First Sparks

Elia's bed had become her living space in the last days and weeks. Had she not felt quite so weak, she would have resented being largely confined to her chambers, but any physical activity drained her dry.

Soon, now. The little one was kicking or moving all of the time, and the Maester had predicted the birth to occur with the coming of the new year. Only a few more days.

There was some advantage to being in bed so much, at least. The freezing air did not affect her half as much, with thick furs and blankets keeping the chill at bay and a fire always roaring in her hearth.

A knock and then her door opened. Ser Jonothor was her guard for the day and inclined his head respectfully, mindful of his duty no matter her state. "The Lady Ashara, Princess."

He stood to the side, admitting a smiling Ashara into her chamber. She usually was, these days, no matter the occasion. Elia had not made a final decision on whether that should be cause for concern, envy, or happiness on her part.

"Thank you, Ser Jonothor." The knight in white armour nodded and closed the door to the room again, leaving the two of them to their privacy.

"How are you feeling?" Ashara asked, moving to a small table holding a flagon of wine, and poured two cups. The Dornish vintage had been watered down to protect the babe from any ill effects, but she would rather suffer the thin taste than knowingly harm her child.

"Well. Today at least," Elia answered, accepting one of the cups as Ashara sat on a nearby chair with her own. Taking a small sip she made herself slightly more comfortable in her bed. "What can you tell me?"

"Preparations in Riverrun are nearly finished. Judging by the extent the wedding will likely take place not long after the announcement." Even if the alliance between Riverrun and Winterfell was largely known already, a proper official announcement was expected to be made before Brandon and Catelyn were wed.

That the wedding would follow quickly was no great surprise and they had half expected that to be the case already, but confirmation always trumped guesswork.

She wondered if the events of Harrenhal had influenced Lords Stark and Tully in the decision to continue with their plans despite the sudden change of weather. Winter was not usually a time for weddings. Elia nodded for Ashara to go on.

"The snows and cold have delayed a few shipments of supplies, but fortunately nothing essential was affected. I have the lists for you to look over later."

Most likely Ashara had already taken care of everything important before even coming to her, but Elia did not argue with the coddling treatment she had been receiving for weeks. There was little point in doing so, when she knew herself that there was a certain necessity to it.

"There has also been word by raven, of other gifts soon to arrive. Mooton, Darry, Whent, Rykker, Rosby, and Stokeworth. The pile grows ever larger," Ashara quipped.

Gifts had been arriving for weeks now, from Dorne, the Riverlands, parts of the Reach, and near every other region of the Seven Kingdoms, leading to an ever-increasing collection.

"If you don't want any for yourself when the time comes, you need only say so," Elia countered with a smile.

Some thought flashed through Ashara's eyes then, but she did not give word to it, and instead continued with her original purpose in coming. Elia allowed it. For now, her curiosity could only wait for so long. Though she already had an inkling what it could be about.

Ashara sipped from her own cup. "Finally, there is the matter of when we will leave for King's Landing. With winter coming back, a decision has to be made."

Whether the babe was born tomorrow or in a fortnight, she would have to present her second child to the King and Queen, just as had been done with Rhaenys. Elia knew that she would feel weak and exhausted for weeks but expecting Aerys to allow a large delay on her account was hoping for a miracle.

Rhaella and Rhaegar might speak for a later date, but their efforts were not likely to be met with success.

"Have Clement start the preparations for us to leave in a moon's turn. If frost or storm will not allow us to travel by then, it is out of our hands."

Dragonstone's position in the mouth of the bay meant that it was far more exposed to storms than even nearby Driftmark. Winter was not the season for such events, of course, but Elia would not hold her breath for everything to proceed as it should when winter had returned after months of spring.

"I'll see it done." Ashara nodded and made to stand.

"There was something else you wanted to say, was there not?" Elia asked knowingly. The thoughts of denial on Ashara's face were clear to her, as was the moment she decided to oblige her.

"I have only been wondering, about the value of potential new allies and alliances, and what they are truly worth."

