10

Chapter 10 – Chaos

Kings Landing, the Crownlands…

A couple of days after Jacaerys left to go to Kings Landing Harry followed him with magic. Arriving at the city gates he was astounded at what he found inside.

The guards on the gate were either sleeping or completely drunk.

He could hardly believe how easy it was to enter the city completely unchallenged or even noticed, they weren't even gold cloaks he realised and instead were foreign sellswords. Three of them were slumped against the walls with empty cups and a reasonably large barrel of ale that seemed empty too. He shook his head at the ridiculousness of it and realised just how little attention Daemon and Rhaenyra must be paying to their men if this was happening at one of the five main city gates.

A walk through the city to the Red Keep did little to improve his opinion, he saw countless cases of Gold Cloaks and sellswords threatening the city's residents, extorting money or turning a blind eye to most criminal activity in exchange for a few coins. It disgusted him so much that he honestly felt physically sick and had to suppress his instinct to stop it all as he would never have gotten anywhere with so much of it going on. That only made him feel even worse.

Although as he moved onwards he saw a pair of young girls, younger than even his sisters being forced up against a wall by a pack of sellswords and that was the only way to describe he would think later. A pack of animals hunting two helpless creatures for their own enjoyment. When they went to tear away the girls skirts he could stand no more and with a swift motion drew his sword.

The sellswords were so caught up in what they were doing that they didn't even notice him until he stabbed the leader right in the back and kicked another hard into the wall, a sickening crunch sounded as his head smacked into the stone wall that they were forcing the girls against. Pulling his sword free he took advantage of the sellswords shock to slash open the unprotected stomach of one before slamming the pommel into the head of another, the skull caving in slightly with the force he applied.

Then the final three men came to their senses and drew their own rough swords to attack him, however one man found bronze and not well made bronze swords at that did little to stop Valyrian steel as Lady Forlorn cut straight through it with enough force and straight into the man's neck which started profusely bleeding when Harry dragged his blade sideways to free it, cutting a large gash right across.

The final two found themselves against a skilled warrior as with well practised skill and now a fair amount of actual experience. Harry moved with the skill of a graceful dancer, fluidly blocking each of their strikes before smashing his vambrace into one man's face. His nose was flattened and blood flew everywhere before Harry kicked hard at his knee. The snap of the bone was almost satisfying as was the sword delivered straight into the gut of the other man.

The last man fell, howling in pain before Harry stabbed his sword straight through his throat.

Harry felt nothing as he wiped his sword clean of blood along with his vambrace before taking the pouches of probably looted coins from the sellswords, he looked towards the young women who were cowering against the wall looking at him with terror written on their faces. His heart went out to them, they were not even really old enough to be called women and already they had been nearly raped. He asked them.

"Have you a home to go too?"

They both seemed a little confused at the question and it took them a few moments to answer but both were still so scared that they could not speak and only shook their heads.

Harry was saddened to hear that and threw the pouches to them and said as they looked between them and him with astonishment.

"Get out of the city and find yourselves a safe place, the Riverlands are reasonably calm right now and Godric's Hollow and Maidenpool could be places you could try." He told them and without another word continued on towards the Red Keep, leaving the two women to eye their small fortune before taking his advice and after grabbing a pair of cloaks from the dead sellswords ran out of the city gates and up the Kings Road, eager to find a new life for themselves elsewhere, far away from Queen or her thugs.

-x-

Speaking to some locals as he passed through the city honestly made Harry want to scream with frustration as he heard about all the mistakes Rhaenyra was making. The dragons entrusted to people whose loyalty was suspect, the lack of trials for those executed, the incredible rises in tax, the lack of food and allowing the sellswords to run rampant on the city. It honestly made him wonder if King Viserys had been right in the head naming her his heir.

Entry to the Red Keep was thankfully more difficult than the city in general but with magic it was still laughably easy for Harry. The Crownlands soldiers at least looked more professional than the sellswords he thought as he used his magic to pass right by them. As soon as he entered the keep he did not need to use his powers to find Prince Jacaerys as he heard the young man shouting with considerable anger, coming from the Small Council Chamber.

Harry rushed onwards and cancelled the magic as he pushed open the doors and saw quite a scene in front of him.

The Small Council was in their seats silent as statues while at two ends of the table Rhaenyra and Jacaerys were on their feet and glaring at each other. Daemon at Rhaenyra's side was likewise glaring at Jacaerys but surprisingly at the young prince's side was Prince Joffrey who was not as confident as his older brother and looked very uncomfortable at the glares being sent his way by his own mother and step-father.

His entry seemed to break the glaring match as everyone turned to look and the sight of him caused an interesting contrast in their reactions. Jacaerys and Joffrey looked pleased, surprised but happy to see him all the same.

The rest of the room was far more negative; many of the Small Council looked at him with distaste and in fact some even looking down their noses at him. Rhaenyra was likewise looking at him with abject dismissal as if he was not worth her time and Daemon was exactly the same.

"Lord Peverell, your presence is not welcome in this chamber." Rhaenyra said and Harry's eyes narrowed before he said his piece.

