The Winter Queen

Chapter 30

Meanwhile in the North, Rhaenyra and her children were growing stronger by the day. Three months after Cannibal arrived and brought Skadi to Winterfell, she finally took her babies on their first dragon flight. She would also take Benjen and Alys together on Syrax. 

It wasn’t long after Lady Kefira was born that the first nobles began making their pilgrimage North. They stayed in Wintertown even as they visited Winterfell, which encouraged the small town to begin expanding. The nobles brought stories to the North about how Viserys and Alicent were often heard arguing and how he kept dumping his bastards on her to raise. The King was never seen in the presence of his bastards or Lady Dracara after they had been presented to the court. It seemed as though everyone except the King was of the opinion that he had been cursed and that the curse had not come from Alicent or Otto. People believed it was divine retribution.

When news arrived about the arrest of Otto Hightower and Alicent’s demotion and flogging, Princess Rhaenyra was seen to be rather happy about it, as were Lords Rickon and Cregan who believed that the pair had not gotten enough punishment for the crimes they had committed at the wedding.

Without anyone truly realizing it, the quartet’s first nameday quickly began to approach and the four were often found crawling all over chasing Khione and Belenus while their hatchlings followed like a guard. Their nursemaids also noted that it wasn’t an unusual sight to turn around for a moment after placing soft foods before them and then turning back to a cheerful, clapping baby with food that was at least slightly charred in front of them and their dragons watching from a distance that the flame could not reach.

It wasn’t just the babies who had begun to develop and explore their burgeoning powers as Rhaenyra had begun working on hers and was teaching Rickon, Cregan, Benjen and Alys how to use theirs within days of Skadi being delivered to Winterfell. Within months Rhaenyra was able to light a candle and then a fire with just a deliberate thought and all of the elder Starks were able to conjure a frosty breeze.

It became a very common sight to find Rhaenyra, Benjen and Alys playing in the courtyards and Godswood after the children finished their lessons while working on their powers. When the children were attending their lessons, Cregan spent time teaching his wife how to fight, use a sword and a bow in addition to working with her with his Father to teach her all of the skills her own father had failed to ensure that she learned for her future role as Queen. Then in the evenings, the family would gather in the nursery where they would work to teach each other Old Tongue and High Valyrian, choosing to do it in the nursery in order to expose the infants to the languages as soon as possible and to give the family more bonding time.

Cregan

It was very hard for him to comprehend just how quickly the time had passed. His second wife was nearly 15 now and her body had definitely begun to hint at the gorgeous curves he somehow knew she was destined to have. While he had kept his word and had not bedded her since learning of her pregnancy nearly two years prior, he was still a man with eyes and the knowledge that the stunning young woman was his was sometimes hard to fully ignore, particularly when he would walk into their chambers and she would be in a state of undress, when she would kiss him in a demanding way or when, at night, she was in a very cuddly mood. Gods! He was not sure he would be able to last until she was 17 to take her again if she kept this up, let alone the 20 that he had planned. Yes, he did know that at least she was his wife so no one could claim that he was being improper towards her.

Cregan could also not fault his young wife for seeking his love and affection as he knew she never got much of that growing up. Her mother having almost always been pregnant, her uncle was frequently banished and her father had little time for a “mere” daughter and her other kin was rarely around. Now, as a Stark and as a married woman and  mother, she had people around her who were willing and able to be affectionate towards her, just for being herself. His father loved having a young daughter, his elder children loved their stepmother and playmate and their little ones were all just very happy babies. He, himself, was just enchanted by her and found himself seeking ways to spend more time with her and to be affectionate towards her. Why? He did not know. There was just something absolutely magnetic about her.

Rhaenyra

She had never been so happy in her life as she had been in the time since her four little babies were born. The past year had been utter bliss. She had twelve good and loyal friends, some of whom she was working with to start arranging their own marriages, and two of them being darling Benjen and Alys, her two stepchildren. Her lonely life was over and Alicent really could not do anything about it.

Since coming to Winterfell, Rhaenyra had grown closer to her cousin Jeyne, who was 13 years her senior and only a mere two years younger than Cregan. How she had been denied having her cousin in her life for so many years was a mystery likely caused by Otto Hightower. Jeyne was a wonderful, loyal, strong and funny woman and was a great role model for her younger cousin. The two cousins frequently exchanged Ravens and House Stark and House Arryn were growing ever closer.  After an exchange of Ravens with Cousin Laena, Rhaenyra had learned that Cousin Laenor shared the same type of affection as Cousin Jeyne did. However, both were expected to one day marry someone of a type they did not prefer. With this information, Rhaenyra had suggested to Jeyne that Laenor might be a suitable match for her once the Stepstones war was over. Jeyne thanked her for the information and said that she would seriously consider it even as she chose to send some supplies and men to aid in the conflict.

Lord Rickon had also been an absolute Godsend to her as he truly treated her as if she were his own daughter in a way her own, the King, never had done. He was such a loyal, patient and loving man who reminded her of what her Uncle Daemon said Grandfather Prince Baelon had been and of the values he had tried to instill in both of his sons. Unfortunately for the Realm, only his younger son actually learned those lessons. Granted, if he had, she might not have the wonderful family that she had since been blessed with.

As for her Lord Husband, Rhaenyra could only hope that she would never be able to get enough of him. He was so sweet, kind, gentle and affectionate towards her. He never made her feel foolish or dumb or that she was just a “mere woman”. If she had questions, he would answer her and not in a condescending way. Truly, she could say that she felt like she was falling in love with him and she could only hope that one day he would come to love her as well.

Honestly, the only thing she would change about her man is that she wished he would just ravish her! She was his wife for God's sake! And she was plenty willing to take him. She knew and respected his reasons for wanting to wait until she was older to bed her again but still, she did not want to wait another full five years! Not to mention, she wanted them to have their next child before their four turned four in three years time. Granted she also figured she would go insane if he didn’t take her again long before that. She really did try to tempt him as well. Deliberately being only partially dressed when he would enter their chambers, kissing him hard, cuddling up with him at night in bed, choosing to sit on his lap whenever possible and just genuinely trying to drive him crazy so that he would finally take her again. Alas, it had only been about a year since she gave him their four children so she could understand his reluctance. However, she was definitely going to ask if not beg him to take her on her 16 name day if she hadn’t convinced him to do so before then.