Returning to her old routine, Rhaena resumed her training only with a slight difference. Now, Trystane often joined her. Syrio Forel was happy to take on another student and Rhaena had introduced the man to Trystane, having noticed that his sword was long and thin much like Syrio's. The boy had been trained before but it appeared to be only to a certain degree. The boy was good, no doubt of that, but put him in battle and Rhaena knew he would die quickly. The boy had no mettle in him, no strength of arm or even in his stomach. She felt it necessary that anyone who would one day lead needed to hone both the mind as well as the sword in order to be able to be effective in both times of peace and war. Besides, she wanted to know that Trystane could defend himself and Myrcella should some issue arise and she was not there to protect them. As she said. The boy knew how to fight, but only for show. Syrio would put some sense into him, the Dance Master had a way of teaching the sword which sharpened the mind as well as the body. It was good for Trystane and Myrcella was ever his most devoted supporter and encouraged him each time he faltered. It were as if the pair had strolled directly out of a fairy tale at times, acting in such a lovestruck way that it baffled Rhaena entirely but she made no comment on such things, so long as they were happy.
Myrcella had been delighted to discover that Sansa was also in Meereen and the two quickly became reacquainted with one another. Of course, Myrcella, being innocent but also somewhat ignorant to the true nature of her family, did not know everything that Sansa had suffered because of her brother and her mother, but Sansa tolerated it well and never told Myrcella anything that would have upset her, rather masterfully maintaining composure until they would discuss something else. It was not the first time Rhaena noted the change in Sansa. She was surer of herself now and walked with her head raised high. There was confidence in her step and a gracefulness in her air which left many a man staring after her whenever she walked past them. If only her mother could see her now, Rhaena knew Lady Catelyn would be so proud of her daughter. Gods be good she was watching over her, over all her children, and smiling. Seeing Sansa come into her own was the greatest gift Rhaena could ask for, and Ser Barristan agreed that Sansa was much changed from the frightened little girl he had known in King's Landing. "You too have changed, my princess." He would say to her as they sparred with one another, circling in the training pits as Rhaena huffed and heaved from the effort whilst Ser Barristan remained utterly unaffected. "You are stronger. Wiser. More powerful."
"It is still not enough. There is still more I need to learn…such as how to defeat you." With a grin Rhaena attacked once more and their practice resumed whilst Daario Naharis would shout out encouragement, offer up suggestions and laugh whenever Rhaena received a slap of the broadside of the blade upon her rump. Each time she would shoot Daario, her sister's lover, a glare. When training with Ser Barristan and Daario ended, Rhaena would take up her bow and learn continue to practice her archery in order to better her aim under Kovarro's watchful eye. The city was still ill at ease, so they did not leave it to ride, they needed to be there for Daenerys who was still struggling to maintain control over the people, especially the masters. When training was over and after she had bathed, Rhaena would then go to her sister in order to help her puzzle through the issues of the city and together attempt to find a means to restore total peace to Meereen. They had some thoughts, but nothing was yet set in stone. What troubled Daenerys the most were the near constant demands the masters made of her, it was wearing down upon her, Rhaena could see. At present, however, both were contentedly looking out over the city with Ser Barristan beside them, so high up that everything look small before them.
"Everyone looks happy enough from up here," nothing this quietly, Daenerys looked when Ser Barristan gave a chuckle. "What?"
"I was thinking of all the times your brother made me go with him down from the Red Keep, into the streets of King's Landing." Rhaena lifted her head with intrigue, a smile rising to her face as she sat herself upon the stone balcony.
"You never told me our brother went into the streets. What did he do there?"
"He liked to walk among the people, he liked to sing to them." Now both girls were smiling, looking at the aged knight incredulously as Daenerys repeated Ser Barristan's words. "Yes. Rhaegar would take a spot on the Hook or the Street of Seeds and then he'd sing. Just like all the other minstrels." Attempting to picture it in her mind, Rhaena thought of a silver haired bard singing his songs to those who passed on the street with the stern Ser Barristan Selmy standing behind him in all his austere severity. It made her laugh.
"And what did you do?"
