Princess Elia Targaryen

Summerhall was not all that different from Dorne, Elia had found. That did make sense considering it was quite close to Dorne itself, the thought was quite comforting for her, the warmth and the breeze all reminded her of home, of days spent playing in the Water Gardens and days trapeezing round the Shadow City. She found she much preferred Summerhall to King's Landing, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms stank to high heaven, it smelt of a million bodies and animals and all kinds of other rubbish crushed together to make a choking sort of feeling for Elia. Yes she much preferred the open spaces of Summerhall and the freedom that allowed her.

She had been wed to Rhaegar Targaryen heir to Summerhall and master of laws on King Aemon's small council for just over two years now. In that time she had come to learn more about her husband than she had thought possible. At first she had been as excited as any girl would be if they were to marry Prince Rhaegar, for the prince had the traditional Targaryen beauty about him, was well read and perfectly polite and sensible, someone whom Elia had thought she could come to love. She had soon learnt different, for though her husband was not cold or cruel, he was distant, very distant. Whenever he came to visit Summerhall he usually spent a great deal of time in the library reading some book or the other and barely bothered to speak with her or his own mother. During the early part of her marriage she had asked her goodmother Princess Rhaella if she had done something to displease her husband, her goodmother had smiled sadly at her and told her that she had done nothing wrong, nothing at all it was just in Rhaegar's nature be solemn and withdrawn.

The only time he had ever truly spoken to her beyond the basic courtesies was when he had asked her what she knew of why his father and mother had married. Everyone from the wall down to Dorne knew that a wood's witch had foretold some story or the other and Prince Aerys and Princess Rhaella had been forced to wed one another by Rhaegar's great grandfather Prince Aegon. That was a tale told about Targaryen eccentricity, however, the more commonly believed one was that Prince Aegon had simply wished to continue the Targaryen tradition of wedding brother to sister. When she had told her husband this he had smiled sadly at her and told her that the story was truer than the truth put about. That was the day Rhaegar told her all about this prophecy of his and how the dragon needed three heads that was the night they had made Rhaenys she knew. And when he had come home from court, that first night was the night that this current babe had been conceived.

Elia could not share her husband's fascination and dedication to some obscure prophecy nor did she truly share her doubts with anyone but Ashara, Ashara who had been her friend since childhood, whom she confided everything in had laughed when she told her, and said her husband must have been dropped on his head as a child to believe such nonsense. And yet, Ashara herself was living a song, a dream, for the king had courted her ever since Elia's own wedding day. The king had been but a boy of thirteen, Ashara a maid of fifteen then, and yet Elia had never seen someone so determined to woo Ashara. Oh she knew that many people had chased her before, either wishing to bed her or to kiss her or something like that, and though Ashara played along, her friend was still a maiden and had found the king's attentions all very flattering and sweet, and yet she had not deigned to respond in kind saying. "I do not wish to be queen, nor do I want to wed a boy." And yet something had changed, her friend the sweetheart of Dorne had eventually been worn down by the King's efforts, and their betrothal had been announced some three moons past, they were to wed in another two moons.

When she had asked Ashara why she had changed her mind and given in, her friend had blushed and then in hushed tones said. "I've never actually seen someone be so stubborn and persistent in something such as this, Aemon reminded me of myself, and he's so very nice and charming and I think I do like him more than I have anyone else Elia." Coming from Ashara that was very high praise indeed, though she could understand it, King Aemon was now fifteen, charming, tall and handsome and nowhere near as somber or solemn as her own husband was. Yes the two of them would make a lovely couple.

It almost made her sad, thinking about it, if she had to wed into House Targaryen why could it not have been the king himself and not Rhaegar? Then again things between her mother and the Iron Throne had not truly been the same not since Alyssa Greyjoy had become King Aegyl's queen. She had once accidently voiced such feelings to her goodmother, who had smiled sadly at her and said. "I too once wished for something such as that sweetling. It does not good to dwell on what could have been. If you don't love my son, atleast love your children and give them all the happiness you can." Elia did, she truly did love Rhaenys with all her heart, Rhaenys who even at one year old was full of fire and passion, reminding her so much of her brother Oberyn it sometimes made her heartache.

Sometimes, her thoughts would drift to Arthur as well, Arthur who was one of the best knights of the Kingsguard, and Ashara said one of the king's closest friends. Arthur whom she had shared her first kiss with, Arthur whom she had said she would wed when they were children. Arthur who had abandoned her to take the white, and wed himself to duty. Arthur whom she dreamed off when she went to bed at night.

A knock on the door took her away from her thoughts. She called for whoever it was to come in and found herself looking at her goodmother, she made to stand but Princess Rhaella bid her sit. Once her goodmother was sat down as well, Elia asked. "Is all well mother? Do you need some help with something?"

Princess Rhaella smiled then and said. "No, no everything is fine. I just came to make sure you were doing okay."

Elia smiled. "I am well mother, as is Rhaenys. We are both doing fine."

