The Children of Spring

Rhaella I - House of the Undying

The room was dark and the light was dim, she was in a cell or, at least, it seemed like it. Rhaella Targaryen was very scared, however she refused to show it. They can't see it, I'm not going to give them that satisfaction, Rhaella thought, she had her mother's strenght of will and audacity and her father's sensible judgement, as well as his gumption. She wondered where her sister and brother were... had they been taken too? Did anyone know what had happened? Would someone search for her?
Rhaella had gone after Rhaenys, her dragon, that had gone into the woods, however when she found her, the dragon was in a cage and a man with a golden mask was holding it.
"Let her go! Now!" Rhaella had said serious and determined, however the next thing she knew was that someone had knocked her down. Then she woke up in that cell she was in and she did not have the slightest idea of where she had been taken.
Rhaella petted the baby dragon that was lying in her lap. Why me? Do they want my mother or my father? Well, I don't care. I'm the daugher of Daenerys and Aegon Targaryen, the Queen and King of the Six Kingdoms, who do they think they are?, Rhaella thought.
Rhaella was very much like her mother, violet eyes and silver hair, even their personalities were alike. However there was still a bit of her father in her. When she was certain that she was doing the right thing, there was nothing that could change her mind and she was very honest, still she knew when that could be an advantage for her and when it could not.
After some time, someone entered the room, a tall, skinny man wearing a purple mantle with little simbols embroided in golden thread, unlike she had ever seen. He gave her some food, however she did not eat it. It could be poison or it could have something in it.
"Where are we?" Rhaella asked, however no one answered. The man just left the room without a word.
After some time, a man with richer clothing than the one before, who looked as if he was the leader, which was weird for her, because he seemed to be at least a thousand years old, come to the cell and said,
"You did not eat, child. You must eat."
"Child? Do you have any idea of who I am, lord? I'm Rhaella Targaryen, the daughter of Daenerys and Aegon Targaryen, Queen and King of the Six Kingdoms! I don't know who do you think you are, but you are in very much trouble, lord!" Rhaella said in her best impersonation of her mother's voice.
"We know who you are and who your mother is." the man said simply.
"Then you're even more stupid than I thought. I'm a princess and as far as I know anyone who captures a princess does not live long." Rhaella said seriously.
"You are your mother's daughter, after all. But you're not a little princess here." the man said.
"I'm a little princess everywhere." Rhaella said. So where's here?, Rhaella thought. If Rhaenys could already breath fire, she would have her burn that man. Is that right? It's self-defense. Right?, Rhaella thought a bit confused.
"Well, not in the House of the Undying." the man said.
"Where's that piece of shit that I've never heard of?" Rhaella said right away, she did not even try to contain herself. The man came closer to her and slapped her, still she stayed firm and looked the man in the eyes and said,
"You are a dead man."
"And you have a sour mouth, Rhaella Targaryen." the man said.
"A noble born has the right to know her captor's name or is the costume different in here?" Rhaella said, she had heard her father and her uncle Jaime saying something like that once.
"I can't say it is. My name is Pyat Pree." the man said.
"I'm sorry to tell you that I've never heard about you." Rhaella said.
"So your mother never told you?" Pyat asked with a chuckle.
"How do you know my mother?" Rhaella asked.
"That's a story for another time. Eat. It's not poison." Pyat Pree said and then left.
What a weird man, Rhaella thought. She ate the food, because she was starving and it was clear that they needed her, therefore they could not kill her.
How does my mother know these guys? Does my father know them too? The Targaryen came from the Old Valyria, this must be in the Free Cities. Has my mother come to the Free Cities?, Rhaella thought confused. She took a piece of meat and put in the ground in front of Rhaenys and then said,
"Dracarys." The dragon just looked at her with a confused look and then at the meat and just ate it. And Rhaella sighed. She had been trying to teach Rhaenys how to breath fire for almost five months and nothing. It was not fair, because Kingly and Sky already could. Rhaella knew Rhaenys was the youngest, therefore she did not blame her for it. She was the youngest too, after all.
Rhaella wondered if her family would come for her, she was pretty sure they would. You'll see. When my father, my brother and my sister come here, you are doomed, Rhaella thought. She admired Jorah very much and Lyanna too, they could fight amazingly. And she knew that they would come to save her sooner or later.
After some time, Rhaella begun to hear sounds. It seemed like words, however she could not make them up. What the hells?, Rhaella thought. Then the words started to be understandable and she recognized her mother's and father's voices.
"Fire cannot kill a dragon." She heard her mother saying.
"Mother?" Rhaella asked.
"First lesson: stick 'em with the pointy end." She heard her father saying.
"What? Father?" Rhaella asked. What is happening?, Rhaella thought scared.
"I am Daenerys Stormborn of the blood of Old Valyria, and I will take what is mine. With fire and blood, I will take it." She heard. She looked around the room, however there was nothing. Mother? Take what?, Rhaella thought.