"I was just coming through the city and feel the need to pass on a report on the situation that is developing in the city. The sellswords hired by Lord Celtigar are negligent in their duties as they are too busy raping and looting to guard the gates, I entered without a single word of opposition. To say nothing of the lack of food and high tax which has many of them claiming Aegon did a greater job of governance." Harry said and saw the instant explosion of rage coming on Rhaenyra's purple face but Jacaerys spoke before it had a chance to come out.

"He is only saying what you need to hear mother! A loan from House Lannister and taxes would not need to be raised too greatly. Moving the sellswords out of the city and putting men of the Crownlands and Narrow Sea on guard here till a new city watch is properly established would decrease crime and corruption in the city drastically. Buying food from Riverland houses would decrease the riots and feed the city, not to mention raising taxes on those that fought for you means they are unlikely to aid you again but you seem to not be interested in this so I think I will take my leave." Jacaerys said and with Joffrey and Harry left the room in disgust. Rhaenyra looked after her son with rage near pouring out of her eyes while Daemon just stared calculating after him.

Harry was very impressed at Jacaerys holding his own the way he had and was more sure than ever he would be a good king, he had a good head on his shoulders and more than enough courage. He could do well on the throne Harry thought and his eyes turned to Joffrey who just stared in adoration at his big brother. Joffrey was young enough to be enthralled by his mother but still he had the good sense to stand with his brother and as the two heirs to her throne (first and second in line) it would be dangerous for her rule to go against them.

Harry was not blind of course to the danger the two of them were in, either green loyalists or those that might hope for Aegon the Younger to be more controllable than his mother or older brothers. Harry also wondered if Daemon might try it to get his own son as heir but swore to himself that he would ensure that Jacaerys remained healthy and safe as possible.

"Big brother, are you alright?" Joffrey asked suddenly, breaking the silence as they reached the Crown Prince's rooms. Jacaerys looked ready to say something to express the anger he was no doubt feeling at his mother but seeing the worry and fear on the face of his brother stopped and instead said as he put a smile on his face.

"I will be fine little brother, are you?"

Joffrey looked like he was going to say yes for a moment but then looked down at his feet and said with misery.

"I miss him...Lucerys, the way thing used to be."

Both Harry and Jacaerys instantly understood, he was grieving deeply for his brother and the divide in his family was making it hard with the war to find an outlet for his grief. Jacaerys immediately put an arm around him and let his brother cry into his shoulder, tears that had been held in far too long.

"But you're so brave." Joffrey said with a sniffle reminding both of them how young he really was, not even a man for a few years yet. "You and Lord Peverell are out there fighting and doing things while me..." He said trailing off. Jacaerys nodded and saw that he was desperate to prove himself and feel like he was worthwhile, so he made a decision.

"Then you can be my squire. You can join me later when we meet up with the army and learn from Lord Peverell and others what it takes to lead and to fight." Jacaerys told him and Joffrey looked instantly excited while Harry was a bit worried about having someone that young and naive near the front but said nothing glad that with Jacaerys and now Joffrey on their side, not to mention all her other children that Rhaenyra seemed to have forgotten about under his roof they had enough to hopefully influence things.

The Banefort, the Westerlands…

Banefort, which got its name from the house that ruled it was at last relaxed as word of the pact between the Lannisters and the Blacks had spread. They now could breathe easy as they knew the Black Army would not threaten them as long as they stayed true to the Lannisters.

However this would not be for long as the guards on the towers of their castle realised when in the early morning dawn they looked out over the ocean that their castle was close too and saw a sight that was known and feared by everyone on the western coast of Westeros.

A fleet of Iron Born longships, baring straight down on them.

They were paralysed for a moment with shock and terror but their grizzled old captain pulled himself together and started ringing the bell that announced they were under attack.

Longships came up to the beach and hordes of screaming, bloodthirsty raiders came running up the beach. The town folk who were still half asleep had little chance of getting to safety or defending themselves and the guards were likewise either asleep or unprepared for a fight.

-x-

Bear Island, the North…

Like other places hit by the Iron Born the attack had been unprovoked and shocked the people of Bear Island but they were far more used to assaults on their land as it came often from either the Iron Born or the Wildlings from Beyond the Wall and therefore were better prepared. They had more people on watch and 'telescopes' that had been bought at great expense from the Peverells but now gave them advanced warning...time enough to get people inside their wooden walled keep and send a raven to Winterfell and other local keeps in hope of getting aid and spreading the warning as far as they could.

The raiders surrounded the keep and jeered and yelled but for their trouble only got arrows and rocks thrown at them. The Iron Born then discovered how useless they were as a fighting force when not on the water, they had no real experience at making siege weapons or even laying siege in general. They did not leave many men on guard and instead simply tore houses apart in search of riches only to find that the North had little that was shiny or valuable. They were a practical people and only did what aided them in survival not building wealth, after all what use was gold if you were dead?

They moaned and argued amongst themselves, they had been promised riches and were finding nothing, for days they fought amongst themselves but on the second day a shape appeared from the east flying straight down at them. It was small at first and most thought it was a bird but then as it got closer they suddenly realised that it was in fact a dragon.

Terror spread quickly as they had been told by their lords that the dragon lords were too busy fighting between themselves to challenge them and now were confronted with one of the terrible beasts that had forced their ancestors to give up all but their home islands and kept them from raiding properly in over a century.

They instantly went to run back to their boats and try to flee but the dragon diving straight out of the sun came down far too quickly to escape or shoot down, bathing them in fire before many had even the chance to scream.