"Ashara, you know as well as I that it cannot be." Elia took no joy in doing this, but she had to remain firm. "I have allowed you to indulge yourself but these ideas are only fancies, nothing more. Once you are wed, you may do as you wish, but until then you are only making things harder for yourself."

There had been no word from Winterfell after Harrenhal concerning the proposal Elia had made, though she had not truly counted on ever hearing off it again, considering the way Brandon had reacted to Rhaegar's insulting actions, but that did not mean Ashara was freed from all obligations in that regard.

Even if it would not be Eddard Stark now, she would have to wed some lord eventually. Not a foreign, melee-winning freerider.

"You knew?"

"What did you think? That no one would notice his repeated presence in the castle?" Ashara had not neglected her duties in any way, but that she had spent more of her time in her chambers had not escaped Elia's notice.

Finding out afterwards that someone had recently been admitted to the castle on Ashara's invitation was not beyond her means, even while largely confined to her bed.

"You have to know that this is folly."

"But what if it was not?" Ashara asked, a resolute, earnest truth shining in her eyes.

Elia had always been able to rely on Ashara to be mindful of her duty, but it seemed that in this regard things would no longer be as simple. She shook her head, unwilling to engage with Ashara's train of thought.

"It is, whether you are willing to see it or not. Send him away, Ashara. If you have not done so by the time we leave for King's Landing, I will."

Ashara's brows drew down, the very picture of uncharacteristic, youthful stubbornness. "But–"

"No, there is not but. I will hear no more of this," Elia cut in. She did not often have to think about their difference in age, but right now it seemed entirely apparent, though perhaps it was simply the difference in experience between them making itself known.

Instead of attempting to argue further Ashara pursed her lips, stood from her chair, and left in a swish of purple silks and dark hair.

Only moments later Alyse entered the room, the large book containing Dragonstone's accounts under one arm, and a look of confusion in her black eyes.

"Did something happen between you and Ashara?"

Elia shook her head, unwilling to engage with the same subject again, tiredness already creeping in. "Nothing important. Let's just get to the accounts."

Her son was hungry and suckled greedily, as she remembered Rhaenys had shortly after her daughter had been born. Even in the face of an infant Elia could see some of Rhaegar's features and no doubt the resemblance would grow even starker with age, which was to say nothing of his colouring.

Pale skin and a silvery dusting of hair meant there was very little resemblance between her and her son. The blue eyes could still darken significantly, but even Rhaenys' black eyes could sometimes look like the Valyrian purple when the light hit them just right.

"He is your son, your heir. It is your duty to give him a name." Elia would have gladly given the little one a name fitting for a son of House Martell, but much as she wished for there to be no connection between them, the boy was Rhaegar's as much as he was hers.

"Aegon. What better name for a King," Rhaegar said from his spot by the window. His harp was within arm's reach though for now he left it where it was.

They had not spent much time within each other's presence since her return from Dorne, but she wanted peace for these next few days, even at the cost of suffering him in her chambers.

"Will you make a song for him?" Elia asked, absently rocking Aegon in her arms once he had finished nursing.

"He already has a song. He is the prince that was promised and his is the song of ice and fire." Rhaegar said it as if there was any meaning to his words, but her exhausted mind could not make sense of any of it. He continued to stare out of the window, unmindful of the cold evening winds, until something spurred him to pick up is harp again and lightly run his fingers across the silvery strings.

He stood eventually and took Aegon from her arms. Even had she been capable of resisting Elia would have allowed him this much at least. No matter her feelings, Rhaegar was the babe's father.

"There must be one more. The dragon has three heads."

The light thrown by the few lit candles in the room caught in his silver hair, seeming to make it glow around his face in an otherworldly manner, but her mind could match no sense to the words he spoke so quietly. He put Aegon into his crib and left the room soon after, though if it had been minutes or hours, she could not say.

Elia faded into slumber at some point even she was not aware of, her body entirely too exhausted to stay awake. Fortunately, her sleep was untroubled, though it ended far too quickly for her taste.

Two days later the Maester made his announcement.

"You are sure of this?"

