A few weeks had passed since the three Maltheon children mounted their dragons for the first time. Daemon and his family were still living in Ashbourne, not showing any signs of leaving up until one particular day.
Laena had informed Maekara that they were to leave that morning, and it caught the queen by surprise. She had expected for them to stay a little longer but it seemed that they were ready to go.
"Why don't we pack some food for you?" Mae asked as she walked with Laena to the kitchens. They grabbed all kinds of food that was sure to not spoil, and packed it in a satchel.
While the two women were stocking up on food, Daemon broke the news to Princess Mikaela on his departure, and it was not good. Mikaela hated to admit that she was sad about the Targaryens leaving. She had spent every single day training with Daemon, bonding with Baela, and becoming good friends with Rhaena.
"I am afraid I must get going, Princess," Daemon informed her as he looked down at her, "But you can keep training with your father. I think he would prefer that."
"I understand," Mikaela said as she traced the blade with her finger. She had grown fond of the Prince, despite what everyone said about him. She had even heard something from some gossiping ladies down in the pubs, in the center of town, about what he did to her mother. But she didn't understand what any of it meant.
"Hopefully, the next time I see you, you better be able to beat me in a match," Daemon told her as she grinned at him.
"I will," Mikaela smirked as they both walked to the throne room. They united with everyone that was saying their goodbyes.
Mae kissed Laena's cheek, "I truly wish you the best of luck. You are going to need it if you are going to be traveling with that man."
Laena laughed as Daemon rolled his eyes, grabbing some bags, and walking away from them.
"Thank you for hosting us, Your Grace," Laena replied as she hugged Mae, never wanting to let go. They had truly become the best of friends during her stay and she was starting to regret leaving her.
"It was my pleasure," Mae says as she suddenly lowers her voice, "If you ever need an escape from the world, just hop on Vhagar, and we welcome you back. And we will be happy to help you."
"Are you just saying that because you think Daemon will bore me?" Laena looked at her, as Mae giggled.
"Of course I am," Mae jested as she pushed her hair back, "But seriously, House Maltheon will always be happy to host you again, my Lady."
"Thank you, my Queen," Laena says as they hug once again, and Laena walks over to the children, and Mikaela throws herself at her.
"Please do not go!" Mikaela begged as she hugged Laena tightly, Maia joining the hug.
"I am sorry, Princess," Laena said as she planted a kiss on the crown of her head. She got up and caressed Maia's hair, the little girl clinging on to her leg, "I promise we will see each other again. And when we do, we will ride our dragons together. How does that sound?"
"You promise?" Mikaela asked as she wiped a single year.
"Nyke kivio," Laena smiled as she held Mikaela's hand. Laena whispered a goodbye and tickled her the youngest princess who let out a fit of giggles. She tried her best to distract her and entertain her, she felt bad saying goodbye to the girl.
Maegon and Baela stood in front of each other, waiting for the other to say something.
"I just-"
"I am so-"
They laugh as Maegon gestures for her to go first. She sighs as she looks at her friend in the eye.
"Thank you for being a great friend, Maegon," Baela told him, "I had a lot of fun with you and your siblings these past few weeks."
Maegon smiles at her, "I'm glad you had fun. I did too. Hopefully the next time we see each other, it will be soon."
"I hope so, my Prince," Baela beams, Maegon blushing at the title, "I wish you luck in the years to come until we meet again."
Maegon hugs Baela for the first time since they had met. It was not a long hug, but rather a genuine and short hug between two friends.
They exchange smiles as they separate and Maegon wishes Rhaena a safe journey home. Matthew hugs Rhaena, nearly crying at the thought of possibly never seeing her again. But the girl reassured him that they would play again some day.
Steffon and Jaeron stood there wishing them a farewell, well more so Jaeron. Steffon was simply standing around, looking at them, not believing that they were actually leaving Ashbourne.
Now it was time for Daemon and Maekara to say good bye and they both had no idea what to tell each other, just like their children.
"Sylugon daor naejot jiōragon aōla ossēntan while nyke gone," Daemon jokingly says, as Mae quietly laughed. (Try not to get yourself killed while I am gone.)
"I won't. I have to make sure I outlive you," Mae told him as they shook hands, a sign of respect to each other. Daemon chuckled at her response, as they walked to Caraxes and Vhagar where the dragon keepers were calming them down.
"Make sure to write when you have arrived home," Mae told Laena who nodded, and proceeded to mount Vhagar, Baela and Rhaena followed after her. Daemon mounted Caraxes, who let out his odd whistle, roaring and ready to take flight.