On the walls the people of Bear Island cheered as they saw Baela Targaryen fly past on her dragon, the Iron Born by large destroyed and those that survived fell to their knees with their weapons in surrender.

Dragonstone, the Narrow Sea…

The maester who had replaced the castle's previous one was tending to his damaged legs and wrapping them in tight bindings to help him stand with the aid of a walking stick. Aegon was impatient to walk without the stick but the maester said after looking up.

"I am sorry your grace but the injuries to your legs are too extensive, they will be far too weak to hold up your body without aid for the rest of your life and putting too much weight on them could damage them further, it could well end up with you in a wheeled chair your grace." The maester told him and the thanks the old man got was a smack across the head with Aegon's stick.

"Silence, I will walk again and if you can't find a way to make it happen then I will have your corpse strung up in front of the gates to welcome my sister home! Dismissed!" He snarled at him and the man quickly made his escape which only made Aegon feel more angered at his weakened state. How his body could be failing him like this was beyond belief. He had done nothing wrong, why would the gods punish him this way?

He pushed this unhelpful thought past and struggled to his feet with the bloody stick and made his way to the desk in the solar. He was sure as he struggled into his chair not allowing any of his Kingsguard to help him, that his sister would make reclaiming his throne easier. Her actions in Kings Landing had only made things easy for him, alienating her own army was enough to make him laugh at her foolishness, depending on sellswords that she could barely control.

That did give him a few ideas that would hurt her deeply so he pulled piece of parchment and a quill towards him and started writing a pair of letters, the first to Lord Greyjoy offering to respect the independence of the Iron Islands. He had heard many times from his father that they desired to be free of the Iron Throne to rape and pillage as much as their greedy hearts could manage and that they must always be watched. Well Aegon thought let them rape and reave as much as they wanted as long as it hurt his sister more and there was nothing to stop him reconquering them after the war.

He was the king, he could do as he pleased he thought with considerable entitlement but no one would dare say that too him.

The second letter was to the leader of the sellswords with an offer, gold for the head of Jacaerys. The little bastard was her heir and it would hurt her no end for him to take another of her sons. Maybe a bonus could be offered for Joffrey's too Aegon wondered with a sinister smile.

He would have his supporters deliver them as soon as possible, if he could stir up trouble in Kings Landing though...that would entertain him no end to watch his sister struggle and lose.

Unknown Location, the Reach…

Bellatrix was covered in blood as she stood over the corpses of the wood-witches and war refugees she had discovered hiding and the sheer insult of calling them witches had been enough for her to stop and teach them the enormous error they had made, none of them had a single drop of magic in them and so she had torn them to literal shreds with her magic; entrails, blood and body parts littered the ground and a smile of orgasmic ecstasy came upon her as he revelled in all the carnage.

It had served no real purpose in stopping here and allowing her enemies who were following her some more time to catch up but she had enjoyed it all the same.

Kings Landing, the Crownlands…A Few Days Later...

Lines of men and women lined up at the storehouses were the last remaining grain stores of the city are kept, bakers desperate to get their hands on enough to make bread for their families and maybe more to sell and earn some much needed coin. They all crowded around the area in front of the storehouses, however they were disappointed to find the guards barring their way.

"There is no grain, the last of it was given out yesterday." The leader of the Crownlands knights said as he and his men kept them all from entering.

That did not sit well with the crowd at all as muttering broke out with a mutinous anger spread all across the hundreds gathered there. Nearby a group of Poor Fellows all stood around a cart as one man was helped up onto it. The man many would think looked like a corpse he was so thin and gaunt, his bones showing through the thin rough shirt he was wearing, he was missing a hand and many thought he might have been caught stealing once and had a begging bowel around his neck.

"People hear me!" He called out at the top of his voice. So loudly that many of the crowd turned to face him. "The Seven, the True Gods had shown their displeasure. House Targaryen have proven their godlessness, their dragons are demons spawned from the pits of the Seven Hells to be the doom of men! The so called Queen! A woman who spits on the values that all women should hold dear has brought this horror upon us! We must purge the demons for the gods to repent and give us our grain!" He called out and the crowd instantly started agreeing with him as the fear of dragons after all the destruction they caused reared its ugly head, even for those that had lived in the city and seen dragons every day of their lives it was so right in their desperate, hungry and scared minds that these creatures were demons had brought such ruin upon them and if they killed them then all would become better.

All the crowd started to get increasingly violent and many charged the knights and men guarding the storehouses, the men held their ground as best they could but it was like being hit with a stampede of horses, trampling and kicking them to death. Some did fall to their weapons but very few against so many.

When they forced their way into the storehouses, somehow expecting to see sacks of grains piled everywhere they were enraged to see nothing, no food of any kind. This only riled them up more and they listened to the man that history would one day call 'The Shepard' as he called for them to join him in slaughtering the demons in the pit…and like a pack of rabid animals they started moving through the city, gathering more angry and vengeful people and spreading the discord throughout the area.

-x-

Harry and Jacaerys were preparing to leave, having heard about the attacks by the Iron Born and that some lords had detached men to go home and reinforce coastal keeps but predictably Rhaenyra had ignored the threat. They had become so sick of all this up hill struggling to get anything done that they had decided to just go and deal with it themselves.

