King's Landing – 117 AC
"The last dragon egg of Syrax's clutch," Qoren commented, as he brought the beautiful red and black dragon egg that will soon hatch into Tyraxes.
The poor dragon and my son, had both died too young last time. However, that will not happen again. Everytime I pop out a dark haired son, the court does not whisper and point fingers. They rejoyce and coo about how similar they are to their father.
"Put it in the crib," I told him, hand caressing my belly. I loved the process to get pregnant and I loved having my children, but I do hate being pregnant. I always feel so bloated. "It makes me feel sad to put a dragon egg in an empty crib..."
"But our son will soon join the little one," Qoren finished for me with a smile and a kiss.
I smiled fondly as I watched my husband do as I asked. The court and the people of the realm praising my name took a while to get used to. But what truly surprised me was Qoren. I had expected to find a powerful ally and a good partner in bed. I had not expected to find love and friendship. In my first marriage I had friendship, without any passion or love. It was a partnership which I enjoyed and cared very much for... had it not been by the aweful greens and the nasty rumors they spread to ruin my image. On my second marriage I had love and passion in spades... but I did not have friendship or trust. For all our claimes of loving each other and having wanted each other for decades, we never truly trusted each other. Daemon never respected that I had a higher position than him and I was quick to believe the whispers of the White Worm about him constantely cheating on me, even when I knew that when a dragon is in love they never stray.
However, things with Qoren were different. He respected that I was a Targeryan princess and that meant that his princeship came second. He came from a dinasty that never bent the knee to the Faith or the Andals, keeping alive the tradition of first born inheritance. So, he trusted and believed I was capable of ruling. If he did not agree with any of my plans or thought one of my projects could be done in a better way, we discussed it in private. But he always supports me and gives me Dorne's full backing.
With time I stopped being so afraid and started noticing small things. Like how he snuggles the pillow in the morning, glaring at the sunrays coming through the window, how dimples would overtake his cheeks when he smiled in joy playing with our sons, how calm he was teaching the new guard recruits in the training yard, how his smirk would only grow whenever I caught him staring at me, unrepentant in his desire and love for me.
I would stare for hours into those beautiful black eyes, the same eyes of my sons, and get lost in them... no, I allowed myself to get lost in them. I trust him. Something that I have not been able to do in a long time, even before the dance really begun. I think I stopped trusting when I found out my best friend had seduced my father behind my back, under the command of her father. But now I do, I trust my husband and that's a wonderful feeling.
It was to no one's surprise I ended up falling in love with him.
"A letter from Riverrun came," Qoren informed me. "Lady Alicent Tully has delivered her second son safely, they named him Oscar Tully."
"She sure is quick to pop babies, some things never change," I chuckled, under my breath, before saying out loud. "Good for Kermit, he'll enjoy having a younger brother so close in age."
That's another thing that has changed. Alicent and I, are still friends. At least, I stayed as friendly with her as possible. In this timeline she never did anything against me, if anything she stayed by my side at every stage of the way during my wedding and first two pregnancies, only missing this one because of her own. Even going as far as to send me weekly letter asking for forgiveness for not being there for me and constantely asking how I am doing.
It was weird to say the least. Especially, after making sure to use all of my other ladies in waiting to create some kind of barrier between us, so we would never be alone, or at least lower the number of times we would. I've forgotten how easily manipulated she could be, she had not noticed me distancing myself and even went as far as to say our bond has become stronger since I've married.
That poor girl. I thought amused, as I shook my head. Oh, well, it works better for me this way. Elmo Tully refused his granfather's desire to join the greens last time around. It would also endear me to House Tully when I give Old Town to their second son. That is, after I burn down every Hightower, not counting Alicent, and rid myself of that house. I will allow Oscar to choose another name for his new House.
"Just like ours do," Qoren lifted me up, making my laugh in delight, and sat on the armchair, before placing me on his lap. He hugged me from behind, kissing my neck, making me moan. It's been so long since we've had the chance to enjoy each other's company. "This will be the future Prince of Dorne."
I stopped moaning, a frown finding itself on my face. When I came back, I had it all planned. A future to secure the position and place of all my children. Back then, Qoren was nothing more than a sperm donor and an army. But now he was more than that, and I've arranged the future of all my children without his opinion. Who they will marry, what they'll inherite, by law Lucerys should be the one becoming Prince of Dorne.
However, I know that's not what my sweet boy ever wanted. He always prefared taking a step back, allowing Jace and the twins to shine. He would rather be there to support those he loves, than to rule Driftmark, much less all of Dorne. That's what has always made him happy. We tried to force him, to send him when he was not prepared... it got him killed. Lucerys had always been the very best of us, the sweetest... and we lost him because we did not want to listen to him.