Daemon commanded Caraxes to fly as he took a few steps and took off, slithering through the winds. The massive Vhagar flew off right after him. The people of Ashbourne waved at them as they flew above the city. Maegon and Mikaela waved and screamed their goodbyes, even though the Targaryens were unable to hear them.
Mae put a hand on her children's shoulders as they watched them leave. Ser Wyatt approached his Queen, "Your Grace, Ser Richard has summoned you to the throne room."
"Thank you for informing me, Ser," Mae thanked him as they all headed to the castle. The wind picking up and the clouds casting a dark shadow on the city.
Her children all separated to their own chambers as Mae walked into the throne room, spitting Richard standing in the middle, looking at the tapestry in which Mae was being crowned.
"You have come a long way since this day," Richard says as he traces the tapestry, admiring the person on it.
"I do not like to think about that day," Mae reveals as she walks past him, "What is that you wanted to discuss?"
"Oh nothing. I just wanted to see you," Richard admits as he observed Mae's features, "Did Daemon leave already?"
"They did," Mae told him, "The whole thing is reminding me of Rhaenyra."
"Really? How so?" Rich asked as he removed his helm, giving Mae his full attention.
"I am not so sure. I think I just miss her," Mae confessed as Richard nods, going to stand in front of her, "I miss her everyday."
"Why don't we talk in your chambers?" Richard suggests as he gestures to the servants who were walking in and out of the throne room, tending to their duties, who were probably listening in on their conversation.
The duo walk to the Queen's chambers as they both sit down, Mae closing her eyes and relaxing. Richard watched Mae with a smile on his face, loving the fact that she was able to wind down comfortably in his presence. He served a cup of wine for the both of them as she began to drink it.
"I am so tired," Mae murmured out, "My heart hurts everyday." Richard frowns at her confession as he holds her hand.
"Are you comfortable with telling me why?" Richard asked as Mae sighed, nodding at his question. Something had been bothering Mae for a while and Richard could not pinpoint exactly what was wrong.
"It's just...I.." Mae struggled to say as she closed her eyes and took a second, "Something happened with my brother the first few days that Daemon was here."
Richard nodded for her to continue, his brows knitting together, not knowing where the conversation was going.
"My brother said something that really switched something in me," Mae recounted as she took sips of the wine, "He had insulted Rhaenyra and he called me...mad. And the thing is, I do not even remember what happened after that."
Richard raised his eyebrows as Mae continued to talk.
"Everything went black and then all of a sudden, my brother was clawing at his neck, trying to breathe again," Mae muttered, she paused as the next thing she said caught Richard off guard, "It was there that I made the realization that I was....choking my brother."
Richard's face twists into that of a concerned one and Mae suddenly hides her face in her hands. The knight hears the stifled sounds of crying as he tries to remove Mae's hands from her face. When he realizes that he is going to be unsuccessful, he just moves closer and embraces her.
"My brother has always been there for me and I nearly choked him to death," The muffled voice of Mae comes from Richard's shoulder. The knight does his best to not let her story concern him.
They sit there for a while, Richard doing his best to comfort the woman he loves. Then, Mae stands up and pushes the hair out of her face as she tries to speak again. Her cheeks were stained with tears, her eyes and nose red, and her hands shaking.
She looks away for a moment and turns back to the knight, "Richard?"
He stands up, "Yes, my Queen? Are you all right?" Mae looks down, as she wipes another tear falling from her eyes.
"Do you think I am becoming my Father?" Mae mumbles out, as she looks Richard in the eye, "Am I going mad?"
Richard's brows furrowed as he immediately dismisses her question, "Are you kidding? You are not becoming your Father!" Mae looks at him as if to tell her the truth.
He grabs her face, "You can think I am lying all you want, but I assure you: you are like no other woman I have ever met. Your father was a madman that treated your family terribly and you are in no way like him! You have children that love you. Siblings that love you. Rhaenyra loves you. And....I love you."
Mae's face softens at his words and Richard leans in closer to plant a kiss on her lips but they are interrupted by Maekor. They both quickly separate as Mae wipes her face and fixes her hair while Richard straightens his posture. Maekor looks at his sister to make her remove the knight from the room. Mae quietly orders Richard out of her chambers, as she gives him a look of apology.
"My Prince," Richard says as he nods, excusing himself, "Your Grace."
Maekor watches Richard leave as he puts his hands on his hips and stares at his sister, "Still messing around with that knight of yours?"
