The Red Keep
New Year's Eve
130 AC
Queen Rhaenyra did not like being cold. She had ordered for tapestries to be hung on the walls of both her bedchamber and study for more warmth, and she had even begun wearing furs. These provided some comfort for the queen, but the chill was a constant tormentor, especially to her hands, ears, and nose. Nevertheless, she pressed on with her duties as queen, albeit she now had one new problem that occurred every time she ventured into the study. Because of the chill, the ink in Rhaenyra's ink pots were often frozen solid, and she had to have them thawed over a brazier before she could use them.
While the citizens of King's Landing were preparing for the new year outside of the Red Keep, Rhaenyra had a worrisome subject to deal with. A disease known as "winter fever" was starting to spread throughout Westeros. Reports of the disease began circulating shortly after winter had been declared on Maiden's Day, and it had steadily spread over the continent over the course of the year. The disease was particularly fatal to those of senior age, but it was not entirely uncommon for the fever to claim the lives of the young, although this was rare. Wanting to protect her family at the Red Keep, Rhaenyra ordered for bonfires to be burned around the castle gates and entrance courtyard so that the flames could purify the air of the illness causing miasma.*
Speaking of family, the queen worried for the wellbeing of her newborn grandchildren. After the birth of their children, Prince Jacaerys Velaryon and Princess Baela Targaryen invited Prince Lucerys Velaryon and Princess Rhaena Targaryen to come live with them on Dragonstone so that their families could grow up together. Rhaenyra was originally against the idea since she wanted her granddaughter, Alysanne, living with her at the Red Keep since her cousin, Baelor, had to live on Dragonstone with his father, the Prince of Dragonstone. But now with the winter fever epidemic raging, Rhaenyra was glad that both her beloved grandchildren were not living on the mainland. The queen prayed daily in the Red Keep's chapel for the infant Baelor and Alysanne's health, and that the Seven would spare their young lives from the malaise.
In lieu of grandchildren, Rhaenyra and Daemon doted on their daughter, Visenya. Being the queen and king's youngest child, Visenya was the apple of their eye, and she had them wrapped around her little finger even though she was just over a year old. Over the year, Visenya had grown from a tiny babe to a toddler with a head of short, straight silvery white hair, and had just begun learning how to walk. Because of her busy schedule, the queen was not able to spend much time with Visenya. But when she did find a spare moment, Rhaenyra would have Visenya's wet nurse bring the princess to the royal study for a moment of mother-daughter bonding.
For most of the day, Visenya played with her half-first cousin, and fiancé, Maelor, in the castle nursery. Princess Helaena would watch the children play together in that room. For the most part, Maelor would play with his toy horse or top while Visenya would preoccupy herself with her rattle. During one humorous incident, Maelor, at the behest of his mother, tried to share one of his horses with Visenya. Intrigued by this new toy, Visenya gladly took it from Maelor and began chewing on it (she was teething), much to her cousin's dismay.
Thinking of her daughter soon led to another thought, marriage, its plural to be exact. With Jace and Luke married and beginning families of their own, and even Visenya being engaged, Rhaenyra decided that it was time to find wives for her other three unmarried children. Since Joffrey, Aegon, and Viserys were on the lower rungs of the line of succession, their choice of brides did not have to be too politically motivated, but they could still be beneficial for the Black Targaryen's. The queen was not going to spend too long looking for future daughters-in-law from the nobility of the Known World. She was instead going to look to her own small council for help with that, and she had already selected her candidates: Houses Beesbury, Celtigar, and Darklyn.
Rhaenyra decided to choose from House Beesbury and Darklyn because of their part in the Black Conspiracy. She wanted to reward Lyman and Ser Steffon for helping to ensure her succession. Rhaenyra had already rewarded Wesley for his part in her father's plan. The queen had gifted the faithful manservant with the title of lord, and in turn, a small manse in the capital with servants to wait on Wesley. He had gone far and beyond his duties in service to his king, and because of it, Wesley was richly rewarded.
Wesley was of course thrilled by this, and he thanked his queen immensely for her kindness. When Wesley told his son about the news, Edmund was indifferent. Ever since the Black Conspiracy, the relationship between father and son had become strained. Edmund had avoided his father during the Conspiracy's aftermath, which hurt Wesley very much. When father and son finally did see each other again, there was tension in the air, and Wesley knew that nothing would ever be the same between him and Edmund again.
After Wesley's departure from the Red Keep, Rhaenyra began to focus on getting her sons married. The queen's search for which house her fifth daughter-in-law proved to be quite tricky. Thankfully, she got a whole slew of suggestions from her ladies-in-waiting. Lady Hayford offered the hand of her stepdaughter, Lyra; Lady Stokeworth mentioned her daughter, Falena; and Lady Elinda Massey suggested two of her nieces: Elinor Massey and Myrine Darklyn. Elinda's niece from House Darklyn intrigued the queen, and when Rhaenyra inquired about Myrine, she learned that the girl's parents were Gunthor Darklyn and Meredyth Massey, the Lord and Lady of Duskendale. Myrine was also related to two members on Rhaenyra I's small councils, being the granddaughter of the Master of Laws, Lord Gormon Massey, and the grandniece of the Lord Commander of the Queensguard, Ser Steffon Darklyn.
