Chapter Six: the home of the dragons

Elia II

Saying goodbye to her mother and brother felt almost impossible to Elia. True, she and her brother had been parted before, but she had always been waiting for him back in Sunspear. Now he was the one returning home, while she was to stay with her new family. As much as she had already come to adore Rhaegar, and as fond as she was of Rhaella and Viserys, they could never replace the family of her birth. She would miss her regal, intelligent mother, and her dutiful and patient older brother. She would miss all of her darling, spirited little nieces. Most of all, though, it would be her younger brother that she would miss. Oberyn would forever be a part of her, and she dearly hoped he would come to visit her once she was at Dragonstone.

"Do you really think I could stay away from you, sister?" Oberyn told her before he departed. "We will see each other again. Maybe I will even have found another daughter by then!"

That had made her laugh, and she would not be surprised if he indeed did have more children out there. She wondered if her brother would ever find someone that he loved, even if he chose not to marry. She did want him to have happiness and companionship. Elia wondered if there was a woman or man out there who could be a good match for Oberyn. She would never push him to make a political match the way their mother did. Oberyn was the most stubborn person she knew, and he would not be willing to try to make things work with a forced match, the way she was doing with Rhaegar. Besides, their mother's heir already had an heir of his own, so it was not as though it were essential for Loreza's youngest to have legitimate children.

Saying goodbye to her mother felt a little less cheerful than saying goodbye to Oberyn. Her brother was free to come see her whenever he pleased, as he had few responsibilities in comparison to his older siblings. Her mother, however, was the Ruling Princess of Dorne, and had already been away for longer than she would have liked. It could very well be some time before Elia got to see her again.

"Do not look so sad, Elia. We always knew this day would come. Focus now on your marriage, and focus on finding your footing," Loreza told her, putting a hand on her daughter's cheek.

"I will, Mother. I will make you proud," Elia promised.

This brought forth a smile from her mother. "That is something I have never doubted, my sun."

After her family left King's Landing, Rhaegar finalized the plans for them to go to Dragonstone. Elia was truly looking forward to seeing it, and being able to spend time with her husband away from watchful eyes. However, there was a downside that she had not been prepared for.

"I want to go to Dragonstone too!" Viserys declared when he learned they were going.

Rhaegar looked pained as he told his brother, "I'm sorry, Viserys, but you have to stay here."

"But why? That's not fair! You can't leave me behind!" he cried.

"We aren't leaving forever," Elia cut in, trying to reassure him.

"You're supposed to be my new family, but you're just taking my brother away from me," Viserys accused with angry violet eyes.

"Viserys, be nice to Elia. She is not taking me away from you," Rhaegar scolded his brother.

"Yes she is!" the child argued. "I hate her, and I hate you!"

Viserys was glaring at them, standing stiffly with his little fists clenched. But Elia could see the way his mouth was trembling as if he was trying not to cry. As much as it hurt her to hear him say these things, she knew that he was just scared and lashing out. It was not as if Aerys was a good role model on how to properly handle emotions. She moved forward to embrace him, but he just smacked her arms and dashed out of the room. A look from Rhaegar sent one of the Kingsguard after him, and Elia turned to her husband.

"Is there truly no way we can take him with us?" she asked desperately, though she already knew the answer.

"I wish there were," Rhaegar sighed. "He will be okay, though. My mother will make sure of that."

Elia felt that he was trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to convince her, but she did not argue with him. This was already painful enough for him. A part of her even felt that Viserys was right to be upset with her. After all, Rhaegar was taking her away to ensure her safety. If it weren't for her, he would be staying here with his brother. It was almost enough for her to insist that they stay, but she knew that them leaving was for the best, at least for now. They needed the time to truly get to know each other if this marriage were to be successful.

Rhaella helped to affirm that this was the right choice. Elia spent a lot of time in the queen's company during the weeks before she and Rhaegar were due to leave. The more that she saw of Rhaella, the more she truly liked and respected her. She could see why her mother was so fond of the Valyrian woman. Though she suffered at the hands of her husband, she was still proud and regal. She was kind and loving to her sons, but she was also capable of cold rationality.