Until they noticed the fires and noises being created by the mob as they spread out, rushing over to the battlements they saw in the distance a group of angry and poorly armed common folk attacking a barracks of the Gold Cloaks. They were both hit with an immense feeling of inevitability, they had both known this was coming they just hadn't thought it would come so soon. They might have felt smug at their prediction being proved right if it were not such a dire situation.

"They'll come for the Red Keep soon, I had best organise an evacuation." Jacaerys said knowing full well it was going to be nearly impossible to convince his mother to abandon the city but this was no mere riot. A large portion of Kings Landing's population was rising up against them and outnumbered both the Crownlands forces and sellswords by a huge margin. They would need to leave until the situation had been calmed down or they could return with more men and the rioters had lost cohesion and momentum, so they would more easily forced to back down.

He and Harry were about to leave to get things moving when below them in the yard, a horse suddenly bolted straight through the still open gates, cries of Ser William Royce and Ser Gyles Yronwood called out. "COME BACK YOUR GRACE!"

Harry and Jacaerys rushed down to where the two knights of the Kingsguard were desperately getting their horses ready and Jacaerys came up demanding. "What is going on?"

"Your grace, your brother has seen a large mob heading towards the Dragonpit. He has taken it upon himself to try and save the dragons, jumping on a horse before we could stop him." Ser Royce told them as they were joined by Ser Glendon Goode.

Jacaerys instantly looked horrified at the mere idea of his little brother out there in the middle of a violent civil uprising. He looked ready to ride straight out there after him but Harry knowing he could not be in two places at once stepped in.

"I will go and recover Joffrey, you must get the evacuation sorted and your mother is far more likely to listen to you than to me." Harry told him and Jacaerys was immediately going to reject his advice with his concern for his brother but he was struck by indecision, time was of the essence and Harry would likely be faster than him. So he nodded and said with the mind that Harry was going into a dangerous situation and his sister would kill him if something happened to her husband.

"Very well, but Ser Goode, Ser Royce and Ser Yronwood go with him. Bring my brother to the docks where we will have ships waiting." Jacaerys said and rushed away to ensure all his family's people escaped this nightmare with their heads still attached to their bodies.

-x-

Harry was annoyed at having three knights with him as it meant he could not use his magic around them and now would have to chase after Joffrey on the back of a horse, he quickly climbed on one that was in the stables and took off with the three knights behind him to the Dragonpit. Hoping they might reach the young prince in time.

-x-

In a different part of the castle, a young woman who had once been so proud and full of confidence lay curled up with her dragon wrapped protectively around her, sensing her pain and misery.

Days ago, she had been raped by Daemon Targaryen.

It was a danger all women faced regardless of who they were in this world and one she knew had happened to many in the city which no doubt had added to the anger which sparked this uprising. However all this seemed completely pointless to her and she struggled to cope with the fact that it had happened to her.

She wanted to forget but her nightmares wouldn't let her, she hoped that maybe if she got as far away from this place and specifically Daemon as she could, perhaps travelling the world on her dragon just as she had always dreamed of would ease her pain.

So she gently rubbed Sheepstealer's snout and mounted him, flying east to get as far away from the Targaryens as she could get.

-x-

The Dragonpit…

The vast structure built to hold dragons by Maegor the Cruel, probably to control all dragons with his considerable paranoia was a big factor in the present generations of dragons being smaller than those that came before. Only Harry and Peverells knew this however and if was only because of the horses that he and the knights were riding that they arrived at the Dragonpit just after the prince and just before the Dragon Keepers sealed the doors.

Seeing Joffrey leaping off his horse and running towards Tyraxes, his dragon and Harry ran after him catching up with his longer legs.

"Prince Joffrey! You need to get to the docks with your mother and family." Harry told him but Joffrey without turning around released the chain on his dragon and said.

"I can't let the dragons die! Help me release them. Please!?" He said with desperation and Harry hearing the thumping on the doors that the crowd was making as they tried to force their way in knew they were short on time. But looking at the magnificent creatures that were chained up in the enormous structure and knowing they would all be killed by some zealot mob being led by a mad man he gave a frustrated groan before saying to the knights.

"Break the chains on all the dragons, quickly!" He told them and gave them such a stern glare that they didn't even question it before as covertly as he could cast an unbreakable charm on the door. It was only a weak one and cast on such a large object it would only last about ten minutes but hopefully he thought wondering just how big of a job this was that would be enough. The door continued to echo with the sounds of being hit but stopped moving or breaking while the charm held it together.

Goode, Royce and Yronwood meanwhile broke the chains on the four other dragons in the pit, many of which eyed them suspiciously but did not attack. Harry knew from watching Rani that dragons were far smarter than the beasts many Seven worshipping idiots classed them as and wondered if they were grateful for setting them free. He hoped so as being trapped with five pissed off dragons was not a situation he wanted to be in.

-x-

Back at the Red Keep Rhaenyra was looking out across the city in a state of shock as she saw the fires and heard the cries of an enraged mob. How had it all fallen apart so quickly she thought in stunned disbelief, it had all been going so well she had been the first ruling queen and gotten everything she wanted but now it was coming down around her in a blaze of rioting.

