know that she wasn't alone in the world.
The other part of her wanted the throne, her family's legacy. She wanted to right the wrong's done to her family, to take back what the Usurper had stolen. She's been working towards this goal ever since Viserys died, it was the one thing that kept her going through the death of Drogo and her unborn child and the only thing that she had left now.
"She obviously believes her story," Daenerys said, finally speaking up. "The conviction in her voice is hard to deny. And she has the dragon… a strong, beautiful dragon, not at all like the small and deformed dragons that Viserys told me about. She presented me with quite the offer," she continued, feeling anger rush through her veins yet again at the thought. "Ultimatum more like. Either I accept her alliance and rule six kingdoms instead of seven or at least three kingdoms will rise against me when we land in Westeros. She wishes me to ally myself with the Usurpers dogs," she spat, shaking her head. "It will never work."
Ser Barristan stepped forward. "Your Grace. Everything she said about Lord Stark is true. The reasonings behind his role in the war and her assessment of his character. Ned Stark was an honorable man, even when he was Hand in King's Landing, surrounded by liars, cheaters and snakes. I respected him as a man and as a leader."
Daenerys turned to look the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard in the eye, raising her chin slightly. Ser Barristan had fought to protect her family, had served her father for years. "I've heard my father called the Mad King before. I'm asking you, a man who served on my father's kingsuard during his reign… is the name Mad King just lies started by our family's enemies?"
Ser Barristan did not back down her gaze and Daenerys felt the enormity of this moment settle over them. "No, Your Grace," he answered finally. She looked away then, her expression shuttered as something in her chest tweaked. "Every child knows that the Targaryens have always danced too close to madness. King Jaeherys, your grandfather, told me that madness and greatness are two sides of the same coin. Every time a new Targaryen is born, the gods toss the coin in the air and the world holds its breath to see how it will land."
Her eyes flashed back to him. "And what do you believe, ser?" She challenged. "Do you believe the gods have made me mad?"
"No," he answered at once. "I would not be here, serving in your Queensguard if I believed you were mad. You are the trueborn heir of Westeros and I will be by your side for as long as you'll have me."
"Will you? Even though Rhaegar's children might have come back from the dead? Rhaenys has it right, as I'm sure you know. They both have a better claim to the throne than I."
"Rhaenys is not my queen, even if she did say she wanted the Iron Throne. Of the two, her story can somewhat be traced. Though we don't know who rescued her from King's Landing, we could speak to Prince Doran and Prince Oberyn to verify her story. We can trace her past, but this Aegon… he was just a babe and he has no dragon with him. He might believe that he is Aegon Targaryen but will the rest of Westeros?"
She trusted Ser Jorah and Ser Barristan with her life… so why was it so hard to accept that her father really was a Mad King?
"Will you bring Aegon here?" Daenerys asked Missandei, who had been been respectfully quiet. "I wish to hear his story." Missandei bowed her head respectfully and quickly left.
Daenerys sipped her wine while she waited, watching her dragons fly above her, lost in thought. She didn't have to wait long before Missandei returned, Aegon in tow. "Aegon Targaryen," she mused, greeting him.
"Queen Daenerys," he responded. She observed him critically as he bowed slightly to her. His hair was the silver blonde of the Targaryen's but it was shaggy and tousled, falling across his forehead and looking like he had raked his hand through it one too many times. He looked to be around her age, tall and lean. His eyes were the purple of the Targaryens as well, that she could not deny. But then, there were also Lyseni who had silver hair and purple eyes. Her eyes traced the scar that ran from his eyebrow to below the eyes, moving to the tooth piercing in his ear, to the tattoo coil of a tail that wrapped around his arm, visible beneath his rolled up sleeve.
He certainly didn't look like the rightful king of Westeros. "I just met with your sister," she told him, tilting her head to the side. "She's…" she trailed off, trying to find an appropriate word to describe her.
"Intense," Aegon finished, the corner of his lips twitching up into a smirk.
"Yes," Daenerys agreed, nodding. "She told me quite an interesting story about who she is and why she's here. Now I would hear your story."
"Would it be alright if we walk a bit?" He asked, gesturing around the terrace. "I've been confined to a room for hours with a man who hates me. I'd like to stretch my legs a bit."
Daenerys rose, obliging him. Ser Barristan fell into step behind them. "Why does he hate you?" She asked, frowning.
"Doesn't trust me, I suppose. I didn't exactly make the best first impression with my sister."
Daenerys raised her eyebrows, glancing sideways at him. "Now I'm intrigued."
He shrugged as they slowly strolled amongst the different plants. "There's not much to tell. I was raised by a man called Jon Connington after I was smuggled out of King's Landing."
Ser Barristan's eyes narrowed as he spoke up from behind them. "Jon Connington drank himself to death."
