"This is extraordinary, at least in concept," Jasper Wylde murmured as he looked over the plans. "The whole structure will truly be made of marble?"
"Much like the Starry Sept, though in white rather than black," Rhaenyra replied. "There is a white marble quarry just to the north of here, while the nearest black marble one is…"
"Near Honeyholt," Lyman Beesbury interrupted her softly, smiling warmly.
"What do you think...of this estimate, my lord?" Lyonel Strong asked, his speech as slow as usual.
"It is probably a touch low," Lyman admitted.
"Truly?" Rhaenyra asked, tensing.
"The figures seem accurate and the estimates logical, but I've been doing this long enough to know that virtually all construction projects end up running over the initial estimated budget at least a little," Lyman replied. "A sufficiently learned man can figure out what resources are going to be needed, and what they'll all cost, but the exigencies of life can be very difficult to plan for, especially as we never know how long our summers and winters are going to last."
"A fair point," Viserys murmured. "How much over Maester Gerardys' estimate would you expect the costs to run? Roughly speaking, of course."
"A couple hundred thousand dragons," Lyman replied. "Perhaps upwards of half a million if the gods are particularly unkind. I still think that funding this will be entirely feasible, given what we already have to work with upfront."
"That's something...I actually wanted...to ask about," Lyonel said. "These Dothraki hordes...truly hold such wealth?"
"Not usually, as far as I know," Rhaenyra replied. "This particular khalasar had just finished extorting the city of Pentos for a king's ransom in treasure."
"I would be very angry with you all if you paid this much for me," Viserys piped up, making the others laugh.
"They were returning to seek more when I arrived with Daemon, Laena, and Laenor," Rhaenyra continued. "In exchange for all that they'd taken, I agreed to remove the threat entirely and set out atop Syrax."
"These milkmaids in the guise of men actually allow themselves to be regularly extorted by what are essentially large bandit hordes?" Jasper asked derisively.
"It's rather more complicated than that, my Lord," Grand Maester Mellos piped up. "The Dothraki, the Free Cities, and Slaver's Bay all exist in a sort of symbiotic relationship. The Dothraki take their share of precious treasures, yes, but they primarily trade in flesh, from what I understand, taking slaves from one place to another and exchanging them as they see fit while attacking smaller settlements and enslaving others for the same purpose. They are, by all accounts, utterly vile."
"Godless heathens," Jasper spat.
"It would seem you helped them a great deal, Princess," Larys Strong murmured, "and were well rewarded."
"It was quite the adventure," Rhaenyra replied carefully, seeing her father's face darken, "but my adventuring days, short as they were, are at an end."
"For the best, Princess," Jasper said. "We wouldn't want to see you harmed."
"Indeed," Lyonel added, a sentiment that the others all echoed quickly.
"On the matter of the sept, we seem to be in agreement, broadly speaking," Viserys muttered, changing the subject. "Does anyone here have any concerns they wish to mention?"
"What is to become of the Starry Sept after this is built?" Ser Criston asked.
"It will remain where it is," Rhaenyra replied coolly. "What sort of question is that?"
"What you envision would eclipse it entirely," Ser Criston replied, his green eyes narrowing at her. "Even if it were not being built in the capital, it would be a grander structure. With it being built here, do you intend for it to become the new seat of the High Septon?"
"Oldtown has been the spiritual capital of this continent for a thousand years," Jasper murmured. "That would be a...significant change."
"Such a decision would lie with the High Septon," Viserys said. "If you wish for him to answer your question, the man is in the keep just now, though resting, I understand."
"My father is correct," Rhaenyra smiled, keeping her eyes focused on Jasper Wylde. "My hope is for this sept to be a worthy replacement for the Sept of Remembrance, something that I don't think the current one truly is. This is, as the Lord Commander said, the capital of our kingdoms, and as the faith is an integral part of our people's lives, our capital should be home to a truly grand sept. Whatever the High Septons choose to make of it afterward will be up to them."
"Indeed," Tyland Lannister nodded. "I for one think that it's a grand idea, and I'm sure that my brother will be more than happy to help fund it."
Rhaenyra fought to keep the smirk off of her face as the blonde's words affected the lords Wylde and Strong exactly as she hoped they would. Self-aggrandizing cunts that they were, she knew that the Lannisters wouldn't hesitate to throw some of their gold at the sept project, and if the looks on the faces of the ruling lords among them were indicative of how the rest of them would react, she could have the whole thing funded by the end of the year. None of these pious men would want to be seen not supporting such a grand project, after all.
"There will be time to discuss the finer details of the sept's funding another time," Viserys cut in. "In fact, it might be a good idea to hold a tourney in a few moons time for the purpose of bringing the lords here to discuss it more widely."
"That could be done," Lyonel murmured, stroking his long brown beard.
"Splendid," Viserys smiled. "In the meantime, I'm going to give grand sept project my royal assent. Lyonel, I'm tasking you with overseeing this, at least the first stage of it."
"Yes, your grace," Lyonel nodded. "I'll have word sent...around the city. We don't want...people getting the wrong idea...when we start demolishing...the current sept."
"Good idea, old friend," Viserys chuckled. "With that, I don't think we have any further business to discuss, right?"
"No, your grace," Lyonel replied.
"Excellent, then that will be all," Viserys smiled, and the lords took the hint quickly, nodding and grabbing their things before leaving. Once they were alone, Viserys turned to Rhaenyra and said, "I don't think we should announce your...other news just yet."
"No," Rhaenyra agreed. "In truth, I'm not entirely certain yet that I am with child."
"Well, do write to me when you know for sure," Viserys murmured. "I'll need to write to Corlys and Rhaenys."
"Ye…" Rhaenyra trailed off, her eyes going wide as she realized that she'd had a rather embarrassing oversight. "Yes. Laenor and I would like to be the ones to tell them first."
"Yes, yes," Viserys nodded. "Would you care to join me in my solar for lunch? Alicent and the children will be there, and I'd like us to dine together in private. We can tell them, of course."
"Very well," Rhaenyra sighed, too distracted to even muster an objection. "I'll come by in about an hour."
"Perfect," Viserys smiled. "See you then."
He left then, and Rhaenyra sat back down, burying her face in her hands.
"I suppose it would only be polite for a wife to inform her husband that he's going to have a child," she thought to herself sardonically.
