Ashes In The Castle ||| Aemond Targaryen

forty-six

A fortnight after Cregan Stark had his fill of power in the Capital, he would leave for Winterfell once more. Most of the men he marched with chose to stay South, though, and marry or join armies.

Naerys and Aemond were quite happy to have the reinforcements. Thought it was a bit strange. Lord Cregan showed up just to administer chaos and then left.

And Naerys was finding it sad to watch Rhaena and her dragon, Morning. It was always curled up right around her neck.

They'd been trying to hatch dragon eggs from Dragonstone but had no success so far. Naerys would keep trying, she wanted desperately for her own baby to have an egg in their cradle.

But with war averted on all sides, things turned back to keeping the city running and ensuring the country lords were happy. It meant many land petitions, requests for men. The boring stuff at last.

Still, it meant that the whole Realm, the whole city, would be watching Naerys and Aemond. To see if they could truly rule as one. If two voices would work together on the Throne.

Some of the boring stuff was interrupted when the council brought up Baela. She had a very wild spirit, just like her father. Many times the girl had been seen drunkenly racing horses in Flea Bottom, drinking with the Gold Cloaks in their barracks, and insisting people she met in the city were given places in the castle.

Naerys found it extremely amusing and brushed away the claims she would taint House Targaryen. She was a teenager with dead parents. Let the girl live.

But things moved on. And as Naerys progressed through her pregnancy, the maesters poured over the moon charts to try and predict when her child would be born.

She couldn't care less when. Just that the child was healthy. And she refused to be stuffed up in Maegor's Holdfast when she neared the end. 7, 8 months. Naerys was the Queen, she would not be forced into her birthing chambers before it was truly time.

The treks did start to become long, though. Up and down stairs. Aemond was usually the one helping her when she had to take a moment to breathe.

Naerys continued to lead court, even when there were Lords who insisted she should be resting. Sitting on a Throne wasn't resting, she asked.

There was one instance, though. It was supposed to be another petition from a country lord, to have his land given back. Naerys was the one who'd burned his castle and allowed others to take it.

Unfortunately, that was the cost of war, she reminded him. Many Black-aligned houses had their cities sacked, their entire houses eradicated.

There was work being done to restore the cities that burned. But castles that had been conquered were conquered. Trying to push the new occupants out would result in further war.

He became increasingly angrier when Naerys continued to remind him of it. Having to stare at the woman who burned his castle and call her Queen was infuriating.

"A bastard pretender-Queen has no right to tell me my lands are no longer mine!"

That was the first time she'd been called a bastard when she was Queen. Naerys had to make an example of it.

People muttered and gasped, Aemond shot his head toward the Lord from beside her, a hand going to his sword immediately. Corlys was ready to take him out too.