"A rumor," Aegon dismissed with a casual wave of his hand. "Spread in order to protect me, to raise me as his son so that nobody would know who I was. We moved around a lot, never staying in one place for long. He taught me everything - sword play, different languages, Westerosi history, anything and everything to help groom me to become the king. I was in my tenth year when his past caught up with him. Men from the Golden Company found him, fought him and killed him. I became an orphaned, homeless, street rat who had to steel food to survive. A captain of a ship took me in and I've been sailing the seas ever since."
Daenerys' frown deepened in confusion. "How exactly did you meet your sister then?"
"It was a one in a million chance meeting," he snorted. "We came across her ship. It had been tossed about in a storm and they were sinking, taking on water. We took over the ship's crew, brought them on board and found Rhaenys, her friends and her dragon. When questioning her about where the dragon came from, I found out who she really was."
"You took over the ship's crew…"
"I sailed aboard The Black Horizon. A pirate ship," he clarified in the confused silence.
"You're a pirate?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow. Looking at his appearance again, she had to admit that he certainly looked the part.
"I was a pirate," he corrected, looking away. "I killed our captain to help Rhaenys escape and now I can never be a pirate again. Word of what I did will spread and there will be a price on my head."
"So you just met your sister mere weeks before coming to Mereen," Daenerys said, somewhat stunned.
He made a sound of agreement. "She convinced me to join her on her journey to find you. I'm not sure what will happen after, but I know for certain that she'll try and persuade me to come back to Westeros with her." He paused for a moment. "We had a very different upbringing. She grew up surrounded by brothers, a sister, cousins, uncles… family is important to her and she's not going to give up easily." He shrugged carelessly. "I didn't have a family growing up and I'm not sure I need one now."
Aegon exuded this air of reckless indifference, giving Daenerys the impression that he didn't want to be here and he didn't seem to care that she might be his aunt. She didn't quite know what to make of him, but she knew she didn't trust him.
"Is Rhaenys telling the truth? You have no desire to rule Westeros?" She asked, watching his reaction carefully.
"I'm tempted to say that I do just to see what you would do," he responded, smirking at her again. "But no. Even when Connington was tutoring me, that was more his goal than mine."
"What do you want then?"
He shrugged yet again. "I want to do whatever I want with my future without anybody telling me that I can't."
Daenerys frowned at that. "Well, you've certainly given me a lot to think about. I need some time to decide whether I believe that you are who you say you are. "
"Does it matter?"
She blinked. "Excuse me?"
He stopped walking, turning to face her fully. "Does it matter if you think I'm truly Aegon Targaryen?" He didn't wait for her to respond. "Even if I did want the Iron Throne, I have no proof and you could just say that I'm an imposter."
Daenerys opened her mouth to respond but she was interrupted by Jorah. "My apologies, Your Grace. Your audience is waiting for you in your chamber."
She nodded, turning towards Aegon and was about to tell him that she would call on him later, when her dragons came back, swooping and shrieking. It caught everyone's attention as it always did when they were around. They looked up, eyes following their movements. Drogon and Rhaegal landed near the tree, but Vision veered away, landing on the wall behind Aegon.
Daenerys watched the pair of them, head tilted to the side, brows furrowed. Aegon slowly turned to face the cream colored dragon. Viserion rose to his full height, staring down at Aegon for a long moment before he slowly lowered his neck. When his head was in line with Aegon's he abruptly spread his wings, opening his mouth and roared in his face. Daenerys eyes shot open wide; she didn't think she ever heard him reach that volume before.
Aegon's silver hair was blown back and for his credit he stood there without moving. When Viserion finally quieted, she saw that all the color had drained from Aegon's face and his purple eyes were wide with shock. Viserion folded his wings as Aegon slowly reached out with a shaky hand.
Daenerys unconsciously stepped forward, both fascinated and horrified, as Viserion willingly snaked his head forward, nuzzling his head into Aegon's hand.
Then, just as abruptly as it started, the moment was over. Viserion shook his head, gave another small cry and flew off to join his brothers.
Aegon turned to look at her, eyes still wide, looking visibly shaken. "What in the bloody hell was that?"
Daenerys slowly shook her head, wordless. But even as she did, a voice echoed in the back of her mind.
The dragon has three heads.
Author's Note: I hope I did their first official meeting with Daenerys justice! While every instinct in Dany is telling her not to trust them, there's some pretty hard evidence to deny and she's going to struggle with that.
As always, please let me know what you thought! Let me know what you guys would like to see in the future - reading your ideas helps me create some of my own. Maybe I'll even be able to fit your idea into my story :) Stay home and stay safe! Until next time!
winter1990: Thank you so much, I'm so glad you're loving it so far.
G1234: So glad you loved the chapter, thanks for the review! Meraxes is the cutest little show off there is, I can't wait to keep writing her little personality as she continues to grow. I hope you liked Daenerys' reaction!