"As confident as any man is capable of being, Princess," the man said, bowing his head. "There is some small chance that your further recovery may come with miraculous improvements, but divine intervention is no basis for medicine. All the signs the Citadel is aware of are clear. This one was already too close an affair. Any future pregnancy would lead to your death."

Elia glanced to the side, to chance a look at her husband. In their nearly two years of marriage he had ever been a man of reason and calm, measured in his actions and responses, except for the once at Harrenhal. But now Rhaegar's lips were pursed with a spark of displeasure, and a thousand veiled thoughts burned behind those indigo eyes.

She had done her duty by him now; with a finality she had not expected to occur for decades yet. Certainly, two sons, an heir and a spare, would have been preferable, with a daughter to use in alliance, but with a son to inherit the Iron Throne and a daughter Rhaegar had already pawned off to the Starks none could claim she had not fulfilled her obligation.

Viserys could fill some part of that role, but the power he was granted would have to be measured even more carefully than that of younger brother to Aegon.

Her son would marry from the Marcher Lords, whether Reach or Stormlands, and Rhaenys was in the process of being given to the North, but that left many options still open for her brother by marriage.

Elia wondered for a moment if all of them were simply playing out the Gods' cruel game, with no true power to ever make decisions of their own.

A Dornish Princess for the Prince and their firstborn for the Marches, then as now.

But that way lay only madness, with nothing good to come of it. Better to focus on her former deliberations, whether they were truly her own or not.

Viserys and potential matches. The Riverlands, perhaps. Jonos Bracken, his father's heir, already had one young daughter if she remembered correctly. They were an old House, and powerful, but not so much as to danger her own children in the hands of their uncle. But there were others, and they would need to involve Lord Hoster, to avoid insulting his pride even further if nothing else.

"Thank you, Maester Wylman," Prince Rhaegar said, breaking her from her thoughts and dismissing the man. Then he walked from the room with determined steps.

Knocking woke Elia from her dreams.

She opened bleary eyes in an attempt to make sense of her confused surroundings. Her chambers were dark in the night, though the whisper of morning was beginning to enter the room through a window. Far too early to be woken for any of her duties.

Struggling to a seated position against her body's protests she called, "Come."

Her door opened, admitting the light of a candle into the chamber. With sleep still clouding her senses and the sudden light blinding her for a moment it took a few seconds to recognise the man standing just over the precipice and looking uncomfortable.

"Princess," Clement, a man of some faded Celtigar blood and Dragonstone's steward, nervously said with a bowed head. There were other faces hovering anxiously behind him, but they remained silent for now. "Excuse the interruption of your rest. It is only, well, that there is a situation of some significance regarding the Prince. One that is beyond my means to handle."

That some of those working in the castle had already begun their day was no surprise, but that anything so important it could not wait had happened was.

"Speak plainly, Clement. What is this urgent situation, that you would need to wake me?" Her first thought was of Aegon and Rhaenys, that maybe something had happened to them. That worry managed to pierce her exhausted self with a moment of clarity. Even if the delivery was a few days behind her, it would take months of rest and recuperation until she felt like she was truly herself again, if the last time was anything to go by.

He grimaced, the burning candle he carried casting shadows over his features that made him look half a corpse. "Prince Rhaegar is gone."

"What?"

"Considerable supplies were found to be missing from the kitchens, as are nine horses from the stables. Word was brought to me quickly and I assured myself of the accuracy of these claims before seeking to personally inform the Prince." Clement hesitated for a moment before continuing. "There was no guard outside the Prince's chamber and no answer to my attempts. When I eventually entered there was no one inside."

Elia simply stared, unsure what to think or how to feel.

Dragonstone was strong castle, hard to besiege and harder to storm, but not so large as others in the Seven Kingdoms. A determined attempt at a thorough search would not take long, and she could not imagine any reason for Rhaegar to leave his chambers to hide himself away in some nook in the first place.

But she could not think of a reason for him to leave the castle entirely, unannounced and in the middle of the night, either.

"What about Ser Arthur and Ser Jonothor? If Ser Oswell is absent and the Prince disappeared, they have to be informed."

Clement exchanged silent looks with the others behind him and seemed to become even more uncomfortable. Elia did not much care, being woken was bad enough, having them dally unnecessarily even worse. "Well?"