"Everyone knew what this place was, and no one told me. No one but you. My father knew, and left me to rot at the Wall, all the same." She heard. She kept looking around the room, however there was still nothing to be seen. The Wall? Father? What?, Rhaella thought even more scared.
Then, suddenly she was not in the the cell anymore. She was in front of a mansion. She did not know where (it seemed like the Free Cities), or how did she ended up there. She looked around and saw a man with silver hair like hers and a girl that should be 12 or 13 and also had silver hair like hers. There was something familiar about her, however Rhaella could not figure out what it was. The girl looked frightened and as she looked in the direction that the girl was looking at, she saw a huge man, with an incredible long braid with bells at the end, on a horse. There was also a fat man that was talking. She tried to hear what they were saying, however at first he was talking in an unknown language. Then suddenly he started to speak in the common tongue,
"May I present my honored guests? Viserys of House Targaryen, the third of his name, the rightful King of the Andals and the First Men..." Rightful King? My father is the rigthful King and my mother is the Queen!, Rhaella thought confused.
"And his sister Daenerys of House Targaryen." the man finished. Mother? That girl is my mother? She is Lyanna's age. What is happening? Wait, she had a brother besides uncle Rhaegar?, Rhaella thought.
Then she looked at the girl and the man who was supposed to be her uncle was talking, as he grabbed her mother's wrist thightly,
"Do you see how long his hair is? When Dothraki are defeated in combat, they cut off their braids so the whole world can see their shame..." The Dothraki? What?, Rhaella thought. She had read about it somewhere, however she did not know why it was important.
"Khal Drogo has never been defeated. He's a savage, of course, but one of the finest killers alive. And you will be his Queen." Viserys finished. What? He's not my father! How can my mother marry him?, Rhaella thought even more confused. Then it all went black and then she was in another place. What the hells?, Rhaella thought.
The man with silver hair was walking as he was talking with the fat man from before and her mother was following them. Rhaella stood at her mother side and said,
"Mother? Daenerys?" However, she seemed that she did not even hear her or acknowladge her presence.
"I know how to play a man like Drogo. I give him a Queen and he gives me an army." She heard 'her uncle' saying. You're selling your own sister?!, Rhaella thought in shock.
"I don't want to be his Queen. I want to go home." Daenerys said. And Rhaella looked at her mother in shock. Viserys went to where her mother was and then said,
"So do I. I want us both to go home, but they took it from us..." Who? The Targaryens rule Westeros, Rhaella thought completely confused. Wait. I'm in the past. This happened. My mother took the Kingdoms, after the war, Rhaella thought and by then it kind of started to make sense.
"So tell me, sweet sister, how do we go home?" Viserys finished.
"I don't know." Daenerys said fearful.
"We go home with an army. With Khal Drogo's army. I would let his whole tribe fuck you. All 40,000 men and their horses too if that's what it took." Viserys said.
"I'll kill you!" Rhaella said and then it all went black again.
Then suddenly she was in another place, this time completly different, it was a castle and it was night in there. It looked more like Westeros. Where am I now?, Rhaella thought a bit in despair.
She looked around and suddenly she realized, I'm in Winterfell. I'm in the North. She was so glad to realized that. Then she started to hear a sound and she turned. She saw a boy that was no more than 14, he had black hair and brown eyes and he was hitting the dummy furiously. She went to him and said,
"Excuse me. Do you know-" Rhaella said and then she realized that he would not hear her as well. He was familiar and he reminded her of Jorah. Oh, Jorah. I wish you and Lya were here with me, Rhaella thought sadly.
Then she heard a horse arriving. The person who was mounting it was a man with black hair and grey eyes, he stopped the horse and said, while dismounting,
"Is it dead yet?" Then the boy stopped and went to him, Rhaella went after him. The man on the horse was all in black and Rhaella realized, He's a man of the Night's Watch.
"Uncle Benjen." the boy said, as they hugged, and she realized that his voice was very much like her fathers. No... he is..., Rhaella thought in shock. She knew that her father had been raised as a bastard by the Starks, however that went as far as that.
"Aah. You've got bigger. I rode all day. Didn't want to leave you alone with the Lannisters..." the man all in black said. Why?, Rhaella thought confused.
"Aren't you in the feast?" the man asked.
"Lady Stark thought that might insult the royal family to see the bastard at the feast." the boy said. Gods, he really is my father. He's so young, Rhaella thought.
"Well, you're always welcome on the Wall, no bastard was ever refused a sit." the man said.
"So take me with you when you go back." Jon said happily. What?! No! You're my father, Rhaella thought in shock.
"Jon..." the man said.
"Father will let me, if you ask him. I know he will." Jon said determined.
"But you are my father." Rhaella said.
"The Wall isn't going anywhere." the man said.
