She had walked out of the King's chambers in a hurry and tried to mask her frustrations while she scurried in the halls. These problems concerned the royal family for the moment, no one else.

Visenya certainly hoped that word would not get out about what she had asked her brother, the King. After all, the members of the Small Council should not be given any time to think of any arguments to use against her proposition.

On her way to her chambers, Visenya could not help but roll her eyes when she noticed that the Septas in the hall still eyed her judgingly. Mayhaps it was the red dress she had picked out for this day. Visenya knew that it would make a statement.

Although it was not unusual to see a Targaryen princess dressed in red, the dress belonging to her mother did accentuate her more…feminine parts. She liked it. Her neck was in plain view, as were her arms and the tops of her breasts. Her silver-gold hair was long and almost reached the curve of her bottom.

Visenya was a beauty, just as her mother had been, and she made no effort to conceal that. Especially since she hoped that she would catch someone's eye. Recently turning six and ten had brought out changes in her…desires she wished to fulfill.

Having little to no experience in matters of coupling, she could not truly understand what it was she craved. Was it the simple touch of a man? His hand covering hers in comfort? Or was it his lips pressed against her skin? Would his hands press somewhere else?

A blush creeped on her face, as she slowed down, rounding the corner where there was no one who could see her, not even the knights guarding the doors. What was she doing?

Visenya closed her eyes. Her heart was beating faster and faster, as she touched the cold wall with her forehead. But her hands had other ideas. She imagined they belonged to someone else for a moment.

Running her hand over the softness of the top of her breasts, she thought of what it could feel like to be the center of a man's attention. A man to desire her…but also care for her. She knew she would be a good wife. If ever she would have the choice of husband, she would love and support him. She would give him everything.

Children…she supposed she wanted them. But not right away. Not before she had a chance to explore the true pleasures of a marriage bed. Like her Mother and Father.

Elinda had refrained from going into details, but when Visenya persisted, the woman admitted that her parents had always shared a bed. And as possessive as they were of one another, they never dared seek the attentions of others.

Visenya knew of the rumors that accused her father of having been unfaithful. She never believed them. Would an unfaithful man bother flying heroically into battle to prove his loyalty to his wife and Queen? Would an unfaithful man send his supposed mistress away and sacrifice himself to prove his love for his wife?

The Rogue Prince had loved his Queen. The fact that traitors would dare spew lies in her mother's ear of how a poor Dragonseed the same age as Baela and Rhaena turned her husband away from her, disgusted her.

Her mother and father had been kept apart by many things. Her grandfather Viserys did not approve. They were forced in marriages of convenience. Daemon and Rhaenyra had to fight to be together, to fulfill their hearts' desires and have the children worthy to continue the Targaryen dynasty. Aegon, Viserys and herself.

Viserys…

All her thoughts evaporated when she felt the wetness gather between her thighs. Could it be possible…Had her heart already made a choice? Her brother was handsome. Built. Silver-blond hair and lilac colored eyes. The classic Valyrian features.

He possessed the roughish charm of their father, and his visits to the Street of Silk since his wife's passing convinced women all-around of his experience in matters of coupling.

She had heard the daughters of important men whisper around the Keep, giggle at the sight of him. Of course, they would want him. He was a Targaryen Prince, and the Hand of the King. And at the age of three and twenty, he needed a new wife to give him children of his own.

Visenya had no doubts that soon enough, the Small Council would start pressuring him to choose a bride. But these girls were wrong for him. He would be miserable with them, just as he had been with Larra. Viserys was kind, gentle but rough whenever needed. He was smart, and a most competent Hand. He deserved someone who would understand him.

"Visenya."

At the soft sound of his voice, Visenya yelped and pulled her hand away. But it was too late.

She could crawl under a rock in shame at what had just transpired. From the look in his eyes, she knew that he saw her. He saw the way her hands moved on her own body, he saw the blush in her cheeks.

Leaning forward, Viserys cupped her cheek and gently caressed it, clearly focused on the redness he discovered on it.

"What are you doing?" he whispered, but his eyes showed no confusion to her intimate acts.

He knew perfectly well what she had been doing, and in public no less. It was a wonder that she had not been seen.

"Nothing." Visenya replied softly, thinking that this was the answer he was looking for. While there was no confusion on his face, Visenya believed she saw something else…disappointment.

Was this truly how he felt towards her?

"I must return to my chambers." Visenya mumbled, embarrassed.

She quickly made a move to pat her dress, making sure that it covered her legs properly. The last thing she would want was for him to detect the moisture that was now running down her legs.

As soon as she made a move to leave, Viserys grabbed her by her elbow and pressed her against the wall, looking left and right to make sure that no one was coming.

Once he was certain that they were alone, his grip on her arm relaxed, but he remained pressed against her, making it impossible for her to leave. The disappointment in his eyes vanished and Visenya noticed his now deep smoldering gaze.