She was broken from this by Jacaerys bursting in to her chambers and the fury on his face was enough to surprise her. As did his voice which was so cold and stern that it reminded her so much of her father when he had been disappointed or angry with her.

"Well, we warned you that this would happen. Unleashing those sellswords and not acting quickly enough to get food into the city before people starting starving, not dealing with your responsibilities and riding high on the advantages the throne brought you. Now it is all falling apart and you are going to leave for Dragonstone till it all calms down and we can get things straightened out."

She instantly opened her mouth to protest, the idea of abandoning her throne was so abhorrent she could not even conceive of any circumstance that would make her leave but then he told her something that made her heart almost stop in abject terror.

"Joffrey is trapped out there in the riot you caused! I've sent Lord Peverell and several of the Kingsguard out after him and they'll bring him to the docks if they find him but right now we need to leave." He said.

But the news that one of her children was out in the middle of that chaos alone shook her to the core, she was suddenly gripped by images of her talented and adorable child laying dead or crippled in the streets as filthy peasants trampled all over his broken body. The sheer idea of losing another of her precious children made her world stop in an instant, taking her back to the moment she had seen Lucerys dead on the beach. The pain of losing him returned with full force and stifled any anger or stubbornness, she could not lose Joffrey the way she had lost Lucerys and the sheer anger and almost hatred on Jacaerys' face where once he had only looked at her with love and adoration was so humbling and heart breaking to her that she didn't have even the smallest amount of argument in her.

"Then we had best go to the docks now." She said quietly, her voice smaller and her face sagging looking older than it ever had before. Jacaerys was shocked at seeing his mother so broken that she instantly went along with what he said but took advantage and got her to come with him and the rest of the court to join their armed escort down to the docks where ships would be waiting. A message had been dispatched by him to Daemon who was currently at Rosby organising food to come to the city to instead meet up with the remaining sellswords in the Westerlands and the main army to fight the Iron Born before marching south to deal with the Reach.

-x-

Dragonpit…

Harry felt the charm give way and turned to look at the door which instantly started splintering and finally gave way, he gritted his teeth as did the knights and dragonkeepers as the mob started flooding in.

However the sudden roars of five grown dragons as they all charged forward stopped the mob in their tracks, their lack of thought put into this coming back to haunt them but only briefly as they would have no chance to regret their error.

The five dragons together breathed their strongest blasts of fire into the great doorway, creating a seemingly unstoppable wave of flame that instantly consumed those in the doorway and were just around it. That stopped the mob charging towards the door who had imagined in their anger and religion intoxicated minds that the gods would make them invincible or stop the dragons from breathing fire, now they were confronted with the reality of the situation.

The Shepard who showing a streak of self preservation you only got with people who used others to do the dirty work for them while staying safely far back and called out with his hypnotically mad eyes glaring.

"LOSE FAITH IN THE GODS AND WE WILL ALL PERISH! CHARGE ON! THE SEVEN WILL PREVAIL!"

However his words had lost their power as five grown dragons came screeching out of the enormous gates, their rage so great that they breathed their fire down on the mob that immediately started screaming and trying to run but could not run fast enough to escape the dragons' power. The dragons bathed them in fire, tens of thousands of people screaming in terror as they discovered they had picked a fight that they simply couldn't win.

The Shepard however proving his own cowardice had turned and fled the moment the dragon fire had blasted his first wave of followers, hobbling away from the scene but that would not save him as Dreamfyre, a dragon that had had once belonged to Helaena Targaryen dived on him and slammed her power tail straight into him. He was flattened like a melon against the cobbled road, later no one would even be able to tell if he had been a man his body was so pulverised.

Harry, the knights and dragon keepers were astounded as they exited the building, worrying that the dragons would go on a rampage and destroy most of the city but were astonished to see that four of the dragons after destroying the mob that had attacked the Dragonpit were actually flying east, in the direction of Dragonstone.

Joffrey who returned with his dragon smiled at their confusion and said.

"Dragons are not mad beasts that attack without reason they know who really means them harm, they will go home Dragonstone where they know they are safe."

Harry sighed in relief, glad their gambit had paid off and said now more at ease.

"Then it is a good thing your grace but now I must return you to your mother."

-x-

Rhaenyra was silent as she watched the city of her birth, that she had ruled briefly but could not bring herself to care even the slightest about leaving it...not when her son was out there alone.

She wanted to return to the city and look for her son but could not summon the will to do it, her voice had been stolen by the knowledge that as a queen she would only be remembered as a failure. A few weeks in power and the people had risen up against her, this had occurred to her while they rode here through the city. She had doomed her own rule with her arrogance and entitlement, history she doubted would think kindly of her.

She had seen the disgust aimed at her by her eldest surviving sons and wondered what she would have to do to make amends...to redeem herself. She had never expected a lesson of such humbling weight but it had finally taken all of this to make her come to her senses.

All the mistakes she had made across the years loomed before her, had she really not learned all she needed to govern or simply expected the realm to run itself while people did whatever she wanted? Had she taught what she did know to her children? Had she really been a mother to them at all? She wondered as those questions and many others rushed through her mind.

Her biggest regrets apart from losing her son was the way her ambition had created a wedge between her and her children who meant the world to her. She loved them more than life itself and would give her life for any of them, but somewhere she had forgotten to show them how much she cared.

Worst of all, Visenya had never even seen that she loved her.