It spoke to how much of a farce their marriage was that she hadn't even thought to tell Laenor the news yet. She didn't want him hearing it from anyone else, and the image of his parents learning first and congratulating him only for him to be confused actually horrified her for a moment. Swearing to correct that obvious oversight as soon as possible, she rose from her seat and made her way to her chambers.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Jon thought to himself as he rushed across the dark landscape of eastern Dragonstone.
Flying through the air so freely had been such a pleasure that he lost himself in it and ended up doing something stupid. His hatred for the Ironborn, born of Theon's betrayal of Robb, had burned in him at the sight of the pirate ship, and Morghul had acted on that without hesitation. Now he had a ship of dead ironborn at the bottom of the Narrow Sea and another ship full of sailors whose tale was probably so ludicrous that most would assume they were pissed drunk.
"No, really, the dragon destroyed the pirate ship, gave us an affirmative nod, and flew off."
It might be inconsequential, as the people in the ship might well have been unimportant in the Iron Islands, but if that ship was captained by one of their lords and word of his demise at the hands of a dragon spread, that could become complicated.
He reached Morghul's cave quickly, and the large black dragon purred in contentment at the sight of him. He'd stopped the dragon from going after another dragon earlier and half-expected him to be irritated with him, but apparently getting to kill a ship full of people put him in a better mood.
"Exchanging hunting dragons for hunting pirates isn't the worst thing you could do," Jon murmured as he petted Morghul's snout.
He waved the torch around, looking for the body the dragon had snatched out of the water, and found it quickly. Morghul huffed at the sight of the torch again but moved over to give him easier access. He was armored, as the ironborn insisted on being whenever they were on their ships, and the quality of the heavy plate mail he was wearing was instantly concerning. Rolling him over, Jon noted that the man had been large and powerfully built in life, and as he pulled off his helmet, he saw that he was on the older side, his black hair being streaked with gray.
"You didn't do as much damage to him as I thought," Jon murmured, seeing how intact the man's armor was.
From the unnatural angle that his neck was bent at, he assumed that what killed him was how quickly he was plucked out of the water. His surcoat featured the same coat of arms that his sail had, the white skeletal hand across a field of red, and it looked just as annoyingly familiar as before.
"There aren't many ironborn houses I bothered to learn much about," Jon murmured. "I don't know why this coat of arms looks so familiar."
Rolling the man over further, he saw that he had a sword at his hip with a stylized pommel in the shape of a skeletal hand and furrowed his brow. Unhooking the scabbard from the man's belt, he drew the blade, and his breath hitched as he caught sight of the metal. Under the faint light of the torch, he couldn't see it all that clearly, but it appeared to be red in spots and not, he suspected, because it was coated in blood.
"Fuck me," he muttered to himself, testing the weight and balance of the blade. It was as light as Longclaw and about the same length, being a bastard sword as well, so even if it didn't possess the distinct rippled pattern, he'd have known instantly what he had in his hand. "Red Rain, the ancestral weapon of House Drumm."
That explained why the coat of arms he'd seen was so familiar. House Drumm had possessed their sword for so long that it had been written about by mainland maesters, and he'd come across a reference to it in a tome on the various ancestral weapons owned by Westerosi houses. They were going to miss this sword more than their dead lord, he suspected, and while it was possible that both would be assumed to be lost at sea, this did represent a potential problem down the line. Morghul sniffed at the sword and let out a confused huff, as though unsure of what to make of it.
"Does it smell like dragon?" Jon asked, not really expecting an answer.
Across their bond, he got a sense of confusion and familiarity and sighed, shaking his head. Unsure of what else to do, he sheathed the blade and strapped it to his belt, deciding to wait until Rhaenyra returned home to give it much more thought. Looking down at the corpse before him, he wondered what else to do with him.
"If I take the armor off, would you eat him?" he asked, looking at Morghul and sending across a sense of questioning hunger to him.
Receiving the mental equivalent of a shrug in response, he took that to mean yes and got to work.
"It's perfectly alright, Princess," Carellen Strong said. "I don't mind traveling by ship, and it will be nice to visit Father."
"Indeed," Harwin murmured, "though are you certain you wish to leave again so soon?"
"Very," Rhaenyra sighed. "I wouldn't have come at all so soon after our journey to Essos if the need hadn't been great. I've been away from Dragonstone for too long and am eager to see how things have gone in my absence."
"We will be ready to depart tonight, Princess," Elinda Massey nodded.
"In the meantime, we'll make sure that your things are returned to the ship," Carellen nodded.
"Lovely," Rhaenyra smiled. "Once that's done, feel free to visit Lord Lyonel. I'm sure the lord hand will appreciate it."
The two of them nodded and left her alone with Harwin, who murmured, "Lord Corlys agreed to help transport the treasure from Pentos to the island."
"Excellent," Rhaenyra sighed. "I suppose Laenor has gone there?"
"He has," Ser Harwin replied. "Do you wish to visit the city?"
"No," Rhaenyra replied. "My father has invited me to dine with him, Alicent, and my half-siblings in his solar. Once I'm there, you can go visit your father if you wish. Just be back within the hour."
"I will," Ser Harwin replied.
Without another word, she left her chambers and made her way through the familiar halls of the Red Keep. Though it had been her home for most of her life, it had felt less and less so over the years, and after spending so many moons in Dragonstone, it felt almost foreign to her. This was Alicent's domain, and her influence could be seen in the décor all throughout it.
Green tapestries had replaced many of the red and black ones that both Queen Alysanne and her mother had been fond of, and the seven-pointed-star was more prominently displayed than it ever had been before. Her piety was one of the queen-consort's greatest assets, and Rhaenyra could only hope that orchestrating the construction of the grand sept would help neutralize it somewhat.
As she reached the door to her father's solar, she saw Ser Criston waiting outside with Ser Arryk and kept herself from glaring at him barely. His icy green eyes remained utterly focused on the hallway in front of him, and she was glad for it. There were plenty of things in King's Landing that she'd happily stay away from, but few filled her with such loathing as her former sworn shield. She could hear arguing coming from within the room and let herself in quickly.
"That's not fair!" Aegon shouted, red-faced and looking nearly in tears.
"Hitting that poor serving girl because she did as your mother ordered and put your toy knights away wasn't fair," Viserys replied coolly. "Actions have consequences, my boy, and so no, you can't go with your sister and mother to the dragonpit today."
Aegon let out a wordless shriek, and Rhaenyra rolled her eyes. He had been a moody thing all his life, and she had long ago come to find him tiresome. She looked over at her father, whose purple eyes softened as he spotted her, and Helaena, who was desperately trying to look anywhere other than at her brother.
