Rhaenyra was still angry with Daemon the morning after the first coronation banquet. The royal guests took notice of the frigid atmosphere surrounding the queen and king, and word of their marital friction soon spread. After the morning fast had been broken, the royal family left to go to the tourney arena for another day of entertainment and celebration. Before entering the wheelhouse, Prince Jacaerys Velaryon gently took his mother aside.

"I know you are angry with Daemon, mother, but his intentions last night were good."

"By antagonizing a possible ally, Jace?" the queen snarled, "Green or not, we need to establish friendly alliances with the Reach in light of the Black Conspiracy. I need to show that I am willing to forgive them for being allied with my half-brother if they swear to be loyal to me. Your stepfather's temperament just put this in jeopardy!"

"I understand, mother…" Jace said soothingly, "but remember who these so-called "allies" are. When they know that you have taken them into your good graces, they will take advantage of your pride and try to influence you. You may be politically aware mother, but you are human, and opportunistic boot-lickers can still sway you. Daemon has your best interest at heart, and last night he was trying to help you. This rift between you and Daemon now will only sully your reign and be a small victory for the Greens.

What do you think, mother?"

Queen Rhaenyra took in her eldest son's words. As much as she wished what Jace had said was not true, she knew it was. Her son's talent with rhetoric was astounding, and the queen could not have been any more proud of him than she was at that moment. Silently nodding with approval, Rhaenyra and Jacaerys entered their respective wheelhouses. As the royal entourage rode down towards the fairgrounds, Rhaenyra reconciled with Daemon and the rumors of marital problems between the king and his niece-queen were soon quieted when the crowds saw how warmly the two were acting towards each other in the royal box.

The tourney continued on as scheduled. Ser Triston Mormont won the first three rounds of the joust before being dismounted by Ser Robert Rowan. Ser Rowan went on to triumph through the rest of the listings and the melee. The following three days of the tourney followed the same pattern: jousts, melees, and feasting, and new champions were named. For the third day, it was Ser Benedict Brax, and on the fourth day, it was a mystery knight who possessed a shield that was painted green.

It was speculated that the shield's color was a sign of which royal party the knight was loyal too, and many respected the man's immense bravery for showing it off in the presence of Queen Rhaenyra and King Daemon. The knight's loyalty to the Greens was not appreciated by the monarchs, but they were impressed with his prowess. The "Green Knight" was able to champion through the listings and melee with ease, clearly he was an experienced warrior. On the final day of the tourney, that wish was put to the test. The Green Knight was victorious through the first four listings and he seemed to have been on his way to victory.

That is, until Prince Lucerys Velaryon himself challenged the Green Knight. Luke rode out to meet the mystery knight in the ring on a chestnut horse with a black mane. The prince wore plate armor that bore a surcoat that displayed House Targaryen's sigil and colors. People cheered and clapped as the prince made his way to the starting line. When he turned to look at the royal box, Lucerys was greeted by the cheering and clapping of his family. The immensely proud, and fearful, Rhaenyra I blew her son a kiss and he rose his lance up into the air in response.

"Warrior, guide my hand…" Lucerys thought to himself.

"Mother Above, protect him…" Rhaenyra thought to herself.

Lining up against the divider, the Green Knight and Prince Lucerys Velaryon squared off, lances ready and horses fidgeting. After what felt like an eternity, the flag was waved and the two charged towards each other. The racing hooves seemed to be in sync with the rapid heartbeats that were pulsing through the spectators as they watched. This was more than just a joust, it was a political statement. Whoever won would champion the beliefs of either the Blacks or the Greens, and the victory would be written down to be remembered for all time.

The two men clashed. The tips of their lances snapped off after crashing into the shoulders of their opponent, yet, neither of them fell. Gasps were heard as the jousters received new lances. Another round began and once again the knights charged towards each other. Again the lances were broken and the men remained on their saddles.

The third round was different. Tightly gripping their lances, Prince Lucerys and the Green Knight charged at each other. Luke squeezed his horse's sides in hopes that it would keep him from being knocked off. It worked since Lucerys was able to stay on his saddle when he collided with the Green Knight. The strike from both lances were delivered with such force that the left shoulder pauldrons of both men broke off from the impact.

