.INDOMITUS. | Jacaerys Velaryon x OC x Cregan Stark |

Chapter Twenty-Six: Urticas

{Days earlier}

"You must eat princess, it's been days". Days since she should have died, died a dragon rider's death and her body embraced by the sea as a Velaryon. But no, the gods did not deem her worthy enough to die. Of course they hadn't, Rhaenys had sacrificed the most important thing in her life and could never bring them back. "I'm not hungry " She mumbled to her supposed saviour, not even turning to look at them. There was a loud sigh and a thud, the sudden sound scaring the Princess making her turn swiftly and reach for the dagger sheathed at her side. Upon noticing the lack of danger, she relaxed. "You don't talk about it but it clearly messed you up, no offence" the other person said, raising their hands in the air. The sound had been their boots hitting the table, attempting to relax.

Rhaenys sighed and turned her face back to the window where the waves were crashing and wild. "Forgive me,Nettles, I don't want to re-live it" Rhaenys felt tears prick at her eyes and shook her head. No. No more tears. She heard a chair scrape and footsteps coming slowly towards her,and raised her eyes to meet her new friend's as she joined her. "I get it, but you need to eat something. I think the Queen would have my head if you returned to Dragonstone just flesh and bone" the darker woman lightly joked, handing a bowl of soup to the Princess. After a moment of hesitation, rhaenys took it and began to eat.

"How could I possibly return without Seasmoke?" She wondered aloud, her chest tightening at the mere thought of the dragon. Seasmoke had been her closest friend, her confidante and her rock, and she had led them to their death. When she had first awoken in Nettles's home she had sobbed until she passed back out, when she recovered she prayed to every and any gods that would listen to forgive her. For her father and for Seasmoke themselves to forgive her. "I think your family will be happier to see you alive regardless of whether or not you're with a dragon" Nettles pointed out, taking the now empty bowl from the princess. Rhaenys made a noise showing that she was listening and took out her Grandsire's dagger from its sheath. The two women stood in silence, Nettles watching the silver-white haired woman with interest as she played with the Valyrian Steel blade.

The silence was broken by Nettles once more. "We've met before, you know? A few years back" She revealed, and Rhaenys looked at her with confusion in her eyes. Nettles laughed slightly at the expression. "Don't worry, I never expected you to remember. You bumped into me in town, and you apologised" "should I not have?" Rhaenys snarked with a smile, showing her friend it was a jest. "I've lived here my whole life, and my whole life I've heard your lot be referred to as God's instead of men" Nettles sat back down at the table, gesturing for Rhaenys to join her as she poured a drink for them both. "Everybody says Targaryens are closer to gods than to men" Rhaenys mused before taking a sip.

"Exactly, that's what we've all heard. But you bumped into me that day, and you apologised. You're a princess, a highborn lady and I'm just a commoner. Yet you apologised to me" Nettles emphasised and Rhaenys had yet to see the point. "I'm sorry for not remembering you, Nettles" She placed a hand on Nettles' but was cut off. "That's not the point Rhae, can I call you Rhae? Anyways, the point is you showed that you care about us common muck" Nettles gripped her friend's hands tightly in her own and looked deep into her eyes. "If it had been any of the other silver haired royals, I probably wouldn't have dragged them out from the waves. But you're different. You're the kind of person that people like me want to follow"

Rhaenys understood what Nettles was trying to say, at last. "There's a war happening because there's a Usurper on the Throne, and he's not shown any compassion for the people he's supposedly ruling over. You have, and by extention your mother has. Use it to your advantage when you take the throne" Rhaenys got up from her chair and all but threw herself into Nettles' arms. The other woman laughed at the force which caused her chair to topple backwards and both women were on the floor. They stayed their for a while, laughing together whilst embracing the other. "Thank you" Rhaenys sighed out as her laughter stopped.

"You're right, the smallfolk are the biggest voice that we should listen to. Without them, we're nothing" Rhaenys said, standing up and pulling the shorter woman up with her. Nettles grinned as she listened to the Princess. "Exactly. Now, let's get you to Dragonstone Princess".

~~~

{Dragonstone, current}

"A child. An innocent child murdered in their bed, Daemon! What were you thinking?" The Black Queen hissed at her consort, furious after receiving news from the Red Keep. "I merely sent the Queen's vengeance for her firstborn and heir" the man shrugged his shoulders. Rhaenyra could feel her anger boiling up inside her like a dragon's flame. What felt even worse was that she was discovering this during a session with her council of all places. "Helaena and her children were innocents in all this, Daemon. I told you specifically to get the kinslayer and what do you do? Hire assassins to behead a fucking child" the Black Queen slammed her hand on the stone table and the room was silent.

Silent, that was, until the steel doors opened to reveal Ser Arthur Hasgard looking as though he had seen a ghost. Perhaps he had. "Princess Rhaenys Velaryon. Heiress to the Iron Throne, Princess of Dragonstone and the Pearl of Driftmark" the young man's voice declared shaking. Rhaenyra, overcome with too much emotion, was about to order the dismissal of the knight until the doors opened wider. The faces of everyone in the council paled as the girl herself walked in, a shorter woman grasping her hand at her side. "It can't be" Rhaenys the Elder gasped.

It was her. Wearing common clothing, hair caked in mud and seawater to hide her hair, eyes lacking their usual spark. But it was her. She was gripping her companion's hand with all her might that she was shaking, and tears continued to fall down her face. "Grandmother" Rhaenys called out in a broken voice, and had barely blinked before collapsing into the arms of her namesake.

~~~

{A/N: surprise! Rhaenys isn't dead :) a bit of context as to how come is coming next chapter as well as a long awaited introduction 👀 "Urticas" is Latin for Nettles I thought I was being clever}