"Your father's right, Aegon," Alicent said softly. "You can't just hit people for doing things you don't like, particularly when they're following our commands. It won't be forever, though. I can stay here, and we can get some actors in for a play..."
"I don't want a play!" Aegon shouted. "I want to see Sunfyre!"
"Well, you're not going to today," Viserys muttered, and Aegon glared at him angrily before turning back to the table.
"If you're staying here, who's taking me to the dragonpit?" Helaena asked, her eyes widening at the thought of being denied as well.
"I'm sure Ser Criston could escort you, dear," Viserys replied. "Rhaenyra, please, join us."
"A fun day all around?" Rhaenyra murmured under her breath as she sat next to him, earning herself a warning look.
"I saw your sworn shield arrive earlier," Alicent murmured, seemingly happy for the distraction.
"Yes, Ser Harwin and a few of my ladies arrived, though I'm going to be sending them back tonight," Rhaenyra replied.
"So soon?" Viserys asked, sounding wounded.
"I had only just arrived back in Dragonstone when your letter arrived," Rhaenyra replied. "I need to get back to the business of running my island."
"I suppose," Viserys sighed. "Do try the stew, Rhaenyra. You should have seen the boar that the meat in it came from. I swore we'd be eating the thing for days."
"Mmm, it is very good," Rhaenyra murmured after trying a bite.
"I'm glad it's to your liking," Viserys continued, not noticing the long-suffering look Alicent gave him. "I'm sure your stomach isn't quite as steady as it generally is just now."
"Are you unwell?" Alicent asked.
"Not exactly," Rhaenyra replied. "I'm with child."
Alicent's blue eyes widened, and she looked down at Rhaenyra's belly as though hoping to peer past her black gown and see some hint of pregnancy. Aegon didn't react at all, being too busy angrily spooning food into his mouth, but Helaena furrowed her brow.
"What do you mean?" the little girl asked. "Aren't all of you with children right now?"
Rhaenyra chuckled and replied, saying, "It means that I have one growing inside me. I'm going to have a babe in several moons time."
"Really?!" Helaena exclaimed. "Like Mother did with Aemond?"
"Who cares?" Aegon sulked, ripping off a chunk of bread and dunking it into his stew.
Viserys glared at him but said nothing as Alicent murmured, "Congratulations, Rhaenyra. That's quite an accomplishment."
"Whatever, do you mean?" Rhaenyra asked, her voice laced with false sweetness.
"That I didn't think there was enough wine in the Arbor for Laenor to beget a child on you," Alicent thought to herself. "You've only been wed a few moons now. Not all women are fortunate enough to start having children immediately."
"Of course, there's no guarantee it actually is Laenor's," she added mentally.
"Speaking of Aemond, where is he?" Rhaenyra asked.
"He's feeling unwell and is resting," Alicent replied.
"An excess of phlegm," Viserys explained. Under his breath, he added, "Wouldn't surprise me if he wasn't the only one."
Rhaenya's eyes darted to the still visibly angry Aegon and figured he might have a point, though her half-brother was often disagreeable, so that wasn't guaranteed. Looking at him reminded her of what Jon had suggested a few weeks earlier, that she try to develop some sort of closer relationship with Helaena. In truth, her half-siblings were so young that she figured she could and really should try to get closer to all of them.
Her and Jon's plan hinged on keeping Laena alive and preventing Aemond from claiming Vhagar, but there was no guarantee that they'd manage that. If she and her half-brothers weren't quite as at odds by the time their father died, that could also help prevent the war, potentially, but doing so wouldn't be easy. She didn't plan on coming by the city that often, particularly after she started having children, and she didn't doubt that Alicent would work to turn Aegon against her as he aged. The boy was a disagreeable arse as well, and Aemond was even louder and more annoying than he was.
Looking over to Helaena for a moment, she thought to herself, "She is sweet, though, and getting closer to one of them might help with the others."
"Truth be told, I think I should stay close to Aemond today in general," Alicent sighed. "Ser Criston will take you to the Dragonpit, darling."
"I'm done," Aegon hissed, stabbing his empty bowl with his spoon hard. "Can I go?"
"Ser Arryk, escort Aegon to his chambers," Viserys called out, and the Kingsguard opened the door immediately.
"I'll be by later, my dove," Alicent said softly, but Aegon paid her no mind, stomping out of the room without a further word.
Viserys sighed and poured himself a cup of wine while Rhaenyra just sat back and thought to herself, a plan forming in her mind.
"I imagine the city will be far more excited when word spreads of your plans for Visenya's Hill," Harwin murmured as he escorted her through the streets.
More than a few people had waved and cheered at her as they passed through, and Rhaenyra smiled serenely the whole way. There were many things about King's Landing that she didn't like, but the good cheer of the people was one thing that she'd never complain about. She wasn't quite as popular among them as her uncle, but she was called the realm's delight for a reason, and it wasn't just the nobles who held her in high esteem. That would only improve in the coming years, and she was hoping to capitalize on it further, though she had to figure out exactly how she was going to do so.
"Ser Harwin, Princess," a gold cloak she didn't immediately recognize smiled. "It's a pleasure to have you back in the city."
He was a huge man, standing even taller than Harwin, with a wild dark beard that was streaked with gray.
"Ser Luthor," Harwin chuckled, clasping the man's forearm with his large hand. "How fares our lovely city?"
"Still smells like shit," Luthor Largent muttered. His eyes widened then, and he looked to her, saying, "Er, that is…"
"You're not wrong, Ser," Rhaenyra giggled, smiling as he relaxed instantly.
"Are you heading to the Dragonpit?" Ser Luthor asked.
"I am indeed," Rhaenyra replied.
"Then I'd be honored to help escort you," Ser Luthor smiled.
Rhaenyra figured he wanted to ogle her figure as she walked about in her riding leathers more but simply shrugged and let him join Ser Harwin and the handful of other guards. The others were all palace guards she knew well, and the gold cloak seemed to recognize them all as well, as he quickly made it clear that he felt comfortable speaking plainly.
"I hear the Lord Commander wed again," Ser Luthor murmured, "of his choice this time."
"You still call my uncle that?" Rhaenyra asked.
"He'll always be my commander," Ser Luthor replied, and Rhaenyra was struck by the sheer depth of feeling in his voice. This was a man whom Daemon had instilled a great deal of loyalty in, something that she knew wasn't unique to him among the gold cloaks.
"To answer your question, ser, Daemon has wed my goodsister, Laena Velaryon," Rhaenyra replied. "He seems quite happy with her."
