After their last bout of lovemaking, Ilyan had departed and so had Rhaena, who intended to now fly west and seek out new lands, as well as Arya and Sandor. All she required she carried with her, and once she had said her farewells and promised to return with new stories, had flown away upon Rhaegal's back and stopped only one final time upon the western coast to fill his belly with prey before taking flight once more. They soared endlessly for several days, seeing nothing but the vast expanses of water below them. Rhaegal never tired, stretching his wings and gliding fearlessly, though Rhaena carefully measured his strength. They would fly only as far as he had the strength to go and double back. The Sunset Sea was vast, and although the sunsets were beautiful, Rhaena prayed that there was in fact land beyond the horizon. She would not be able to bear it if there was nothing, meaning that Arya and Sandor had sailed for nothing. She hoped and prayed, nestled against Rhaegal's back until finally, several days after their flight had begun, a dark mass of land began to rise from the horizon. Renewed in their anticipation, Rhaegal gave a triumphant roar before striking the air with his wings and striving directly towards the new world.
It grew swiftly before them, vast and expansive, with forests and mountains as far as the eye could see. Rhaena marvelled at it as Rhaegal came to land, needing some rest and food. He chose a high perch atop some cliffs and there, he chose to sleep first and hunt later. As he slumbered, Rhaena explored a little, taking out her book and a stub of charcoal in order to begin drawing the scenery before her, making notes and drawings of everything she could see, detailing the time it had taken for them to arrive and the stars they had followed in order to chart their course. If Rhaena failed to properly document this discovery, she knew for certain Sam would most like flay her. Each time she had brought him new discoveries with her previous journeys, he had squealed most happily and taken to his study in order to read and copy her findings. Thus far, this land seemed much like the one she had left behind, even able to recognise some of the trees as ones also native to Westeros. She wondered what the land was called. Were there people here? She could not see why there should not be. It seemed like rich, fertile land.
Settling herself against Rhaegal once she had returned from her initial scouting trip, Rhaena continued to draw until she too fell asleep, exhaustion washing over. They awoke with hunger, and so they hunted. There were deer in the forest as well as great brown and black bears which Rhaegal eagerly devoured. Once he had filled his belly, they took to the skies once more and marvelled at the new world beneath them. They spent weeks together, exploring and discovering, both from the air and the ground until Rhaena came across her first signs of civilisation. A small town, built of wood and mud, but most certainly a town. She had Rhaegal keep himself out of sight and went down herself, where the people stared at her with gaping mouths. Not knowing what to expect, Rhaena simply attempted to look as peaceful as possible, leaving Whitefyre with Rhaegal upon the saddle pack with her provisions. She smiled when she approached them, noticing quite a mixture of ethnicities before her. Dark skin, light skin, olive skin…even skins that were mottled with different colours from ink and pastes. Intrigued, Rhaena began her attempts to communicate with them.
To her shock, they spoke a broken form of Westerosi. She was not the first stranger to arrive upon their shores. At first, she took this to mean they had seen Arya and Sandor, but they had never heard the names. The village chief was able to tell her that sailors from the east had come over the centuries, settling with their people and teaching them their language, though they spoke their own. In some places, mostly along the coast, where the explorers chose to settle, the broken version of Westerosi was prevalent, and so Rhaena was at least comforted that she would be able to speak with the native people here. They grew more comfortable with her thereafter, marvelling at her hair and eyes, tugging at her clothing and the children made her laugh when they squealed and scampered away whenever she looked at them. She stayed long enough to learn a little of the land, even being gifted a map of the coastal villages and towns, before she returned on her way and continued her search.
Several weeks ensued, and as Rhaena looked for Arya and Sandor, began to realise that something was changing with her body. Her stomach had grown firm and often she would feel sickened, common foods she had liked all her life suddenly becoming distasteful. If she was to have meat, she could only eat it when it was charred black as Rhaegal liked it. For some time she protested the symptoms, thinking that it was merely some new ailment she had taken upon arriving on land, but soon she could no longer deny the truth. She was with child. It grew in her belly and would not be denied, and so eventually, Rhaena had to come to terms with the truth. It could only be Ilyan's. He was the only man she had lain with in years. The notion was terrifying. Rhaena had not thought to ever marry, and therefore have children, but with a curse she realised that she had not been careful enough. The moon tea had failed her, too weak to contend with the own heat and fire of her body, and now she must shoulder the responsibility. The child itself did not frighten her, she had helped to raise Joanna after all, but since no thought or preparation had been made to make herself ready for motherhood, Rhaena was caught unawares.
It did not stop her from continuing her explorations, however. She journeyed further inland, following the rumours of the most recent arrivals to the new land, and finally some months after first finding the new country, found Arya and Sandor. They had taken up residence in a quiet village at the base of the mountains. Sandor had taken a wife and had already gotten her with child several times over. He had a brood of pups, three in total and a fourth on the way. Two boys and one daughter, whom he doted on. When Rhaena had first appeared, they thought she was a ghost, but then Arya had called out to her and rushed to her embrace, though when she had put her arms about her and felt the slight swell of her stomach, had retreated in surprise. "Do not look so shocked, little wolf. It happens even to the best of us. Come, tell and show me all. I have searched long and hard for you, and now I will not leave until I have heard of your adventures." Beaming, Arya took Rhaena by the hand to her own hut, where they sat with Sandor and his family to talk many long hours. His wife was a comely thing with wide hips and broad shoulders, a bright, loud laugh and a motherly smile. Sandor looked so utterly happy that Rhaena almost wept for him. The Hound was long gone, dead to the world. Now, only Sandor Clegane remained.