Her daughter, her first child and some said her mirror image that was little more than a stranger to her. The child that had disappointed her by not being a boy and had not been given any of her mother's love throughout her childhood as punishment. An act that now shamed Rhaenyra so deeply, more so that her daughter was a woman now and had a child of her own...a grandson that Rhaenyra had only bothered to see once and had never even held him she thought with misery as the weight of her failures as a queen and more so as a mother became as clear as Myrish glass to her.

She had a great deal of amends to make she realised with despair if it was not to late, she desperately hoped she might have a chance to forge some kind of bond with her eldest daughter not to mention heal the rift with her remaining sons. She prayed silently to the Seven that she was not to late and might be given a second chance to prove how much she loved them all.

Then at the moment she thought that four dragons flew overhead including her own Syrax on their way to Dragonstone and while she could not see Tyraxes amongst them her hopes rose that he would follow moments later. A wish that was granted as she saw him flying above a small column of number of men riding on horseback towards them.

And riding with Tyraxes was Joffrey looking very proud of himself and more importantly to her whole and healthy.

The moment he landed she ran over to him and before he had even slid off his dragon's back she gathered him up in her arms and started giving the surprised Joffrey kisses on the forehead.

"Oh thank the gods, I thought I'd lost you." She said breathlessly and continued holding him so close she could accidentally strangle him. Joffrey was amazed at the sudden change from the last few days but did return the hug and gently rubbed her back.

Lord Peverell and the Kingsguard, not to mention the retainers, sailors and Jacaerys who looked on were also shocked at the change from the arrogant and haughty woman they had known. She released her son enough to look him over and make sure he was not hurt before turning to Lord Peverell and telling him with tears of joy running down her face.

"Thank you Lord Peverell, I thought that I had lost him." She told him with eyes so bright and her smile so wide she looked so different to the woman he had met on his first trip here, not so different to Visernya. Harry was taken aback and merely bowed before saying.

"It was nothing your grace, if anything it was your son that saved us from the mob by releasing all the dragons." Harry told her and Jacaerys decided to take over with a look of confusion at the changes in his mother.

"I have sent word for Daemon and the sellswords to join up with the main army in the Westerlands, hopefully there they might be some use at last. I will fly out today once my mother and brother are on their way to Dragonstone." Jacaerys said and Harry was immediately revolted at the idea of having either Daemon or those vicious sellswords in their army let alone both at the same time and vowed to keep a close eye on them. This honestly felt like a recipe for disaster to him but decided to challenge Jacaerys later when alone.

"I am proud of you, you will make a fine king." Rhaenyra suddenly said, looking with pride at her son. "Take Ser Royce and Ser Yronwood with you, I'd feel safer if you had them there to guard you. And Lord Peverell...Harry." She amended which only made this feel more strange as she turned to address him looking suddenly nervous. "Could you please pass a message to my daughter? I don't think she will listen to me if I send it myself." She told him with a look of pain crossing her face.

Harry, Jacaerys and Joffrey now all shared a look of slight disbelief that this was the woman they had been cursing only this morning. Harry turned to her and said slowly.

"Very well but I can't promise she will listen or respond."

Rhaenyra nodded with pained acceptance before saying.

"I know but please just tell her that I love her and I am sorry that I have not been a true mother to her. She is so beautiful and clever, she would have made a far better queen than I and I hope she can find it in her heart to forgive me. Maybe even give us the chance to get to know each other properly?" She said with a pleading look in her eyes.

Harry was unsure if Visenya would accept these words but decided he would tell her, lying to his wife was something he would not do putting their relationship first over other concerns. She had kept his family's secret and given him such a perfect son how could he deceive her? He couldn't and decided to return briefly to Godric's Hollow that night, sending Jacaerys and the Kingsguard ahead so he could make sure whatever happened he would be there for her.

Near Tumbleton, the Reach…

The Green army led by Lord Ormund Hightower had made camp and was disciplined, a good and strong army Lord Ormund thought with pride and ready to make itself felt in the war.

They had not rallied prior to this as House Tyrell jumped up stewards though they were Ormund thought with derision as had many Reach houses refused to pick a side and on the off chance that they did neither they nor the traitors that supported the Usurper Queen would be risk being attacked while their army was away fighting.

The news that the king was dead had been he thought a shocking blow to their moral but the arrival of Prince Maelor and Princess Jaehaera had bolstered their spirits and the news that the king was still alive and planning his return had finally given him the confidence to rally not only his own men but those of Houses Roxton, Bourney and Peake. They had ridden to the town of Tumbleton which was held by one of the Black supporters and blocked the road to Kings Landing, once passed it they would link up with Lord Baratheon's army and finally restore the king to his rightful throne. The mere thought of it, especially as the king in question had Hightower blood in him filled Ormund with pride.

So as he sat in his chair at the table with the other lords eating dinner he was calm and relaxed knowing the Blacks had no idea what was coming and would soon be put in their place, the sound of a dragon's roar both confused and scared him. It could not be Prince Daeron's dragon as he was guarding the young prince and princess back at Oldtown and the king was still at Dragonstone, so that meant it had to be one of the Black's dragons and so they rushed out and their hearts sank at the sight of two dragons but strangely they did not attack and instead landed in the centre of the camp. Two men jumped off and Ormund realised these two men were not Targaryens but Dragonseeds, people with Valyrian blood but not officially connected to the Targaryens.