"She's much more to his liking," Ser Harwin added, just as aware as any man who had once served under Daemon how much he had loathed his first wife.
"Well, I'm happy for him," Ser Luthor murmured.
"I'll be certain to pass on your well wishes the next time I see him," Rhaenyra promised. "He and Laena are in Essos just now, likely in Volantis as we speak."
Ser Luthor nodded at that, and they continued in silence, reaching the Dragonpit in short order. As they did, he wished them well and left, having no desire to actually enter the building, and most of Rhaenyra's guards felt the same, looking visibly relieved when she told them to wait outside. Ser Harwin looked nervous, as he always did when he escorted her in the manmade den, but he had spent enough time around Syrax to have lost some of his initial concern about the dragons and wasn't nearly as scared as he'd been the first time.
"...and then we saw the cat was hiding a big litter of kittens!" Helaena exclaimed. "They were so cute! Aegon said that you'd just eat them, but I said you'd never do that. They're so tiny, it would be like me eating ants."
Rhaenyra smiled as she heard her sister clearly talking Dreamfyre's ear off and entered the large, cavernous room where the dragons were kept. Syrax responded to her immediately, standing up and shrieking joyfully while Sunfyre glared at them both, having been napping clearly, and Dreamfyre gave her a warning shriek.
"Oh, Rhaenyra," Helaena smiled as she spotted her. "Isn't Dreamfyre beautiful? I think she's the most prettiest dragon in the world."
"She is beautiful," Rhaenyra replied softly, approaching her sister while giving Syrax a warm look to ensure she didn't feel ignored. "I had heard that you bonded with her."
"Father says that I'll be able to ride her someday," Helaena murmured, beaming up at her dragon.
"Not for some years yet, Princess," Ser Criston said softly.
"Ser Criston's right," Rhaenyra added, the words feeling like bile on her tongue. "Even I was older than you when I first mounted Syrax, and none has ever ridden a dragon as young as I did."
"How old was Queen Rhaena when she rode Dreamfyre for the first time?" Helaena asked.
"Two and ten, I believe," Rhaenyra replied, and Helaena's face fell.
"Oh," she muttered. "Is flying scary?"
"It can be at first," Rhaenyra replied. "Once you get used to it, though, there's no feeling in the world like it. No one has ever truly been free unless they've felt the wind on their face as they soar through the clouds. My...our uncle Daemon took me up into the air on Caraxes's back all the time when I was your age."
"Caraxes is the red one, right?" Helaena asked.
"Aye, the blood wyrm, he's called," Rhaenyra replied. She saw a disappointed look cross her sister's face and made a decision, asking, "Would you like to fly with me?"
"Could I?" Helaena asked, her eyes widening and brightening dramatically.
"Princess, that's not a good idea," Ser Criston piped up.
"Why not?!" Helaena exclaimed, furrowing her brow at him.
"You overstep, Cole," Rhaenyra said coldly.
"The queen would not…" Ser Criston went to argue.
"The queen is not here," Rhaenyra smirked. "There is nobody here who outranks me just now and none who can even presume to forbid a princess of the blood from flying if she so chooses."
"You know perfectly well…" Ser Criston growled.
"I know perfectly well that if Balerion still lived, Helaena and the others would have already been flown around the city by now," Rhaenyra cut him off, glaring at her former sworn shield. "I should have done so years ago and am more than happy to correct that mistake with her now."
"I don't want to cause trouble," Helaena said meekly.
"You aren't," Rhaenyra assured her with a warm smile. "Come, sweet sister. It's high time you experienced flight."
"See here…" Ser Criston hissed only to jump back, his hand flying to the morning star at his hip as Syrax shrieked at him.
"You are overstepping, Cole," Ser Harwin murmured, his hand resting on the pommel of his sword. "You know what his grace will say if you bring this to him."
The Lord Commander of the Kingsguard glared impotently as Rhaenyra took Helaena's hand and brought her over to Syrax.
"This is my sister, Syrax," Rhaenyra murmured in Valyrian. "We're going to fly her around King's Landing. You won't find her terribly heavy, I assure you."
Helaena giggled at that and gasped in excitement as Rhaenyra helped her climb into Syrax's saddle. Dreamfyre let out a low, warning growl, not one of aggression but one of concern. Helaena assured her future mount that it was okay, and Rhaenyra climbed into the saddle, securing her sister in front of her before nodding to the dragon handlers. They undid the chains holding her great yellow dragon in place, and she whipped her scales lightly.
"Soves," Rhaenyra commanded, and Syrax beat her wings against the air, rising rapidly towards the open dome.
She saw Ser Criston rushing off, no doubt to report her actions to his mistress, and smiled at the thought. Her father was going to appreciate this a great deal, seeing it as her trying to grow closer to her siblings and giving her sister something that he could not. If Alicent reacted poorly, it would look like the queen consort was trying to drive a wedge between her children and their sister, something that he would not take kindly to.
"I never would have plotted such things before, but Jon's been a great influence on me," she thought to herself. "Like with the great sept and the canal project to come, putting something forth that you know your enemy will despise but be unable to openly oppose is, at minimum, a great deal of fun."
Those projects would both undermine Oldtown in ways that would hopefully reduce the power and influence of House Hightower going forward, and flying Helaena around wouldn't accomplish nearly as much, but she hoped it would still help her down the line, and, at the very least, giving the amiable little girl something she was going to adore would be fun on its own.
Helaena squealed as Syrax left the Dragonpit, clinging to the saddle, and Rhaenyra wrapped her arms around her protectively, saying, "It's alright, Helaena, you're safe."
She ran her fingers through the girl's hair soothingly and smiled as she felt her relax. She must have closed her eyes when Syrax first ascended through the air because as the dragon soared towards the bay, she gasped and exclaimed, "It's so pretty!"
"Not the word I'd use to describe Blackwater Bay," Rhaenyra murmured.
"Not that, the sky!" Helaena giggled, pointing towards the horizon.
Rhaenyra chuckled at that and sat back, keeping her hands on Helaena's shoulders for a moment. The girl had trembled at the start of their flight but had gone still and felt at ease already. Urging Syrax onward, she grinned as her dragon sped up and Helaena cackled wildly. She remembered a few of her early flights with Daemon back in the day, and she had felt that same exuberance then. One never truly got used to flying per se, and she imagined that it was still a joy and a wonder for Jaehaerys and Alysanne the last few times they managed it, but the first few times were particularly special.
