The Dragon Queen

The Future - Part I

Winterfell - 282 AC

Brandon, Eddard, Lyanna, and Benjen Stark stood in a line before the desk of their father. Rickon Stark sighed and looked at his children in disapointment.

"You got Barbrey Ryswell pregnant," Rickon looked at Brandon with disappointment, but not that surprised. "Even though you know I've been talking with Lord Tully about a betrothal with his oldest daughter, Catelyn."

"I will not marry a trout, especially not one who preaches about Family, Honour, Duty, yet the moment she can sees she can gain something she turns on her sister without any shame or guilt," Brandon defied him. "I have married Barbrey, our men would have not accepted anything eles. Especially, since no betrothal contract has been signed."

"This will cause us some issues with the Riverlands," Rickon sighed.

"Why should we care about trouts? It is Dorne we get the most food from," Brandon raised an eyebrow.

"Because we might be dealing with some issues with them soon," Rickon muttered under his breath, but none of his children heard him. "You Eddard? What's your excuse? You sneaked out from the Eyrie and married Ashara Dayne in Runestone. Why? I was already in talks with her parents about her marrying you, as the future lord of Moat Cailin they would have not said no."

"News reached me that my brother had runaway with Lady Ryswell... I did not wish to fulfill his betrothal contract, if there had been one on place," Eddard admitted.

"Sorry Ned," Brandon winced, not realizing how his haste decision could have affected his siblings.

"Have children they say! It's the most wonderful thing in the world they say!" Rickon Stark barked a dry laugh, making his children wince in shame. "They have not raised wolves before, that's for sure!" He shook his head and turned to Lyanna. "What about you daughter? Punching a heir on the face? Your brother's Foster brother at that?"

"Lady Arryn had my back on that," Lyanna growled with no shame. "That drunkard you wanted to match me with, had sired two naturalborn children already! One in the Vale and another one in the Stormlands. Not to mention, he tried to grope me!"

Rickon's face, as every singly one of her brothers', darkenen in rage. You could clearly see why they are called wolves, right there and then.

"I will ripe that bastard's throat apart!"

"No wonder I never liked being around him in the Vale!"

"Where is he? I will show him to mess with a Stark!"

"Enough! I will write to his parents and make sure this will be dealt with, do not worry daughter, you won't marry him," Rickon assured her.

"Thank..."

"You will be marrying Rhaegar Targaryen," Rickon finished, as his children staed at him in shock disbelief. A satisfied smirk spread through his lips. "See! It's not nice being on the receiving end!"

"I'm sorry, I will be marrying WHO?!" Lyanna shouted in disbelief.

"But Prince Rhaegar is already married father," Benjen protested.

"Not anymore..." Rickon frowned, lowering his head. "King Aemon, Prince Aerys, and Princess Elia have soccumbed to the Grey Scale."

"What?" Brandon paled, as the rest of his silbings stared at the father horrified.

"The king is dead..." Ned whispered shocked. "Grey Scale, is that not the disease from Essos? I know that Ashara was meant to go with the princess to Essos for business, but she sneaked out to come to the Vale." Ned swored under his breath. "She could have been infected too. Oh, Ashara... she will be devastated! She loved Princess Elia..."

"We all did," Lyanna murmured. "She was a great Princess... her poor children! Aegon had only just been born."

"King Aemon did not have an heir," Brandon pointed out, showing that as wild as he is, he is also a great heir to Winterfell. "With Prince Aerys dead, Prince Rhaegar, his children, and Prince Viserys of the Stepstones are the only heirs to the throne."

"Princess Rhaella is also pregnant," Rickon informed them. "However, House Targaryen lost their main house and Prince Rhaegar will need to have more heirs." Rickon locked eyes with his daughter. "He will need the backing of two Great Houses to support his reign, as the realm will not be this unstable since King Viserys. When Queen Rhaenyra took the throne stability came to the realm and we have only grown since."

"Dorne won't like it," Ned muttered, shaking his head like a wolf. "They love... loved, Princess Elia. Ashara is always telling me how protective her brothers are of her, especially Oberyn... the Red Viper."

"They know it must be done, it will secure the position of Princess Elia's children," Rickon replied.

"Secure?" Benjen asked in disbelief. "Brining in a new Princess, future Queen and have more kids, won't secure their claim."

"That would have been true if Prince Rhaegar had taken a Lannister or Tully as his next wife," Rickon raised an eyebrow. "Which is why Doran Martell made sure to... strongly recommend he takes a Stark wife." Rickon smiled, as he watched his kids puff their chests in pride. "It is well known that we would never take the claim of someone else, Stark honour is well-known."

"What else did Prince Martell get out of it?" Brandon asked slily, earning a proud look of his father.

Now if he only was not so difficult, Rickon thought. That would be aksing for too much. I'll just wish for my grandchildren to be better... or maybe for them to be worse and show Brandon all I've suffered through. Rickon shook his head. No, he would only laugh and encourage them, leaving me to clean up their mes combined.

"Prince Viserys will be betrothed to Princess Arianne Martell and will become the Prince Consort of Dorne," Rickon shared. "As Prince Viserys rides the dragon Tyraxes, the dragon of the first dragonrider of Dorne, both Prince Rhaegar and Prince Doran saw it as a sign. Princess Rhaenys will be heir to the throne, as per Targaryen traditions of the firstborn, and Prince Aegon will inherite the Stepstones." He turned to Lyanna with a gentle expresión. "If you birth a son, he will marry Rhaenys and become King Consort, and if you birth a daughter, she will marry Aegon and become Princess of the Narrow Seas and Lady of the Stepstones."

"They are trying to combine both bloodlines, so there won't be any inheritance dispute," Lyanna murmured. "Just like Queen Rhaenyra did with Princess Rhaenys granddaughters and her sons."

"Smart, then again, Prince Doran Martell has always been smart," Brandon murmured.

"Benjen," Rickon suddenly said, making the boy startle and straighten up under the attention. "You will finally get to fulfill your dream. You will be going south, to squire for Ser Arthur Dayne. You will become a knight, a White Cloak." Rickon smiled softly at his son's awed and excited expression. "Protect you sister in King's Landing."

"I will father," Benjen promised, standing tall.

"Hey! I can do that myself!" Lyanna protested, howling like the shewolf she is.

That day, Rickon Stark's office was filled with carefree laughter, as the Lord of Winterfell basked on having al lof his children under one roof. One moon later they would be heading to King's Landing and later they will all be going different ways.

For now, though, Rickon enjoyed it, to his heart's content.