It wasn't just a piece of armor that was damaged however. Lucerys felt something pop out of his shoulder too. It had become dislocated. Luke dropped his lance and pushed his shield off his hand to clutch his wounded shoulder and began to double over from the pain. The Green Knight suffered a grievous injury himself, however, it was his pride that was wounded rather than his shoulder for amazingly, he was knocked off his horse. Perhaps he had underestimated the strength of his young opponent during the third tilt and did not strike with his full power?

There had been a grunt of pained surprise from the mystery knight when the impact occurred. He then tumbled off his horse and fell backwards into the trail of dust left behind by his steed. Both Rhaenyra and her husband stood up from their chairs in alarm. Tourney hands and maesters rushed into the arena to assist both jousters. The queen summoned her maester.

"Gerardys, see to Lucerys at once!"

The maester did exactly as he was told, and he shuffled off from the royal box to the arena. The old man got there just as the tourney hands were gingerly assisting the prince off his horse. Gerardys carefully pressed on the chain-mail that covered Luke's left shoulder and the lad's hiss of pain confirmed that his shoulder was indeed dislocated. With Lucerys injured, there was the question of what to do about the melee. Should it be cancelled or have one of the Queensguard knights fight the Green Knight in the prince's place?

As Gerardys led Luke away from the ring, the mystery knight called out to him.

"Like father like son, eh, Breakbones?"

Lucerys stopped in his tracks when he heard the word "Breakbones". Silence descended upon the arena. Fifteen years ago during the tourney held to celebrate Lucerys's mother marrying her first husband, Luke's real father Laenor, Rhaenyra's second sworn shield, and Luke's rumored father, Ser Harwin Strong, was defeated by Ser Criston Cole, the new sworn shield of the now widowed Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower. Cole had used his morning star to break a few of Harwin's bones during the melee. Clearly the mystery knight was making a jab at Lucerys's paternity.

If the Green Knight had intended to goad his wounded opponent into crossing swords with him via insults then his plan worked. Lucerys balled his right hand into a fist. He then made a step into the ring.

"Lucerys, don't!" Rhaenyra called out.

Luke looked up at his mother. No words were said, but Rhaenyra could see the commitment in her second born's eyes to both defeat the Green Knight and to preserve the honor of his mother and brothers. Silently, the queen nodded to her son, giving him her approval to continue on. Before Luke confronted the Green Knight, Maester Gerardys put the young man's left arm in a sling. With a blunted swords in hand, the two men faced off each other.

It was a tense skirmish; the audience was on the edge of their seats. Although wounded and squaring off against a taller opponent, Luke used his youth to his advantage. He outmaneuvered the Green Knight and struck him whenever the opportunity presented itself. With this combination of agility and strength, Prince Lucerys Velaryon was able to literally defeat the Green Knight single-handedly. The cheering from the audience was deafening, and Luke held his sword up in the air in victory.

He then pointed his sword at his fallen foe.

"Remove your helm, Green Knight." Lucerys commanded.

The mystery knight reluctantly did as he was commanded. His identity was Ser Arryck Cargyll, a former Kingsguard knight who had served during the reign of Luke's grandfather. Arryck was also the twin brother was of Ser Erryck Cargyll, another former Kingsguard knight who was now serving Lucerys's mother in her Queensguard. The Green Cargyll's defeat was truly a terrible blow. Not only did he lose to a boy who was three decades younger than him, and crippled too nonetheless, but Arryck was also bound to forfeit his armor and sword to Luke since he lost to the prince, not to mention losing his tongue for referring to Lucerys as a bastard.

As Ser Arryck Cargyll was led away by his Black twin and a fellow knight, a pageboy arrived bearing a crown made of red roses. Luke took the crown from the boy and he walked over to the stands. Smiling broadly, Luke then handed the crown of roses to the crowd, ordering them to pass it on to his fiancée since the royal box was too high for him reach without a horse. After the crown of roses reached the lucky princess, Rhaena proudly placed it upon her silver-gold hair, becoming the Queen of Love and Beauty. Smallfolk and aristocrats alike cheered and applauded the sight.

And thus the Queen's Coronation Tourney of 129 AC came to an end. The next morning, as the arena and fairgrounds were continuing their dismantlement, and as the noble guests returned home, Queen Rhaenyra I Targaryen began her first official day as queen of the Seven Kingdoms. She awoke early that morning along with her husband, got dressed, and walked to the small council chamber. Awaiting the couple there were eight people, seven men and one woman. Rhaenyra recognized Ser Otto Hightower, who stiffened up considerably when both she and Daemon entered the chamber, and he wouldn't even look at them.

