V / Not Strong Enough

    Rhaelys knew that her brothers would miss Harwin. And mayhaps she would too.

Her mother loved him. Her brothers loved him. Daera too would one day love him, once she knew what love even meant.

But Rhaelys just didn't. She loved her father too much to care for any other man. Her brothers didn't share that same bond. They usually were busy with their mother, or when they wanted their father, he was too busy entertaining one of his young squires.

"Be good to your brothers, princess," He smiled at her, and took a light bow. Her entire childhood, the relationship she had had with Ser Harwin had been rather informal, so she didn't quite understand why that was changing now, as he was leaving for his homestead of Harrenhal. Harrenhal quite scared Rhaelys. She was her mother's daughter, a dragon rider, and yet she was still scared of that haunted place her ancestors had burned to the ground years ago.

"You will visit us, though?" Rhaelys asked him, her hand on Luke's shoulder. Her brother could barely hold in his tears. Rhaelys barely understood why he was leaving, so Lucerys must have even less of an idea why. She could only hope it had nothing to do with her and Jace, and their incident in the yard.

"I'll visit when I can," Luke didn't seem to understand all that was going on. Jace, on the other hand, knew exactly what was happening and what people said of him and Luke. "But that may be some time," Rhaelys knew her brothers would miss Harwin terribly. Joffrey had been so sad that he fell asleep crying. He was asleep in his chamber. He barely understood that Harwin wasn't coming back.

He first told her how to hold a sword and how to stand her own. He always treated her like the warrior he knew she could be, instead of a helpless little girl. And for that, she was grateful to Ser Harwin.

Jace walked to Rhaelys and hugged her as Rhaenyra looked to her children with sadness. "Jace," She said, as she cooed little Daera in her arms. Harwin walked to to him, trying to give the boy comfort one last time. "I will return," Jace nodded, as Harwin held Jace's chin. "I promise," Rhaelys knew that oft people did not do as they promised, so she just had to trust that Harwin Strong was a man of his word.

Jace nodded, and Rhae noticed that he was on the verge of tears. Luke still watched them carefully with a sad look on his face. He did not know why Harwin was leaving them, and he had long forgotten about the incident in the yard. Rhaelys was glad of that. It pained her enough. The cut from Aegon was still visible. The maester had said that it would leave a scar once fully healed. It was in the form of a small half-moon on her right cheek.

As Harwin stood before Rhaenyra, the princess could see tears wanting to come out of her mother's eyes, which she tried to hide. "I will be a stranger when we meet again," Harwin told her, and as they stared at each other Rhaelys thought of what it truly meant that Harwin would leave. He was perhaps her mother's greatest protector and comfort, and now he would be gone. 

"My princess," He said, once again Rhaelys. She didn't know why or how or even what was up with it, but she didn't want Harwin to leave. She didn't want her brothers to be without him. He always protected them when Criston was being cruel or when Aegon was being stupid. "Why are you leaving me?" She mouthed to herself, as she thought of how long she had known Harwin and how she did not want him to leave. At all. He wasn't her father and she didn't love him, but she still didn't want him to leave.

He got his stuff and walked away, as Jace walked carefully behind him, standing there in silence. Rhaelys walked forward and placed her hand on her brother's shoulder. "We will exchange letters by raven," Rhaelys told her brother, who seemed to find no comfort in it. If spoken truthfully, she didn't really find any in it, either. "Won't that be fun?" Rhaenyra asked her children and Rhaelys could not help but glare at her mother. 

"Is Harwin Strong my father?" Jace asked promptly, and though she understood why he had said it, Rhaelys could not help but feel mad at her brother. Laenor Velaryon was their father. 

"Are we bastards, Mother?" Rhaelys asked her mother while Jace had only anger in his face. "You are Targaryens. That's all that matters," It could not be true. Her mother had to be lying. If she was a bastard, if her brothers were bastards, they had not right to the throne. That meant that Aegon would be the rightful heir after Rhaenyra. That could not be true. "Then who is my father?" Rhaelys asked her mother who could not bear to make eye contact with her. 

"Jace, go to Luke and go to bed, my love, Mama will tuck you in in a bit," Rhaenyra told her son, who nodded. Once he and Luke had left the room, Rhaenyra put Daera down in her crib. She grabbed her daughter's face softly.

"You are of the Blood of Old Valyria, and you are my daughter. You will be queen, one day. Who ever fathered you does not matter. I am your mother. Be sure of that, my girl," Rhaelys nodded as she looked to the floor. "Laenor is still your father, my sweet girl. Nothing will change that, nothing will every change that, Rhaelys," Rhaelys nodded because she knew it to be the truth.

"Mother, where do we go from here?" She asked, truly having no clue where life would lead them next. "Home. We sail to Dragonstone tomorrow, and you will learn what it means to rule in your own right," As future Princess of Dragonstone, it was her seat. 

But she did not want to be apart from Helaena and Aemond. 

What she did want, however, was to have as much distance between her and Aegon as possible.

⭑

Dragonstone

    Dragonstone was more beautiful than Rhaelys had remembered. She visited from time to time and had seen it many time from dragonback, but it was so much more beautiful to stand there and feel the wind in her silver hair. "This is home now," Rhaenyra told them and Rhaelys looked up to her father and his friend, Ser Qarl, as she smiled to herself. "We have much to visit, like the Dragonpit," Rhaelys sweetly told Luke and Joffrey, who had both cried the whole of the way. The two boys loved dragons very much, and Rhaelys enjoyed petting the grand beasts, with her baby brothers. 