"Are you really ok? With the plans for the kids," I asked him, hesitantely.
"Doubting yourself now? Where did my dragon go to?" He teased me jokingly, before getting serious. "I am. Ok, that is. If what you've dreamt will come to be, all of my children will have states of their own and their future will be secured. I do not know how I feel about a Baratheon being the Princess of Dorne, but they are of a Targaryen line and it might allow House Martell to have two generations of dragonriders. That will be enough to shut up any houses of Dorne that might feel slighted, as long as we promise that the next Princess of Dorne will be dornish." Qoren hummed, explaining everything very rationally. "As for Aegon and Visenya... Dorne might be more adventurous than most when it comes to sex. But marrying siblings is not something we've ever practiced."
"They are Targaryens," I reminded him. "Those practices are normal for us, allowing us to keep our blood pure."
"Maybe, but at the end of the day I would like to hear their opinions about the match," Qoren replied. "Forcing matches has never been a good idea, they always end up bad and that will be disastrous when we are spreading our children all around the realm in important positions." He warned me. "Especially, since it's a match between siblings."
I wanted to protest, opening my mouth to do so... but then I remember Aegon and Heleana and winced. That was a disastrous match, one that made everyone unhappy and the realm had to pay for. Everything would have been better if they had allowed the macth between Jace and my sister. Oh, well, things are different now and we will finally have a Velaryon queen on the throne.
"When the time comes, we will ask both Joffrey, Aegon, and Visenya about it," I agreed, earning a beaming smile from my husband and a kiss on my forehead.
"What about Viserys?" Qoren inquired.
"Oh, I don't know who he'll end up with," I frowned. My act as a Dreamer was mostly fake. I did have a dream of the future and sometimes I get insight or aid from the gods. Like when they pointed me out to Qoren's direction or when they had Syrax lay the clutch of all five dragon eggs. I know for sure that Morning did not come until much further down the line. "All I know is that he needs to get the Stepstones and that his match will be from Essos."
"Essos?!" Qoren exclaimed surprised.
"Yes, she will be a high lady from Essos," I repeated. "In the Narrow Seas your youngest son must remain, his fair lady he'll find east, but if she stays in the West for long she'll leave with the prince's broken heart."
"Now that's not ominous at all!" Qoren scoffed. "But I can understand it."
"You do? Good, becuase I'm lost," I admitted.
"You see, Dorne and Essos is much different from the rest of the realm," Qoren explained. "At the beginning King's Landing was a struggle, choking us with all the stiffness and rules. It was only you and the dornish court that I brought which kept me sane."
"I did not know that," I turned to him confused. "Why did you not say anything?"
"Because we barely knew each other back then," Qoren smiled ruefully. "We were a political match, one with great chemestry in bed... but we still saw each other simply by what we could bring to the table for our houses." I winced, realizing he was right. "With time that changed, and so did the city. The Faith decreased, the people became livelier and the city's atmosphere became more similar to Dorne. Maybe it was our influence, maybe it was always meant to be, but at the end things became livelier. For that I will be eternally grateful. But if things had stayed the same... I would have reached my limit. Our son's future wife would have too."
"She would have left him and returned to Essos," I realized. "Oh, my poor boy!"
"But that won't happen, not as long as Visery's seat is on the Stepstones," Qoren rushed to assure me. "Let's stop talking about such sad things, when they've not happened yet."
"You're right," I agreed. "Let's talk about happier things. Did you hear that my Sworn Shield has begun courting one of my ladies in waiting."
"He has?" Qoren asked me surprised. "Who?!"
"Clarissa Dayne," I beamed, happy for my ex-lover. Harwin had stayed loyal and true to me in the other timeline, even when we could not be together in the open or when our sons were called bastards. "His father and her father aproved of the match. Many of my ladies in waiting have been getting marriages offers from all over the realm."
"Dorne's influence will spread nicely, my father must be over the moon!" Qoren snorted.
"Well, we can always ask him," I replied. "He is coming to the long-week tourney in honour of Joffrey's upcoming birth. If I didn't know better, I would think my father is trying to start some king of tradition. Even Baela and Rhaena got the long-week tourney in their honour, when Laena was pregnant."
"I still do not know if that was to placate the Velaryons or because Daemon finally had kids," Qoren snorted.
"A little bit of both," we both laughed at my answer.
Gods, if this a dream, do not wake me up, becuase I am finally home.