The Red Keep, Kingslanding, 11th moon of 278 AC
The Red Keep was one of the most impressive castles in Westeros, built by Aegon The Conqueror and improved by Maegor The Cruel and Jaehaerys The Conciliator. The castle was where the most critical decisions were made and where the future of Westeros was decided, which meant that usually, the castle was the definition of eloquence and civility… as well as backstabbing and corruption. People playing the Game of Thrones in Kingslanding were as ordinary as a whore with diseases; every noble wanted to be more than they were, being more powerful than they were; as the old saying goes, "everybody wants to rule the world." Something that King Aerys Targaryen knew rather well, but at the end of the day, he was King, and nobody was more powerful than him, which was why he hated the Game of Thrones and its players, which consequently made him dislike most of his small council members, who led by Pycelle called an emergency meeting. Something that surprised the King, as other than him, Tywin was usually the only one who called for meetings.
King Aerys, followed by two of his Kingsguards, Lewyn Martell and Baristan Selmy, walked inside the small council chambers, where the small council members and Rhaegar were seated quietly. Even in his mad state of mind, King Aerys saw how distressed Pycelle seemed.
" Your Grace," Everyone said as they stood up to greet the King
The King said nothing and sat, scorn dancing on his face.
" Talk… and it better be important as I was interrupted when I was about to… entertain my wife.." The Mad King said, his lack of sanity showing in his eyes, and then a little fear as he saw Prince Rhaegar's hands twitch at the mention of his mother.
" Y-Yes, your grace… I bring dire news from the North… something horrible happened!" Grandmaester Pycelle said, his eyes showing how distraught he was, something that alarmed everyone as the man wasn't known for his acting skills, which concerned Tywin Lannister more than he would ever admit
"You dare bother, Your Grace's and ours day with news about the North? We have important things to do and places to be Grandmaester" Tywin said, applying his reverse psychology to the King as he knew the king would do precisely the opposite of what he would suggest, independent of what it was
" No, Tywin, I'm the King, and I say what is of isn't important! Say it, Pycelle!" The King said with a smug look on his face; pissing Tywin was one of his favorite pastimes.
" Your Grace, House Bolton is no more! House Dovahkiin destroyed them; He killed Roose Bolton the same way he killed that man at the Gates of Duskendale! It was all supported by House Stark!" Pycelle said fast and nervously.
" That's a problem, indeed; the Boltons were the only House with a grudge against the Starks in the North… but if Lord Stark allowed it, then Bolton must have done something…" Rhaegar mumbled to himself mostly.
" Why did Lord Dovahkiin attack the Boltons? He seems to be a very decent man." Rhaegar asked no one in particular
" My little birds told me that he Raped a peasant woman after killing her husband, and Lord Dovahkiin took personal offense on it; he declared war on The Boltons after that." Varys said calmly.
" That is against the king's law! The punishment for Rape is castration or the wall! A noble cannot be killed for murdering a peasant!" The master of law said heatedly!
" According to the Maester of Dreadfort, he offered the wall or castration; Bolton refused both, and Lord Dovahkiin decided to kill him." Pycelle quickly said.
" But that's not all… the Maester of Dreadfort reported some grave news… Your grace, according to him, Lord Dovahkiin has a giant white Dragon under his command…." Pycelle completed, and the room went silent.
" What? He has no Valyrian blood! That makes no sense at all! Dreadfort's Maester must be crazy or was too dizzy from the battle!" The master of ships said; Aerys was surprisingly quiet, but his eyes shone with a glint of madness
" That's probably right; as much as his house's name sounds like, Lord Dovahkiin doesn't have Valyrian blood which doesn't matter as his Dragon isn't a Valyrian one… my little birds told me his dragon breathes ice or cold. It's probably an Ice Dragon from the shivering sea." Varys said and Rhaegar, who was too shocked to say something, nodded absent mindedly
" We must do something! We must find a way to tie his house to ours! We must find a bride for Rhaegar as quickly as possible so we can marry a daughter of his to my son's and heir! Yes… Yes! I will be known as the King who brought the dragons back to the crown!! Yes! Summon Lord Dovahkiin here; we must discuss this personally." King Aerys said hastily; his smile was feral, monstrous, and mad
" Your Grace! Are you sure? House Dovahkiin isn't worthy of royal marriage! They are five years old!" Pycelle said trying his best to make the King change his mind, the Citadel worked hard to kill all the Targaryen Dragons and it would be rather unpleasant if the Dragons got back to the Targaryen hands. Killing a small lord is easy, but killing a King is extremely hard, especially one as paranoid as Aerys or worse, as intelligent and loved as Rhaegar would be.
