2 Days Later
"You haven't heard anything, anything at all?" Visenya asked as she walked beside Sansa through Winterfell's Courtyard.
On her way back to King's Landing, Visenya decided to stop at Winterfell to see if Sansa knew or heard anything about Euron Greyjoy heading North.
Sansa shrugged. "I wish I could say I have. I will keep patrols on alert, along with those at Castle Black. I will send a raven as soon as you depart...I wish I could be of better help."
"You did all you could." Visenya sighed. "I appreciate the hospitality you have given me."
A small smile came onto Sansa's face. "This was your home once."
"It still is." She huffed in amusement. "This is more of a home to me than King's Landing ever was or has been."
"I'm sure you'll make it a home." Sansa reassured, placing a hand on her sister's right shoulder.
Visenya shrugged as they came to a stop at the entrance to Winterfell's courtyard. "These days, the future seems uncertain."
Sansa then pulled Visenya into her embrace, allowing for the two of them to hug for a few moments. While her arrival was unexpected, The Queen in The North was not even phased by it, as she was practically overjoyed to see her sister again, as it had been some time. While they were not siblings by blood, Sansa and Visenya would always consider each other to be sisters...which is exactly what Ned and Catelyn would've wanted.
Once they pulled away from each other, Visenya gave Sansa a sad smile.
"I'll see you soon." She promised.
"Of course, Winterfell will always welcome you, Your Grace." Sansa replied back with a smile.
"Thank you, Your Grace." Visenya nodded back, before walking out of the courtyard, heading in the direction of Sunspear.
And still with no sight or word of Helaena.
1 Day Later
"There is nothing to report, Your Grace." Brienne began sadly, looking down at her feet, as she gave her report to Visenya, who was seated behind her desk, eagerly awaiting for any reports on Helaena's whereabouts. "I had the Queensguard search the entire city twice in search for the Princess and Euron Greyjoy...and they found nothing. No remnant's, no evidence, nothing."
Visenya let out a disappointed sigh, as she leaned back in her chair. They had been hitting dead-end after dead-end. Aegon returned from Dorne with nothing to report on his cousin's whereabouts, but informed his Aunt that both Starfell and Sunspear (Dorne's capital), were now on full alert looking for the Princess and Euron Greyjoy.
Jon, also returned with nothing, after spending some time speaking to those in Oldtown, and flying over the Sunset Sea. He even flew to the Islands of Aegon, Rhaenys, and Visenya and searched them...only to find nothing.
"I am terribly sorry, Your Grace." Brienne replied, seeing at how disappointed the Queen became.
Visenya shook it off. "It is not your fault, Ser Brienne. You've done all you can...and I am in forever gratitude, for everything you have done."
Brienne nodded. "Of course, Your Grace."
Once Brienne exited the Queen's study, Visenya shook her head in disbelief at how it had almost been a week, and they still haven't found Helaena. She had come to believe that Helaena was truly dead, though her suspicions would only be confirmed when she held her daughter's dead body in her arms.
That day, would be the next day of reckoning.
She'd treat all of Westeros the way Aegon the Conqueror treated those who didn't bend the knee.
The world would feel her pain.
She started to decipher the words that Yara told her. How her uncle would only take Helaena if he had a true reason, and the fact that he would most likely be hiding her somewhere that meant something to the Iron Islands...or him.
That's when she started to look at the map of Westeros on the wall. Her mind continued to draw a blank at where Helaena might be...along with where Euron Greyjoy might be hiding out. Everything was going horribly wrong.
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.
"Enter." She replied quietly, glancing to the letters on her desk, that were responses of all of the Lords agreeing to terms of her new treaty.
"I wanted to see how you were doing, Your Grace." Olenna said with a small sigh as she approached Visenya's desk, taking a seat on the other side of it.
She shrugged. "Taking it day by day."
"That is all you can do in these matters." Olenna sighed. "What did Sansa Stark have to say?"
"Other than the fact that she is informing those at Castle Black and those around White Harbor to look around for Euron Greyjoy...no." She sighed, leaning back in her seat with exhaustion. "Sometimes I wonder if I am being cursed by the Gods for my decisions."
"If anything you have found favor from the Gods for all the good you have done so far, and you haven't been the regent for that long." Olenna commented.
"But the fact that I murdered my own sister to get here...the fact that Helaena is still missing...feels like a curse to me." She explained as she crossed her arms.
"Your Grace, I have seen many Kings rise and fall, in my lifetime. Every single one of them murdered someone from their family, and if it wasn't them, it was their children." The older woman began. "But never in my life, have I seen a ruler prioritize the Small Folk over her own wellbeing. Think of what you have done. You brought the dragons back, you are making King's Landing safer for the people and cleaner, you organized a treaty amongst the Lords of Westeros to remove you or any future ruler from their position if they become similar to your father...if anything, out of every single God there is, you are their favorite person."
"And yet I am miserable." She sighed in response.
After a few moments of silence between the Queen and her Hand, Olenna opted to leave Visenya, to allow her to get back to her work. Since the death of her family, Olenna had fully considered Visenya to be another granddaughter of hers. She understood the stress she was under, and how everything around her made her feel on edge...which was so similar to how Margaery was.
No sooner Olenna left, Visenya once again found herself looking at the map of Westeros on her wall, trying to figure out any potential location Euron or Helaena may be. He wouldn't be in the Eyrie, since she would've heard about it from Robert Arryn, if he was in Dorne, Prince Doran, Ellaria, and Ashara would've already informed her.
Where was he?