Syrax turned right at her urging and flew around the City's outer wall, tracing it from thousands of feet above. The people of King's Landing were used to seeing dragons fly to and fro, but the last time they'd seen one actually fly around the city like this was probably her first flight on Syrax, and she imagined it was strange.
They crossed the Red Keep, and Helaena waved down below, probably hoping that someone would happen to spot her. Rhaenyra snorted at that and urged Syrax onward along the outer wall, intending to trace the city's perimeter in its entirety.
"Can she go faster?!" Helaena cried.
Rhaenyra laughed and asked, "Are you sure you want her to?
"Yes," Helaena replied quickly, and Rhaenyra urged the dragon to speed up, laughing as her sister screamed again.
They looped the city a couple of times, the sound of the young princess' excitement likely reaching at least some of the people down below, before Rhaenyra decided that it was time to end the flight.
Pulling on Syrax's reins, she shouted, "Ninkiot."
Syrax descended, not towards the Dragonpit but towards the courtyard of the Red Keep, landing right in front of the main gate, where a frantic-looking Alicent happened to be shouting at a few guards.
"Why in the seven hells would she…" the queen consort raged, only to scream as Syrax landed behind her with a heavy thud.
"Mother, I flew!" Helaena shouted, laughing happily as Rhaenyra undid the bindings holding her to the saddle.
"Slide down along her side and try to land on your feet," she whispered in Helaena's ear.
The younger princess gulped as she looked down at the ground but did as she was told. As she slid down, Ser Criston drew close enough to catch her before she hit the ground and then swiftly backed away as Syrax growled at him.
"What is wrong with you?!" Alicent hissed as Rhaenyra landed next to them. "Helaena, are you alright?"
"I'm great!" Helaena replied, her enthusiasm and giddiness shining through clearly.
Alicent looked back and forth between the two of them, clearly wanting to scream at Rhaenyra but not necessarily in front of Helaena, and eventually settled on her daughter.
"It sounds like you had quite an adventure," she murmured, her voice sounding strained.
"It was so much fun," Helaena beamed. "I can't wait to ride Dreamfyre."
"You are far too young for that," Alicent muttered, glaring at Rhaenyra, who kept her face neutral.
"I know," Helaena sighed. "Queen Rhaena didn't ride her until she was two and ten. That's forever away."
She huffed at that, and Rhaenyra ruffled her hair, saying, "It will pass more quickly than you think."
Alicent tugged Helaena away sharply and wrapped her arms around her, looking like she wanted to strike Rhaenyra.
"You have your lessons to get to, Helaena," she whispered, smoothing her daughter's hair. "Ser Criston, escort her to Septa Erena for me."
"Of course, my queen," Ser Criston replied. "Come along, Princess."
"Okay," Helaena nodded. She turned to Rhaenyra then and said, "Thank you so much."
She rushed over and hugged her, and Rhaenyra smiled, returning the hug happily.
"I should have done it long ago," she whispered. "Now don't keep the good septa waiting."
She rushed off with Ser Criston, and Alicent glared at Rhaenyra, saying, "You think you can do whatever you want whenever you want."
"The girl's a Targaryen and already bound to a dragon," Rhaenyra scoffed. "She's going to be riding Dreamfyre sooner rather than later, and if my father had a living dragon, she'd have gotten to experience flight years ago. She was perfectly safe."
"I had to find out from Ser Criston that my daughter was soaring through the sky with a girl who had barely looked at her since the day she was born!" Alicent roared, and Syrax whipped around, giving her a warning snarl that made her jump back.
"Stand down, Syrax, she's harmless," Rhaenyra commanded in Valyrian. "You don't honestly think that I'd hurt her, surely."
"Like I say, you do whatever you want without a care in the world," Alicent muttered. "You war with foreign tribes, use the people around you shamelessly and thoughtlessly, and we both know what you got up to with your uncle."
"Hold your tongue," Rhaenyra hissed, stepping right up to her.
"You are a menace, Rhaenyra," Alicent whispered, "just like your uncle, and you will eventually cross a line that not even your father can ignore, but I won't let you involve my children in whatever form that ends up taking."
"What in the world is going on out...Syrax!?" Viserys exclaimed, his eyes widening as he spotted the large dragon in his courtyard. "Rhaenyra?"
"She took Helaena flying…" Alicent went to explain.
"Oh, how splendid!" Viserys laughed, only to fall silent when Alicent's glare turned thunderous.
"...without telling anyone," Alicent finished through gritted teeth.
"Ah," Viserys sighed. "It'll be good for the children to experience flight before they start mounting dragons of their own, and the gods know I wish I could be the one to introduce them to it, but I can't, and if Rhaenyra's willing, then good for her. That said, Rhaenyra, if you want to take them up into the sky, do let us know first."
"Sorry, Father," Rhaenyra murmured as Alicent looked furious.
"Take Syrax back to the Dragonpit," Viserys commanded, and she nodded, climbing back into her little lady's saddle.
"Soves," she murmured, and Syrax rose immediately. "Napot."
As her dragon heeded the command to return to the pit, Rhaenyra sat back and smiled. That hadn't gone as she'd hoped, but it had been close. Alicent had reacted poorly to her taking Helaena flying, as she expected, but their confrontation had happened under Syrax's watch, and her father had shown up quickly, so the woman had largely held her tongue.
In the end it didn't really matter as she'd largely accomplished what she wanted. In taking Helaena flying, she'd done something that her father had wanted her to do for years: establish some sort of relationship with one of her half-siblings. Time would tell what fruit it would ultimately bear, but any remaining anger he held towards her over the Dothraki incident would likely have been driven away with this, and there was a chance that far more good could come of it down the line. As Syrax landed in the Dragonpit, Rhaenyra happened to look out towards the bay, and she smiled at the thought of what awaited her back home. She would stay for the feast, but the moment it was done, she was returning to Dragonstone and to Jon.
"There was a little bit of an incident," Jon murmured to himself, pacing in her room as he waited for Rhaenyra to come to him.
He had seen her land earlier and had gone straight to his chambers, knowing that, given the late hour, she'd likely go straight to bed. After using the secret passage linking their chambers, he reached her bed and had been pacing in front of it ever since, trying to figure out how exactly to explain what he'd done.
"So I entered Morghul's mind…" he tried again only to go still when he heard her door open.
It closed a moment later; she appeared, looking as beautiful as ever in her black gown. The bodice was studded with rubies and cut low enough to show off the tops of her creamy breasts, a sight he found so instantly alluring that he momentarily forgot all about the Ironborn.
