the return of the red queen. shocking revelations. a new player has entered the game.

AN: hello guys. A continuing story arc. Hope to get the two mc meeting by chapter 12-15. Idk. Just focused on this specific chapter for right now. Will read through the fic after this and determine my own opinions on it so far.

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Dragonstone, 8th moon of 129 AC

(RHAENA pov)

It's been days since my grandmother went to rooks rest to offer support and break the siege. I haven't been able to sleep properly since she left. The thoughts of getting informed of her demise like Luke's almost too much to bear.

Had grandmother herself not put men of driftmark around me she trusted as guards, i and morning Would already be there. The thoughts of my dragon make me wish to see her. To have her warmth on my cheeks and make myself feel like everything will be okay if I'm in the sky flying about.

Unfortunately my grandmother is much to shrewd for her own good, as she has explicitly forbidden me from seeing morning while she's away. Normally such a thing wouldn't have flown, even from my own grandmother.

But after the death of Luke, everyone in my house has been holding eachother closer than ever. Almost stranglingly close.

I know baela feels the same way. A smile breaks out onto my face at her name.

'Ah yes. Someone to share in my misery' I make may way towards her room knowing she is under the same restrictions I am.

With two guards outside her door I wrap my hand on the door twice awaiting the sarcastic comment of baela to let me know I can come in.

After a minute of silence though I grow worried. 'Is something wrong? Baela woild never sleep in. It's against her whole mood of flying dancer…. In… the morning.' My mind stops as I run out of the keep with my guards hailing me to stop.

But I can't. If what I think is true baela is already gone.

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After catching my breath and explaining to the guards I would not try to fly morning I simply needed to look inside the cave, I walked towards it.

Arriving at the shared caves of our dragons I see only morning. No dancer. 'Dammit baela. Why couldn't you have taken me?!' I shout to myself. Angry at my sister but more so at myself for not thinking of it.

As I pull my head out of the cave I hear the sounds of baela and my grandmothers dragons.

Looking back up into the sky I see them heading towards the keep. Showing my guards their arrival I then run in, greet my beautiful pink dragon with pets and words of love.

After a few minutes of petting I clamber up her back and order her out.

Once we get airborne I command her to go to her sister. She instantly shrieks seeing dancer and we make a beeline for the beach where the court has gathered to welcome my grandmother home after a successful campaign.

As morning lands on the beach, she lowers her wing and I slide down it to the sand below. Chuckling at the fun I had on the way down.

However the courtyard is quiet. Looking to my grandmother I see why. She looks incredibly tired. And a sling is put around her shoulder. Baela and jace have already swarmed her. Asking too many questions to answer.

Walking up and trying to keep my court mask on that my sibling and cousin forgot, I speak to my grandmother.

(So good to see you arrive back grandmother. I do hope you'll come inside and tell us tale of your exploits over a meal.)

My words seem to have shocked everyone there. As it was probably assumed I'd be the one freaking out while baela and jace kept cool. But since my last dream about the unknown man, my insecurities seem to fall by inches slowly away from me.

The little girl who doesn't speak her mind is gone. I knew it the moment I woke up from the last dream where I finally saw clear images of the man atop his black dragon.

The only question remains, who's going to take that little girls place? That's something I myself still don't know. But I remain excited to find out. These dreams opened up so many possibilities to me, who'd been betrothed from near birth to my cousin.

I had accepted my fate. For a women could do much worse than lucerys as far as husbandry goes. The need to keep me and my sister away from the greens were only a small part though. Another reason the marriages were set was to pacify my grandparents about being passed over 2 times. Once at the great council and the other in the attempted betrothal of my mother to king viserys.

Moving past all the lustful lords I gave a simple nod of acknowledgment to the queen to avoid showing anymore of my body than absolutely necessary. 'These damn andals with Valyrian coloring. Just you wait. My grandfather is on his way home. And He will kill any man who dares look at me as they do now.

He may not be a dragon, but the volatile nature of the seas run through his veins just as dragons blood runs through mine.

I hope all is well with him. As my grandmother seemed distracted after returning from driftmark. She usually would talk to me about anything, so seeing her not be willing to do so worries me. That and the fact that she all but begged to be sent to the rook means she and I have much to discuss.

And from the look In my grandmothers eye, it's clear she needs to speak to me alone as well.

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(RHAENYS pov)

After waking up In the arms of Zayne Valhalla I was informed that I had an arrow in my shoulder. Courtesy of ser criston.

But that was at the bottom of my list of concerns.

Valhalla.