Making Myrine's family tree even more interesting was that she was the great-great-granddaughter of Lord Theomore Manderly, the Lord of Whiteharbor during the reign of the Old King. "Good Queen Alysanne" had become fond of the man and his family during her royal progress in the North, and she had even arranged a match between one of Theomore's daughters to the Lord of Duskendale at the time. There was even going to be a marriage between Lord Manderly and Princess Viserra Targaryen, the sixth born daughter of Jaehaerys I and Alysanne, until her untimely death in a horse riding accident when she was only fifteen years old in 87 AC. Elinda went on to say that, according to her sister's letters, Myrine was a sweet but very shy six year old girl who mostly preferred books to people. Shy or not, Myrine's pedigree more than made up for whatever social graces she lacked. One choice down, two more to go.
During the last small council meeting of the year, Rhaenyra I announced that she had chosen Lady Myrine Darklyn to be a future bride for one of her sons. After the applause had died down, Rhaenyra turned to face Lord Beesbury.
"Lord Lyman, for your part in the Black Conspiracy, name any of your available female kin. Whoever you choose will become the wife of either Prince Joffrey, Aegon, or Viserys."
Lyman searched his old mind in hopes of remembering who his female relatives were. After what must have been a strenuous mental effort, Lyman finally wheezed out a name.
"Nell, my great-granddaughter. She is the eldest child of my grandson, Alan, and the firstborn grandchild of my late son, Robert."
"How old is she?" Rhaenyra asked. Lyman took a moment to think again.
"Six and ten." He finally said. The queen inquired further.
"What is her ancestry?"
"Umm…" Lyman mumbled, unused to being questioned like this in his old age. "My wife was from House Crane, Robert's was from House Rhysling, and Alan's is from House Cuy; she is the daughter of the Lord of Sunhouse."
"Good." Rhaenyra said. (Not too illustrious a pedigree but still good)"What is she like?"
"From what Alan has told me," Lyman began proudly, "Nell is a true lady, and is the treasure of her parents."
"Excellent." Rhaenyra said. "She would make a good wife for one of my sons."
Two down, one more to go. The queen then inquired her councilmen about other potential brides. Just like with her companions, the small council provided a cornucopia of suggestions. Lord Corlys Velaryon suggested his great-grandniece, Daenaera; Grandmaester Gerardys recommended the Four Storms, Mysaria mentioned many noblewomen from the Free Cities such as the daughter of the Prince of Pentos and girls from the elite "Pureborn" families of Volantis, and Lord Bartimos Celtigar suggested his only daughter, Thea. When Rhaenyra heard of her Hand's suggestion, she became wary.
"Who is Daenaera's father?" She asked in a steely tone. Corlys sighed, and after swallowing some phlegm, he answered.
"Lord Daeron Velaroyn, my grandnephew."
"The son of your nephew, Vaemond." The queen said with a distasteful tone. "The man who slandered the names of your grandsons in hopes of taking Driftmark for himself as you laid bedridden and near death."
Corlys bristled at the queen's remark. "Yes, I remember that quite well your grace." The Sea Snake said wearily.
"Then you can understand why I would not want that man's grandchild to be married to any of my sons, correct?"
Corlys shot Rhaenyra an offended look, causing the queen to glare back at him. With their Valyrian purple eyes locked in a fierce trance, the Lord of the Tides stood his ground.
"My queen," Corlys carefully began, "marrying one of your sons to Daenaera will be beneficial for both our houses. The marriage could mend the rift between your family and Vaemond's."
"No." Rhaenyra said firmly. "That man's sons and wives tried to get my father to declare Jace, Luke, and Joff as being illegitimate so that they could clear the way for them to inherit Driftmark. They tried to make my father denounce his own grandchildren, your son's children, as bastards!"
"They were also looking for justice for Vaemond after you ordered your husband to seize and behead him, after which you fed my nephew's body to your dragon!" Corlys countered angrily.
"He insulted Lucerys!" snapped Rhaenyra. "He insulted your grandsons! What kind of mother would just sit there and allow her children to be defamed by some grasping little worm?"
"And you more than overreacted to what Vaemond had said!" Corlys thought. Wisdom came with age, and the Sea Snake knew that if he said those words, he would be lucky if Rhaenyra just stripped him of his badge and sent him back to Driftmark in shame. Corlys remained silent and he conceded to Rhaenyra. The tension between Lord Velaryon and his former daughter-in-law lingered in the small council chamber.
Trying to distract herself from her anger, Rhaenyra turned to her Master of Ships.
"Your daughter, Bartimos, tell me about her…"
Quickly recovering from his anxiety over Rhaenyra and Corlys's argument, the Lord of Claw Isle was more than happy to talk about his daughter.
"Thea is ten years old, your grace, and she is my only living child from my second marriage. She is a sweet and charming girl, the apple of both mine and my wife's eye. And speaking of my wife, our daughter has royal ancestry through her mother."
Everyone raised an eyebrow when they heard that.
"Royal how?" Lyman asked incredulously.