"I made sure no one killed him." Ser Barristan informed Daenerys simply before adding a small smile. "And I collected the money." Both women looked to him again and Rhaena still could not quite believe what she was hearing. Her eldest brother a bard. Now that would have been a story worth telling around the court were their lives different. Perhaps he would have sang to her and Dany when they were small, had they ever had the chance to meet. "Well he liked to see how much he could make."
"He was good?"
"He was very good. Viserys never told you?" At the mention of their other brother, Daenerys's spirits wilted a little as they often did at his name. She turned aside in order to sit herself down at the table inside her rooms with Ser Barristan and Rhaena following her as she stated that Viserys had told her that Rhaegar was good at killing people. "Rhaegar never liked killing. He loved singing." Rhaena could well imagine it. She had heard more stories of Rhaegar growing up than Dany ever had, for she had numerous sources to learn of him from. Some were not favourable, but they had come from the mouths of her enemies, chiefly Robert, so she had always discarded those as senseless propaganda and instead enjoyed best the ones Ser Barristan had told to her, for her had been close to the Crown Prince. Rhaena firmly believed that he would have been an excellent king had he lived.
"And what did you do with the money?"
"Well, one time, he gave it to the next minstrel down the street. One time, he gave it to an orphanage in Flea Bottom. One time…we got horribly drunk." Listing off a few of the instances he and the prince had ventured into the city, they all chuckled at the last. Rhaena wanted to know more. Even now she loved to hear stories of her eldest brother but before she could ask Ser Barristan to sit and tell them, Daario entered in order to announce that Hizdahr had arrived with another petition for the queen. That man was nothing if not persistent. Daenerys caught Rhaena making a wry grimace, smirking to herself. Although excellent at politics, her sister could not stand certain people and Hizdahr was one of them. She thought him to be a spineless, simpering and dim-witted fool, if she recalled the exact wording correctly. The thought of having to return to court grated upon Daenerys's nerves. There was only so many times she could say no.
"How many others are there?"
"Fifty a hundred." She dreaded to think what it might have been without Sasna's new system in place. These were the important pickings, after all. However she was a queen and she had a duty to her subjects, so she would be the queen they had been promised and answer their pleas. Rising to her feet, Daenerys looked to Ser Barristan tenderly.
"Will you be joining us, Ser Barristan?"
"I think I can protect you from Hizdahr Zo Loraq." Daario ventured to say quickly, though Daenerys thought the idea that she would need protecting from a man such as Hizdahr a laughable one at best.
"I think I can protect me from Hizdahr Zo Loraq." Knowing that Ser Barristan had stood guard for most of the day, Daenerys decided that he should have some time of his own. Perhaps he would wander the streets of Meereen as he once wandered the streets of King's Landing with her brother. "Go, Ser Barristan. Sing a song for me." Turning her head, Daenerys then nodded to her sister. "You go as well, Rhae. You have yet to properly rest since your return. Take leave of duty for an evening. As your sister and your queen, I command it." Smiling broadly to her, both Rhaena and Ser Barristan bowed to Daenerys in acceptance of her orders.
"Your Grace." They left together, and Daenerys did not think to worry for even a moment for she could not possibly imagine what would follow. Rhaena and Ser Barristan had begun with a gentle stroll through the streets where Rhaena paid for some food for them to eat, roasted pork and crackling upon skewers with seared onions and peppers smothered in a rich honey glaze. Delicious. They discussed more of Rhaegar and the type of man he was and the things he did in his youth until they were away from the louder bustle of the late markets, going to where the streets were quieter and emptier. At first there was nothing amiss, Rhaena thinking that she too might attempt to sing for coin to see how much money she might earn until she felt Ser Barristan's hand close suddenly upon her arm, her eyes turning to see that he was alert and on edge. The bells were toiling. They were ringing out in warning and soon enough commoners were screaming and running in a frenzied haste away from where the dim sounds of battle floated to the ears of the knight and his princess. "Return to the Pyramid, princess."