"As much as I hate to see Viserys upset, this is something he will just need to accept," Rhaella told her calmly. "He has always been more sensitive than Rhaegar, and it is a danger to him. There is no room for weakness to survive here."

"Isn't that a bit harsh? He is only a boy," Elia pointed out, feeling surprised at the older woman's bluntness.

"Do you think any of our enemies will care about that?" Rhaella questioned. "There are those who will not hesitate to use him or hurt him. I have always protected him as much as I can, and so has Rhaegar, but he will need to learn to stand on his own."

Elia could not argue with that. In a happier world, children would be able to just be children, but that was not the world that they lived in. Viserys was born a prince of the realm, and, though that gave him more status than any other child, it also put a target on his back. Elia herself had grown up as a princess, and, though she had a truly good childhood, she had also grown up knowing all the responsibilities she had. Her life would never truly be her own.

"I understand. I do not like it, but I understand. Still, I do not wish for Rhaegar and I to be away for too long," Elia told her.

"You will be expected to return once you have a child. I am sure it will not be long before that happens," Rhaella said.

That actually brought a blush to Elia's cheeks. "I do not know for certain about that. My mother had her issues with bearing children."

Rhaella nodded sadly. "Yes, her and I have both had that in common. But we both did have our firstborns without any issues, at the very least."

"I do think it would be nice to have a child of my own," Elia admitted. "I loved helping to care for my nieces, and your Viserys is a darling boy."

"There is truly nothing like it," Rhaella said with a wistful smile. "Pregnancy and childbirth are no easy thing, but that first moment that you hold your babe in your arms will be something you will never forget."

Elia could picture it, a baby with a dark tuft of hair and indigo eyes, or one with wisps of silvery-blonde and dark eyes. She knew she should hope that her first would be a boy, as everyone would be expecting her to give her husband an heir. But she knew that she would be equally delighted no matter what. Her moon's blood had come a few days after her wedding, though, so it would likely be some time still before she really had to worry about it.

"I just hope I would be able to keep my child safe," Elia murmured.

The fact that Aerys himself would be a viable threat to any children she had was discomforting. Then there were plenty of others who would be cruel enough to harm a child if it suited them.

"There is no stronger champion for a child than its mother. Many think you weak, just as they think of me, but I will never let any true harm come to my child. That is why you need not worry about Viserys. I will shield him if need be," Rhaella swore.

There was something about her in that moment that made her seem like a dragon. She definitely seemed more fierce than her husband ever could. Elia could not doubt that she would do all she could for Viserys, so that eased just enough of her worries to convince her to continue with Rhaegar's plan to go to Dragonstone.

Elia spent a good amount of time in court, and she knew Rhaegar was also spending time meeting with different lords who had come to King's Landing for the wedding. Some, like Rickard Stark, did not stay overly long after. Tywin Lannister also did not waste time leaving for his home. His daughter, on the other hand, stuck around. Cersei had grown more beautiful in the years since Elia had last seen her, but unfortunately her personality had not become more tolerable. She had gone from a spoiled child to a young woman who was aware of her beauty and thought herself superior for it.

It did amuse Elia that Cersei thought that she was at all subtle in her dislike for her, or in her appreciation for Elia's husband. Cersei spoke with false sweetness, but her emerald eyes spelled out her true feelings for anyone with half a brain. Elia easily played the role that Cersei expected of her, as she had learned through her life that it was often beneficial to be underestimated. It made others far less guarded around her, and allowed her to learn plenty of information.

Besides, Cersei Lannister was not a true threat to Elia. Her main concern at the moment was the Mad King. A jealous little girl, even one with a lot of money, just did not rank highly enough to be a major concern. Plus, Rhaegar never looked twice at the "Light of the West," and Elia was just petty enough to enjoy the angry looks Cersei gave her when Rhaegar only had eyes for his wife.