"Jon," Rhaenyra breathed, her face breaking into a wide smile the moment she laid eyes on him.
"NyrAH," Jon exclaimed as she ran up and jumped into his arms.
He caught her easily and groaned as she kissed him deeply, her tongue probing his mouth and coaxing his own out to play. Returning the kiss, he held her tightly by the middle of her back and moved his other hand down to cup her plump, round arse, hissing as he felt her wrap her legs around his waist. She bumped her knee against the pommel of the sword at his hip and broke the kiss to wince.
"That's not your sword," Rhaenyra murmured, and Jon sighed.
"There's something you need to know," he muttered.
Rhaenyra dropped to her feet and stepped back, furrowing her brow in confusion.
"So, I had been going over the Valyrian letters for a while when I started to grow bored and kind of slipped into Morghul's mind," Jon began.
"How does that relate to a sword?" Rhaenyra asked.
"Are you aware that House Drumm of the Iron Islands used to have a Valyrian steel sword?" Jon asked dryly.
"Used to?" Rhaenyra asked, her eyes widening as she looked down at the hilt of the blade at his hip. "That pommel, it looks like their coat of arms."
"You're familiar with the coats of arms of the pirate lords?" Jon asked, surprised.
"Whatever else they might be, they are lords who serve my father and will someday serve me," Rhaenyra replied. "I was made to learn all of their coats of arms and mottos. I could probably still recite old Runciter's lessons verbatim. How did you end up with their sword, Jon?"
"Like I said, I slipped into Morghul's mind and we went flying," Jon replied. "It just felt so utterly freeing, and he was happy to go traveling a little, so we flew north, and it wasn't until I saw mountains that I realized we'd probably gone too far."
"You were in the Vale?" Rhaenyra asked.
"Your father's probably going to receive a raven at some point reporting that a dragon looking like Balerion was spotted above Gulltown," Jon replied, wincing as her eyes widened. "No one was hurt, and we flew over the water where we came across a small ship being pursued by a large longship. I recognized the longship as belonging to the ironborn and felt the sheer hatred I usually do when I think of them rush back."
"Morghul responded to your emotions," Rhaenyra sighed.
"We destroyed them, saving the merchant ship, and he picked up the body of what turned out to be Lord Drumm from the water before he could sink," Jon replied. "I ran out to his cave and realized just who we had killed when I found this."
He drew the sword and extended the hilt to her, which she took without hesitation.
"It's beautiful," she murmured, looking at the rippling pattern of the steel, "and I'm always amazed by how light swords are, even ones made of normal steel."
"Weapons in general tend not to be too heavy," Jon murmured. "Even maces and warhammers, though their weight is distributed differently, tend not to be that heavy because they still need to be swung around freely without tiring out the wielder too quickly."
"Mmhmm," Rhaenyra hummed. "Do you know where the other ship came from?"
"I didn't recognize any symbols on their sail," Jon replied. "I don't think they were Westerosi, but I can't say for sure."
"Piracy is a crime in Westeros, and they were killed in the process of committing said crime," Rhaenyra murmured. "More than that, though, there's no reason for them to think that this sword didn't sink to the bottom of the ocean with their lord and his ship."
"What are you saying?" Jon asked.
"We can't admit what actually happened even if we wanted to because that would mean telling everyone that you can use magic to slip into the mind of a dragon," Rhaenyra replied calmly. "We also just seized a king's ransom in loot from Essos. Who's to say that the Dothraki didn't happen to find this sword while they were looting the remains of the Valyrian Freehold?"
"I did think keeping it and admitting nothing would be our best move, but Dragonstone is your demesne," Jon murmured.
"The sword was probably stolen anyway," Rhaenyra shrugged, handing it back to him.
"We're talking about the ironborn; it was definitely stolen," Jon replied, shaking his head. "The pommel will need to be changed, of course."
"It's ghastly," Rhaenyra muttered. "You mentioned having a sword like it before or later, as it were."
"Longclaw," Jon nodded. "The ancestral sword of House Mormont of Bear Island."
"What did its pommel look like?" Rhaenyra asked.
"Originally it was a bear's head, but when the Lord Commander gifted it to me, he had it changed to a white wolf's head for my direwolf, Ghost," Jon replied.
"You could have it changed to Ghost's head," Rhaenyra suggested, "or perhaps to that of a black dragon with green eyes. I have emeralds that would make suitable eyes, I'm sure."
"That would be a little on the nose," Jon murmured.
"Your connection to Morghul won't stay secret forever," Rhaenyra replied. "I have no idea how to tell my father in a way that wouldn't end poorly, and perhaps I'll never figure that out, but when I am queen, there will be changes to the court."
"Oh?" Jon asked.
"I was forced more than once to speak with Cole today, and that reminded me that there's going to be an opening in my Queensguard about five seconds after I take the throne," Rhaenyra scowled. "You'd make a suitable replacement."
"You want me in a white cloak?" Jon asked.
"It's not your color, I know," Rhaenyra grinned, "but think of the possibilities. You'd be my personal guard, my protector, tasked with keeping an eye on me day and night."
"There would be certain...perks, I suppose," Jon murmured, staring down at her cleavage. "When you're queen, there will be no shortage of threats out there. It will probably be best if I guard you from your bedchambers."
"I quite agree," Rhaenyra smiled, sitting down on her bed and balancing on her arms as she spread her legs. "In fact, I think I would be safest if you were to guard me from my bed itself."
"Naturally," Jon grinned, taking her left foot in hand and helping her out of her shoe. Tracing a finger down along the top of her foot towards her ankle, he added, "I think it would be best going forward if I were to inspect every inch of you at the end of the night, just to be sure that you're entirely safe."
"One can't be too safe," Rhaenyra replied, unable to keep the smile off of her face.
She gasped when he pressed his lips against her ankle, staring up towards her cunt through her skirt and small clothes.
"Laenor's not here, so you're going to have to be quiet," Jon pointed out. "Do you think you can be good for me and stay quiet?"
Rhaenyra whimpered, her eyes widening at him in shock as his heated words made her face flush and heat pool low in her belly.
"I'll probably have to take his advice and bite down on the pillow when you start taking me like the brute you are, but yes," she replied primly, grinning at the way his eyes narrowed.
"A brute am I?" Jon asked, kissing along her gown towards her face.
"An absolute barbarian," Rhaenyra grinned. "Why, just this morning, you buggered a poor woman until she screamed."
"And if said woman came so hard she squirted while I was buggering her, what would that make her?" Jon asked, burying his face in her cleavage.