"My Lord Hand, this is not the proper way to treat the Princess." Visenya teased him to try and get the upper hand, but the redness in her cheeks remained.

"The Princess should not be pleasuring herself in front of the entire Court." Viserys hissed.

"I was not!" The lie tumbled from Visenya's mouth instantly, and quite loudly as well, which made him press his finger against her lips.

Was that what she had been doing? Visenya was blushing madly. She certainly had not realized. Thinking about her parents' love for one another had directed her thoughts to what it would be like to experience such a powerful connection to someone.

Someone who burned for her, the same as she would burn for him. Someone who shared the blood of the dragon. Someone like…

Viserys' eyes were completely focused on her lips, dragging his finger down the bottom of lip, all the way down to her neck, tracing gentle little circles there.

They had been playing this little game of back and forth banter for a few years now. But this was the first time Visenya felt the situation get this out of hand.

He had never touched her this way before. And as angry as she was at him for what had happened in the King's chambers, she couldn't shake the arousal that continued to creep up on her. Especially when he was looking at her like that.

Gripping her chin, Viserys tilted her head up to meet his gaze and whispered, "You will never do this again."

"But I will. I am a woman grown, brother. I will soon have suitors asking for my hand. And maybe one will catch my eye. One will be the subject of my desires." Visenya explained.

She saw the way his jaw clenched, his lilac colored eyes turning a shade darker. The thought was upsetting him…and it made her hope. Was it possible that he was finally starting to see her as he would a woman he desired?

Visenya could not help but offer a small smile at the way his eyes burned into hers. She had an effect on him. Their interactions were no longer playful. This was something new.

Viserys' fingers still stroked back and forth against her cheekbone. With his other hand, he grabbed a few strands of her hair, almost admiringly.

"Petulant." was all he mumbled, as she leaned in closer.

And then, as if he were burned, Viserys pulled away.

The game was finished, but it was the first time that Visenya felt her heart shatter.

Straightening up, Viserys placed his hands behind his back, creating a respectable distance between them, as they had started hearing voices echoing in the halls. But it still felt like he was towering over her, his Hand pin almost making a statement.

Clearing his throat, Viserys told her seriously, "Sister, I understand you are upset, but you cannot continue to behave in such ways…"

"In what ways?" Visenya challenged him with a frown.

"Resistant. You have strong opinions. I value them, as does our brother, but you tend to forget that despite our familiarity, he is the King. He allows us the courtesy of behaving as family behind closed doors but in the world, in front of members of other Houses, we must act accordingly. I fear that this familiarity between us all, might tempt you to openly question our brother in front of others."

"I would never do that to Aegon. I cannot believe you would say such things to me."

Visenya's eyes watered at that point. At this sight, Viserys' gaze softened. He could not help himself and leaned in once more and cup her cheeks.

Holding his hands on her face, Visenya whispered, "Why do you not speak plainly, Viserys?"

"What?"

"You do not share my thoughts. You do not want Mother to be recognized as Queen. And you do not want me to bring it up before the Small Council on this day."

"Visenya…"

"I suppose as Hand, you will now tell me that it would be best that I do not attend at all."

"No!" Viserys' voice was loud enough to be heard by the entire Keep, which alarmed them both.

Viserys only shouts when provoked, and even then, he immediately justifies himself. In this case, Visenya's accusations got a rise out of him, but he would offer no justification. Nothing.

Gripping his hands tighter, Visenya managed to completely captivate his gaze. Whatever was happening in the halls no longer mattered. It was only the two of them. There was so much she wanted to say, but she eventually settled on one thing.

"Gods. You blame them, is that it?"

Viserys did not even bother denying it. He could not lie to her. He did have reservations in relation to passing on the royal decree recognizing their mother's reign. But it did not have anything to do with the opinions of the Lords or the Small Council.

His sister just would not understand what was in his heart. The pain he had felt ever since he was ripped from his own family. Ever since the day on the boat. He never saw Mother and Father ever again.

"My sweet…you do not know everything. You were but a babe at the time." Viserys tried reasoning with her, but Visenya would have none of it.

The warmth of his hands on her face was comforting, but she needed more. And he needed to admit his pain to her. Visenya pulled him into her arms, hugging him tightly. Her forehead pressed into his neck and she breathed in his scent.

There was a darkness inside of him, just like the one inside Aegon. But their brother was open in his grief. Daenaera had a much easier task bringing him back into the light little by little as the years went by.

Viserys was a whole other matter. He kept everything hidden. No one in the Realm knew that the prince was suffering. He had no wife to support or love him. The one woman he loved, the woman he was forced to marry when he was only three and ten, that Rogare woman, betrayed and abandoned him. She never loved him, so why would she bother trying to understand his pain? She did not know his heart. But Visenya does.