One was thin and lanky, his eyes however were sharp and had a slyness too them while the other man was huge, easily reaching near seven feet tall and had muscles to match. He had a war hammer in hand that looked ready to crush a man with a single blow and like his fellow he too had a sharp look in his eye.

"Lord Hightower? You command here?" The shorter man asked as their men all looked terrified at the presence of the dragons. Ormund nodded with great unease and suspicion and the bigger man faster than any of them could blink took his war hammer and slammed it down hard on Ormund, smashing his hammer down so hard that his head was flattened like a melon.

The rest of the lords and men around them all looked at them with shock on their faces before the shorter man with a grin that you might see on a shark said.

"Wrong, we command here now. We will win you Tumbleton, the town will be yours. Are we understood?" Ulf the White said with a smug smirk and behind him Silverwing and Vermithor both snarled at the men around them and one by one they sank to their knees and kneeled before them.

Ulf smirked even wider as did Hugh at his side, they honestly had never felt more powerful at that moment and able to take whatever they wanted whenever they wanted.

Hugh wanted to be king, something that was certainly ambitious but Ulf was more reasonable and decided he would go after Highgarden when they had more support. With their two dragons and the rest of the Blacks in chaos the timing couldn't be better to take what they wanted. Ulf walked over and took the sword from the dead Lord Hightower's waist, Vigilance for himself. He could have waxed on about it being Valyrian steel and rightfully belonging to a Valyrian but really the truth was that he wanted it.

So he just...took it. Simple as that really.

-x-

The men of House Footley had been promised a pair of dragons to aid in their defence so they were actually somewhat cheered up when Silverwing and Vermithor appeared on the horizon but then realised that they were coming from the wrong direction, they were flying up from the south rather than down from the north but hoped that they had flown south first to head off the Green army.

Well in some twisted way, they were right but had no chance to really realise this as the two dragons dived down on them, the town and the troops within the town's walls.

It was like Duskendale all over again as great jets of flame burned the buildings and occupants to the ground, they had kept their promise in a way...they had delivered Tumbleton into their hands.

Or rather its burned out ruins.

Godric's Hollow, the Riverlands…

The night air was disrupted by the sudden pop that announced Harry's arrival at his ancestral home, the sight of him shocked Visenya who was taking a moment to rest from dealing with their son and Harry's younger brother Godric and have some time to herself. The shock only lasted a moment though as she leapt to her feet and rushed into his arms. He picked her up and swung her around before pulling her in for a kiss with all the passion of months apart. She kissed back with just as much emotion so happy to be reunited after so much had happened. They only ended the kiss because they needed air and a shuffling in a nearby cot drew both of their attention.

Harry approached it with trepidation, he knew full well what was inside but couldn't help but feel a lump in his throat as he looked down at his son, he saw the patch of dark hair on his head but as much as he wanted too the boy was sleeping so peacefully Harry couldn't bring himself to disturb Aenar. He reassured himself that he would get that chance in the morning, the gentle hand of Visenya as she wrapped her arms around him comforted him somewhat.

"He's already starting to walk, he stumbles a little but he gets more steady on his feet every time he does it." Visenya said with pride as she rested her head against his shoulder. A pained smile appeared on Harry's face and she noticed immediately asking him with a worried look. "What's wrong?"

Harry looked her in the eye before with a voice that sounded so depressed and sad that it honestly seemed incredibly out of place coming from her normally confident husband. Eventually after a moment passed he told her with great regret.

"He's grown so much and I have not been here to see any of it."

Instantly she understood and sympathised, turning him so she could embrace him properly in an attempt to comfort him. He returned it, this war had torn them away from each other and it was far from done yet. The fact he might miss his son's first nameday haunted him nearly every night and the absence of those closest to him hurt, he bared it but it would not something he would forgive those that had created the situation.

When their embrace had turned passionate neither of them could tell but soon they were kissing each other with all they were worth, his arms wrapped around her and pulled her against him and she wrapped hers around his neck.

Somehow they remembered their son was in the room and moved away to the bed on the other side, one the way he undid her dress buttons while she pulled his tunic and breeches away till they were both naked and fell onto the bed.

They wrestled each other at first but Harry with his greater strength got the upper hand and came out on top. He paused as he looked her in the eye, her eyes warm and flush with need and he knew that he was just the same, the feeling of her soft and slender body beneath him was easily the most erotic and amazing feeling in his entire life.

Neither of them was capable of words, instead he bend down and started kissing the sensitive spot on her neck, causing her body to shiver with sensation as he gently nipped and sucked before moving down her swanlike neck and to her shoulders before she grabbed his head with her hands to force him to kiss her on the mouth again. He didn't resist and plundered her mouth before resuming his journey southward down her body. Her breasts, so perfect in shape and firm with perfect nipples were his target, gently he nipped at them and she shuddered. Switching his attention from one to the other he worshipped her body, a pure blend of sensuality and softness.

She was a goddess in his eyes.

He kissed his way down her flat stomach that showed no sign of her pregnancy until he reached the space between her legs.

The 'Southern kiss' was something Sirius and his father had told him about much to his embarrassment and when they had first been married he had been too nervous to try it but now did his best to please his wife.

