One chapter courtesy of the dear old me and betaed by lifeconfused. (Send them some love alongside)


Chapter 11

Rhaegar XI

The Coronation largely went as expected. It was a large affair, and most houses had been pleased with his ascension.

Sunspear obviously held a grudge and Rhaegar would have to keep an eye. There were a few others, none with grudges so deep. But that was what being the king entailed.

A few houses had left, owing to the large time away from their strongholds because the tourney and the Great Council had occurred in succession.

But most others, including all the great houses but Martells had stayed back in anticipation of the royal wedding. Greyjoys had never made an appearance.

Largely, the crown meant no difference to his routine. Rhaegar's days were still filled with court meetings, resolving immediate issues of his father's rule, taking charge of the keep (though Azalea was still taking care of most of it), and start sowing seeds for the long term plans he and Azalea had.

As it happened, in their regular meeting the steward brought up the bid of royal chambers for him and Azalea. They had cleared out his father's chambers and his lady mother wanted to move out.

When he brought the steward's conundrum up with Azalea, she had a simple response, "Your mother requested a change and I accepted. She does not need more reminders,"

"I do not wish to take his rooms, or give you the room where mother…" Rhaegar said.

Azalea gave him a rather scandalized look and eventually said with some difficulty, "That is on you. We are not married yet. I am not picking out the bedchambers, it would be most inappropriate." "I will speak to the steward." He promptly said, closing the topic.

He did speak to the steward with Arthur and Whent.

"Do you have any idea of what room Lady Azalea preferred?" He asked them.

The steward, an aging son of House Farring, simply looked confused, "Didn't his grace say that he would speak to the lady?"

"I tried to. Lady Azalea is of the mind that it is unbecoming and presumptuous considering we are not yet married, nevermind that it is going to happen in a few days. But rest assured, I have been strictly warned to not bring it up with her again." Rhaegar admitted a bit sheepishly to the amusement of others.

"Do you blame her? You are not married yet Rhaegar, talking about bedchambers is highly inappropriate." Arthur pointed out.

"I realized it once she pointed it out. It is just …she is Azalea.. I did not even occur to me that it would be uncouth. Azalea had to spell it out rather directly to me." Rhaegar waved his hands.

Whent laughed heartily.

Rhaegar's friends had ridiculed him sufficiently for his lovelorn antics, that the laughter merely rolled off him. He was in love and he was not apologetic about it.

Arthur shook his head and finally took pity on him, "We could ask Ashara. I am sure she would have a good idea. Lady Azalea also seems to trust Ashara's judgment on aesthetics."

"What do you have in mind, your grace? I can produce a list of all the chambers and we could perhaps take your and Lady Azalea's preferences once we get to know them into account to make a decision and make adjustments accordingly." Steward Farring offered.

Ashara did have ideas.

Azalea loved hearths and windows. She also disliked smaller spaces or lower ceilings and too big or tall rooms. She preferred it intimate. She was partial to somber, pastel colors or rich, dark colors as opposed to something too bright. She also would likely like to have a working table or a bookstand because she kept scribbling notes with quills. She liked loveseats and couches. She also suggested that a view of the sea and open skies would be better and if there was an accompanying terrace, even more so. Azalea also had a love for plants and flowers, so perhaps something could be planted on the terrace. She also preferred warmth, though did not mind cold too much.

"Only the King's chambers have two hearths." Whent said.

"That is out of question. But I rather like the sound of those preferences. Do you have something in mind?" He asked the steward.

"There is a set of rooms, your grace. They suit well to everything Lady Ashara had in mind. They have been maintained but have sparse things for they are almost never occupied. The suite by itself is rather large. It has a good sized solar, a rather good seating room, even a small nursery, a massive balcony and bathchambers and dressing rooms. Each room has a single hearth but there is a firepit that runs in the walls so that could be lit if needed. The major problem and the only reason it is unoccupied is that it has only one bedchamber." Steward Farring looked apologetic.

"Prepare those rooms, my lord." Rhaegar said easily.

The Steward was surprised. Arthur was too. Whent had a smug smile.

Ashara looked a little confused.

"Lady Ashara, can I impeach on your time and request you to see to the furnishings. You can run your best selections through me, but I do not have the time to go hunting for the most appropriate things at the moment. And I would really like Azalea to be comfortable."

Ashara brightened up and nodded in response.


That very evening Azalea requested a private word from him. Rhaegar suggested they go for a walk. They had little time together on most days.