Besides him, there was also the elderly Lord Lyman Beesbury, who bowed his head towards the royal couple, his long white beard touching the table. Three more familiar old faces were there as well. One belonged to Maester Gerardys, who had been appointed as Grand Maester, having taken up the post after Maester Orwyle had been coerced into giving up his title; Ser Steffon Darklyn, and the other man was Lord Corlys Velaryon. The only woman in the group was more familiar with the king consort than she was with the queen. The woman's name was Mysaria.

Hailing from Lys, Mysaria possessed long silvery-platinum hair with violet colored eyes, pale skin, and a plump figure that was once marvelously svelte. She had originally been a dancer, and a former lover of the Rogue Prince, who was four years older than her. Even though the two had not been lovers for fourteen years after Daemon married his second wife, Mysaria and Daemon maintained a friendly relationship, bonding over a shared enjoyment of partaking in the seedy underbelly of society. Mysaria became Daemon's confidant and informer, using her numerous contacts in the brothels and brown shops of King's Landing and Lys to collect and relay information to Daemon or to perform clandestine orders for him. Because of this, Mysaria's rivals called her the "White Worm" as well as "Misery" due to her usually miserable demeanor.

Due to her history of intelligence gathering, Mysaria had been selected by Daemon to become Rhaenyra's Mistress of Whisperers. She had replaced Lord Larys "Clubfoot" Strong. He was the younger brother Ser Harwin Strong, the supposed lover of the queen and rumored father of her three eldest sons. Larys had resigned from his position as the Master of Whisperers and returned to his seat of Harrenhal in sullen silence. Since Rhaenyra knew or vaguely recognized who these five individuals were, she had to be introduced to the other three.

Lord Corlys Velaryon had the honor of introducing the queen to her other councilmen.

"Good morning, your grace." he began. "Allow me to introduce you to your small council." He gestured towards Lord Beesbury, Maester Gerardys, and Mysaria. "You are already acquainted with these three individuals, and have been informed as to what their new titles are."

Corlys then turned to a man who was standing to his left. The man was in his early forties and possessed Valyrian features: pale silvery-gold hair (like beams of sunshine through clouds) and lilac eyes. "This is Bartimos Celtigar, the Lord of Crackclaw Point and the Master of Ships. He is Lord Tyland Lannister's replacement." Bartimos bowed his head towards Rhaenyra. "It is an honor to meet and serve you, my lady."

From what Rhaenyra had remembered from the letters she had read during her month long wait for her coronation, Bartimos had been recommended by Corlys himself. During his youth, Corlys had sailed the high seas of the world on his beloved ship the "Sea Snake". Accompanying him on those voyages was Bartimos's father, Ser Phineon Celtigar. During their travels to Essos, a young Phineon had served as Corlys's personal assistant, and he learned the ropes on how to manage a ship and to navigate, and what to do when exploring strange new lands and cultures. These voyages often yielded treasures of immeasurable wealth, and Corlys shared some of it with Ser Celtigar as payment for his services.

Beside Bartimos was a balding man whose remaining hair was salt and pepper in color. He had a well trimmed mustache that graced his upper lip and down to his chin, possessed an average build, and his eyes were dark and fierce.

"Gormon Massey," Corlys announced, "Lord of Stonedance and the Master of Laws."

Gormon was known for performing tasks to the letter and for rarely showing any compromise. Those qualities mirrored that of his predecessor, Lord Jasper Wylde. Jasper was however far more stricter about upholding laws than Gormon, and because of this, he was known as the "Ironrod." As displayed during the morning of the Black Conspiracy, Jasper was also a staunch conservative and misogynist. After Prince Aegon the Elder had renounced his claim to the Iron Throne, Jasper kept shouting the word 'outrage' over and over again, resulting in the old man being hauled off to the dungeons by the castle guards.

Just the day before Rhaenyra's coronation, Lord Wylde was released from his cell. As quickly as he could, the Ironrod returned home to Rain House in the Stormlands. Jasper's absence from the Red Keep was a source of great relief for Rhaenyra's court. With the introductions finished, there was one more member to add to the small council. That new member was the Hand of the Queen.

Daemon smirked as his wife turned to face her step-grandfather. Otto returned his step-granddaughter's glare with his own, and they just stood there with their eyes locked onto each other. Rhaenyra was the first to speak.

"Ser Otto Hightower, surrender your badge."