"He's not going to the Wall!" Rhaella screamed at the man.
"I'm ready. It's where I belong." Jon said seriously.
"Father!" Rhaella said.
"You don't understand what you'd be giving up. We have no families, none of us will ever father sons..." the man said.
"I don't care about that!" Jon said. How many years ago is this?, Rhaella wondered. She knew her father loved her and her brother and her sister more than anything, there was no way of him saying that in the present.
"You might. If you knew what it meant." the man said and Jon looked unhappy.
"I better get inside. Rescue your father from his guests. We'll talk later." the man said and then he went inside. Her father turned back to the dummy and he was sad, really sad. Rhaella wanted to do something, but she could not. Then she heard,
"Your uncle's in the Night's Watch." Then she looked and saw a little man coming to the yard. He was familiar to her. No. It can't be..., Rhaella thought in shock.
"What're you doing back there?" Jon asked.
"Preparing for a night with your family." the man said, coming near Jon. Uncle Tyrion?, Rhaella thought.
"I've always wanted to see the Wall. So has my little sister. She's not much older than you." the man said.
"You're talking about aunt Joanna?" Rhaella asked. If my father is 14, then she is 17? What?!, Rhaella thought.
"You're Tyrion Lannister. Queen's brother?" Jon said. Queen? Ah, Cersei..., Rhaella thought.
"My greatest acomplishment. And you? You're Ned Stark's bastard, aren't you?" Tyrion said and Jon looked angry and turned away.
"You know he isn't." Rhaella said and then she remember, Maybe you don't know it yet.
"Did I offend you? Sorry. You are the bastard though." Tyrion said, coming to him, he had stopped.
"Lord Eddard Stark is my father..." Jon said. You don't know it, Rhaella realized in shock.
"And Lady Stark is not your mother, making you the bastard." Tyrion said and Jon looked down.
"Let me give you some advice, bastard, never forget what you are, the rest of the world will not, wear it like armour and it can never be used to hurt you." Tyrion said and Jon looked at him and then Tyrion turned away. If uncle Tyrion helped my father, then why did my father's uncle want to keep him away from the Lannisters?, Rhaella thought confused.
"What the hell do you know about being a bastard?" Jon asked anoyed and confused. Tyrion turned and then said sadly,
"All dwarves are bastards in their father's eyes."
"What..." Rhaella said confused.
After that, it all went black again and after a few seconds she was in the cell again. It was so strange, it was like she was teleporting through space and time, through some kind of magic. It took her sometime to realized she was back in the cell. Her head hurted and her eyes were still adjusting to the light, she was shaking. She was terrified, she did not know what had happened and it scared the hell out of her. She did not understand how she had been able to see her parents when they were so young and why they were almost a world apart.
After a few moments, she was normal again, herself again and she could, by then, think about what had happened with more calm and clarity.
"Great! I'm still here." Rhaella said anoyed to mask her fear, somehow she knew that she was being watched and she refused to show them that she was frightened. What the hell did just happen? I was in the Free Cities and then at Winterfell and now here again. Do I really know my father and my mother? Did my mother and my father suffered that much? Also where were the other people? Who was Viserys? Or Khal Drogo? Wait... Drogo... Drogon... my mother named Drogon after him. Weird.... And my father... why did he want to go to the Wall? Was he in the Night's Watch? What was uncle Tyrion doing in Winterfell? Why didn't they told us? How many years ago was that? I've never seen them like that. My father was completly different and sad. And my mother was very fearful of her brother, who was not uncle Rhaegar, she did not talk like a Queen yet. Nor did my father talked like a King. What did uncle Tyrion meant by 'all dwarves are bastard in their father's eyes', he was so down when he said that, where was aunt Joanna or uncle Jaime? Or aunt Sansa, or aunt Arya? Or aunt Brienne and uncle Gendry or uncle Pod? And uncle Bran? Or uncle Sam or Varys? Or even Bronn?, Rhaella thought confused, freaking out a bit and trying to figure out something that she was completly missing. So many questions and not one answer. She was scared and confused and, perhaps, a bit curious as well. Rhaenys was still sleeping on the ground beside her and the cell was the same, which did not make sense.
Then the door opened and Pyat Pree came in.
"What do you want?" Rhaella asked bitterly.
"I imagine you have questions..." Pyat Pree said.
"Perhaps." Rhaella said simply.
"Have you figured out that your parents aren't who you think they are?" Pyat Pree asked smiling.
"I don't know what your game is, but you will not turn me against my parents." Rhaella said and he just smiled and went away.
That was just the begining, wasn't it?, Rhaella thought. She knew that she would have more visions and, eventhough she was scared of it, she was also looking forward to it, because she was curious about all the things that, by then, she was sure her mother and her father had not told her. I hope they find that book, because they were right... there's a lot we don't know about the last 40 years, Rhaella thought. Unfortunately, she was not mistaken.