Azalea looked tense and her forehead was creased, like something was wrong.

"Are you alright, my lady?" He asked, "Did someone say something?"

"No, no," She shook her head, "I just have something on my mind."

Rhaegar directed them towards Godswoods because the dense cover ensured privacy., Arthur and Hightower remained outside to guard whereas he and Azalea walked towards the large oak which had been categorized as the heart tree

"Tell me, Azalea." He asked after she wringed her hands for nearly two minutes, holding her arms gently.

"I should have spoken to you about this before. Only, I did not realize until the ladies met today and started talking about…It is late but not too late and you can call off the wedding if you must."

"I am not calling off the wedding…" Rhaegar protested, "Nothing you could say will make me call off the wedding."

"Not even the talk of heirs," She shot back gravely. .

Her womb was fine. He knew that. And she was fond of children, she wanted a family. He knew that. They had even spoken about the prophecy for a bit when they were still in denial of their love. He had ended up promising her that he would not mold his children into tools of the prophecy regardless of whom he married. Rhaegar was not known to go back on his word, so he did not understand what she could be referring to.

But before he could ask, she was already speaking, "I have told you that my world was rather advanced than here simply because it was a lot ahead in time. While it was common for woman to get pregnant at a younger age until a few years ago, and it is still in some areas of the world, the consensus among doctors, our healers or maesters was largely that women under the age of 18 were not physically mature enough to carry children. It was the root cause of mortality of children and mothers and a big contributer to miscarriages and stillbirths. They discouraged it so much that they created laws to protect lives. . So, keeping that in mind, I do not wish to be with a child at least four to five moons after I am 18. I will not put us through that. I will not go through that. I am only a few moons past 17 right now…and I know as King you need heirs as the ladies kept insinuating today but...I can't. I refuse to yield to a practice that I know is going to cause more harm."

That was not something that Rhaegar expected, but it cleared the situation a bit.

"I am hurt that you think so little of me and of my love towards you." Rhaegar began softly, "We will have children when we think we are ready, not just physically but emotionally." He pressed a kiss on her forehead, "There are options. There is moontea, we could delay in cons—"

Azalea interrupted with a shake of her head immediately, "No moontea. It is an abortive; it harms the womb. And we do not have to delay. I have the recipe of a very safe potion that my world used. I have the necessary things for it. I just did not wish for you to enter the marriage without knowing or accepting this…it is your decision too." She trailed off, her hands still wringing, her eyes wrought with worry.

He took her lips then. She needed reassurance. She needed to know that he loved her. She responded back with equal ardor..

"Then, there is no problem at all. I wish you would not doubt my affections so much, Azalea." He peppered her face with kisses before capturing her lips in a gentle kiss again.

"I…it seems like a dream sometimes." She confessed.

"For me too." He admitted, "But thank you for speaking to me about it instead of wilting away. I want you to know that I will always hear you. Your troubles are mine."

"We are not married yet Rhaegar," She said, even as she leaned against his heart..

"A mere formality," he would say, "My heart is yours with or without a ceremony."

"You say such sweet things," She chided half-heartedly.

"You inspire sweetness, my love." Rhaegar played along, the endearment falling from his lips naturally.

"Stop it, you will make me cry." She insisted.

"That won't do. We can't have you crying for the rest of our lives. I doubt I could let go of sweet words." He teased.

"I love you." She murmured in a moment, rather softly.

"As I love you." He pressed a kiss on her forehead.


A week before the wedding, his mother raised the issue of Azalea's bride price.

He said that he had not given it a thought, that it simply had not occurred to him. In truth, he knew Azalea would not appreciate being given a bride price but he did not voice it.

He did not want his mother and Azalea to have a conflict because of his interference..

His mother had just been looking for an opportunity to be useful and so something , so she promptly took care of that and offered up a parchment to Azalea.

It almost came to a conflict when Azalea simply took a look at it and said, "I cannot accept that."

"Is it too less? Would you ask for more? What portions are unacceptable?" His mother was offended.

"You misunderstand me, your grace. Bride prices are given to families of brides as compensation for uprooting their daughters. I am alone and marriage is not uprooting me. If we have to be technical, it is giving me a family so the point of a price is moot." Azalea gently explained.

Thank god, she had a good head for diplomacy. This was a rather good argument. Of course, his mother was not going to yield so easily.

"But it is tradition. You must accept it. Buy what you want dresses, jewels.." His mother insisted, getting riled up.

