When they returned to Naath, Missandei had wept to see Rhaena unharmed. Grey Worm went to his knees and offered his life to failing to protect his princess, but Rhaena insisted he rise and assure them that all was well. Despite being lost in the chaos, their attack against the pirates had succeeded. In the several months during Rhaena's disappearance, no raids had struck their island. Rhaena was glad for it, and after stopping to rest awhile amongst the people of Naath, she then took flight with Rhaegal once more. He flew far more carefully than ever and stayed close to Rhaena even when on land. He had missed her, and so she spent long hours consoling him and promising not to be taken away ever again. Although stubborn at first, he gradually relented his ire and focused instead on flying where his rider-kin willed. From above they saw Valyria through the rising smoke, shattered islands which had once been a great and powerful city. They did not land, it was far too risky and Rhaena had no intention of losing herself to poisonous fumes or the touch of greyscale. Still, it was satisfying to see the ancestral home of dragons and once, her own kin. Rhaegal cried out across the island, perhaps the first dragon cry the island had heard in centuries, before then flying onwards and not looking back.
Their journey then took them to the Bay of Dragons, and there Rhaena let it be known that her sister's laws still stood. Together, she and Rhaegal destroyed the slave ships, freed the captives, slaughtered the highest-ranking masters and flung them over their high walls. Even without an army, Rhaena was a force to be reckoned with. She warned that the next time she returned, she would simply burn all three cities of Bay of Dragons to the ground if there was even one slave amongst them. As the masters trembled, their guards and soldiers wasted before the might of a dragon, they could only bow and give their word. In Meereen, the Second Sons had vanished, and Daario Naharis with them. Word had reached the city of Daenerys's death, and so Rhaena reasoned that he must have left after receiving the news. So be it. Most likely he had returned to his life as a sellsword and would drown his sorrows in women and wine until one or the other killed him. All the same, Rhaena put out word for him, promising a reward to anyone who could tell her his whereabouts. She would like to at least speak to him one last time.
There Rhaena's journey ended, at least for now, and once she had satisfied herself that her sister's legacy had been upheld, she and Rhaegal flew westward toward home, where the moment she stepped foot upon the ground of the Red Keep, numerous cries rose up and several people came rushing to greet her. In the lead was little Joanna, her blonde curls bouncing sweetly as she flung herself into Rhaena's arms with a cheer, Rosana waddling after her. Sweeping up both girls into her arms, Rhaena kissed their cheeks and promised them gifts she had bought for them, walking herself forwards as Jaime and Tyrion approached also, Gilly and Sam behind them. It was heart warming to have so many welcome her home, embraces and kisses being shared between them, though Bronn in his usual fashion kissed Rhaena full on the mouth before smacking her backside. Jaime collared him sharply and hauled him off as Rhaena laughed, the little ones gasping innocently. It was good to be home.
Her routine fell back into place seamlessly, returning to her work as Bran softly welcomed her home when she went to him, bearing with her the gifts she had returned with to present to him, though what he wanted more than anything were her stories. During her travels, Bran purposefully did not look for her, knowing that whatever happened was for her to experience and that she would tell him all upon her return. Although surprised to learn that she had been kidnapped by pirates and even killed a kraken, Bran made very little response to anything she said, though he heard in her voice how much she cared for this pirate captain, Ilyan Xenos. He was happy for her. This man could give her what Bran could not, and even if he could, he knew that Rhaena did not love him in that fashion. To see her so fully at peace was more than enough, and so once her story was ended, Bran smiled and touched her face lightly. "Thank you for coming back." These words were the ones he would whisper to her every time Rhaena went away then returned.
Their lives continued, and Rhaena watched contently as the world grew and changed around her. Word from the north told them that Robb had married a daughter of one of his bannermen and she had borne him a son. The entire north celebrated, as did those who loved Robb. Rhaena was glad for him and sent gifts to him, his wife and their son. The most prominent gift being a new Valyrian steel blade, fashioned in the style of the Stark heirloom blade, Ice. It was the first newly forced blade since the Doom of Valyria, where Gendry and Rhaena had worked together to forge it with their own two hands. It was the first of many more, though they kept their work secret and sparse as to keep the price of their wares high. The people of Essos were mad for them, and each time they produced a new weapon, a bidding war ensued. Rhaena, Gendry and the Crown became exceedingly wealthy within the first year of their weapon forging.