Bartimos glared at Lyman before resuming his spiel. "My wife, Lady Adela Bolling, is the great-granddaughter of Queen Elinor Costayne, one of the Black Brides of King Maegor the Cruel."
Surprised murmuring rose up amongst the councilmen. Emboldened by this, Bartimos continued.
"My wife's grandparents were Queen Elinor's eldest son by her first husband, Ser Theo Bolling, and a woman from House Arryn of Gulltown. Maegor had sent my wife's grandfather to the Vale to be fostered shortly after marrying the boy's mother. With his Arryn wife, Lord Bolling had my father-in-law, Garron, the Lord of Golden Stag Keep."
"Did he rehearse this before we convened?" Queen Rhaenyra thought. Bartimos had put a lot of detail into this speech. Unfortunately for the small council, Bartimos droned on.
"On my side of the family, I am the great-great-grandson of Lord Edwell Celtigar, the second Hand of the King for Maegor I, and the first Master of Coin for Jaehaerys the Conciliator."
"And his daughters, Prudence and Prunella, were the companions of Queen Alysanne Targaryen." Corlys interjected.
"Yes, you are absolutely correct my lord!" Bartimos excitedly said, undisturbed by the Sea Snake's interruption. "And the good queen married them into Houses Grafton and Peake, both very prominent houses. My daughter not only has Valyrian blood, she also has blood ties to the Crownlands, the Reach, the Stormlands, and the Vale!"
Thank the Seven above, Bartimos finally stopped talking. Despite how long her Master of Ships had dragged on, Queen Rhaenyra was quite impressed by Lady Thea Celtigar's lineage. Not many would boast about having ancestors who were affiliated with the tyrannical Maegor, but the pedigree that Thea possessed was superb. Even if it were not for Thea's ancestry, Rhaenyra would still have been interested in having Thea as a daughter-in-law because of her Valyrian heritage. House Celtigar of Claw Isle had followed the Targaryen's and Velaryon's from Valyria twelve years before the Doom two centuries earlier in 126 BC.
While the families laid new roots at their distant island homes of Dragonstone and Driftmark, the Celtigar's made their new home on Claw Isle, an island in the Narrow Sea that was closer to the shores of the northern region of the Crownlands. Unlike the Targaryen's and Velaryon's, who intermarried amongst themselves to retain their pure Valyrian heritage, the Celtigar's married outside of their family. Because of their diluted bloodline, the Celtigar's were seen as the lesser of the three surviving Valyrian families. For obvious reasons, there had not been a marriage between a Celtigar and a Targaryen for centuries. Marrying a Targaryen prince, who was descended from two distant female ancestors from House Velaryon,** to Lady Thea Celtigar would finally unite all three of the only remaining Valyrian families in the Known World.
Rhaenyra had finally found her three future daughters-in-law. After some brainstorming, the queen announced which woman her sons would be married to: Lady Nell Beesbury would be wed to Prince Joffrey Velaryon, Lady Thea Celtigar to Prince Aegon Targaryen, and Lady Myrine Darklyn to Prince Viserys Targaryen. Pleased with herself about setting up the betrothals, the queen took a golden goblet from Jaehaerys's hands after dismissing her councilmen to celebrate the coming New Year, and sipped its contents. It was mulled wine that had been spiced with cinnamon and sweetened with two spoonfuls of honey, Rhaenyra's favorite. The wine was nice and warm, sweet from the honey, with notes of the cinnamon's piquant aroma washing over the queen's tongue like a warm wave. Warm and sweet, just like Rhaenyra's latest accomplishment as queen.
Three ravens would depart from the Red Keep that afternoon, each of them bearing the exciting proposals to the strongholds of Honeyholt, Claw Isle, and Duskendale.
*: Herodotus, the Father of Medicine, believed that illnesses were caused by miasma, which is Greek for "bad air". People often carried around sweet-smelling herbs and flowers to ward of disease (I believe that was the origin of wedding bouquets). Pope Clement VI had bonfires burned around the papal throne during the Black Death to ward off the plague. He was spared from death because the flames kept the rats that bore the pathogen carrying fleas away.
**: Lady Valaena Velaryon, the mother of Visenya, Aegon I, and Rhaenys Targaryen (her husband was Lord Aerion Targaryen); and Queen Alyssa Velaryon, the second cousin-wife of King Aenys I Targaryen, the second Targaryen king. This was Alyssa's first marriage, and she had six children with Aenys: Rhaena, Aegon, Viserys, Jaehaerys I, Alysanne, and Vaella Targaryen. Alyssa had two more children with her second husband, Lord Rogar Baratheon: Boremund and Jocelyn Baratheon. Alyssa is referred to as being her first husband's cousin in the official sources, but I refer to her as his second cousin.
Rewrite Notes: I had a lot of fun with creating the genealogy for Nell, Thea, and Myrine!
1. Bartimos also has at least one son since the release of FaB.
2. Lyman is also a grandfather and great-grandfather rather than a granduncle and great-granduncle like in the original. The names of his grandsons have changed, and you will see them in the next chapter.
3. Myrine's family has changed a lot too. I have updated the family chapters too.