Azalea argued some more to his mother's chagrin and eventually Azalea pursued her lips and there was a frown but she nodded.

She later told Ashara who told Arthur who told him that she did not wish to make the queen more agitated. She deserved some peace and control. And if Azalea had to swallow her pride for it, so be it.

He loved her.

He loved her even when she ideated about how it was idiotic to have a dowry and a bride price together, even apart from her ideological preferences.

"They just cancel each other out, Rhaegar!" Azalea threw her hands in the air.


When they were deciding the guards and their positions in the wedding with the Kingsguard, something else came up.

He had wanted Arthur near the dais of the sept. He was not predicting trouble, but he trusted Arthur the most.

"I cannot, Rhaegar. You will have to find another guard." Arthur said quickly.

"But you are a Kingsguard…where do you have to be?" Darry would say.

"Because I will be with the bride, and then standing in as her family. Lady Azalea requested me to walk her down the aisle and give her away and I agreed. So, you can remove a guard from her retinue and place him where you wished to place me." Arthur supplied, his eyes meeting Rhaegar's.

There was a bit of silence as everyone considered the news.

They proceeded normally after Rhaegar nodded. He would speak about it later with Arthur.

"I was surprised too when she asked me." Arthur told him when he was walking Rhaegar to his chambers..

"I am more surprised that you agreed. Your sense of duty usually comes in the way. I am a servant of the crown and all that…" Rhaegar said easily.

"She is rather persuasive," Arthur said, looking rather uncomfortable, "She told me that you two would be heartbroken and this wedding would not have happened if I had not tried to do what I did. It ended in an ultimatum that no one would walk her down the aisle except me. "

"I am glad. I agree with her, you deserve the honor. And she deserves someone who knows her and respects her to give her away." Rhaegar told him sincerely.


In his next meeting with the Master of Whisperers and the Kingsguard on security, Varys slipped him another news, "She met with all the Lords Paramount today."

"On her own, that is out of character for her." Arthur said.

"What is it Varys? You can stop being coy," Rhaegar's iron tone made an appearance. He could sense that Varys was trying to stir things up. He hated games for no reason.

"Lady Azalea wanted to open a soup kitchen for the poor in all the major cities and castles for a sennight in celebration of your wedding. Now, in addition to that, she wished to bear the cost of food for all orphanages across the realm for next 2 moons. She spent all the gold from her bride price and distributed it evenly as per each region's need. She said the lords cannot be feasting as the children starve. It would have been an ill omen. It was accepted by everyone. They will send instructions over raven and Lady Azalea will pay the entire cost here." Varys informed.

They gaped.

Rhaegar was flummoxed, "Every time I think she won't catch me off my guard anymore, she goes and does something…"

He suddenly realized why Varys had brought it up. This could create problems even if Azalea was well-intentioned. He could not help but shake his head, "Make sure my mother does not hear of it, at least for a few moons. We can't help if the lords talk but…"

"Lady Azalea also requested that if possible, she would like her name to be under wraps. She did not wish for people to expect excess generosity from the crown through her association." Varys also supplied. "Thinks of everything, doesn't she?" Martell said.

"I hope that was not mockery, Prince Martell?" He asked with a touch of coldness. He had not forgiven his sister for what she did to Azalea.

"It was a compliment, your grace." Martell replied immediately, "I understand that you would be disinclined to agree after what Wera did but I apologized to Lady Azalea already on behalf of Dorne. I did not think my sister was capable of that. It was uncalled for, especially after I personally vouched for Lady Azalea in my ravens."

Rhaegar simply nodded, accepting it.

It was later that Rhaegar realized that Varys had not wanted Azalea's generosity to go unnoticed by him. Varys liked her and would ensure that she got credit where it was due. Rhaegar took solace in the fact that there were others beside himself who were looking out for her.


His dinner table usually comprised of his friends and Azalea & her ladies in waiting, Ashara and Helena.

Four nights before the wedding, Azalea was absent. It was uncharacteristic.

Ashara quickly informed him that Azalea was not feeling up for dinner.

Rhaegar easily accepted it. Azalea was overworking and stretching herself too far lately, a night's rest would do her good.

"Yes, she did look rather ill after the tea with ladies today…" Helena shot in with some enjoyment.

He picked up on the tone and realized that there was more to the story.

He looked piercingly at Ashara, who swallowed and said, "The ladies were telling about how several men of the court are looking forward to the bedding ceremony."