She gasped in pleasure as he probed her with his tongue, finding the right place quickly, she thrust her hips involuntary as his torment continued and she came undone after only a short time. Never had she experienced anything like that before but she was still so aroused that with a strength that shocked even her she flipped them both over and mounted her husband, impaling herself on his manhood.

She began riding him at a furious speed and it was all Harry could do in his pleasure addled mind to keep up with her, his hands gripping her hips so tightly that it was certain to leave bruises.

They lost themselves in that moment until finally they came together and she collapsed onto his chest. Their breathing rapid he gently held her face and looked deeply into her eyes, they just stared at each other with their bodies covered in sweat.

In that moment nothing existed beyond the two of them, their hearts seemed to be beating in tune with each other and Harry in a breathless whisper said.

"I love you."

The words hung the air, so full of meaning and emotion that they could not be misunderstood or not felt deeply, she could barely hold back tears before kissing him deeply before saying.

"And I love you."

Visenya lay her head on his chest and he held her in his arms, it had never been said before now how much they had come to care for one another but now they honestly could say that they truly loved each other. Their feelings of respect and friendship had deepened into this without them even realising it but the time apart had finally allowed to express those feelings and not hide them any more. They both fell asleep in each other's arms and felt more secure than they had for a long time.

-x-

When the sun came through the window and their son woke in need of food, reluctantly the pair opened their eyes and got to their feet still naked but not caring in the slightest. Visenya took Aenar and held him to her breast, it did not take long for her son to latch on and drink from her. Harry did smile at the picture of his wife and child in such an intimate moment and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, kissing her forehead as she leaned into him.

"Your parents will be glad to see you. After the Faceless Men tried to poison your father he and your mother have been more worried about you than ever." Visenya said and Harry instantly stilled at the mention of someone trying to kill his father but Visenya prevented an outburst by pressing her mouth to his and when breaking away said. "But he was saved by your phoenix and your mother apparently destroyed the order, definitely something I wish I could have seen." She said with a smile. Harry now knowing his father had survived was deeply relieved and said with some amusement.

"My mother has always been the strongest and most assertive in our family, she would never tolerate any threat." Harry said and held his wife closer who told him.

"They are trying to make some sort of magic map that shows just who is in the town and their location but are struggling because a man named Remus knew a lot of the magic and they don't know how he did it. Who is Remus?" She asked with curiosity never having heard the name before.

Harry thought hard for a moment, he had heard the name in passing on occasion from his father and Sirius but little more.

"I think he was a friend of theirs in their youth but apart from that I don't know. However speaking of family, I have a message from your mother." Harry said reluctant to break the peace and joy of the moment and hated the way Visenya instantly stiffened in his arms, only relaxing when their son made a noise of distress feeling the tension in his mother.

"What?" She asked suspiciously while trying to calm her son. Harry grimaced before telling her what Rhaenyra had said, Visenya stood there with a look of disbelief on her face.

She honestly thought for quite awhile that Harry was making this up to try and ease her relationship with her mother for the time being but the way he described the events in Kings Landing and his distaste for her mother made her reconsider. The one thought running through her head was that her mother could not be trusted, not with the disregard she had for others but in a small part of her mind she could not help but hope this was all true, the remaining part of her that was the little girl who wanted her mother's love desperately wanted to believe it.

She decided to hold her judgement till she spoke with her mother face to face which was unlikely but she had to think of her siblings and what was best for them. She chose not to tell Harry of the horrible dreams she had been having of late, images that filled her with dread but she struggled to understand. She had sometimes convinced herself that these were just bad dreams brought on by the stress of worrying for her family in this war but once when she was a child her grandfather had sat her on his knee and when she told him she had a bad dream told her that sometimes their family were blessed with visions of the future and she should listen to them.

She desperately hoped that this was not the case as she could feel rather than know that something bad was going to happen in her bones but had not clear idea just what it was. How could she warn her family when she did not even believe in the dreams truly herself.

There you are, hope you enjoyed that. I hope you might let me know what you think with a review.

Next Chapter – Rhaenyra is in for a nasty surprise and things get very rough at the front.

Brief run down of who is who at this point in the story in regards to House Targaryen, I will do a run down of the houses that support them in the next chapter.

Greens – King Aegon the 2nd

Prince Maelor Targaryen (2nd Son and current Heir)

Princess Jaehaera Targaryen (Daughter)

Prince Daeron Targaryen (Aegon's brother and head of the Kingsguard)

Blacks – Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen

Ser Daemon Targaryen (Rhaenyra's consort and 2nd husband)

Prince Jacaerys Velaryon (Rhaenyra's eldest son and heir)

Prince Joffrey Velaryon (3rd Son)

Prince Aegon Targaryen (4th son and first son by Daemon)

Prince Viserys Targaryen (5th son and second by Daemon)

Princess Alysanne Targaryen (Youngest child and second daughter)

Rhaenys Targaryen (Rhaenyra's former Mother in law)

Visenya Peverell (first born child of Rhaenyra and now married to Harry Peverell, one son Aenar)

Baela Targaryen (First born daughter of Daemon, betrothed to Jacaerys)

Rhaena Stark (Twin sister to Baela, married to Lord Cregan Stark. One son Eddard, twin children on the way)