"Yours!" Rhaenyra gasped, and Jon kissed her passionately.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him to her as their tongues danced within their mouths and giggled when he pulled her up with him. The two of them undressed frantically, desperate for the other despite the fact that they'd had sex just that morning. Neither one of them had ever known such all-consuming want in their lives, and they were happy to revel in it. The second Rhaenyra's heavy breasts spilled free from her opened gown; Jon captured one of her hard nipples with his lip, making her slap a hand over her mouth to muffle her cry.
"How's your arse feeling?" Jon asked.
"You are not doing that again so soon," Rhaenyra replied, feeling her aching anus clench at the very thought.
"I know, I just want to know how you were feeling," Jon murmured, kneading her breasts with his large hands.
"Sore, but not as bad as it was earlier," Rhaenyra replied. "Flying right afterward was not the most pleasant experience of my life."
"How did that go anyway?" Jon asked. "I was so distracted by what I did I forgot to ask."
"Father was furious, but I managed to calm him," Rhaenyra replied. "Going to Oldtown first turned out to be a good idea, as I actually brought the High Septon with me."
"You...flew him to King's Landing?" Jon asked.
"I got to hear a man old enough to be my grandfather scream like a little girl," Rhaenyra chuckled. "He enjoyed it, though, and he's ecstatic about the sept, as are my father and the council."
"Sounds like it went perfectly," Jon smiled.
"It did, and there's more to tell, but do you want to talk about my day or take this," Rhaenyra asked, grasping his throbbing cock in her hand, "and bury every inch of it inside my tight little cunt?"
"Fucking hells, Rhaenyra," Jon gasped, making her grin. "I want to taste you first. I can smell your cunt from here, and it's making my mouth water."
"I'll never say no to that," Rhaenyra sighed, lying back and spreading her legs invitingly.
Jon kissed his way down along the soft, flat, pale expanse of her stomach, feeling his cock throb as he imagined how much she'd soon swell with child, his child. He sank his fingers into her soft thighs and spread her legs even further, taking a moment to admire her pretty pink cunt. Her fleshy nether lips were already dewy with her arousal, and he swallowed at the sight, not having been kidding in the slightest about how much her delectable scent made him salivate. He knew that there would come a time towards the end of her pregnancy when they wouldn't be able to fuck until well after she gave birth, and he swore that he would still sup from between her thighs nightly if she felt up to it.
"Stress is bad for women carrying children, and orgasms relax you," he thought to himself, grinning. "It would be to the benefit of our children, really."
"I know you love my cunt, but I can think of better things for you to do with it than just stare," Rhaenyra giggled.
"I wish I could paint," Jon murmured. "I was never any good at drawing, and that is tragic because I'd love little more than to be able to capture you in all your glory."
"Not one we'd hang in the Red Keep," Rhaenyra murmured, making him laugh.
"Definitely not," Jon growled. "Your absolute perfection is a sight for me alone."
Rhaenyra smiled at that and then gasped as she felt, give her wet slit a long, slow lick. Jon lapped at her heated flesh eagerly, groaning at the taste he'd come to adore. His eyes were locked onto her beautiful face, taking in every pleasured look, and he felt his heart soar at the sight of her.
"Mmm, just like that," Rhaenyra moaned softly, grasping his head and pulling him more tightly against her.
His tongue slipped inside her, becoming utterly coated in her arousal, and his nose brushed against the taut nub of her clit, making her whimper. She was his whole world in that moment, the tangy nectar filling his mouth and running down his chin enthralling all of his senses. His eyes didn't leave hers for a moment, and the sheer affection and awe mixed in with the lust in her violet orbs was almost as intoxicating as her cunt.
"Oh gods, don't stop!" Rhaenyra cried, covering her mouth with one hand while cupping one of her heavy breasts with the other.
Stopping was the last thing he wanted to do, and he grinned as he moved upward and started bathing her little pearl with his tongue. She was so aroused, her gorgeous pink flower utterly in bloom, that her clit was peeking out of its hood, and he didn't hesitate to wrap his lips around it and start sucking gently. Rhaenyra's eyes went wide, and she squeaked into her hand, desperately trying to keep quiet and not announce her pleasure to the entire castle.
"You're so close," Jon grinned, pushing a finger inside her and feeling her flutter around him. "You have to be careful, though. We don't want anyone hearing you when you cum."
"Don't stop," Rhaenyra whined. "I can keep quiet, I promise."
"I don't think you can," Jon grinned, kissing his way up to her breasts. Just as he saw her eyes flash with anger, he pushed his middle and ring fingers inside her, leaving the others flat against her soft skin, and murmured, "Not without help, anyway."
He curled his fingers upward, pressing them against the rough little patch of skin inside her that he knew she adored having stroked and kissed her deeply. She returned the kiss, moaning into his mouth as he started moving rapidly within her, stroking that spot roughly. Her whole body quivered, and her lust-darkened eyes went wide as she soared towards her peak. He continued to kiss her, happy to muffle her every pleasured cry with his mouth, and grinned when he saw her back start to arch. She broke the kiss and placed a hand over her mouth to muffle her scream as she came.
"That works too," Jon chuckled, leaning down and capturing one of her pebbled nipples with his lips as she writhed in bliss.
He continued to fuck her with his fingers, drawing out her pleasure for as long as he could, and only relented when she slumped onto her back, grinning from ear to ear, and panting for breath. Pulling his fingers from her still quivering cunt, he brought them to his lips and licked them clean, his eyes never leaving hers.
"Fuck...me," Rhaenyra panted, giggling.
"As my princess commands," Jon murmured, crawling down along the bed and getting into position.
She spread her legs even wider, inviting him to take her as plainly as she could, and sighed in pure contentment when she saw him grab his cock and line himself up with her. The first push made her gasp as it almost always did, and part of her hoped that she'd never truly get used to the feeling of being stretched so wide by him. His considerable girth spread her inner walls wide, feeling like he was shoving a whole fist inside her, and she moaned at the feeling of fullness.
"I swear I feel empty without you now," she whispered as he sank the last inch of his cock inside her and buried his face in the crook of her neck. "Would that I could have you fill me constantly."
"It would make your journeys to King's Landing awkward," Jon quipped, making her laugh.
"Shut up," Rhaenyra chuckled. "You know what I mean."
"I do," Jon whispered, brushing a few loose strands of her silver-gold hair out of her face and pressing his forehead against hers. "I feel like you complete me, like I'm only truly whole with you."