"Can we see Vhagar?" Lucerys asked his sister as she shook her head. Joffrey looked angry at that. "Why can't we see Vhagar?" He demanded to know, and Rhaelys ruffled her brother's hair.

"Vhagar is in Pentos with Laena and Daemon and the twins. She is far too big for the Dragonpit, even if she were here." Rhaelys thought of her aunt Laena and the twins Baela and Rhaena. Last time Daemon and Laena had visited them, Rhaelys had been five years old. She missed her cousins, who were just a bit older than Jace. The twins' eleventh name-day had recently passed. "Why aren't they here, living with us?" Rhaenyra looked mournful as she looked at the ground. "Daemon is a man changed from when I last saw him. He is no hero, believe me," Rhaenyra told her son, who nodded.

During the whole of it, Jace had said painfully quiet. He was not looking forward to moving to Dragonstone away from everyone and everything he knew, especially moving away from Ser Harwin. "Jace, Vermax will thrive here, you know that? And you'll have your own room, no more sharing with Luke and Joff." At that, Jace seemed to put out half a smile. 

"Rhae, will Vermax be as large as Belarion once was?" Joff asked his sister. His egg had yet to hatch but he had a fascination for dragons all the same. "Well, yes. He will thrive and will grow to be twice the size of Belarion, Jace. You'll see," Joffrey giggled as he hugged his dragon egg.

"We will be happy here, I promise." Rhaelys said, as she grabbed Jace's hand and smiled at him. "Will my dragon hatch, Rhae? I would so love a dragon, and then i could ride with you and Jace and Luke!" He exclaimed, and Rhaelys nodded at him. "Your egg will surely hatch. And even if it doesn't, you can claim a dragon. There is more than one way to bind yourself to a dragon."

As they walked into the castle itself, Rhaelys found her mouth falling open. It was so large and beautiful and dusty. No one had lived there since 105 AC when her great-uncle Daemon had taken up residence in his niece's palace. He had once been Prince of Dragonstone and lord of the castle that belonged to it, but after his brother had declared it so, Rhaenyra was Princess of Dragonstone. 

Five years later, Rhaenyra had come here to give birth to her first child. To Rhaelys. The talks of Rhaenyra calling her son Daemon were quickly hushed when a daughter was brought forth. And she was named for her mother and her grandmother, Rhaenyra and Rhaenys.

Rhaelys held the future and the past of House Targaryen on her shoulders. Only that she did not have a cock or the name of Targaryen lay against her favour. Both would be solved sooner rather than late. Her name would change the moment her mother became Queen and she would be Rhaelys Targaryen, Princess of Dragonstone. 

Now, she herself would never gain a cock. But one day, she'd have a son and he would. And after she had passed, he would take her place on the Iron Throne.

"Mother, one day, this will be my seat?" Rhaelys asked her mother, who stood behind her. "Yes, you will be princess of Dragonstone once I am queen." Rhaelys turned to her mother. "And what if grandsire changes his mind? What if he would name Aegon his heir? He would cut our heads off, wouldn't he?" Rhaenyra, in shock, handed Daera to Laenor and smiled slighty at her sons. "Rhaelys and I are going to take a walk outside, Laenor. Please make sure none of our children get hurt, okay?" He nodded, and cradled baby Daera.

"If Aegon is named heir, you would be his wife and his queen." Rhaelys shook her head. "No, I would rather throw myself off of the highest cliff on Dragonstone than be his wife," Rhaenyra stroked her daughter's hair. "My father won't change his mind. I've been heir for these past twenty years, Rhaelys. You will be queen, either way, my love. Worry not." 

"Would you lose your head, mother?" Rhaenyra shook her head. "Not if I prayed for their mercy, I  imagine. These gods are cruel."

"That's what makes them gods, isn't it?" Rhaelys ponders out loud, and her mother can't help but agree with her.

"When I am married, can I stay here with you? Or must I go wherever my lord husband commands, obey his every whim?" Rhaelys shook her head at her own question. "Surely he will not. I am the heir to the Iron Throne. There is no man in the realm who outranks me, save for my own grandsire."

"That would depend on the husband you choose for yourself, Rhaelys. There are men who would sit dutifully at your feet and never complain, and there are those who are so power hungry it consumes them."

"Like Otto Hightower?" Rhaelys muses, and her mother nods. "And Daemon." Rhaelys adds, to which her mother sighs

"Daemon is not power hungry for the throne. He is something else entirely." Rhaelys knew that before Aegon's birth, when Viserys was still married to her grandmother queen Aemma, a boy had been born. And Daemon had toasted him Heir for a Day. And that had led her grandsire to name her mother heir. "He gave you that necklace, right?" Rhaelys' eyes were fixated on her mother's Valyrian steel necklace. He had brought it back from one of his many voyages so many years ago, and it had always been an object of Rhaelys' fascination.

"Yes. I was ten and he had just come back from a months' long journey to Asshai. I still haven't got a clue how it came into his possession." Rhaelys had a ring of Valyrian steel, but that was nothing compared to her mother's necklace or the two Valyrian steel swords of House Targaryen: Dark Sister, once wielded by Queen Visenya, and Blackfyre, the longsword of Aegon the Conqueror.

Dark Sister long since belonged to the current Visenya, Prince Daemon. While Blackfyre was officially in possession of the King, oft Rhaelys took it out to practice with. Aegon had made fun of her for it once, and she had cut a piece of his ear lobe off accidentally shortly there after, with Blackfyre, of course.

"Mayhaps when I get married, I'll marry in the traditions of our house,"

Rhaenyra only smiled at her daughter. "Mayhaps." Was all she responded.