Elia was still relieved the day they finally boarded a ship to head to Dragonstone. While none of the ladies in court were anything that she could not handle, it was still mentally exhausting dealing with them. It was tiring as well to always go out of her way to avoid her goodfather. She also hadn't gotten to see as much of Rhaegar as she wanted to lately, so she was glad that they would finally be able to spend some more time together.

Unfortunately, being on the sea did not agree with her. Rhaegar was very sweet and attentive about it, but it was rather embarrassing for her new husband to see her being sick all the time. Ashara, of course, took every opportunity to tease Elia for being seasick. Her friend adjusted easily to being on a ship, looking no worse for wear. Still, Ashara did stay by her side whenever Rhaegar was not there, and held her hair back for her whenever she had to throw up.

It was no surprise to anyone that Elia was the first one off the ship once they finally docked at Dragonstone.

She forgot all about her discomfort once she laid eyes on the ancestral Targaryen home. The castle was enormous and foreboding. It was also aptly named, as there were stones shaped like dragons on it. It was certainly an impressive sight, which she assumed was what Rhaegar's ancestors had intended. All the colors here felt almost muted in comparison to King's Landing, and especially in comparison to Dorne. The sky was dreary and gray, and even the ocean seemed less blue as night was fast approaching. Behind the impressive castle was the Dragonmont, where once the dragons had nested. She felt a pang of sorrow at the knowledge that those magnificent creatures had been gone for so long.

"Well, this place is not gloomy at all," Ashara japed.

Elia threw her friend a warning glance. "Must you say such things in front of the Prince of Dragonstone?"

Rhaegar seemed amused rather than offended, though. "It might look rather gloomy, but it has a lot going for it, I assure you."

Ashara did not seem convinced, but Elia did not feel the same reluctance. It might look intimidating, but it wasn't the Red Keep, and for that Elia had to like it. Besides, she knew there was a lot of history here that she was looking forward to learning more about.

"Cheer up, Ashara. Maybe you will find a dragon egg," Elia teased her friend.

"Please do not joke of such things, Princess. The last thing we need is for my sister to find a way to hatch and tame a dragon," Ser Arthur said.

Ashara gave her brother a dirty look, but Elia knew her friend was glad to have him around again. It had been many years since either of them had seen Arthur, but once upon a time all of them had played together in the Water Gardens. It truly was lucky that Arthur was the Kingsguard to accompany them. It would have also been nice for Elia's uncle to be with them, but he was required to stay in King's Landing. Aerys was far too paranoid to let two Dornishmen Kingsguard travel with his son and his son's Dornish wife.

Elia wanted badly to start exploring the castle, but her travels had left her tired. Not for the first time, she wished that her body were a bit more healthy. It would be nice to bounce back as easily as everyone else did. But this was how things were for her, and moping about it would do nothing to change it. She was aware that she was luckier than most, because even with her health often being poor, she still was in less danger of dying than many lowborn women. She had access to better care than they did. That was one of the things that she hoped she and Rhaegar could change once he was king. The utter lack of care for the smallfolk was appalling.

She was given her own room, next to Rhaegar's, but she already knew she would not be using it. She enjoyed sharing a bed with her husband. Truly, just sleeping in his arms sometimes felt more intimate than their marital relations did. It made her feel warm and safe. She did stow some of her belongings in her room, but she also stored some in Rhaegar's.

"I am glad to see you making yourself at home," he told her, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her.

"Good, because now you are stuck with me regardless," she responded, leaning into his embrace.

"I can think of far worse things than that," Rhaegar murmured.

He started kissing along her jawline, and she tilted her head to give him better access. Of course, just moments after he started, there was a knock at the door. Elia huffed in frustration and reluctantly pulled away from her husband.

"Come in," Rhaegar called out, giving Elia an apologetic look.

"Sorry to interrupt," Ashara said after she opened the door. She looked at Elia with amusement and said, "I came to see if you need help getting ready for dinner, but it looks like you already have all the help you could need."