Other marriages also followed of friends and loved ones, and with each marriage came new children. Soon the keep was ringing each day with giggles and laughter. The restorations of the keep were long from being finished, but what they had rebuilt made for an adequate place to conduct their businesses and for Bran to rule. Once the summer returned, they would set about rebuilding the rest of the keep, and perhaps build it more impressively than it had been before. Rhaena already had drawn up several designs and plans, usually whilst children were playing at her feet. Gilly had delivered Sam a son whom they named Jon, and when Rhaena had carried the news north with her upon one of her many visits, Jon had laughed dryly but accepted the honour humbly. Months after her return from her first long journey, the first sighting of pirate ships appeared on the horizon of her seas. It had been pure coincidence that Rhaena had been at Dragonstone when they came, but when the shout rose up, she had donned her armour and her sword before sailing with her Unsullied. Rhaegal had gone hunting, but he would be back soon enough. In any case, Rhaena had no intention of burning this particular fleet to cinders. She recognised the flags, and as their ships approached one another, she smiled.
They crashed together and Rhaena joined the fray as pirates flooded the decks. Each one fell before her, until finally her blade connected with one that did not break or shudder. Lifting her eyes, she found his. Ilyan's. The sword in his hand was made of Valyrian steel, curved and slender, with a twisting grip and a large blood diamond set upon the pommel. She knew that sword. She and Gendry had made it together. She would have laughed had the situation aloud, but instead she flashed a bright, joyous grin and thrust back at Ilyan in order to engage him in a furious battle. He did not hesitate to laugh. They fought bitterly against one another, and anyone who saw them would never have known that they were lovers. They fought and Rhaena even drew blood, catching Ilyan's palm which opened a stream of blood which speckled the deck of her ship. It only deepened his fervour and desire. They were at a match, their swords mere flashes of movement before they connected, ringing clearly until finally, Rhaena had Ilyan pinned with his back against the ship's side. He grinned, glancing over his shoulder to the water below. In a lightning quick movement, he swung his sword and drove hers downwards, allowing him to catch hold of her wrist and spin her back against him, trapping the princess against his chest as he then ducked his head to her ear and whispered urgently as he managed to press a folded piece of paper into her hand at her side. "Meet me here. After Dark. I'll wait for you." Then he nipped at her ear just before Rhaena broke free, giving no sign or indication that she had heard him as she swung her sword that would have taken off his head had Ilyan not dodged and rolled. He called for retreat, returning across to his own ship where the boarding planks were drawn back, and the harpoon ropes cut so that they could disengage the Targaryen ship and pull away.
Breathless from their bout, Ilyan decided that he was going to deeply enjoy life from now on. He would attack, Rhaena would defend, they would fight, and afterwards, they would find one another and make love upon the sand. As he promised he waited for her in the cove that smugglers had once used to escape the patrol ships which guarded The Gullet. It was seldom used now, but there were several caves and, having planned for their reunion, Ilyan had outfitted one with a featherbed mattress, furs, dozens of candles, wine, food and had already lit a fire to warm the cave. He listened to the lapping of the ocean, waiting as the moon rose and cast silvery streams from above. It was only when the last stars had awoken from their slumber did Ilyan hear the distant beating of wings. They came slowly, gradually increasing in their sound as nothing more than a huge shape blotted out the stars as it flew closer and closer. Rhaegal came to land within the cove, sending a dark snarl towards Ilyan but did not linger long. The moment Rhaena dismounted, he took flight once more. With no more than a few feet standing between them, Rhaena smiled as she lifted up the paper that had been thrust into her hand, detailing a map of the coast and marking where it was she was meant to come.
She was out of her armour and instead, wearing a gown of rich blue, as far as the moonlight could help Ilyan tell. Her hair was in loose waves down to her waist, braided only atop her head where a fine chain of silver rested against her brow bearing a single teardrop. Ilyan could not tell what type of jewel from here. It did not matter. In fact, as lovely as her gown was, he wanted it off her. Together they rushed into one another's arms, meeting with their hands jumping to the other as their mouths met, beginning another furious battle between them. Ilyan barely managed to pull Rhaena into the cave where the warmth flowed over them, dimly thinking that she would prefer the furs to the sand, until her hand slid down the front of his britches and he thought no more. They rode through their pleasures, cries echoing throughout the cave as they resumed their passionate embraces which were all the more intense for their longing for one another. The cave became their sanctuary, and countless times thereafter, Ilyan and Rhaena met one another there, sending secret messages to arrange their trysts, and each time they convened together, Ilyan would thrust himself inside her with the intensity of a man driven mad by desire.
Raising his voice to cry out alongside his final release, Ilyan's seed burst in thick pulses whilst still sheathed inside Rhaena, her own cries tangling with his as his fingers drove her to her climax, where once his seed was spent, Ilyan withdrew himself from her and took her up into his arms, peppering her face with kisses as part of his seed dried upon her thighs. There, as the lovers entwined themselves and basked in their intimacy, Ilyan's seed quickened in Rhaena's womb and took root within her.