He intended to return to Westeros and take up his family's seat, so long as it was still there. At that he had sent a suspicious glare towards Rhaena, who laughingly assured him that they had kept Clegane Hall safe for him and it was awaiting the return of its lord. Satisfied, Clegane growled contentedly as his pups played around him. Arya had not taken a husband for herself as Sandor had claimed a wife, but she was satisfied with where she was. She was not ready to return but promised that one day she would perhaps in a few years. Rhaena sincerely hoped that she would, for without them, it felt that their family was still just that little bit fragmented. Once they were home, it would be complete. Smiling as she rubbed her stomach, Rhaena remained with Arya where together they explored, sometimes flying upon Rhaegal's back until months had passed and the time neared. This child would not wait forever and had grown steadily so that now Rhaena could no longer see her own toes when she looked down. As much as she liked the new land, she wanted to deliver her child at home, where he belonged.
Their farewell as a sombre one but was full of the promise to see one another again one day. As Rhaegal carried her into the air, Rhaena watched as the village grew smaller and smaller beneath her. Then, she turned her face towards the east. Travelling home took less time than it had finding Arya and Sandor, but still several weeks. By the time King's Landing was in sight, Rhaena felt that she would not wish to travel so far ever again for the rest of her life. It was a struggle to get down from Rhaegal, even when he lowered himself as close to the ground as he was able. She would not be able to fly again until after the child was born, she suspected. She felt tired all the time now, and heavy. Oh so heavy. All she wanted was to curl up and sleep. As she entered the keep where her usual welcoming party awaited, their shock had crashed upon them all at once as they saw Rhaena's swollen belly, and even the children were frozen in astonishment. Smiling ruefully, Rhaena begged someone help her inside. Jaime recovered first, striding forwards and gave Rhaena his arm as his hand went to her back, gently guiding her inside as she pressed her weight into him. Tyrion was at an utter loss for words, but when he eventually recovered, he quietly spoke with Gilly, who knew better than anyone the needs of a pregnant woman, encouraged her to tend to Rhaena and should there be anything she desired, they would fetch it for her. The little ones of course wanted their stories, but they were kept from acting too wildly around Rhaena, who was soon bundled into furs and put to rest in the comfiest chair they could find.
Joanna was fascinated by the notion that Rhaena, her guardian and Lady Aunt, was soon to have a baby of her own. She insisted upon tending to Rhaena, wanting to be a good elder sister to the child when they arrived, and Rhaena smiled to her adoringly as she stroked at her curls. Gods be good, there was nothing of Cersei in her. She was all sunshine and honey. Bright and sweet, just as her sister Myrcella. Myrcella also had delivered her first child last year, a daughter. Dorne had celebrated, and the little girl took heavily after her father with his olive skin and dark hair, but her eyes proved to be her mother's, brilliant green. She was the beauty of Dorne already, and not even yet two years of age. Rhaena wondered at all these children being born. She should like to gather them all together so that they might play and become friends. Friendship would further the bonds between their Houses, and so Rhaena promised that her child would grow up to know Dorne, the North, and King's Landing to be places of warmth and comfort.
She wondered how she was to get word to Ilyan. When they had last parted, he had told her of his intentions to sail further east towards Yi Ti and Asshai. The trip would take two years there and back again, as well as however long he spent sailing over the seas, and still that was no guarantee that he would return. The thought of her child never being able to meet their father distressed Rhaena deeply, though it was a comfort to think that despite Ilyan's absence, the child would have father figures aplenty around them. Jaime was tenderer than ever towards her and Bronn had surprised her by gifting her a cradle which was exceedingly beautiful, adorned with little wooden dragons and gold gilded flowers. Not to mention, Tyrion spent every spare moment with Rhaena, both in worry and excitement for her. "This child shall take the world by storm, should they wish." He said to her as they sat by the fire, reading from their own books. "Who knows, perhaps they'll conquer those western lands you found."
"I should hope not. I have no intention of raising a conqueror or a tyrant, my little friend." Chuckling softly, Tyrion lifted his gaze towards Rhaena as she did so. Motherhood suited her. She had always been loving and good towards the children, she would make an excellent mother, Tyrion knew. The father, however…very little was known about him. It was said that Rhaena had taken a Pirate King for her lover. As it so happened, the tales were true. Although not a king at the time, the man who had left his seed behind him had risen to become the wealthiest sailor upon the seas. He raided ships, ports, coastal towns, but never killed unnecessarily. He was perhaps the most honourable pirate alive. A woman was never raped during his raids, his men merely fell upon the unwitting, stole what they wanted, then left. Some wondered if perhaps his crew were all eunuchs. Tyrion liked to think so, if only to tease Varys with more eunuch jokes. More than likely, however, was that Captain Xenos simply kept his crew under tight command. As his name had risen to fame alongside his wealth, people began to call him the king of all pirates.
"Is it true?" Tyrion found himself asking as his thoughts prattled away in his head. Rhaena blinked at him innocently. "About the father…is he really the Pirate King?" She laughed again.
"Ilyan always said that there no such thing as a king of pirates, only captains. I imagine he has no interest in keeping the title itself." Considering her words, Tyrion sighed deeply.
"He should." Her brow furrowed in confusion as Tyrion continued to gaze at her steadily. "Only a king is worthy of you, my dear Rhae." Warmed by his words, Rhaena inclined her head gratefully before returning to her book as Tyrion did the same.