Hand of the Queen

24

Black furs cover my body, red details peaking from under where the seems meet. Small details of dragons are embroidered throughout the fabric, spilling down the dress and up the long sleeves. My growing child pushes against the fabric, kept warm below it. I pull my black gloves over my ring as Missandei twists the last of my hair into braids. She attaches my Hand's badge to the coat and slips a pin the shape of a dragon into my hair. Jon enters the room behind me, I turn to face him.

"There is something I must tell you." He says, Missandei nods to me before leaving the room.

"What is it?" I ask as he walks closer.

"First, I must share Sansa's feelings with you." My sister could not come to me with her own thoughts, instead she sends our brother. "She feels as though you have betrayed House Stark in joining with Daenerys." Anger boils within my veins.

"Aegon and I married because of how we feel for one another, the subject of betrothal for a union of Houses came after, Jon Snow. I chose to ally with House Targaryen because Daenerys is the rightful Queen, and because I believe in her. Sansa and Arya are lost if they cannot see that. If Sansa has anything further to claim about my loyalty to my House, she may come to me with it. I have Stark blood in my veins, but I hold the heir of House Targaryen in my womb. I wear their ring on my finger, and their name is now my own." Jon slowly nods.

"I will tell her. But this is not what I came to speak to you about." He hesitates, I look to him with concern.

"What is it, Jon?" He finally meets my eyes.

"Bran and Sam have sorted it out with his visions and Sam's knowledge from the Citadel. I am not Ned Stark's son, Alysanne. I am Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark's child. They married in secret, I have never been a bastard." The realization immediately washes over me, the threat this new finding holds. Jon would hold a stronger claim, stronger than both Daenerys and Aegon combined.

"Jon..." He quickly shakes his head.

"I do not want the throne. Daenerys is the rightful heir, I will not take it from her." I study his face, looking for the truth in his words.

"You must keep this a secret, Jon." His eyes search my own as he takes my hands in his. "The world cannot know."

"I would never betray her." The door beside us creaks open, Aegon walks inside.

"I'll see you downstairs." Jon leaves without another word, Aegon looks to me with fear in his eyes.

"I assume he has told you what Daenerys tells me, about his true parentage." Aegon says, I slowly nod. "Do you think he will betray her?"

"I fear that I do not know anymore." I say, Aegon places a hand on my cheek. "It seems as though my family has become strangers to me." He wraps his arms around me as I take in this stone room. The castle feels cold, its walls feel foreign to me. As though they have somehow changed from those I knew in childhood. I let out a shaky breath in Aegon's arms. "Let's go home."

...

I lean into Aegon's chest from where I sit on Rhaegal's back, the last memory of my sisters fresh in my mind. Sansa's reluctance to mask the ice in her gaze as we said our farewells. Arya stood beside her, unmoving as I approached them. Their fixation on my clothing, on the way my hair is styled. Bran sat beside the window, his gaze far away from the walls of Winterfell.

I'm pulled from the memory as Rhaegal narrowly dodges an arrow shot from Cersei's scorpions. Rhaegal moves for the smaller dragons, guiding them to the castle as Drogon moves to attack the ships. I watch in horror as Daenerys dives down upon them, fearing for her life as she unleashes dragon fire upon them. Rhaegal's lands beside the children, Aegon looks to me in fear.

"Take them inside the walls, all of you will be safer there." Aegon tells me as I climb from Rhaegal's back. "I will return to you, I love you."

"I love you, Aegon. Be careful." I say, he holds my hand for a moment before I back away from Rhaegal. I watch as he takes to the sky once more and heads for Daenerys.

The three smaller dragons look to me, herding around my legs. Meleaxes, Nightfyre, and Vermerion, they watch as their older counterparts fight against the enemy within our waters. I rub a hand against their scales and speak to them in Valyrian.

"Come, inside now." I say, waving them along. They all quickly follow after me, retreating within the walls of Dragonstone as the battle rages on outside.

...

I sit on the stairs to the throne, the dragons lounge around me. Meleaxes with her red scales takes her usual place across my lap, leaning against my growing womb. Nightfyre lies beside me, his black scales glistening with flecks of purple. Vermerion is the farthest from where I sit, he watches the door intently for any signs of life. His scales are a deep blue with lighter shades strewn throughout.

Finally, the doors open and each dragon's head perks up. I look up to see Daenerys and Aegon enter, looking relieved to see me sat before them.

"They've taken Missandei and Edlin." Daenerys tells me as the children run toward her. I immediately move to my feet, my eyes widening.

"What? How is this possible?" I ask her.

"They boarded our ships while we attacked and took both of them as hostages." Aegon says, walking to place a hand on my arm. Two of those we trust the most, that hold places closest to our hearts now lie in Cersei's hands.

"I had planned for us to march directly on King's Landing, but it seems now that she has another game to play." Daenerys says.