Rippling Valyrian steel eyes like Rhaena described.

The young man had looked at me strangely before chuckling. He told me not to let a maester near me. That he'd done a fine job at sewing the wound and making sure it was clean. I wonder what his problem with the order is.

It was so much so that when the maester tried to examine me lord Valhalla held him up by his neck agaisnt a wall and said words so softly that I didn't even hear them.

The man looked terrified after the young dragonlord spoke and dropped him to the ground, literally scurrying away from the young man like the grey rat their order is said to be called in derision.

Lord zayne also informed me to use only boiled water on it. No water unless boiled. I kept in the back of my mind over the days of recovery. But in truth that was the least of my worries.

It was what we spoke of next that truly has my attention, and as I walk through Dragonstone ready to tell the queen what happened at the rook i find myself nervous. The words he spoke not kind ones. I only hope her temper remains in check.

For this is not an enemy one should make lightly.

A Valhalla. The first of the 40 families. The very route of the name Valyria. There was one on westerosi soil. And he had saved me from the hightowers.

Not only that. But he had a wolf as tall as a man and fiercer than five. He had people he said will starve should he spend much time on the mainland. He kept saying that, mainland. Which means he's on an island. Which one is hard to say.

As my musing ended i noticed I, my grandchildren, and the queen were alone i the painted chamber, 'Time to tell them' I think casting a nervous glance at rhaena.

I have listened to her go on and on about the man In her dreams. And I think I've just met him.

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(RHAENA)

We all sat down around the painted table. My grandmother having difficulty with it. You could tell the injury she suffered is still bothering her.

You could also see however, the strength she has to bite her tongue and bear it. This is all the more impressive with my grandfather Corlys not being here.

Many soldiers make a dead sprint to their wives after war. The need to be in the presence of a comfort to large. But grandmother hasn't even asked about Corlys. Her mind seemed to be halfway around the world while her body was in a trance.

She broke out of it and turned to me, the look she had in her eyes was one that set me on edge. I could feel the hairs atop my nape standing straight on end.

The words she spoke sounded like they were said underwater.

(I was saved by a dragonlord,) the gasps from my family were not too hard to identify. As a dragonseed not connected to the royal family was cause for concern.

But it was the next words she spoke that truly set me on edge. The look she gave me one of understanding. (The young man named himself Zayne Valhalla. While I and any other true Valyrian would be enraged by such a claim... his eyes are what made me stay my hand. That and the vermithor sized dragon he mounts.

It was like two pools of molten Valyrian steel. With dragonfire spread throughout, all culminating in a beautiful red pool around the center.)

That was what did me in. I had to get out of here. My grandmother had met the man I'd been dreaming off.

I quickly made my way to my chamber, the driftmark guards dutifully falling into step behind me as I rushed to see the picture I'd drawn.

I reach the chamber, grab my picture, sit by the window, and just look into those beautiful eyes.

I was so envious my grandmother got to see them for true before me.

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(RHAENYRA)

As I watch my stepdaughter all but sprint out of the chamber door I raise an eyebrow at Rhaenys.

The queen who never was just smiled and shook her head. Apparently needing to discuss it alone. Something I can understand.

After hearing about the death of the usurper my joy knows no bounds. For 5 and 10 years the cloud of who should sit the throne had weighed on me. From the time I was Rhaena and baelas Age all the way until now almost 2 decades later.

(Tell me cousin, where is this dragonlord you claim to have saved you? He should be present at my court ready to receive the rewards such actions garner.)

What she said In response makes my blood boil with dragonfire.

With a shake of the head she spoke, (I apologize my queen. But the refused to bend his knee.)

That started an entirely different debate. What to do abou the new threat.

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RHAENYS

The queen whispers something into jace's ear that I cannot hear. After, she went to inform the court of some of the details, my grandson turned to me with a serious look In his eye. One I've rarely seen on him.

(Speak to me of Zayne Valhalla).

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An: not a long pov. Just setting up his attitude for later :)

Gaemon Celtigar pov

I'm sitting looking out over the south side of the island of Dragonstone as I await my brother gormond's return from the meeting with the queen.

My brother is 5 and 10 years older than me. So our differences are immense.

What has always been the same though is our ambition.

We both see the celtigars as overlooked. Under appreciated. That will end with this war.

For our contributions will get us a dragon princess I'm sure. My sons will ride dragons. The death of prince lucerys was a gift from the seven to my family. One we plan on taking full advantage of.