Elia decided that she needed to help Ashara find herself a husband, so she could repay her friend for all of the teasing.

"Well, I am not sure how much help my husband would really be," Elia said.

"Alas, I am afraid this is one area where I am lacking. I do hope to learn during our marriage, but for tonight I suppose it is best that Lady Ashara assists you," Rhaegar responded with a small smile.

Dinner that night was much more relaxed and fun than Elia was used to. Dinners in the Red Keep always had a heavy atmosphere, no matter whom she was dining with. Here, though, she and Rhaegar were surrounded by those they trusted. Those that resided on Dragonstone year round had a lot of love for their prince, and those who had come with them were people they had faith in. Of course, nothing was fool-proof, and she was sure whispers could still get back to King's Landing. She would just have to ensure that there was nothing interesting to report.

Although she very much wanted to bed her husband, by the time they retired to their room, Elia was exhausted. Rhaegar was understanding, though, and let her just snuggle against him.

"I am very glad that we are finally here," he murmured to her.

"I am as well. I think I will really like it here," she told him.

She slept better that night than she had in months.

Unfortunately, the next few days had her still not feeling well. At first she brushed it off as lingering seasickness, but Rhaegar began to worry when it did not pass. As someone who had gotten ill easily all her life, she was not concerned. Her husband, however, appeared to be quite protective of her. She eventually gave in to his desire to see a maester.

Elia did not know why the maester's words surprised her so much. Surely anyone else would have at least suspected. But with her mother's fertility issues, and her own delicate health, Elia had not thought it could happen so quickly. It took her a few minutes to really process the news. It did not feel at all real, and a part of her was scared to get too attached. It was so early still, so there was no guarantee that everything would go as it should.

But when she sought out Rhaegar that evening, the truth finally was able to sink in.

"Elia, are you alright? Did the Maester have bad news?" Rhaegar asked her.

"No, everything is fine. I actually have good news," Elia admitted, a smile slowly growing on her face. "It appears that I am with child. We are going to be parents, Rhaegar."

The look of shock on his face likely mirrored how she must have looked when the Maester first told her. But her husband recovered much quicker than her, and graced her with the most joyful smile she had ever seen from him. The sight of it filled her with such fondness. She realized that she wanted to see him this happy all the time. He kissed her sweetly, and she wondered how it was possible to feel this elated.

"I didn't know that I wanted this," Rhaegar admitted to her. "I promise that I'll do anything to protect our child, though."

She could see his insecurities infecting his happiness. "I know, my love. You are going to be the best father."

Elia could understand his fears, since his own father was not what anyone would consider to be a good role model. But she herself had no concerns. Rhaegar had shown her during the last few weeks that he was nothing like Aerys. Just seeing him with his brother was enough to reassure her that he was good with children. There was truly no other man she would want to have children with.

"Thank you, Elia," he said sincerely. The soft and gentle look on his face made her feel so warm. "You're going to be an amazing mother."

Oh, she hoped so. She had always adored spending time with her nieces, even when they were making messes or throwing tantrums. The idea of having a child of her own had her heart beating quicker with excitement.

"We will need to decide soon if we are to stay here or return to King's Landing," she warned him. "The maester thinks it would be unwise for me to travel once I am further into my pregnancy."

Elia knew that pregnancy would be more difficult for her than other women. Her build was delicate, and she was more prone to illness. This was going to take a toll on her body, but that was not enough to make her regret this. No matter how hard it was, she was going to have this child. She could see the concern on Rhaegar's face, the face of a man who had watched his mother suffer through miscarriages and stillbirths. Then his face shifted into one of determination.

"We aren't going back to King's Landing until the babe is born. The maester here is loyal to me," Rhaegar said.

So he did not trust Grand Maester Pycelle. She did not, either. The man seemed harmless, but she could not tell where his loyalties lay. She definitely got the feeling that he did not like her very much, although she had nothing to back this up. It was just an instinct that she had. She resolved to try to find ways to look into him in the future.

"I think that we should not announce my pregnancy yet, in that case. Your father might try to command us to return," Elia pointed out.