" House Dovahkiin is a young house, but it is the richest one in the North and probably the Third Richest house in the realm. Winterhold, Skago's city is as big as Lannisport but it lacks the horrible smell of a city. It has trade agreements with Ibben and Braavos, House Dovahkiin had the third biggest battle fleet in Westeros, 400 whalers-ships. House Dovahkiin future seat of power will be just a little bit smaller than Harrenhal's. Ragnar Dovahkiin can forge Valyrian Steel weapons! House Dovahkiin is the second most powerful house in the North…
That's not counting the Dragon, of course, with the Dragon, they are the most powerful House in Westeros." Rhaegar said; his face was blank, but his voice showed a little of his eagerness.
"Excuse me, my prince, but how do you know all this? The citadel doesn't have any record about any of this!" Pycelle said he was in a mix of being taken aback and angry… he didn't want Dragons back, and the Targaryen, instead of waging war against Skagos, chose to make an alliance
"I saw it all myself,Grandmaestet. I was invited to Lord Dovahkiin's wedding; I saw the city and how well maintained it was, how clean it was; I asked around, and I talked to Rag- Lord Dovahkiin himself." Rhaegar said quite nonchalantly.
" There will be no discussion! Do as I say! Summon Lord Dovahkiin here! You fools don't you see? He has a Dragon and knows how to forge Valyrian Steel! He must be a sorcerer! I've always wondered about it when he told me he could forge Valyrian Steel… he will hatch a Valyrian dragon for me, and once his Daughter marries my grandson, we will be the masters of Ice and Fire!!! Rhaegar! Elia Martell, it will be Elia Martell! Although dirty by Rhonysh blood, she has a little bit of Dragon Blood! Summon Princess Marya Martell here!" Aerys said, and Rhaegar nodded; nobody said anything as the King's orders were already given
Winterhold, Skagos, 11th moon of 278 AC
Ragnar POV
Flying over Winterhold gave Ragnar a strong feeling of pride; the city would be his legacy to this world, something extraordinary. Ragnar wanted Skagos to be a legendary city, home of innovators and magic development; the first step was taken. Now, Ragnar needed time, and as the son of a god of time, time was something Ragnar understood very well.
The Ice Dragon descended upon the city, landing on the College's front yard, the only open field big enough for the Ice Dragon to land; some people inside the college panicked; his wife, who liked to watch as Benjen and the other children trained their magic and was coincidentally there at the time, included, which made Ragnar remember that he hadn't told her about the Dragons, which meant no sex for the foreseeable future.
" Fuck! How could I forget to tell Dacey about you!" Ragnar said to the Ice Dragoness, who chose to ignore her "masters" ranting
" STAND DOWN AND DON'T PANIC! IT'S ME, LORD DOVAHKIIN," Ragnar shouted as he applied his Thu'um into it to amplify his voice
The frenetic citizens, primarily those who weren't the original 10.000 Skagossi under House Magnar's rule, calmed down after hearing Ragnar's voice; the merchants from outside Skagos were simply dumbfounded; this piece of news was something Kings and Lords would pay a high amount for…
Lady Dovahkiin, escorted by 6 Dragonguards, walked to the Dragon and waited for her Husband to "walk out" of it, which Ragnar did.
Once he set his eyes on Dacey, he first saw a small baby bump of her, almost unnoticeable. He wanted to walk to her and kiss her belly, but as Paarthunax once said, " There are formalities which must be observed." So he waited, and after half a second, everyone except the 6 Dragonguards and Dacey knelt.
" Skagos is yours, Lord Husband," Dacey said calmly as she bowed her head
"Aye, it's been guarded by a very protective she-bear…." Ragnar said as he walked to Dacey and kissed her forehead and lips.
"Lady Wife, this is my present to you… an Ice Dragon of the Legends, by blood you will bond, and her hatchlings shall bond to our children, and the circle will go on until the end of times or the death of our bloodline, whichever comes first!" Ragnar said much to Dacey's awe, which made Ragnar a somewhat relieved man.