Rhaella smiled at her and then winked, before turning round to the guard who had come with her. "You may leave now Ser Willas. I shall call for you when I next need you." The knight bowed and left closing the door behind him. Once they heard his footsteps disappear, Rhaella turned to Elia once more and whispered. "There was a raven from King's Landing this morning. From Rhaegar."

Elia feels her heart begin to speed up as worry for her husband grows. "Is he well?" she asks.

Rhaella nods. "Aye my son is well, no he writes that he and the king as well some of the Kingsguard and Lord Tywin shall be coming here to Summerhall in a few weeks time, to see how everything is going. What he means is that they are coming here to plot."

"To plot?" Elia asks confused.

Her goodmother nods. "Aye to plot sweetling. Rhaegar writes that Aerys grows madder by the day, and has become a threat to the safety of the realm. The king means to remove him from power for good, and needs somewhere safe to do so."

Elia nods. "Ashara will want to know, after all she has not seen Aemon for some time."

Rhaella nods. "Aye, tell her and make sure you speak softly when you do so, for though most of these men are loyal to myself, some are loyal to the spider."

Elia nods, and when she tells Ashara about the king's visit, her friend smiles so brightly that she thinks all this nervousness is worth it just to see that smile. But then Ashara says. "But that means Arthur will be coming as well. Will you be alright, with Arthur and Rhaegar being here at the same time Elia?"

Elia rolls her eyes. "Of course I will Ash. After all, Arthur is a sworn knight of the Kingsguard and I am a married woman, we have no reason to act as more than mere acquaintances."

Ashara snorts then and says. "That's rubbish Elia, I know you still like him, and I know for a fact that he still likes you. You were all he would talk about when I was in King's Landing."

Elia blushes but says no more on the topic. In fact no more is said until two weeks later when King Aemon comes riding in dressed in black and red riding clothes, accompanied by three knights of the Kingsguard, Ser Gerold Hightower Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Ser Brandon Stark the king's former sworn shield and Ser Arthur Dayne the king's friend and Ashara's brother. When Elia catches Arthur's eye she feels her heart speed up and hopes the blush does not show to vividly on her face. The others who accompany the king include the Hand, Lord Tywin Lannister, and Brandon Stark the younger and the heir to Winterfell and Ser Garth Hightower both of whom grew up with the king in the capital.

At the feast that night held to welcome the king to Summerhall, Elia is sat beside Ashara and between her and Arthur, Rhaegar has gone off somewhere, perhaps to library not that she cares, but Arthur leans over to speak with her, and his voice is raspy. "Princess, it has been too long. How have you been?"

Elia looks at Arthur thinking the man drunk but dismisses it once she sees his eyes, they are still so bright and sharp he can't be drunk. "I am well Ser, my daughter is well and the child within me grows stronger every day. How have you been? How has the capital treated you?"

Arthur smiles wanly, his voice no louder than a whisper when he says. "Well princess, it has treated me well. My king is a good and honourable man, and he is a friend. And my sister is happy. But I have missed you."

Elia feels herself shiver at that. "I have missed you too." She whispers, holding his hand underneath the table.

"Do you like at Summerhall?" Arthur whispers just as softly.

Elia nods her head. "Yes, it is nice and peaceful here. Much nicer than King's Landing as well. Though I do miss Dorne sometimes and Oberyn as well."

Arthur smiles then. "Aye me too, it will be nice to have you and Ash in King's Landing though. I would have thought Oberyn would be here though. He always said he'd never leave you when you grew up."

Elia laughs. "Oberyn had to return to Dorne, Doran had some need of him. But he will be back soon enough."

Their conversation ends there and later that night when Elia is in bed with Ashara, they whisper about what gossip Ashara has heard from her betrothed and the other ladies of the court. "Jaime Lannister was wed to Princess Rhaena before Aemon left for here, Jaime and his bride now rides for the Rock as we speak. And Robert Baratheon has made some drunken wager with Brandon Stark about something or the other." Ashara whispered.

"Aye, did he tell you anymore about this tourney they are planning? Rhaegar was rather closed lipped about it." Elia admits.

Ashara snorts. "Rhaegar is a fool. Where is he now? Consorting with his books about some stupid prophecy when he could be sharing in your warmth. Aemon merely told me it will be the biggest tourney that Westeros has ever seen and that it will change the course of history."

That does sound rather daunting, but Elia merely nods to her friend, and then they give themselves over to the throes of passion for the night. The king and his company stay in Summerhall for a few days, before returning to King's Landing, but bringing Elia, Rhaenys and Princess Rhaella with them. For Aemon and Ashara are to be wed, the king having decided to move the wedding forward.

They are wed with great pomp in a ceremony attended by half the realm in the Great Sept of Baelor, the king looking dazzling with his black hair and his black doublet, and Ashara looking like the maiden herself in her dress. Elia feels happy for her friend, but she can't help noticing the divisions amongst those in the Sept. Standing on one side, Stark, Lannister, Dayne, Arryn and Hightower people, on the other side, Elia's side, Tyrell, Martell and Connington and others. A clear sign of division within the royal family, or is she simply imagining things?