Rhaegar grimaced at the thought. "That is true. He can be rather unpredictable at times. If we do not say anything until you are too far along to travel, then he will have to let us stay here."

Elia let out a sigh of relief. She was glad that they seemed to be on the same page thus far. She knew that Rhaegar was fond of her, but she had not been completely sure if that eclipsed his sense of duty to the king. She could tell that there was a war being waged within him when it came to Aerys. She could not imagine having a parent like that. He was technically her godfather now, but luckily for her, he seemed to have little interest in interacting with her besides the occasional insult.

"Rhaegar… I have to ask, will our child be safe?" Elia questioned carefully.

This conversation was veering towards treason, but there was no way to keep avoiding it. If she hadn't yet become pregnant, maybe they could have kept putting it off. But now they would be bringing a child into the world, and she had to start pushing Rhaegar towards making a choice. She knew that he knew that his father was completely unfit to be king. He seemed to be getting worse with every year that passed by. The realm would not be able to prosper under his rule, and that just would not do. Rhaegar would be a far better king, and everyone knew it. Even before meeting him, she had not heard any bad things said about him. The worst she had heard was that he was prone to melancholy, but even that seemed eased with them safely at Dragonstone.

"They will be a prince or princess of the realm," Rhaegar said slowly. "No one would dare to harm them."

Elia leveled him with an unimpressed look. "That is just blatantly untrue, as them being royalty could make them an appealing target to anyone who wants to hurt the crown. Beyond that, I fear that their position within the royal family might be precarious."

Her husband frowned, but he did not look like he entirely disagreed. "This child will be of my father's blood. I don't think he could truly wish them harm."

She did feel bad for Rhaegar. He wanted to think that his father still had some good left in him. Elia wished she could let him continue to cling to that hope, she truly did. But there was too much at stake.

"He hates me, Rhaegar. He hates all of Dorne. This child will be half Dornish, and that might be reason enough for him to despise them," Elia pointed out.

Rhaegar sighed, all his earlier cheer gone. "Elia, I promise that I won't let him hurt our child."

Elia steeled herself for the cruel thing that she knew she had to say. "You can't promise that, though. Even Viserys is not safe from him, and he seems to actually be fond of the boy."

Rhaegar sank down onto their bed and looked at her helplessly. "What is it that you want me to do?"

"Nothing quite so drastic as what you're probably fearing," she assured him. "I was thinking along the lines of a regency."

"It's not as if that thought has not crossed my mind before," Rhaegar admitted, looking shameful. "But I would need to have a majority of the lords on my side for it to work. There is no way Aerys would accept it otherwise."

Elia sat down next to him and took his hands into hers. "I don't think that is as impossible as you fear. You're quite well liked, you know."

"Anyone would be, in comparison to my father," Rhaegar said.

"Don't sell yourself short. You do have many qualities that will make for a great ruler. Besides, you'll have me by your side," she told him, giving him a gentle smile.

"I think you'll make a far better queen than I will a king," he responded. "If we were to pursue this, though, where would we start?"

Elia hummed thoughtfully. "The first place to start is right here. We need to know who on this island is loyal to us, who is loyal to your father, and who is currently neutral."

Rhaegar nodded, looking more calm now that he had a starting point. "I can make a list of who I know for sure to be loyal to me. We can also ask Arthur and Ashara to start poking around."

"Speaking of those two, I was thinking that we should tell them of my pregnancy," Elia suggested. "I trust Ashara with my life, and I know you trust her brother."

Rhaegar looked thoughtful. "Yes, Arthur is one of the most trustworthy people I know. And as one of his duties now includes protecting you, it would be helpful for him to be aware."

"Exactly," Elia agreed. "And Ashara is often attending me, so I am not sure I could even keep it secret from her for too long. She's also the closest thing I have to family here, and I would love to be able to share this news with her."

She could already imagine how her friend would dote on the baby once they were born. She also wondered what kind of bad influence her daring friend might be. Still, she wanted to be able to tell the woman who was like a sister to her about her pregnancy.