" You jest? Ragnar, if you are jesting, I will be furious at you!" Dacey said quickly.
" I'm not lying… you and our children will be Dragonriders… you will be the first woman flying since the Dance. It will be historical." Ragnar said, " but not now; I need to eat something…."
At that moment, Harwin Stane, one of Ragnar's wards, and Leonard Locke, a college student, walked into the scene; while Locke was mesmerized by the dragon, Harwin was worried about something else
" How was the siege of Dreadfort, my Lord?" Harwin said
" The Dreadfort is no more, along with House Bolton… Davos stood behind to take care of everything. By the way, tell my steward to make preparations to send food to the inhabitants of what was once the Bolton Lands, tell the Maester to send a raven to White Harbor asking them to take care of the logistics of feeding our fellow Northmen… House Dovahkiin will pay for everything… no Northen man will starve because of me." Ragnar said as he began to walk toward his "still not finished but almost there" keep, as he walked the Dragonsguard formed a half moon circle around Dacey and him. Ragnar had his arm around Dacey's hips as they walked together.
" Tell me, wife, how are you feeling? Does pregnancy suit you well? I must say you are glowing. I must say your eyes can put the waters of Tarth to shame, no Saffire is as majestic as your eyes" Ragnar said as he pulled her slightly against his body in a lovable manner. Dacey smiled at her husband and said
" Thank you, husband. I feel good; sometimes, I get a little bit of morning sickness, but that is to be expected; I can't wait to meet our child! Seven more moons until there!" Her tone was almost dreamy, which made Ragnar smile at her antics. It seems motherhood suits Dacey almost as much as fatherhood will suit Ragnar.
As they walked through the city, the inhabitants of Winterhold would greet them and wave, that until they saw the small baby bum on Dacey's belly, which made them drop whatever they were carrying and hug the closest person near them and cheer, which confused Ragnar to no end.
"Dacey, why are they acting like that? What is happening?" Ragnar asked in confusion
" Today is the day the Maester and I choose to reveal my pregnancy to Skagos and the realm officially, as until now was nothing but rumors for them. They are happy because House Dovahkiin will continue to exist through our line… they love us, or more specifically, they love you." Dacey answered, and Ragnar had to reign himself not to gape
"That's good, I guess? I feel honored. It's good to know they like my way of ruling… and soon, the dragons will be bonded to our bloodline, securing even more House Dovahkiin… not that I will die of anything other than old age." Ragnar chuckled as he said the last part.
" I like this plan of yours very much, lord husband… dying of old age surrounded by our children and grandchildren seems a good way to go." Dacey said, and Ragnar chuckled once more
"Aye"
Raven flew carrying the message about Lady Dovahkiin's pregnancy to the realm
——————————————————————————-
Winterhold, Skagos, The North, the first moon of 279 AC
The freezing waters of the shivering didn't seem to affect the House Dovahkiin's warships; the sailors sang and drank their overwhelming victory against the late House Bolton; there was no glory for many of those men, but they went and fought with their liege, and now they were coming back home to celebrate. The married men wanted nothing more than to kiss their wives and make new children; the bachelors wished to take on Lord Ragnar's boon promised on The Dreadfort. Once they docked at the port of Kingshouse Town, they were surprisingly greeted by Lord and Lady Dovahkiin themselves.
Ivar of Skagos was a sailor who worked on House Dovahkiin's ships; he found sister-man pirates, Ironborns, and Slavers. He, like all of the original Skagossi, adored Lord Dovahkiin; the man was just and wise, honorable and was the reason why he and his family went through a winter without starving; Ivar would die happily for Lord Ragnar Dovahkiin, for he knew his family would've been taken care of, they would not starve again.
So when he saw Lord and Lady Dovahkiin waiting for him and the rest of the army, he couldn't help but smile as he felt the Lord and Lady recognized all of his and his fellow sailors' hard work and devotion. Still, when he saw Lady Dovahkiin's baby bum, he could do anything other than sharing his discovery with his fellow sailors and jump in joy! House Dovahkiin's was there to stay even if the gods called Lord Dovahkiin back to the realms of gods(for that was obviously where he belonged)
" LADY DOVAHKIIN IS WITH CHILD! LADY DOVAHKIIN IS WITH CHILD!"
The legend goes that the cheering for Lord and Lady Dovahkiin's child could be heard in Winterhold and beyond…
——————————————————————————