THE BEGINNING OF A GOLDEN AGE
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304 AC, Winterfell
Getting married again wasn't something Alyssa ever thought she would do. She hadn't even thought it would happen a second time. This wedding would be to a man she already had wed over twenty years, but it was so much more than that.
It would be the starting point of a new era - and hopefully a more peaceful one. The marriage would finally be under a Heart Tree, before her own Gods, which in a way made it feel like she was getting married for real for the first time.
But unlike her previous nuptials, that both had taken place in the Sept of Baelor in front of hundreds of witnesses, this would be a quiet affair. Now was not the time to spend a lot of gold on a royal wedding, not when all the Seven Kingdoms were still recovering from years of civil wars.
Also, unlike her previous weddings, she did not have any of her fathers or brothers with her. Ned was the only one who had been with her both times and his presence would truly be missed. Losing Brandon had been difficult for her, but at least she had Ned and Benjen. Now she was all alone.
Sure, she still had her children and she was so grateful for them. But they didn't have the same comforting presence that her brothers had. It was her duty to bring them comfort, not the other way around.
"You look so beautiful, Mama," Joanna smiled sweetly when Alyssa finished getting ready for the ceremony. Her stormy grey eyes, that were so much like her own, glimmered with awe.
"Not even close to as beautiful as the two of you will look one day when you are wed," Alyssa looked fondly between her two youngest daughters.
Joanna's golden hair fell down to her waist in loose curls. Around her head she wore a circlet made out of leaves of gold that was the same shade as the golden embroidery on the yellow dress she wore. A beautiful necklace hung around her neck, with a ruby at the end.
Lucelia's dark brown hair was pulled away from her face by two braids from the crown of her head that met in a bun at the back. Her dress was grey with silver embroidery and around her neck hung a necklace similar to her sister but with a sapphire instead of a ruby.
"If you ever find a man worthy of you - which may never happen," Alyssa added playfully. "And even if you find one, I'm certain your father or brothers would find a way to chase him away - that is if Arya doesn't kill them before that happens."
Both girls laughed a little at that, making Alyssa's heart warm. To see her baby girls happy after so much suffering, after they had been forced to grow up quicker than anyone could have predicted, was like seeing the sun for the first time.
"You two know how much I love you, right?" Alyssa asked them, wrapping her arms around them.
"We know," the twins chorused.
"And you know that even though your father and I-"
"Aren't married it doesn't mean you two love us any less," the twins said at the same time, having heard both Alyssa and Jaime tell them that before.
There was a knock on the door and Alyssa called for the person to enter. She was both shocked and happy when she realised that it was Lyrella, dressed in a dark blue dress.
"Ella," Joanna smiled at her older sister and wrapped the girl in a quick and warm hug, not caring that they only had known each other for a few days.
Both Joanna and Lucelia were happy to finally have an older sister and had welcomed both their half-siblings into the family with open arms. Lyrella had appeared to like her younger sisters upon meeting them, which was better than her brothers at least.
"You look beautiful, mother," Lyrella told her kindly.
"Thank you, love," Alyssa smiled at her. "You too."
"Everyone always says I look like you," Lyrella smiled slightly.
"Then we know why you are so beautiful," Alyssa teased. "Be happy you look like me and not your gargoyle of a father."
"That's not a very kind thing to say about the man you are about to marry, Mama," Lucy smirked.
"I've already married him once," Alyssa shrugged. "Our time for false pleasantries are over:"
"Well, I am here to take Lucy and Joanna down to the Godswood," Lyrella told them. "The ceremony will start soon."
After all her daughters wished Alyssa good luck and she told them to not forget their cloaks, they walked out of the room, leaving Alyssa to look at herself in the mirror on her own. The dress she wore was simple and white and covered with a light grey and lined with light coloured furs. Her hair fell in curls down her back and on top of her head sat a simple diamond tiara.
For the first time in her life she looked like a true northern bride. It made her miss her brothers even more. Despite being a mother herself, it made her long for her mother and father.
"If I may say so, you look even more stunning than on our wedding day."