"You cannot hold onto such resentment. Mother and Father loved you. They wanted to protect you. And they died thinking that you were gone." Visenya whispered in his ear.

"They sent me away." She heard him whisper in return, which made her pull her head from his neck and look him straight in the eyes.

"Viserys, what happened to you was not their fault! If you wish to blame someone, you know who should be blamed. The Hightowers."

"They are paying for it. The Bank of Oldtown will soon be controlled by the Crown." Viserys explained in a much softer tone. After all, the walls had ears, especially in the Red Keep.

"It is not enough. If this betrayal had happened during the Conqueror's reign, he and his sisters would not have hesitated to burn Oldtown to the ground." Visenya spoke the known truth.

"These are different times, sweet sister. And our family is vulnerable. We are Targaryens, but without dragons, we are just like everyone else."

"Rhaena has a dragon. We still have Morning. And I hope Aegon will not stop trying to hatch the eggs we recovered from Dragonstone."

Viserys could only offer her a sad smile. His own dragon egg, the one he had kept with him for his entire childhood had remained stone cold, despite his many efforts to hatch it, even after he had returned to Westeros. He feared he would never have the chance to be a dragonrider, like his mother and father had been.

Aegon was even less inclined to hatch a dragon egg. After witnessing their mother's death by dragonfire, he had grown a great amount of fear and hatred towards them, but for a while, he admitted that their family needed dragons if they were to remain in power.

However, there was the matter of Lord Alyn and Lady Baela's young daughter, Laena, to whom a blind and wingless wyrm had hatched a few years prior and tore a chunk of her arm. In anger, Lord Alyn had killed the beast, with King Aegon's approval.

This incident had managed to keep Aegon away from the Dragonpit and killed any ambition he may have still had to hatch the remaining eggs from Dragonstone.

"Do you believe our mother was the rightful Queen?" Visenya's sweet voice pulled Viserys out of his trance.

"Yes." He responded without hesitation, earning him one of his sister's golden smile.

"Will you fight for her recognition?"

"Yes." Viserys responded, if only to make her happy.

Visenya let out a giggle as she flung herself into his arms once again, hugging him tightly. He exhaled loudly and rubbed his hands over her bodice. His sister's embrace distracted Viserys even from the loud footsteps approaching them in the corridors.

"Pardon me, my Prince. Princess." Grand Maester Alford cleared his throat, making Viserys and Visenya pull away from one another.

"What is it, Grand Maester?" Viserys asked, a tinge of annoyance in his voice at having been interrupted.

"Lord Alyn Velaryon and his wife, the Lady Baela Targaryen have arrived, my Prince. We are also expecting Ser Corwyn Corbray and his wife, the Lady Rhaena Targaryen shortly."

…

Daenaera noticed him staring out from the balcony when she returned with their sons. He seemed to be in one of his extreme pensive states once more.

"Aegon." she called out to him softly, but just as expected, he did not respond.

Sighing, Daenaera handed over Daeron and Baelor to her maids, before walking over to him and gently putting her hand on his shoulder. He startled easily and turned his head slowly to gaze into her deep blue eyes.

"Aegon. Ser Raynard has just informed me that our guests have arrived. We are to welcome them in the throne room." Daenaera whispered and offered him her comforting smile.

As if completely oblivious to what his wife had just said, Aegon mumbled, "I am not weak. I am not stupid."

When she did not respond, Aegon took both her hands in his and pressed them to his lips. That was twice he showed her such affection in one day alone. Daenaera could not deny that it was all so endearing, however, she was worried about him.

"You are not." She agreed with his words, but her eyes were boring into his quizzically. She wanted to know more.

"My brother, my sister, I know what they think of me. I am just trying to keep the peace."

"Is this about what happened? Visenya may be outspoken but she is not wrong. Your mother should be known to the Realm as Queen, not as Princess. Do you not agree, husband?"

His breathing hitched, as he continued to hold her hands in his.

"She was scared, but so brave. And she held me in her arms. She told me she loved me, on our way to Dragonstone. I was but a boy. I could not help her. She had no one else but me, but I could not help her. She cursed the usurper, and then I saw how bravely she met the flames." He told her softly, his eyes glassy, almost as if he was reliving that very moment.

"Aegon, you must not think of this." Daenaera insisted and pressed her forehead against his.

"I could not save her. I could not."

"You cannot blame yourself."

"How can I not? I was her son. And I could not save her." Aegon replied, his voice breaking in the process.

"There was nothing you could have done then. But there is something you can do for her now."

With their foreheads still pressed together, Aegon looked over his beautiful young wife.

How fortunate he was to have someone like her in his life. Daenaera had been his ray of sunshine since the moment he first saw her. He knew only she could be the one to mend his broken spirit.