Rhaegar immediately clenched his fists, pushed away his plate and began marching towards Azalea's bedchambers. He had it with gossip mongers who seemed to fuel the distance between Azalea and him.

He called Arthur on his way out, knowing Arthur was probably already following.


Rhaegar knocked on Azalea's door in Maegor's Holdfast rapidly.

She opened it. She was in a nightdress and housecost, her hair in a messy bun. She did not look pleased.

"Rhaegar, there are four days to our wedding. You cannot be visiting me at night…" She began saying.

"Arthur is chaperoning," He said quickly. Arthur stood good ten yards away from them, so that he would not hear things but he remained in clear line of sight.

"I told Ashara I was tired. Or can I not have a night's peace as well?" She said rather bluntly. She seemed determined to not speak with him.

He grasped her hands, "It won't happen. I won't let it. The bedding, I know you are upset…"

She did not say anything or pull her hands, but she looked away.

Rhaegar continued to speak quickly and firmly, "I swear I would have talked to you about it before but I have not attended many weddings. It completely slipped my mind that the bedding ceremony is a ritual and what a ghastly proceeding it can be. I would have warned you to expect talk from the ladies and I would have assured you that I will not allow it. I will not put you through it. I won't ask this of you of ever. I apologize that this comes late and after you were already distressed."

Some tension loosened in her shoulders and she sighed, the coldness in her eyes seeping away, "It is a humiliating act, Rhaegar. Being bare may not mean much for a man, but…"

He squeezed her hand to show his support.

"With other men tearing your clothes off, touching you…and the way the ladies talked. It is molestation…it is…disturbing…I," Azalea's tone was vehement and filled with angered despair.

"It won't happen. A lot of people sneak away before the feast. We can do that. Or we can stand down and tell them that we won't have it. Whatever you prefer, I will stand with you and talk for you. Just don't be upset and angry. And as for the men who have been talking crassly, I will get Varys to get me their names. I would…"

"You cannot take the tongue off of every man who talks like that. You will be left with but a few men in this kingdom then…" Azalea shook her head at what may seem like a childish appeasement.

"You have given up enough for me, enough of your ideals, enough of your respect and honor, enough of everything that you have to offer, Azalea. I have realized that in our relationship, all I have done is take, and take. If there is anything I can give you for your honor or your happiness, I will, even it means I have to depopulate the men or reeducate them…" Rhaegar said firmly.

"It is not like you have forcibly taken things, Rhaegar. I gave them to you willingly." She said, her tone softer, her eyes bearing more affection.

"I want to give you all that I have with all my heart, I just don't know what could I give you…" Rhaegar mumbled.

"All my life I have wanted to love and be loved. I have wanted a family, someone to call my own, and someone whom I could be myself with, someone who would see me and not my titles ...As long as you promise me that, you can take everything from me." Azalea told him seriously.

That he could do.

"I promise," He said with a solemn smile, "I promise to love and care for you, and try in every way to be worthy of your love. I promise to be your shield and sword, the shoulder you can fall back on, the ears you can always count on, the arms you can always retreat to, the words that will comfort you. I promise to be the best protector when you need one, I promise to always root for you and to be your side when you fight your own battles. I promise to never ever ask something of you that defies your personhood. I promise to be whatever you need, a worthy comrade, partner, friend, lover, father to our children and more. I promise to be yours above everything."

Azalea looked shocked but very, very touched. He could see that.

"Do you think Arthur would tell on us?" She asked in a rather emotional voice.

"I think I can convince him not to," He gently said and he found his arms full of Azalea and her sweet scent. He tucked her under his shoulder before buring his nose in her hair."We were not supposed to say our wedding vows until our wedding. It is two days, Rhaegar. Must you tug at my heart so…" She said, sniffling.

"I would not have been able to say them in the sept." He gently replied, "And I will not have you think that I don't consider you an equal in this. Anything to ease you here, anything to make you happy." He gently pressed his lips on her hair.

"Well, I am happy. Thank you for coming. Thank you for taking care of me. Thank you for your promise. I will hold you to them." She said.

"I won't have it any other way." Rhaegar said.

There was a gentle cough from Arthur.

"I think we might be pushing it." He said and Azalea reluctantly pulled away from him. He still kept grasping her hands, but she slipped her dainty fingers off too.

She was knotting her fingers in what Rhaegar had judged to be a telltale sign. She wanted to say something but she was a little conflicted about how he would take it.