"And leave you alone out here? Not likely." Drawing her sword fiercely, Rhaena felt the heat of her magic begin to spill through her body until she was clutching a ball of fire in her left hand. "I am not helpless. Come. Let us find the issue." Having no choice but to follow, Ser Barristan closely guarded his princess's back as they forced their way through the fleeing crowds, for the direction they fled from was the source of the trouble and there they would find what they were looking for. Neither of them did not doubt it was the Sons of the Harpy here to terrorise them once again, but upon finding a massacre of Unsullied soldiers, Rhaena felt her temper flare in horrified anger. Ser Barristan killed one Son as the others crowded around a lone survivor, Grey Worm. Rhaena called his name softly as she stepped forwards, her eyes holding a fire within as she raised the flames which danced upon her palm. With a sinister expression, she flung them towards the murderers who had butchered good men all for nothing but their wounded pride. Flames soon danced upon two of the Sons who both panicked and yelled fearfully as they tried to douse the fire but it would not go out. Rhaena willed it to continue to burn through fabric and flesh, all the way to the bone and across their entire bodies without dimming as she then strode forwards and went to Grey Worm's aid, for he was wounded and outnumbered.
The Sons of the Harpy separated into two groups, one going to face Ser Barristan whilst the rest remained in order to attempt to finish Grey Worm but Rhaena was quickly at his side, grasping hold of his arm to haul him away from a blade and slash with her own in a measured and precise motion which cut through flesh and pierced a heart. They wore masks but no armour, so their soft points were all utterly exposed to her sword and she took full advantage of the fact as Grey Worm turned to protect her back despite the fact that he was barely standing and still bleeding profusely. Rhaena did not remember doing a great deal of thinking during that time, focusing entirely upon her enemy and their weapons, defending herself and Grey Worm and occasionally using fire to burn her opponents so that they would retreat from her in fear. There was to be no mercy for them. Not for these butchers who lured men into traps and used superior numbers to overwhelm their prey. Rhaena had no mercy for such cowards. They all died by her blade or her flame, and they would count themselves lucky they died quick, clean deaths. A shout distracted her momentarily, tearing her focus away from the present to where Ser Barristan fought only to see a blade cut through his leather armour, a pained expression tearing his face. Horror plunged an icy sensation into the depths of Rhaena's heart, chasing away the warmth of her magic and the fire in her hand vanished as she gave a strangled cry. A blade caught her arm and soon a thick stream of blood was running down her flesh. Grey Worm killed the man with his spear as Rhaena hardly even noticed, racing towards where Ser Barristan continued to fight.
He had killed so many of them, carving through them like they were nothing, but still he was an old man who did not possess the same dexterity and speed as he once had, and these men he faced were young, even if they were inexperienced fighters. Their numbers gave them an edge, and gradually the wounds began to collect upon his body even as one blade was plunged deep into his gut. He heard the princess scream as he fell to his knees, the echo dancing against the walls until she sprung upon the Son who had impaled him with his blade, smashing him into the ground. Rhaena's heat had returned with a vengeance, burning throughout her as she lifted her sword and drove it directly through the man's throat in a rather clumsy strike, missing the aim of his chest as the man had bucked beneath her just as she brought her arms down with the intent of throwing her off but it had only shifted her weight forwards. She did not care. He died bleeding like a pig, just as he deserved. "Ser Barristan!" Whirling around, Rhaena launched herself at the others who remained, slashing wildly at one who reared back beyond her reach and brandished his sword tauntingly as Rhaena heaved, her throat and chest tightening as she faced him. Behind her, she heard Ser Barristan attempt to warn her through his ragged breath, making her head turn to see the other Son intend to strike her unprotected back but even as she looked, the point a of a spear was driven through his chest. Her head snapped back to the one before her. Taking her distraction, the man had leaped for her with their sword raised high. Rhaena lowered her stance and stepped into their space before they could reach her and drove her sword upwards with a powerful thrust, driving it straight through their heart in order to finish them quickly. She did not care about them, did not even bother to keep hold of her sword as she pushed the man away. All that mattered was Ser Barristan.