Alyssa's eyes met Jaime's cat-green ones through the mirror. He stood in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe, watching her with a fond smile. He was dressed in gold and red, looking like the epitome of a Lannister - just like he had on their wedding day.
"You don't look too bad yourself," Alyssa turned around. "Much like you did that day, in fact. A stranger wouldn't have guessed it's been twenty years."
"Don't say that," Jaime told her. "It's making us both sound old. You more than me."
"I am older than you in every single way but when it comes to looks," Alyssa told him smugly. "And who would have guessed at our wedding that twenty years later things would be like this."
"No one," Jaime snorted. "When I said my vows to you I had never even considered having children and now I can't imagine life without them."
"Tywin would be proud of us," Alyssa smiled sadly. She would have loved to have him with her.
"All he ever wanted was me as Lord of Casterly Rock but now - I don't know," Jaime sighed. "I think there is someone that he would prefer over me."
"After the wedding we will speak to Ash about it," Alyssa promised him. Since Tywin's death, Jaime had officially been made Lord of Casterly Rock, but he hated it. He had never wanted the position and if they were being honest, he wasn't as well prepared for it as Ashton was.
Therefore the two had spoken about allowing Ashton to take on some responsibilities as Lord of the Rock to slowly give him the role despite the fact that Jaime lived. Of course, they'd only do so if Ashton wanted it and even if he took over as Warden of the West, Jaime would remain with him, to act as an advisor.
"Agreed," Jaime smiled. "But now is not the time to think of that. Now it's the time to make sure that you get married for the third - and hopefully last - time. So we better start walking towards the Godswood - you don't want to be late for your own wedding, do you?"
"Does it matter?" Alyssa smirked while taking the arm he offered her. "It's not like they could start without me."
"Maybe. But it's in the middle of the night and some of us would like to go to sleep," Jaime rolled his eyes as he led her out of the room. "I don't understand why I had to rise with the sun when the wedding is during the night?"
"There was a lot of preparation," Alyssa shrugged. "And I know you took a nap earlier - so do not complain."
"I had to look good walking you down the aisle," Jaime defended, offering her a charming smile, covering up the fact that this was slightly difficult for him.
Who was going to walk Alyssa down the aisle had been discussed and thought over quite a few times. At first she had considered walking down herself, she was a grown woman after all, but while that would have been possible during a wedding under the Faith of the Seven, it was more difficult during a northern wedding where the person who 'gave the bride away' actually had a more important role.
Traditionally, a male relative of the bride gave her away. The first option would be her father, but with both Rickard and Tywin gone that was not an option. Second one would look to their brothers, only all of them were gone by now and while she had considered Oberyn, it felt like she was trying to replace them. Asking one of her children was another option. But it felt wrong choosing one.
When Jaime had offered to do it, she was shocked at first. Alyssa hadn't believed that he wanted to play such an active part in her wedding to another man. Then he had pointed out that he probably knew her better than anyone else in Westeros and that even though they weren't married any longer, and they were definitely family - so he was the obvious choice.
Alyssa also suspected that it had something to do with him getting to threaten Rhaegar the same way Ned had threatened him when they got married.
The two walked arm in arm through Winterfell and out onto the courtyard where Jaime was given a lantern from a servant. The sky was pretty clear that night, making the stars visible, as soft snowflakes fell to the ground. The perfect northern weather. Their path through the Godswood was illuminated by lanterns that lit up the dark night.
When they finally reached the Weirwood tree at the centre of the Godswood, Alyssa first saw the many lights held up by members of her family. She saw her sons and daughters, niece and nephews and a few other of her closest friends watching with smiles as she made her way towards Rhaegar.
Dressed in black and red silks with his crown on his head, he looked every bit a Dragon King and slightly out of place amongst the snow and in front of the magnificent Weirwood tree.
A wide grin spread across his face when they eyes met, causing a radiant one to grace Alyssa's beautiful face. Unlike their first wedding when the small smiles on their faces had been slightly forced and only for show, everyone could see the love behind their eyes.
Alyssa broke their eye-contact for a second to send a quick smile to her children as she passed the front row. Then she and Jaime stopped before Rhaegar and Robb who would officiate the ceremony. Traditionally, it was the groom's father that officiated the ceremony - but that wasn't really an option.