The air became very still as the small council watched the spectacle unfold. It appeared that Queen Rhaenyra's very first act as queen was to take away Ser Otto's title as Hand of the King/Queen. If she was doing that, who was going to be her Hand? Otto's posture became even more rigid than usual and his eyes flashed with indignant surprise. He curled his lips, debating whether or not to speak his mind but nothing came about.

Otto's defiance caused Rhaenyra's gaze to harden, her purple eyes becoming sharper and fiercer.

"Ser Otto, your badge." Rhaenyra said, reaffirming her authority with a strong voice. Ser Hightower's reaction still did not change. King Daemon came to his wife's side, and Otto's eyes moved to face his old nemesis. There was much animosity between Daemon and Otto, with the king hating his late brother's Hand for going against him at every turn, and Ser Hightower loathed the Rogue Prince because there was a rumor that Daemon had claimed Alicent's virginity prior to her marrying Viserys all those years ago.

Daemon met Otto's hateful glare with a triumphant smirk. Without taking his eyes off of his late brother's Hand, the king consort spoke.

"It appears my dear that Ser Hightower is not going cooperate. Allow me to fix that."

Daemon walked up to Otto until their faces were just inches away from each other. His smirk growing into a malicious smile, Daemon, with great gusto, removed Otto's brooch from his tunic. Otto shut his eyes tightly when he felt the metal slide out from the fabric of his shirt. Daemon held his hand out in front of his wife, his palm open so she could pluck the brooch from it. After taking it from her husband, Rhaenyra turned to Otto again.

"Henceforth, Ser Otto Hightower, you are no longer Hand."

The queen then turned to Corlys.

"Lord Corlys Velaryon, step forward."

The elderly man came forward as Otto took a reluctant step back. Rhaenyra spoke as she pinned the badge to the Master of Driftmark's shirt.

"Corlys Velaryon, Lord of the Tides and Master of Driftmark, I hereby name you as my Hand of the Queen."

It had been decided by Daemon and Rhaenys that Corlys was to become Otto's replacement after Rhaenyra became queen. Corlys was aware of the plan and was prepared for it; he took his new title humbly and he bowed deeply to his former daughter-in-law. A renown world adventurer and a phenomenal patriarch of House Velaryon, the Sea Snake now had a new accomplishment to add to his life's story. He was the first Hand of the Queen in Westerosi history.

"Thank you, your grace. I am deeply honored that you have chosen me to be your Hand."

Clapping was heard coming from Lord Bartimos Celtigar and soon, the other small council members except for Otto followed suit. Rhaenyra smiled triumphantly to herself and she turned to face her step-grandfather once more, whose expression had not changed.

"You are dismissed Ser Hightower, return to your chambers."

Without saying a word, the former Hand of the King proceeded to walk out of the small council chamber for the last time. Despite the animosity that existed between Ser Otto Hightower and the Blacks, it was strange to see him leave. Otto's tenure as Hand of the King had been long and rich with fascinating experiences. He had served two kings, Jaehaerys I and Viserys I, had his only daughter care for the Old King and later marry the Young King; got dismissed once and then reinstated by his late son-in-law, and became the grandfather and great-grandfather of princes and princesses. And now, that had all come to an end; Rhaenyra's reign held no room for a man who was so controlling and so set in his ways.

After Otto's departure, the small council sat down and began their first meeting together. The very first agenda of the gathering was on what to do with Alicent, now known as "the Disgraced Queen", and her family. It had been Queen Rhaenyra's dream since adolescence to boot out her stepmother, stepfamily, and half-siblings when she became queen to finally be rid of their odious presence. As much as she hated the former queen, Rhaenyra knew that she could not cast Alicent out of the Red Keep, nor could she strip her stepmother and half-siblings of their royal rights, titles, possessions, and wealth thanks to the Widow's Law. The law had been the brainchild of Rhaenyra I's great-grandmother, Queen Alysanne Targaryen, and had been officially passed by the queen's brother-husband, King Jaehaerys I Targaryen, in 53 AC.

As the name of the law states, it had been passed to protect widows regardless of whether or not they were their husband's second, third, or fourth wife and beyond, from their late spouse's children in the event of his death. Prior to the law's passing, it was common for a deceased lord's heir to strip his or her stepmother of her titles, servants, and wealth. If the woman's stepchild had even a shred of pity for her, they would allow her to remain in her late husband's castle, being ignored and living in poverty while the rest of the family enjoyed the fruits of their privileged lifestyle. It was not uncommon for the widow to be kicked out of her late husband's home entirely. The Widow's Law entailed that a lord's surviving wife was allowed to keep everything she gained from her marriage, and that she was to remain under her stepchild's roof for the duration of her of natural life.