"Ehm, they are gone, Princess. All members of the Kingsguard, as well as the Prince's companions. All their chambers are empty."

"All of them?" Rhaegar called few his friends, but near all that could fit the description had been on Dragonstone just yesterday, the only exception she could think of being Lord Bryen Caron.

"Yes."

Elia lowered her head into her hands and began massaging her forehead in an attempt to stave off the coming headache, uncaring of the eyes on her. There had been no word she could recall that would explain these events, no news that could have forced Rhaegar to act in this way.

But believing that he had been taken, with three members of the Kingsguard and three other capable knights not only unable of stopping whatever had transpired but taken along without anyone being the wiser until now would be admitting herself to insanity.

A dark whisper at the back of her mind reminded her that perhaps it was not she who was in the grip of madness here. That judgement, however, could be left for when she knew more.

Firming her shoulders Elia looked at the nervous people still hovering at her door.

"Have a meal brought up, and bring Ashara to me. Dancy, help me dress. And wake the others as well." Throwing off the furs and blankets she slowly scooted to the side of the bed and slid her feet onto the cool stone floor from their warming shelter.

The shock of cold helped Elia focus her mind, and ignore some of the nausea welling up from her stomach. She was still weak, and had spent very little time on her feet in the last weeks, but it needed to be done.

"Milady, you shouldn't," the young woman insisted quietly, though she walked over all the same. The others at her door had similarly followed the commands, leaving to set everything in motion after closing the heavy oak door.

"My dress," Elia insisted in turn, already shrugging out of her nightgown as quickly as her body allowed. Even using both arms it took her minutes to finally get the garment off, and Dancy had taken that time to light candles to give them more light than the barely rising sun supplied for now.

Even though the fabrics were soft and tailored to her pregnant body the sensation of putting them on brought her great discomfort, only eclipsed by the pain of standing at all, which she would have failed under only her own power.

That Dancy had to support her with even that meant that a usually quick process took far longer, but in the end, she was clothed and as ready as she could be to handle the current issue.

Finally seated in her solar after eating what morsels she could stomach Elia would have preferred going right back to sleep, but that was not to be. Her door opened to admit Ashara inside after a quick knock. There was no guard there, to announce who was outside, with all three Kingsguard missing from the castle.

"Elia, what happened?" Ashara asked, clearly slightly out of breath from rushing to get here quickly. In her haste she had neglected fully brushing her hair, dark locks tumbling wildly around her face. "I was only told that something was wrong."

"They are gone. Rhaegar, Arthur, Ser Oswell and the others."

Ashara stopped, confusion plain to see. "What?"

"They left, like thieves in the night, with no word of their intentions. To where, only the Gods know. Supplies and horses gone, and only empty chambers left behind." Just thinking about it again threatened to give her a headache. Elia could not imagine any reasonable explanation for these events, none at all.

It was the unreasonable ones she still hesitated to seriously consider.

"Gone? From the castle or the island?" Ashara asked, slowly lowering herself into a chair.

"Their rooms, for now, though the island seems certain." There was the possibility that Rhaegar and his companions had chosen to leave for one of the small inns in the village around the port, in the middle of the night and unannounced, but that seemed only wishful thinking. What used would they have for supplies and additional horses?

"Gods." Ashara leaned forward, hands covering her eyes for a moment. There was a certain catharsis in seeing Ashara's reaction mirror her own. "What do you want to do?"

"It is not a matter of what I want. What is Rhaegar thinking? What could possess all of them to act this way?" Elia sighed deeply, in an attempt to keep her mind on the issue at hand. Blame could be a matter for later, when she had some inkling of the truth. "No, you are right. We need to find out what happened."

Clement had not returned since alerting her, which suggested that there had been no immediate revelations on the matter.

Unfortunately, that left them with little to go on. Some servants may be aware of something, but there were many of those on Dragonstone, and questioning all of them would take up much time.

"Was there a raven? Or a messenger?"

"None I am aware of." Ashara shook her head. She often kept a careful eye on the rookery, so any developments were known to them as quickly as possible. "If a messenger came, they did so in the night. People at the docks might know about any ships coming or leaving in that time."