"Oh, Jon," Rhaenyra whimpered, her eyes going misty as she cupped his handsome face and kissed him.
He pulled most of his cock out of her, and she wrapped her legs around him immediately, pulling him back inside her. The two of them rocked against each other languidly for a few minutes, not chasing their release but simply reveling in the feeling of the other. With her arms and legs wrapped around him and her positively molten insides clinging to every inch of his cock, Jon felt like he was completely enveloped by Rhaenyra and was more than happy to just stay like that.
"More," Rhaenyra whimpered after a couple more minutes, and he nodded, thrusting into her more forcefully.
She gasped and reached behind her with one of her arms, clawing at the bedding. Nuzzling her arm, he kissed her soft skin before moving to her ear, teasing the lobe with his teeth and making her moan. The two of them moved as one, more than experienced enough with each other by now to be able to match the other's rhythm perfectly with ease.
"Harder!" Rhaenyra squeaked, trying to keep her voice down despite how overwhelming the pleasure coursing through her was.
Jon's every thrust reached deep inside her, hitting spots that made her see stars, and she could already feel another mind-melting climax building inside her. He did as she asked, picking up his pace, and she soon had to slap a hand over her mouth again to muffle her cries. She raked the nails of her free hand down along his back, making him hiss and groan as the mild pain only enhanced his pleasure, and he grabbed her hands, pressing them to the bed above her head.
"Jon, I...ah!" Rhaenyra squeaked as he picked up his pace again, pounding her into the bed so hard that her breasts were rolling across her chest.
"Come now," Jon grinned, "surely you can control yourself a little better than this."
"It's too hard," Rhaenyra whimpered. "You feel too...ahh...good!"
"You feel incredible, too, my love," Jon murmured, gazing down at her with such love and lust that she swore her heart might burst. "You're paradise itself."
"I'm going to cum," Rhaenyra whined, desperately trying to hold herself back. "I'm going to cum, and I'm going to scream. I won't be able to...fucking hells...help it."
"Then maybe we should stop," Jon grinned, pulling his cock from her quivering, fluttering tunnel.
"What?!" Rhaenyra cried, instantly enraged. "Don't you da…"
She gasped as he rolled her onto her stomach, and when he reached forward and pulled a pillow towards her, her eyes went wide.
"And try something else," Jon whispered in her ear, making her shiver.
Without warning, he buried his entire shaft inside her soaking wet cunt in a single thrust, and Rhaenyra bit down on the pillow without hesitation, using it to muffle her scream. Grabbing her braid in his hand, he tugged gently on it and started fucking her hard and fast. Lying prone against the bed and biting down on a pillow to muffle her pleasured cries while her lover's hips slapped against her ass hard enough for the sounds of the fleshy impacts to fill the room, she closed her eyes and let the all-consuming pleasure flood her mind.
She clawed at the bedding desperately, seeking to hold onto something as the pressure in her core became maddening. It was too good, too intense, and she knew she was going to cum so hard, but while she wanted that desperately, part of her also wished that she could stay plateaued where she was, right on the edge of ecstasy, for a while longer.
Jon's cock speared into her again and again, reaching so deep she swore she could feel him in her stomach, and just as she started to wonder if it truly was going to drive her mad, the heat coiling in her lower belly exploded, and all she knew was bliss. She shrieked into the pillow, pushing her face as far into it as she could as she came hard. It thundered through her entire body, making her convulse and writhe under Jon, who continued to fuck her through her orgasm.
"Gods, I'll never tire of feeling you cum around me," he murmured in her ear before peppering her neck with kisses.
Rhaenyra could only laugh at that, too mindless to respond with anything other than giddiness. He held still within her after her peak passed, nuzzling her neck and running his hands over her back soothingly. She practically purred at his soft touch, feeling relaxed in a way she only ever did with him, and tried to push herself up, only to pause when her knee felt wetness.
"Is that me?" she asked, reddening slightly.
"You flooded the bed again, my love," Jon replied, chuckling as she whined in embarrassment. "It's okay; you know I love it when you cum that hard. In fact, I'm wondering just how many orgasms just like it I can wring out of you tonight."
"I don't know how many more of those I'll be able to keep at all quiet through," Rhaenyra whimpered, gasping as Jon pulled out of her.
He flipped her onto her back and sank back inside her wet heat, capturing her lips in a searing hot kiss.
"I'm sure you can be good for me, my little princess," he murmured, grinning as he felt her inner muscles clench around his cock at his words.
Rhaenyra shuddered and kissed him again, wishing that she was as confident as he was.
A couple of hours later, a thoroughly exhausted Rhaenyra rested her head on Jon's muscular chest, inhaling his masculine scent and tracing her fingers through his chest hair. He rumbled happily, tracing random little patterns over her sweaty back and smiling widely, feeling utterly at peace.
"I took your advice," she whispered.
"Oh?" Jon asked.
"You suggested that I try to get closer to Helaena, and so I took her flying while I was there," Rhaenyra replied. "Truth be told, they're all so young that I'm thinking about trying to develop actual relationships with all of them."
"It's definitely worth trying, though I don't know how well it will ultimately work with your brothers," Jon murmured. "The histories had few good things to say about Aegon or Aemond, and though they were unkind to you as well, your early years were at least written about positively."
"What about the one Alicent will have later this year?" Rhaenyra asked.
"Daeron was well liked by all accounts," Jon replied.
Rhaenyra nodded and yawned, saying, "It's certainly worth trying. I don't doubt that the Hightower bitch will try to keep us apart, but there will be limits to what she can do without earning my father's ire."
"Right now all of our plans hinge on keeping Laena Velaryon alive, and while we should, for many reasons, anything else we can do to prevent the coming war, we should," Jon murmured.
Rhaenyra pushed herself up on her arm and looked down at his face, illuminated by the soft, pale light of the full moon. They were both covered in a sheen of sweat that made them seem to glow in the light, and she smiled serenely as she raked her nails across his scalp.
"Nyra?" he asked, sighing at the simple pleasure of her touch.
"You've changed so much for the better already," she whispered. "You've changed me most of all. I never would have thought to do half of what I have since you came into my life."
"That goes both ways," Jon replied, taking her hand and pressing his lips against it. "I've never known such peace as I do with you. Each day I thank whatever being that was that plucked me from my time and sent me here to you."
"So do I," Rhaenyra whispered, kissing him gently before rolling off of him.
He rolled over and wrapped an arm around her middle, hugging her to him. She closed her eyes, knowing that she'd be asleep in moments with him holding her like that.