How would it look if Rhaenyra I were to kick her father's widow out of the Red Keep? Not only would she be breaking one of her great-grandmother's laws, she would also be viewed as a spiteful bitch by the realm. The law was the law, and Rhaenyra had to live under them just like her people had to. This fact allowed for the queen to think about her stepfamily's fate during her last month on Dragonstone. This brainstorming led to some minor personal revelations.

For all of the hatred and contempt that stepmother and stepdaughter had had for each other over the years, there had been some good moments. During the first year of her marriage to Viserys, Queen Alicent Hightower was able to the fill the void left in Rhaenyra's life after her mother had died. She oversaw her stepdaughter's education, picked out her outfits for social events, listened to what Rhaenyra had witnessed in the small council chamber when she was her father's cupbearer, and simply gave the girl maternal companionship. When Rhaenyra became pregnant for the first time early in 114 AC, Alicent had sent the crown princess a curt but informative letter detailing on what to expect and what malign symptoms to look out for during the pregnancy. But there was one memory of the Disgraced Queen that Rhaenyra I actually cherished.

Rewinding back twenty-two years earlier in 107 AC, the year of Rhaenyra's tenth nameday, her stepmother gave her a truly precious gift. It was a ring made of goldenheart wood and studded with a deep blue sapphire. Apparently the ring was an heirloom of sorts in House Hightower. Alicent had said that the ring had originally belonged to a seafaring ancestor of hers, Ser Eustace Hightower, who had sailed with the fearless Lady Elissa Farman during her famous voyages on the Sunset Sea aboard his ship "Lady Meredyth". Eustace had been given the ring by a Summer Islander prince when he was having his ship repaired during the journey home to Oldtown.

Rhaenyra could remember hugging her stepmother, who was six months pregnant at the time with Prince Aegon the Elder. Even now, after everything that had happened, Rhaenyra I still wore that ring on her right index finger. In the end, it was collectively agreed upon that in accordance with the Widow's Law, and out of respect for the late King Viserys I Targaryen, who still loved his second wife until the very end, Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, her father, brother, children and grandchildren would remain at the Red Keep. It was even decided that Alicent's eldest legitimate grandchild, Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen, would serve as his half-aunt's cupbearer. This was an incredible act of maturity on Rhaenyra's half, and her small council members respected her for it.

So far, the reign of Queen Rhaenyra I Targaryen was off on an auspicious start.

Rewrite Notes: A lot of things have changed in this chapter!

1. Ser Criston Cole was originally the Green Knight in my original story. But I felt that would not work since he was such a loyal supporter of Queen Rhaenyra I Targaryen's stepmother; he would have been imprisoned shortly after the Black Conspiracy. So for the rewrite, I replaced him with Ser Arryck Cargyll.

2. Prince Lucerys Velaryon originally challenged the Green Knight as a mystery knight known as "the Black Knight". In that version, Ser Cole tried strangling Luke during a brawl after being defeated by the prince. In the rewrite, Lucerys publicly announces his intent to challenge the mystery knight, and gets his shoulder dislocated during the joust. Also, the Green Knight insults Luke by calling him "Breakbones", whereas in the original chapter, the knight does not say anything to the prince

3. Queen Rhaenyra I Targaryen and her small council had agreed to exile the Disgraced Queen and her family from the Red Keep. The addition of the "Widows Law" in Fire and Blood prevents this from happening. This also allowed for me to add more depth to the relationship between Rhaenyra and Alicent.

4. Speaking of adding more depth, other new aspects of Westerosi history from Fire and Blood was included in here: Lady Elissa Farman and Ser Eustace Hightower. In Fire and Blood, Elissa was the sister-in-law and rumored lover of Queen Rhaena Targaryen, the half-niece and "Black Bride" of King Maegor I Targaryen (aka, the half-uncle of Rhaenyra I's great-grandparents). Elissa stole three dragon eggs from Dragonstone to fund the construction of her ship "the Sun Chaser", and she later disappeared on her westward journey through the Sunset Sea. Eustace would later return alive at Oldtown. The ring that Queen Alicent gave to her stepdaughter on her tenth birthday was inspired by the treasure that Eustace had accumulated during his voyage with Lady Farman.