There was value to that idea, but Elia knew that these considerations were largely irrelevant. She did not like that her thoughts turned towards preventing possible disaster so quickly, but her doubts and worries would not be quieted by theories and explanations. Knowing alone would not prevent anything. Action was needed for that.

"That may give us hints, but we need to actually find them, and quickly," Elia said, fully aware that accomplishing that would be no easier.

With Rhaegar gone she was the highest authority on Dragonstone and could command its garrison for her own purposes if she so chose. But control over more than four score knights, men-at-arms, and crossbowmen was of little worth when all those men would first and foremost obey Rhaegar in the end.

Elia did not doubt that they would head out on her orders, that they would search in her name, but bring Rhaegar and his companions back? Against their will? She did not delude herself into believing that.

Ashara was just as aware of that issue as she was, but that did not seem to stop her in the same way. Squaring her shoulders Ashara met her eyes. "I know how to accomplish that."

It did not take Elia long to understand. Her first instinct was to dismiss the idea out of hand, but she stopped herself. What other option was there, truly?

Sighing deeply, Elia felt a headache coming in the distance, to join her other aches and discomforts. "Call for him then, though I question what one man can accomplish."

Ashara stood and hurried from the solar, leaving her to her thoughts.

Elia leaned back in search of what comfort could be found in this situation. Her joints throbbed and exhaustion weighed heavily on her shoulders, but there was little to be done about that except continue as she had and hope for things to improve.

A few quiet minutes passed, leaving her hovering on the edge of sleep, until knocking announced Ashara's return, shortly followed by the door opening and steps entering the solar.

Sitting up fully, Elia tried to preserve what image of nobility she could for this meeting.

Ashara stepped into view, shortly followed by Naruto.

"Princess," he said and inclined his head in polite greeting. He was armed and armoured, clad in the yellow brigandine he had fought the melee in.

She still remembered him from Harrenhal more than half a year ago, though she had never directly interacted with him during the tourney. With the situation so different now, Elia could not help but revaluate her original impression.

That he was capable in a fight she already knew, but there was a presence about him that made her think that he was more a warrior than anyone she had ever met. But she needed a soldier more than she did a warrior, one following only her own orders.

"Join me," Elia said, with a small gesture towards the other nearby chairs. After Ashara had taken her former seat again and deposited a leather tube on the small table in the room, he chose the nearest one for himself, his sharp blue eyes focused entirely on her.

They sat opposite each other, with Ashara bridging the two sides.

"You are aware of the situation?" Elia began.

His eyes shifted towards Ashara for a moment. "The broad strokes. Your Prince has gone missing, and you need to find him."

"Yes," Elia nodded, "and I would ask you to do it."

"Tell me everything you know," Naruto said, accepting, and leaned forward.

"We do not know what they are planning or what port they seek, only that they left, with some supplies and nine horses," she said.

Ashara reached for the leather tube she had brought and opened it to unfurl a map of the surrounding lands: islands, rivers, castles, and all. And ports most importantly. "There are many ports nearby, though King's Landing is unlikely. I don't think they would go further than Gulltown, but they might seek the Bay of Crabs for the ports further inland."

Naruto stood and moved closer as her finger moved along the parchment, following the possible route into the heart of the Riverlands. Wickenden, Maidenpool, Saltpans, not to mention the smuggler retreats littering the coast of Crackclaw Point.

Of course, if whatever Rhaegar was seeking was further south, they might be entirely wrong. Sharp Point would be closest, but Massey's Hook was largely mountainous and slow to traverse by horse. The small port at the mouth of the Wendwater would be better, with a quick way into the Kingswood, but considering the company that had left they might go much further south into Shipbreaker Bay.

"Who is with him?" he asked, eyes roaming the map and taking everything in with clarity and focus.

"Arthur, Ser Oswell, and Ser Jonothor of the Kingsguard and Ser Richard Lonmouth, Ser Myles Mooton, and Lord Jon Connington," Ashara listed quickly. Elia did not think that he knew them at all, but he clearly got something from the information nonetheless, so she did not intercede.