I loose myself in those thoughts as I look out the window to the crashing tides below, ever present the sound is, creating a rhythmic melody that would be very very noticeable should it ever stop.

My fantasies of becoming a dragonlord family are broken when my brother all but kicks the door down, the look on his face one of fury.

His words give me a little more context as to why he's angry. But I don't truly understand.

"that seven damnned dragonseed!"

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Red keep, Blackwater bay, 8th moon 129 AC

(Otto POV)

Everything was going exactly as I had planned. Okay, maybe the realm on the brink of burning isn't what I had in mind.

But my oldest grandson sits the throne, and his brother rides the most fearsome mount outside of the cannibal. But no man would be fool enough to try and tame such a beast. For what kind of being eats it's own kind? Animal or not.

Moving on from thoughts of the wild, unnatural beasts my family has been trying to slowly erraticate since they made landfall on the shores of westeros. And if we can't erraticate them, we chose to have them for our own.

The second option worked perfectly after the first one successfully kept viserys from having a male heir. I do not know how the blacks queen made it through her birth, 'twas always a stubborn one,' I thought bitterly to myself as I recall the day I begged her on the steps of Dragonstone to stop this folly.

To follow the laws of gods and men set in precedent for thousands of years.

But her dammed uncle/husband had unleashed his infamous temper. Running almost any hope of resolution.

That hope was turned to ash when aemond arrived back at kings landing a kingslayer. this was further stopped when assassins killed my first great grandchild jaehaerys. Which then led to my foolish grandson murdering innocent men for the deeds of one.

In truth,I saw too much of Daemon's attitude in aemond and too much of viserys' foolishness In aegon. A sad fate. But one i brought upon myself. Now I can only steer aegon and try to placate aemond. Though I fear for both those paths success as the days go by. Thankfully, we also have cristin Cole, a foolish boy at heart, so easily wrapped around a womens finger. If not for his mind at war I would've dismissed him long ago. He looks at Alicent the way he looked at Rhaenyra. Unlike the foolish dragon however, my daughter knows better than to entertain such foolish ideas.

I'm broken out of my musings by the all too familiar sound of vhaegar returning after a successful campaign. As the last of the conquerors dragons, there are few who can match her.

As I look out the window however, the expected answer of sunfyre doesn't come. And seeing the dragon for true now I see she's alone. My mind races. What's happened?

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Blackwater bay, 130 AC

(AEMOND POV)

As I see the red keep in the distance, my mind is aflame with rage. This unknown dragon seed. The gall of him to interfere with our plans. We would've surely won the war after defeating meleys. For there were no other experienced dragons in combat among the blacks save for the blood wyrm.

But now, this new one has entered the game. I'll have to get grandfather to scour the spy's for information on this dragon seed. Maybe I can kill my uncle before dealing with him.

From the sound the obsidian beast that ate my brother and his dragon made, I'll surely need to fight him alone with no other riders in the vacinity. For the sound the beast made was unlike any I've ever heard. Not even vhaegar after chewing lucerys up made such a dominant sound that shook the bones of my chest.

Not to mention he injured vhaegar with an arrow to her eye! Damn it. Why is everyone so hell bent on blinding me?!?!?

There is one thing about this battle that is a plus though. Now, I will sit the iron throne. And with vhaegar at my beck and call, nobody, not even Otto Hightower, can tell me what to do anymore.

The last thing I need to ensure stays to plan is the trade agreement with the triarchy in exchange for sacking from driftmark to hull. Taking their pound of flesh back to their homes.

Such a thing matters not to me, only beating the blacks. Because now? It's my birthright i fight for.

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I break from my musing as vhaegar and I land. I immediately scream at the dragon keepers trying to corral my mount as she shrieked in agony from the arrow.

I slowly aproach, (to me vhaegar)

Her head lowers and I see the arrow. Fitted with black fletching and white wood. Weirwood. A clue.

Putting that aside from now I grab onto the shaft of the arrow and pull with all my might.

The agonizing screech I get in return tugs my cold heart. But I must help get this out or she will die.

As soon as I get it out I see why such a thing hurts.

The damn things made from Valyrian steel. Made in an odd manner.

I don't get time to further examine the blade when my grandfathers voice rings out, "what the hells has happened?"

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AN: a shorter chalyer than I originally anticipated. One that will be continued later today.

I Hope this chapter provided a better look at the situation on Dragonstone and the red leep before and after aegon II death.

I don't remember for sure if theres imagines to be had in this chapter, but if there is and they aren't up by the time you read, just give me time. I assure you I'm trying.

Enjoy 🖖❤️