Eventually they decided that since this was a northern wedding, once again uniting House Stark and Targaryen, Robb would be the one to lead the ceremony; as the ruler of the North, no one could represent their customs better.
"Who comes before the Old Gods this night?" Robb asked, keeping a straight face, making him look more like his father than people gave him credit for. Despite his clear Tully looks, he was more of a Stark in Alyssa's mind.
"Alyssa, of the House Stark, comes here to be wed. A woman grown and flowered, trueborn and noble," Jaime said. "She comes to beg the blessing of the Gods. Who comes to claim her?"
"Rhaegar, of House Targaryen, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, Protector of the Realm," Rhaegar stepped forward. "Who gives her?"
"Jaime, of the House Lannister, who was her husband," Jaime said casually and Alyssa couldn't help but laugh. She sent the golden haired man a quick smile as he let go of her arm.
Then Robb continued, "Queen Alyssa, will you take this man?"
Alyssa looked deeply into his indigo eyes. Despite all the pain he had caused her over the years, she saw the love in his eyes and she was willing to give him a second chance. She loved him. "I will take this man," she said, a dazzling smile on her face.
Then it was time for the bride and the groom to join hands and kneel before the Heart Tree so that the Old Gods could witness their union. Rhaegar helped her kneel down on the ground before he too went down on his knees. Alyssa felt the coldness of the snow against her knees that contrasted strongly to how warm Rhaegar's hand was.
The only thing that could be heard as Alyssa, Rhaegar and their entire wedding party bowed their heads in silent prayer. For a few seconds Alyssa closed her eyes and despite not having been the most faithful believer in the past decades she prayed.
She prayed for her marriage to be happy.
She prayed that Rhaegar and her would get a long life together.
She prayed for the safety and health of her children
When the moment was over Alyssa allowed Rhaegar to help her back up to her feet. Then it was time for the cloaking ceremony. Similar to their first wedding, under the Faith of the Seven, Alyssa turned around and allowed Rhaegar to take off the cloak bearing the sigil of House Stark.
The new cloak Rhaegar wrapped around her shoulder was a mixture of Stark and Targaryen. It was black and red but had both a snarling direwolf and the three headed dragon on it, lined with silver and rubies. For once her marriage-cloak would not symbolise how she abandoned the house she was born into for her husband's. Instead it was the joining of two houses.
The joining of House Stark and Targaryen.
The joining of the Wolf and the Dragon.
And the joining of Ice and Fire for the second time.
.•° ✿ °•.
"No witnesses this time?" Alyssa asked mockingly as Rhaegar led her into their shared bedchamber in Winterfell.
"No, as King I have the power to avoid such uncomfortable affairs," Rhaegar chuckled, closing the door behind him before wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. "Not to mention that no one expects you to be a maiden this time."
"That's why we had witnesses?" Alyssa asked in disbelief. "Couldn't they have been standing outside and watch the bloody sheets after?"
"Do you really want to stand here and discuss what we did during our first wedding night, or do you want to enjoy this one?" Rhaegar asked pointedly as his fingers discreetly worked the laces on the back of her dress.
"Are you giving me an option?" Alyssa teased. "Because I was going to suggest that as King and Queen we pass a law or a rule that states that witnesses during a consummation is forbidden," she felt his hand sneak in underneath her dress, grazing the bare skin of her back. "But I suppose that could wait until tomorrow."
.•° ✿ °•.
304 AC, King's Landing
Alyssa never thought she'd be able to look at King's Landing as her home - even during the first time she had been married. Winterfell would always be her home and to some extent Casterly Rock. But the Red Keep had brought her so much pain and suffering that Alyssa had problems seeing it as a home.
For a while it was a prison. After that a viper's nest. But never a home.
It would probably never be the place she truly felt like she belonged - how could it when she had the blood of the Kings of Winter running through her veins and the Red Keep was in a land of almost constant summer. A cold day there was considered warm where she was from.
But having her family around helped. The place didn't matter as long as she had the people she loved around her. And it helped that she no longer had to associate the place with Aerys, Cersei and Joffrey. Even though especially Aerys's ghost still haunted her sometimes, she was able to separate him from the place he had made her suffer.