Grey Worm, who had been the one to kill the man who had aimed at Rhaena's back, now lay unconscious beside Ser Barristan as Rhaena flung herself to the ground and grasped at him, lifting him up as he choked on air and blood which was gathered at the back of his throat. It was over too quickly, Rhaena hardly remembered anything now. Not how they had arrived or how long they had fought, or how many there had been. She cradled Ser Barristan in her arms as she began to struggle to find air, tears pooling together as she stroked at his face and beard. "Hush, hush now Ser Barristan. Hold on and we shall find you a healer. Be still, you must be still!"
"It is too late, my princess." Ser Barristan had taken enough injuries in his lifetime and seen plenty delivered to know which ones were fatal, and the ones he bore would be his end. A rather miserable way to go, but at least he would die with his sword in his hand like he had always wanted. His only regret would be to leave the child behind. He looked at her now as best as he was able. His eyes had dimmed over time but now they seemed especially faint, barely able to see Rhaena's refrain unless he squinted and focused all his attention upon her. She was desperately trying to smile for him, pressing her hand against his wound as she attempted to summon fire to her palm.
"I will cauterise your wounds. It will hurt but it will stop the bleeding. You will live, Ser Barristan…you must live…"
"Oh child…little dragon…it is over for me." He tried to explain to her that it was too late now, that even if she closed his wounds he would still bleed internally and several of his vital organs had been pierced, but he could not summon the energy. His final words needed to count and she needed to hear them, that was more important than anything else at that moment, but what to say? He could think of a thousand things but was unable to decide which was the most important. Advise, comfort, reassurance…what was it he wished to tell Rhaena more than anything? Something that he had not already told her before. A strangled sob escaped her as Rhaena ignored his words and summoned the fire from within her to burn without, to glide across Ser Barristan's body and burn shut his wounds whilst causing him as little pain as possible. The fire responded to her will but even as it set to work, Rhaena saw Ser Barristan beginning to slip away from her.
"No! No stay with me, stay with me…father please! Father! Father!" Father…that word…it brought Ser Barristan such warmth and fulfilment unlike anything he had ever known before. Suddenly his mind was flooded with memories, of him holding a squalling babe wrapped in a rough blanket, watching that same infant learning how to take her first steps, the first time the child had run to him and clung to his leg to hide behind him whilst other children chased her with sticks…Ser Barristan recalled all his most precious memories of Rhaena as she had grown before his very eyes. He remembered her first words and the time she had picked flowers from the gardens and delivered them to him as a gift, how he had pressed each and every single one of those blooms to preserve them forever. The time Rhaena had learned a new song and had rushed in order to sing it to him for the first time, how she had always come to him with her sorrows and hurts for him to nurse them with his care. Every moment Ser Barristan had spent with Rhaena was a treasured moment, and he would not trade a single one of them not even for all the coin in the world. His vows forbade him from fathering a child, but it did not stop him from raising one, and Rhaena had been his from the moment he had first held her. His princess. His own.
"My girl, my sweet…sweet girl…mine. You are mine. My little dragon." Ser Barristan began to rasp as his lifeforce continued to bleed from him even as Rhaena wept over him, clutching him close. He could feel the heat of her tears against him as she pressed her cheek to his head. "I have loved you…my child…like no other…you must know this. Tell me you know this."
"I…I know this…you have always been my father. Always I have loved you as one, so you cannot leave me now! I forbid it! I forbid you to die!" A wry smile touched his face as Ser Barristan felt the sweet call of death come to claim him, sinking further and further away as his princess continued to hold him. "Father…please…please…do not leave me…"
"Save him…" Blearily Ser Barristan recalled Grey Worm had been with them. If the gods were good, they would take his life and spare the boy's. It would only be fair, though Rhaena would disagree. Death stole his breath in a single kiss, sweeping away the last of his life all at once so that he could not even say a final farewell to his beloved little dragon who howled her grief whilst clutching to the empty shell of his body, never again to breathe or smile or laugh. In the swiftest of moments, the only true father she had ever known was stolen from her, and Rhaena was left alone surrounded by the dead with nothing but the ache of her own agony to remind her that she was not yet one of them. There was where she was found. Still amongst the dead, holding Ser Barristan in her arms with a vacant expression so empty that for a brief moment, she too seemed to be one of the dead.