Did he truly die with his fleet?
Once again, her thoughts were interrupted when another knock was placed on her door, before it opened, revealing Mira, with Aemon in her arms.
"My apologies, Your Grace, but I believe that Prince Aemon has begun to feel stressed lately." Mira explained walking into the room. "I thought he would want to be with you...I can take him if you are busy, it is no problem at all."
Visenya stood up from her seat, and took Aemon from Mira. "You're not bothering me. I am wallowing in my self pity, as I have begun to believe that I am cursed by the Gods."
Mira shook her head. "I do not believe you are cursed, Your Grace."
"You sound like Olenna." Visenya mused with humor, as she sat down with Aemon still in her arms.
"I was Lady Margaery's handmaiden for quite sometime." Mira mused with a small smile. "I must've learned a few things."
Visenya's smile grew. "I guess that goes for the both of us."
"Do you need anything else, Your Grace?" Mira asked expectantly, fully believing Visenya would want her afternoon tea.
But Visenya shook her head.
"No, I'm quite alright, thank you, Mira." Visenya replied with a nod, allowing for Mira to exit the study, and close the door behind her.
Once again, Visenya's gaze landed on the map of Westeros, still trying to decipher Yara's words.
What was a place that meant something to the Ironborn other than the sea?
Every place didn't make sense...at least in her mind. Nothing made sense. For the entire week since her daughter was missing, she had been hitting brick wall after brick wall. Dead-end after dead-end. Announcements were made across the entire country about the missing Princess, and even when a heavy sum would be paid to the person or people who would find her, no one has come forward.
And that only continued to add into the fear that Helaena was truly dead, and they would never find her kidnapper...or be able to find her body...or avenge her death.
Everything was falling apart in her life.
A small whimper from Aemon snapped her out of her thoughts, making her look down and acknowledge him. No sooner she laid her eyes on him, he attempted to reach out to her, making her smile slightly. His eyes were wide in curiosity, as she allowed for him to grab one of her fingers and take it into his small hand.
"The only person I haven't asked is you." She murmured quietly. "Where do you think your sister is?"
Her son just blinked at her, and in her mind, she felt that the infant knew what she was saying, but couldn't formulate the words to say his thoughts. It was in times like these where she wished Aemon could was in times like these where she wishes the dragons and Maegor could talk.
Perhaps they'd have better ideas on how to find Helaena than the other individuals she was around.
But if it were able to occur, she could imagine what each of her dragons would say. Sunspear would vote to burn the world alive, due to her overprotective nature of Visenya. Aegonar wouldn't care, unless someone tried to physically harm her...then he would burn the world. Drogon...he'd probably do the same as Sunspear. Whitefyre and Vermithrax were too small, but they'd try to burn things as well.
And if Maegor could talk, he'd probably already be on the case of finding her, since he was incredibly loyal.
Another knock at her door snapped her out of her thoughts once again.
"Enter." She quietly replied, and instead of Mira or Olenna on the other side, this time, it was Jaime.
"Mira said you were in here." He began, walking toward her desk and taking a seat on the other side of it, so he was across from her. "What're you doing."
"Catching up on things I missed while I was gone...contemplating on what it would be like if the dragons could talk." She nonchalantly replied.
"If the dragons could talk?" He asked in slight disbelief.
"I tend to think they'd have better ideas than us on how to find Helaena." She mused with a small smile. "But then I remember, they can't speak...though sometimes I wish they could. I also asked Aemon for his input on the situation...I believe he will get back to me."
He let out a huff of amusement. "Are we truly reaching that far now?"
"Do we honestly have any other option at this point?" She immediately replied. "Helaena has been missing a week...she could be dead."
"She could still be alive." He countered. "Don't put that thought into your head."
She shook her head. "I can't shake the feeling that this entire thing is for nothing...I was explaining to Olenna that I feel cursed by the Gods."
"You are not cursed by the Gods." He immediately replied. "We are not cursed by the Gods."
"Yes we are." She explained as she stood up from her seat and walked over to the map on her wall. "I've looked at this stupid map for most of the day, and each time I look over it I have less answers than before...we are cursed."
"You and I, and our children, are not cursed." He countered as he stood up, before walking over to her. "The only places that are truly cursed by the Gods are Valyria and Harrenhal."
That comment made her eyes widen and freeze in her tracks...almost like something clicked. Something worked in that moment.
Everything finally made sense.
"What is it?" Jaime asked in confusion, noticing how tense she became.
She carefully handed him Aemon, before walking over to one of her bookcases and began to search for a specific book.
"What did you just realize?" He asked even more confused than before.
"That we've been looking in the wrong places." Visenya quickly responded, flipping through pages in a book, as she placed it on her desk. Eventually she pointed to a page. "Here it is."
Jaime frowned in confusion at the image. "What? It's Harren the Black, the builder of Harrenhal."
"He was also King of the Iron Islands, until Aegon the Conqueror burned him alive when he destroyed Harrenhal." She explained. "Yara Greyjoy said that her uncle would be in a place that meant something to him or the Iron Islands...what if he's at Harrenhal?"
He shook his head. "It's a reach...the Iron Islands haven't had control of Harrenhal since the time of the Conquest."
"But what if it's true?" She countered. "What do we have to loose? Plus it would make sense, considering Harrenhal is unoccupied as of right now."
"You're right, what do we have to loose?" He asked with the smallest smile. "To Harrenhal then?"
She smiled and nodded. "To Harrenhal."
A/N:
As always, let me know if you have any questions, comments, concerns, ideas, or predictions!