"Next the two of you will have to get married," Alyssa said jokingly as she sat in the gardens of the Red Keep alongside Elia and Ashara. It almost felt like old times, if only Catelyn and Janna had been there; only they were busy with their own children at the moment.
"Yes, because who would not want to wed a maiden of forty namedays," Ashara said sarcastically.
Alyssa snorted into her goblet. Then she smirked, "Never married and a maiden is not the same thing."
Ashara gasped dramatically, "How dare you?"
"Pretending to be a maiden could almost be considered a disgrace to your dornish roots," Alyssa teased.
"There was this sellsword when we lived in Pentos," Elia joined, sending an overly sweet smile towards the Dayne Lady.
"There was?" Alyssa asked, intrigued since she never had heard of that before.
Ashara glared slightly at Elia before turning to Alyssa, "There was one - we had fun for a while but it was never something that was going to last - oh, there is the food."
A few servants started to place the food in front of them, forcing Alyssa to drop the subject for now. Honestly, she wasn't too surprised that Ashara, and probably Elia too, had found someone to satisfy their needs during their years in exile.
However, she did not get to think much of it because the moment one of the servants placed a plate of roasted duck in front of her, nausea built up in her throat. Her left hand immediately flew up to cover her mouth as she held her breath and tried to not vomit.
"Your Grace, is anything amiss?" the girl asked worriedly.
Alyssa prayed that only words would come out of her mouth when she opened it, "No, I'm fine. But could you take away the roasted duck?"
"Of course, Your Grace," the girl nodded and quickly removed the dish from her presence. Alyssa refrained from breathing through her nose until she was certain the smell was gone.
Then she took a few deep breaths of fresh air, ignoring Elia and Ashara's intense stares. The servants finished their work and backed away, leaving the three alone and Alyssa at the dornish ladies' mercy.
"What is it?" Alyssa asked them, shifting in her seat. While the nausea had decreased, it was still there in the back of her throat and she didn't want to risk barfing over the table.
"Perhaps you should be the one telling us," Elia said, looking at her suspiciously. "Is there anything you would like to tell us?"
"No?" Alyssa said confusedly. "I'm just feeling a bit under the weather. Maybe I haven't gotten used to the southern weather yet."
"The sun does not make you nauseous," Ashara said pointedly.
"Not you dornish, but we don't know how it might affect my northern head," Alyssa defended, eyes scanning the food but everything but the fruits suddenly seemed unappetising.
"Lys, when was your last moonblood?" Elia asked gently and carefully.
Alyssa looked at her in disbelief, "I am not with child, Elia."
"Have you seen a Maester-?"
"I'm too old to carry a child," Alyssa said firmly. It couldn't be. Even though her moonblood was a bit late, but that wasn't abnormal for a woman her age - she thought at least.
"No, you are not," Ashara told her, keeping her tone gentle like she was frightened she would break. "You may not be in the prime of your childbearing years, but that does not mean it is an impossibility."
"I'm not with child," Alyssa said again, eyes flickering down to her stomach. It was flat. No hint of a bump or anything. Not to mention that she and Rhaegar only had been wed for around three moons.
"You should still let a Maester examine you," Elia told her, concern dripping from her words. "You may be with child and even if you are not - it would be for the best to make sure nothing is wrong. It is not normal to almost vomit at the smell of roasted duck."
"I-"
"This is not the time to be stubborn and a quick visit to the Maester won't hurt you," Elia said sternly. "You may be my Queen, but you are also a little sister to me. I won't let your stubbornness get the best of you."
"I will speak to the Maester but I assure you, I am not with child."
.•° ✿ °•.
She was with child.
Alyssa couldn't understand it.
She sat on the bed inside the large bedchamber that she shared with Rhaegar, thinking over the words from the Maester. She was staring blankly into the air, not able to bring herself to stand. When the Maester told her she was carrying, Alyssa did not believe him. She even forced him to repeat his tests to disprove him - only to get the same result.
The Maester had then started to explain all the risks to her. It was highly unusual for women her age to become pregnant and it came with a lot of risks. There was a higher risk of miscarriage and dying in childbirth, which definitely did not calm her down at all.