"Hmm." He reached out to tap his index finger on a nearby spot and then glanced at her. "Can you get me a ship to Duskendale?"

The port was closer than King's Landing, and the source of a large part of the wares brought to Dragonstone by ship. House Rykker owed their position entirely to House Targaryen, and Aerys specifically, who had granted them the lordship after House Darklyn's Defiance.

Elia wondered why he had so quickly decided on that destination and not one of the many other possibilities, but she did not question his choice. Considering his prowess and Ashara's continued interest his confidence was plainly not just veiled bravado.

"You will have the quickest passage possible."

Some ships might have set out for the water already, but there would be others still floating in port, moored and not long from being able to depart. If she had to threaten one of the captains to have them set course for Duskendale instead of their usual destination, so be it.

Naruto nodded, a confident, satisfied grin appearing on his face. "Good. What do you want me to do with them?"

Elia did not know whether to consider his simplistic approach to be charming or laughable. What she was asking of him would be entirely unreasonable for even an entire contingent of men to accomplish, and yet this one man was acting like it was simplicity itself to search what might well be the entire Crownlands and Riverlands combined for a group of seven.

Was it perhaps her own brand of madness that she felt inclined to believe in him, nonetheless?

"Bringing them back here will suffice."

"I'll do what I can," he said, his left hand, scarred with angry red marks along the back and wrist, settling on the pommel of the blade he had sheathed at his belt.

Naruto turned to leave, presumably to prepare everything he would need, and Ashara joined him near the door.

Elia ignored their whispered conversation and the smile that immediately came over her expression, focused on the exact situation she found herself in.

She wondered if it was a mark upon her or Rhaegar, that her thoughts had so quickly turned towards preventing the next disaster sparked by his actions, even without any idea what he was even attempting to do.

Once Ashara and Naruto had left the solar, Elia succumbed to sleep, her exhaustion finally too much to ignore.

I hope you enjoyed chapter 31. I am done with 32 as well, and hard at work on 33.

Gifts for royal births would be a lot like ones for royal weddings, showing off riches and how close the relationship between Houses was. In late-medieval/early-renaissance Italy there were birth trays, elaborately painted with scenes of history or myth and then filled with nourishing foods and other things, that were presented to the mother after the birth.

Royal mothers, whether queen or princess or duchess or whatever, usually didn't nurse their children themselves. That is what wetnurses are for. Elia only did at the very beginning as well. Aegon wouldn't normally sleep in her chamber either, and servants would attend to any of the newborn's needs, especially at night.

The second scene is obviously heavily inspired by Dany's vision in the House of the Undying.

Baelor Breakspear, firstborn of Daeron II and Myriah Martell marries Jena Dondarrion, presumably to appease those protesting the heavy Dornish presence at Daeron's court. The Marcher Lords would be among the loudest of those. Elia knows her history well, which only makes her situation sort of depressingly humorous.

The Celtigars are the black sheep among the three Houses with Valyrian blood in Westeros, even though they are said to be pretty wealthy and even have a Valyrian steel axe to their name. Stewards were a well-respected position, often given to younger sons or lower-rank nobility.

I am unsure how much other people know about the map of ASoIaF but looking at one would probably make some of the things in the last scene more clear. I tried to give enough context without one, but you can decide whether I succeeded or not.

The distinction between warrior and soldier I'm drawing is pretty basic. Soldiers work in groups, warriors work alone. One is more about obedience and discipline, while the other puts a much larger emphasis on personal skill. Great warriors don't necessarily make good soldiers. Where exactly Naruto falls in that distinction everyone can decide for themselves but that he is more warrior than soldier should be obvious.

I have always wondered about the exact situation around the disappearance of Lyanna Stark. Next chapter will deal with it more immediately, but a lot of those details we do get make little sense in my view. People speculate about the people making up Rhaegar's 'half a dozen close confidants' but I think my line up makes enough sense. Lewyn Martell may have been involved in canon, but I had him in King's Landing for story purposes so Jonothor Darry fills that spot here.

As always, thanks for reading and reviewing. Until next time.