"Of course, dearest. At this point, I am starting to think I would not be able to deny you anything," Rhaegar admitted.

It was thrilling, she had to admit, to hear him say that. Elia had always been told by her family that she was wonderful, but the insults and whispers at court had admittedly strained her a bit. But here was the crown prince, looking at her like she was the most important person in the world. Even after she had pushed him to think about removing his father from power, he still seemed in awe of her. She did not know what to do with this devotion, so she just leaned forward and kissed him.

The next morning, she dismissed her maids and only requested Ashara to help her get ready for the day. Her friend was sending her curious glances as she helped Elia into her dress. Ashara knew her well enough to tell that there was something on her mind.

"Ashara, I need to talk to you," Elia finally said.

"I gathered as much," Ashara said with a wry smile.

They sat down together on the couch, and Elia took a moment to gather her thoughts. Ashara watched her with patient dark purple eyes.

"I'm pregnant," Elia decided to start with the good news.

She was not disappointed by her friend's reaction. Ashara's face lit up with delight at her words.

"That's wonderful, Elia!" Ashara gushed. "Oh, I'm so happy for you. I know you're going to have the most gorgeous child."

Elia smiled at her friend. "Thank you, Ashara. I feel truly blessed."

"You definitely deserve this blessing," Ashara said. "The prince is a lucky man to have you be the mother of his heir."

"Well, we do not know if I am carrying a son or not," Elia pointed out.

Ashara wrinkled her nose. "If only the other kingdoms could follow the Dornish way. A daughter is just as worthy an heir as a son."

"You won't hear me disagreeing," Elia laughed. "My own sweet niece is the future Ruling Princess of Dorne."

"Well, regardless, this child will at least be in the line of succession even if they are a girl," Ashara said.

"Yes, and they will be in danger either way," Elia said.

Ashara frowned at her. "The king?"

Elia nodded. "He is much too mad to be trusted. We already know he hates me."

"Is there anyone he doesn't hate?" Ashara questioned. "Still, I understand your concern. What are we going to do about it?"

She smiled at the other woman. It was nice to have a friend so loyal that she would not even blink at getting involved in treason for Elia's sake. The two of them spoke for a long time, creating tentative plans. Ashara decided that she was going to find more Dornishwomen to be ladies-in-waiting for Elia, as their country had much love for their princess and none at all for the Mad King. They agreed that it was important to surround themselves with people who would be loyal. They would also need to slowly start gathering allies from the other kingdoms. Rhaegar would be focusing on winning the trust of the lords, but it would be up to Elia to win over the ladies.

"Even the great Tywin Lannister was ruled by his wife, they say," Ashara smirked. "Get the ladies on your side, and many of them can convince their husbands, brothers, and fathers."

"Not to mention, the gossip between ladies is an often overlooked source of information," Elia said.

They agreed to start gathering information on highborn ladies of the more powerful and influential families. Cersei Lannister was obviously out as an ally, but there were other daughters of great houses that could prove helpful. They would have to move slowly and carefully though. It wouldn't do to have anyone see them as a threat. Let them see Elia as the sweet sickly girl, because who would want to pay too much attention to someone like that? They would have even less care for Ashara, who was just known as a beautiful woman. Rhaegar would be getting more focus, but Elia could work in the shadows.

Unbowed. Unbent. Unbroken. Let all the realm underestimate her, for it would make it that much easier to win this game of thrones.

Noiz: Here we are with a new chapter. Sorry for not getting this up sooner, but life has been hectic for me and for my lovely beta. I spent all day working on a paper for school, and only just now had the time to look at Avi's edits.

Thanks to all who favorited/followed/reviewed! I hope you continue to enjoy. And thanks as usual to Aviantei for being the best beta ever and always finding time for me no matter how busy or tired they are!

Next chapter is in progress, and I will try to get it done to post next month. Life has been a lot lately so finding time and willpower to write is difficult. I do love this fic, though, so I will do my best!