A hundred thoughts were swimming around her head; she could not comprehend that she would have another child. After Joanna and Lucelia she had not even thought about it. In fact, she had sworn that she'd never go through another pregnancy.
And since she hadn't fallen pregnant again since the twins' birth she had simply assumed that it was a sign that she wasn't meant to have any other children. Eight children and six pregnancies was quite enough. It was more children than she ever believed she would have when she was young.
Even as she married Rhaegar again, children hadn't even been on her mind. She was certain that it hadn't been on Rhaegar's mind either. But it seemed like fate had other plans for them. She truly was the worst barren person in Westeros.
Would Rhaegar even want another child?
In a way, there was a weird poetry to it. Their first child had been a surprise, a wedding night surprise, that Alyssa bore when she was really young. This last one, because this would truly be the last, could also be a wedding night surprise - their wedding was around three moons ago and she was around three moons pregnant - and she would carry it when she was old - at least in this context.
What if she died in childbirth?
She had survived over five years of civil wars and a battle against an army of undead men and a leader that could resurrect the dead. To survive that only to die a year later on a bed in a room smelling of her own blood - it felt unfair.
Alyssa had only just been allowed to reunite with her entire family under peaceful circumstances and now she might have to leave them early. Maybe the child would survive and she wouldn't, forcing it to grow up without a mother.
She shook her head, forcing those thoughts out of her head. It would not do her any good to dwell on things that she could not change. And thinking she was going to die would not do anyone any good.
When she noticed that the sky had darkened outside, Alyssa decided that sitting there thinking wouldn't change anything. She prepared herself for bed, changing into a night shift and a robe before climbing under the covers.
She knew Rhaegar would be late so she kept herself busy while reading. A while later the bedchamber door opened and Rhaegar walked in, clearly tired from a long day of meetings. "Why aren't you asleep yet?" he asked, walking over to lean down and peck her on the lips. "It's late."
"I could say the same to you," Alyssa told him, placing the book in her lap.
"The meeting ran longer than expected," Rhaegar explained as he started to unlace his boots. "And while Tyrion may be a highly effective and good Hand - I haven't quite gotten used to him yet."
"If you simply trusted him a bit more you would not have as much to do," Alyssa told him pointedly. "You can trust him. He is just as good as Tywin, only less likely to betray you for his own benefit."
"Just give them some time," Rhaegar offered a small smile as he unbuttoned his doublet before disappearing from view so he could change clothes.
"How did the meeting with the Tyrells go?" Alyssa wondered, playing nervously with her fingers now when he couldn't see her.
"It went really well," Rhaegar called, still out of sight. "Although you deserve all the honour since you and Olenna have done most of the ground work. I feel like Mace and myself only are puppets in this."
"See, you aren't just a pretty face," Alyssa teased.
"Much like our son's future wife won't be a pretty face," Rhaegar said. "Although I think there are quite a few people that will question why we chose a woman who has already wedded to Kings with no claim to the throne for our heir."
"Margaery Tyrell will make a fine Queen one day, she has already proven that," Alyssa defended. "She may be ambitious, but she doesn't step on others to get to the top."
"I suppose I will have to trust you with this - and it is a beneficial alliance," Rhaegar said. "Can you imagine that one of our children may be getting married soon? It feels like yesterday he was born-"
"I'm with child."
Alyssa had just blurted it out, not capable of keeping it in any longer. A silence followed that was almost defeating and it was even worse since she couldn't actually see his reaction. The only thing that assured her that he hadn't fainted was that she hadn't heard a thud.
But then footsteps echoed across the quiet room and Rhaegar appeared, only wearing his breeches, eyes widened in shock and maybe disbelief. "What did you just say?" he asked softly.
"I'm with child - the Maester confirmed it," Alyssa told him, voice much weaker than usual.
"How-"
"You know how," Alyssa snapped. Rhaegar walked over and sat down on the bed beside her, an unreadable expression on his face. "Are you angry?"