"I will see you at the altar, my lady." He told her finally when she did not say anything.

She nodded shyly, then wringed her hands a little more and then finally said, "Rhaegar, I am glad that the sky opened and I fell down. It is the best thing fate could have done to me."

He wanted to take her in his arms and…but Arthur chose that moment to clang his sword in impatience. So Rhaegar did do anything but level her with a smoldering gaze, turn around and leave.


He was not allowed to see Azalea for the next couple of days and she wasn't allowed to venture out of her chambers at all. He missed her presence terribly.

But he remained true to his promise. He informed Jon Arryn, Tywin Lannister and his mother without a preamble or explanation, "There would be no bedding ceremony."

It seemed like his mother might have protested but when Jon Arryn and Tywin Lannister simply nodded, she did not say a word.

The chambers he had requested were also ready. he went to examine them right away.

The day after would be spent in moving his things and the over morrow was the wedding.

They were beautiful chambers, intimate, breathable, homely and yet very decorous.

The seating room had plush chairs and small tables and myrish rugs with lots of cushions and pillows. In fact, they had managed to arrange a small metal pit for fires in the center. There was also a hearth at the side.

The solar was accommodating and right now, had two equal sized desks, side by side.

The bedchamber, though single, was a little larger than his previous rooms. A large window offset the entire room and there was a setee right underneath it, perfect to sit and indulge in the view of Black water bay.

There was a scribing table and several shelves for books. There were tapestries, not of dragons or hunts or war but nature; trees and mountains and valleys and rivers.

The color theme of the entire room was earthy, warm colors. There was little spattering of Targaryen red and black but it was not very apparent.

There was a large canopied bed at the side. The bed he would be sharing with Azalea for the rest of his days.

He knows his decision for a single bedchamber had surprised people. But he could not imagine not sleeping with her when both of them could not be reprimanded for it.

He knew that bedchambers were also separate because women were supposed to be visited for marital rights. Azalea was no breeding mare. He would not have it that way.

He also knew that differences in marriages and a place to retreat to be away from each other was must. But he had already promised Azalea his arms and he never would want her to hate him so that she would not wish to sleep in the same room as him.

He liked the chambers. He could see them spending the rest of their life there.

A little ajar to the side was a nursery. It was not furnished yet and will not be until Azalea was expecting.

And finally the balcony was wondrous, not probably the largest but Ashara had managed to procure quite a good number of flowers and plants.

He gave his compliments to Steward Farring and thanked Ashara profusely.

Probably because he had seen their bed and imagined their life around it, for the first time he could not shake off thoughts about Azalea's softness, her every feature. Desire rocked through him.

It is not like he had not desired her before or pictured her in intimate settings. It was just that he usually returned from them via self control.

And even when he eventually managed to cajole his body into sleep, he saw dreams filled with her and woke up in morning with soiled breeches.

He did not really mind it. If he had to lose control like this, he was happy that it was Azalea who did it.

Besides, there was only a day until the wedding and another until the wedding night. He could be patient.


On the eve of the wedding, Rhaegar sat examining the wedding cloak he intended to cloak Azalea with and the crown she would wear as the queen.

He had not wanted to use his mother's cloak. He did not like the idea of emulating anything from that marriage, so he had commissioned a different one. It was the cloak in which he had received his knighthood, altered just a bit.

It was a beautiful thing, not foreboding but regal. It was Myrish silk and the dragons were embroidered rather fancifully. He had also taken the pleasure of adding rubies to the dragons, just like his Black Armor and his tunic for the wedding. She was not just marrying into Targaryens, she was marrying him. He knew he did not own her, he did not wish to slave her, but he felt strongly about forging a personal connection with her in the ceremony.

The crown was white gold with purple colored gems making up eyes of intricate three-headed golden dragons, a nod to his eyes as well as Valor's. He had considered adding Targaryen colors to the mix but had ultimately decided against it. Azalea deserved to shine beyond her identity as a Targaryen bride.

Rhaegar had ever expected to experience such ecstasy at the thought of his nuptials but he knew he would with baited breath until Azalea walked to him in the sept tomorrow.


It takes a while to churn out good material especially when it is end of semester. I had presumed that the GOT season would inspire me. It didn't.

Considering how divided the opinions are, I won't make my known. But take a guess?

Also fibromylagia sucks. Chronic illness sucks. Migraines have always sucked. *end rant*

Reviews please!