"I shall speak to my brother, and the Small Council. Our mother was the Queen." Aegon finally spoke the long-awaited words and Daenaera smiled, moving her head gently to press her lips to his cheek.

…

To everyone's surprise, Lady Rhaena Targaryen had arrived on dragonback.

She and her husband, Ser Corwyn Corbray had been permitted to reside on Dragonstone for the past couple of years, for the sake of the Targaryens' remaining dragon, Morning.

While Aegon still had his fears, he acknowledged that Dragonstone was the only good place for the dragon to develop properly. And so, she has. The pale pink she-dragon had grown beautifully, and Rhaena used every possible occasion to show her off.

Lord Alyn and Lady Baela had arrived first, on ship, from Driftmark. Their one- and ten-year-old daughter, Laena, was shyly holding on to her mother's skirts, hiding her face.

Despite the many years which had passed for her as a married woman with a child of her own, Baela had not renounced her boyish ways. She did wear dresses and skirts but only on special occasions such as visits to King's Landing. Her hair remained cropped, in the hopes that one day, she would once again ride a dragon. She had her own sword and took up lessons in her spare time, determined to be the warrior her father had been.

Little Laena's arm had been concealed after the terrible accident, and Lord Alyn's good disposition towards dragons had not returned even after so many years. The evidence was the hardening of his expression when he saw Rhaena on Morning's back, approaching the Dragonpit.

Ser Corwyn Corbray was envied by the great lords of the Realm for having obtained the hand in marriage of one of the Dragon Twins, Lady Rhaena Targaryen. Rhaena, unlike her twin sister, had kept her silver-white hair long, had the most pleasant personality, and was currently the only known dragonrider in Westeros.

Ser Corwyn felt himself fortunate indeed. Not because of his wife's royal Valyrian blood, not because of her dragon or her wealth. But because someone as graceful, beautiful and kind as her could see in someone like him a good husband.

He had nothing to offer her. House Corbray was one of the poorest in the Vale and he himself was not even its Lord. His nephew, Lord Quenton Corbray, was. His first wife had passed before the war started and he never thought that he would ever feel love again…until he met Rhaena in the Eyrie.

Corwyn had hoped to at least be able to give her children, which he knew she desired. He himself had two daughters from his first marriage. And yet, despite more than ten years having passed since their union, the Gods had not yet blessed them. He was five and forty now and Rhaena was nine and twenty years of age. Would they ever have a child of their own?

He had no lands of his own, no home. Had King Aegon not offered them Dragonstone, he did not know what he would have done. Why would she choose him?

"You are a good man. You possess a kind heart. You fought for my family in the war, and I love you." Rhaena had told him when he asked her this very same question.

Lord Alyn and his wife and child, Baela and Laena greeted Corwyn and Rhaena in front of the Keep before making their way to the throne room, accompanied by a few of the King's guards.

Baela and Rhaena were overly excited to be back in King's Landing. It had been more than four years since their last visit, and they did miss Queen Daenaera dearly.

The doors of the throne room having been opened, King Aegon, the Third of His Name immediately leapt off the Throne and walked forth in a hurry to greet his guests. Queen Daenaera had taken Baelor in her arms and made her way over while one of her ladies was bringing forth little Prince Daeron.

The last to come forth were Prince Viserys and Princess Visenya.

Baela and Rhaena greeted their half-brothers, the 'little queen' and her sons warmly, before finally making eye contact with their half-sister, Visenya.

Visenya kept her head high, her hands clasped in front of her red dress, twirling the rings which had once belonged to her mother.

"Princess!" Little Laena Velaryon broke the ice and came closer to touch Visenya's dress in awe.

Visenya smiled at the young girl and played with her curls for a moment, before turning her attention back to the two women.

"Princess." Baela and Rhaena eventually curtsied together in greeting.

"I am very pleased to see you, Lady Baela. Lady Rhaena. Welcome back to Court!" Visenya responded, rather formally.

The looks on the Dragon Twins' faces expressed more or less awkwardness rather than the hostility Visenya was expecting. It had a been a long time. And Visenya had been a child the last time they saw each other.

Sensing more and more awkwardness in the silence which followed, Visenya turned her gaze away from her sisters, and locked eyes with Viserys, who had been in deep conversation with Ser Corwyn.

The intensity in their gaze made her breath quicken. Visenya could not forget what had transpired between them in the corridors. It made her hope that mayhaps…

"Baela, Rhaena, Visenya. I insist you join me for some freshly acquired Arbor gold. We have much to discuss." Daenaera's words snapped Visenya out of her trance.

She looked between the three women and realized she was hardly in a position to refuse, especially since she was the youngest. And whenever the 'little queen' had something planned, it almost always turned out to be a success.

With a small smile, Visenya replied, "Of course, my queen."