"How could I ever be angry about this?" Rhaegar asked calmly. "You are with child-"
"Are you worried then?" Alyssa didn't let him finish. "I'm way past my childbearing years. You have an heir and a spare so there really isn't a need for another child-"
"Lizzy," Rhaegar said firmly, yet gently, taking her smaller hands in his. "It does not matter what I think - of course I would love another child with all my heart - but at the end of the day I won't be carrying it around for nine moons. I know there is ways to e- to end a pregnancy, and if that's what you want, I will support you just as much as I would if you decided to go through with it. I am aware there are dangers with both options, so it is truly up to you."
"Why are you so calm and understanding?" Alyssa asked, voice wavering slightly. This was only one part of being pregnant she hadn't missed - being overly emotional.
"Because if I stress you will stress and that's not good for you," Rhaegar said before joking, "I will save my panic for when I am alone."
"Thank you," she sniffled, both because she was getting emotional and because she was angry at herself for getting emotional.
"It will be okay," Rhaegar said, lovingly stroking the tears away from her face. "We will get through this together and you don't have to decide tonight-"
"I want to keep it," Alyssa blurted out. Since Rhaegar had released one hand to stroke her cheek, she used her free one to stroke her belly. "I've already grown attached to the little thing - and - well, much like you said there are risks either way. I could take moontea but it's dangerous even this far into the pregnancy. So I'd rather take the risk that actually gives me another babe in the end."
"Are you sure?" Rhaegar asked. But not like he wanted her to change her mind. More like he wished for her to be confident in her decision.
"I'm sure," Alyssa confirmed with a small nod. Then a small smile appeared on her face again, "We are having another child."
"We are," Rhaegar grinned before connecting their lips in a gentle kiss.
.•° ✿ °•.
Alyssa and Rhaegar sat on opposite ends of the dining table. Viserys, Daenerys, Lyrella, Daeryn, the twins, Edmund and Jon were also there while Bash and Ashton currently were at Casterly Rock. A moon had come and gone since Alyssa found out she was having another child and now when she was starting to show, she felt like it was time to tell her children.
Both herself and Rhaegar had thought it was for the best to wait a little since pregnancies could be sensitive during the first moons. Also, she would have preferred if all her children were there when she announced the news.
Unfortunately, Ashton was busy helping Jaime run the Rock and Bash was staying with them for now, until they had gotten things back on their feet. Not that there was much to fix, the Rock and the Westerlands simply needed to get used to their new liege lord after decades with Tywin Lannister.
"I have some news," Alyssa said as they started eating their deserts. She placed her spoon on the table and her stormy grey eyes scanned the table to make sure she had everyone's attention. "I'm with child, so you will all be getting a new brother or sister."
Both Lucy and Joanna squealed loudly with happiness, large grins on their faces. But soon everyone's attention turned to Edmund who in response to the news said, "Ew."
"Ew?" Alyssa asked her son that suddenly looked like he had been run over by a horse. "That is one way to react to learning you will become an older brother again."
"Can you blame me?" Edmund shuddered. "I'm not a child anymore. I know how children are made and I was happy living with the thought that you were too old to do that"
Alyssa had no idea what to say, so she looked over at Rhaegar who looked slightly amused as he shrugged, "Don't look at me, he is your son."
"Now that Edmund has been allowed to have his little tantrum, can we mature people give our congratulations?" Jon asked and since he sat the closest to Alyssa on her right, he reached forward and squeezed her hand.
"Thank you, Jon," Alyssa smiled at him.
Daeryn and Lyrella also said their congratulations while Lucy and Joanna stood up and ran over towards Alyssa, bringing her into a hug. Then they both ran to the opposite side of the table and hugged Rhaegar quickly.
"I bet it's another girl," Edmund then stated.
"No, I think it will be a boy," Lyrella shook her head.
"Me too," Daeryn agreed with his sister.
"No, I will have to agree with Ed," Jon stated. "I think it's a girl."
"I third that," Viserys stated.
"Maybe it's twins," Joanna suggested with a bright smile.
"A boy and a girl," Lucy added.
.•° ✿ °•.
305 AC, King's Landing
"Just one more push, Your Grace," the Maester told her and had not Alyssa been in such unspeakable pain that her teeth were tightly gritted together she would have responded with something snarky.
As expected this pregnancy had been a lot more difficult than her past ones. She had grown more easily tired and without even having been forced into bed rest she had spent a lot of time in bed. In the beginning, Rhaegar had allowed her to work from bed but as they drew closer to the end he repeatedly reassured her that the Seven Kingdoms could last without her for a while.
Squeezing Rhaegar's hand tightly, Alyssa used all her strength to push one more time and when she heard the familiar sound of a babe's cry she felt the pressure and pain decrease slowly as she fell back into the mattress.
"Congratulations, Your Graces," the Maester said, "it's a girl."
"Ed is never going to allow us to forget that he was right," Alyssa snorted, a large grin on her face as she watched the midwife wash her daughter.
"You did great," Rhaegar leaned down to kiss her forehead. It was the first time he had been allowed inside the birthing chamber. The first time Alyssa had given birth to one of their children they hadn't known each other well enough for her to want him there. The second he had been thrown out and he had not wanted to disturb the Maester's work by arguing - or angering his father for that matter. And the third time he hadn't even been in the Crownlands when it happened.
But this time nothing had stopped him from being there to support her. And while he hadn't been completely oblivious to what occurred inside a birthing chamber even before this, Rhaegar had a newfound admiration for Alyssa, and other women, for what they went through after having witnessed it firsthand.
He knew very well that his wife wasn't one to cry easily. Alyssa hid her pain most of the time so for her to be writhing and crying on a bed, the pain must truly be unspeakable. Rhaegar admired her so much for staying strong even when she was in so much pain and could only imagine how terrible it must have been the first time when she was young and alone.
"You are extraordinary," Rhaegar kissed her sweaty forehead.
"So I have been told," Alyssa smirked despite feeling completely exhausted. Then her face turned completely serious, "But this is truly the last child I carry. Even if it means that I have to go celibate."
"There is no need to rush into such decisions," Rhaegar told her in a joking manner - but also slightly serious.
Then both their attention turned to the crying babe that the Maester brought over and placed in Alyssa's arms, swaddled in a red and black blanket. Now it had been around fifteen years since Alyssa last held a newborn baby in her arms and despite all her previous fears and complaints, she had truly missed the feeling.
"She will be a dragon," Alyssa muttered, stroking the silver tuffs on her head with her finger.
"In looks maybe," Rhaegar looked down at their daughter with admiration, "but I'm certain she will be just as stubborn as her mother."
Alyssa playfully nudged him. She handed the babe over to Rhaegar and allowed the midwives to change the sheets, clean her up and help her into a nightgown and robe that wasn't covered in blood. Afterwards Rhaegar handed their daughter back to her just as a knock sounded on the door.
The Maester and midwives opened it on their way out and in came all of Alyssa's children, since Ashton and Bash had decided to visit the Red Keep to be close when their sibling was born.
"Is it a girl?" Edmund quickly asked as he entered. "It is, isn't it? I was right!"
"One time has to be the first," Ashton muttered as he leaned forward to look at the babe. Meanwhile Lucy and Joanna climbed up on the bed to sit on Alyssa's other side.
"She is absolutely adorable," Joanna cooed.
"I couldn't agree more," Lucy grinned down at their little sister. "And we are not the youngest girls anymore."
"She is never getting married," Viserys said, leaning down to kiss Alyssa's cheek in a brotherly manner. "I hope you know that."
"Oh, I am well aware," Alyssa snorted before smiling down at the girl.
"So, what is her name?" Daeryn asked curiously, looking down at his younger sister in awe.
Alyssa and Rhaegar looked at each other and smiled. They had discussed possible names before she was born - for both a boy and a girl - and they had finally decided on the perfect one.
"It's Thena," Alyssa told them. "Princess Thena of House Targaryen and Stark."
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The one hundred chapter in celebration of how I graduated this week!! And in true Swedish graduation tradition I've permanent ear damage
I noticed how many of you was sad about Kēlio's death. At first I was going to keep him alive, but he was already way older than the average age for a lion so I thought this would be an honourable way for him to go.
This was the last chapter😭😭 Only an epilogue left....