"Don't even start, brother," Mae scoffs as she sits on the bed, "Look, I just wanted to say that I was wrong for putting my hands on you. It was awful and I literally cannot stop thinking about it." She puts her hands on her head as she takes a deep breath. Maekor grabs her hands and puts them down, addressing her face to face.
"It does not matter at all," Maekor dismisses, "It was I who was wrong."
"Brother, I nearly choked you to death and I did not even know I was doing it! It does matter. I was wrong," Mae argues.
"No, it was me. I should not have called you stupid and insulted the Princess. I know you love her and it was not my place to say such things," Maekor explains as he pushes his hair back, "And I am deeply sorry for that, sister."
"I forgive you," Mae says, "But don't you ever call me mad ever again. You know how I feel about that word."
"I apologize for putting you in that position, Mae. I am just trying to look out for you and it worries me sometimes that you are making these big decisions all by yourself."
"You do not have to worry about me," Mae told him, "You have to trust that I know what I am doing."
"I will always worry about my little sister," Maekor chuckles, "And I do trust you. It's just- part of me always thinks that you are still a child and I can get carried away."
Mae grabs her brother's face, making sure he pays attention to what she was going to say, "I am not a child anymore. Please trust me. I know you do not like me involving myself with people like Daemon, but know this: I do not do something unless I have an absolute reason to do it."
Maekor nods, trying to accept that his sister can do things herself and that he needed to learn to trust her. She was no longer a child burdened to wear the crown but rather a grown woman, embracing the responsibility she was born for. They hug each other tightly, having discussed their differences and talked their way through their problems.
Mae smiled, "I appreciate you looking out for me and I really do feel awful for having instilled that fear in you, brother."
"But you are not sorry about it, are you?" Maekor sarcastically asked as Mae grinned.
"I never apologize for anything. Let that be a lesson for you to never speak ill of the people I love," Mae reminded him, as she got up from the bed. As much as she joked about it, what happened with her brother still concerned her and she tried to suppress the memory of it as much as she could.
"Of course, I won't ever cross that line," Maekor said as he got up from the bed, making his way to the door, "I am happy that we were able to talk about this, sister."
"Me too, Maekor. You have a good night."
"I will see you in the morning, Your Grace," Maekor muttered out as he left the room. Mae went to her desk to reread some of the letters that Rhaenyra had written, smiling to herself. She really missed her and her sons.
She stayed reading the letters until she fell asleep in the chair, dreaming of seeing Rhaenyra again.
•
TEN MONTHS LATER-
In a moment of weakness, Maekara and Ser Richard had slept together again and it had resulted in another bundle of joy that Richard got to name.
At the end of the tenth moon, the Queen had given birth to her last child, a son named Rhaemont. Beautiful head of blonde hair, a blue and purple eye, and a name that was especially picked for him.
Rhaenyra Targaryen was with her sons when she received the letter of her lover having given birth to another son. She felt the pit in her stomach once again, but pushed it back and was happy that Mae had another wonderful child to raise and love. Jacaerys and Lucerys were over the moon and looked forward to the day that they would meet their new brother.
Back in Ashbourne, Mae had gifted her young son a dragon egg, a beautiful purple scaled one that Maxis had laid.
The days would pass, Rhaemont would sleep and rarely cry. Richard would insist on watching him insisting that it was his duty to watch over the young prince.
Mikaela often held her younger brother, singing to him in High Valyrian, and Maegon would lift Rhaemont's little arms and pretend they were both flying through the skies together. Maia and Matthew would work together to try and make the little prince giggle.
But it was mainly little Matthew that spent the most time with Rhaemont, cradling him in his arms, and never wanting to let him go.
"I can't. He is just so small," Matthew would say as he held Rhaemont, who seemed to love the affection he was receiving from his older brother.
The city celebrated the birth of Prince Rhaemont with a tourney in his honor. They did not question the fact that the Queen was not married and had a child, they only celebrated their new Prince.
Many lords and ladies came in attendance to watch the city folk compete in the tourney. The Queen sat front and center in the crowd, with Rhaemont in her arms, cheering for the competitors. Markus, Maegor, and even Marissa were also competing.
With Marissa being the eldest of the three, she went first, choosing a male opponent.
She ended up being knocked off her horse by her rough opponent, who tried too hard to keep her on the ground. Marissa, refusing to lose, managed to grab her sword and slice through the man's armor and wounding his leg.
He collapsed to the ground, screaming that he yields. The crowd goes wild for Marissa as she removes her helm and lifts her arms in victory.
"Princess Marissa has won the round against her opponent!" The announcer loudly said as everyone cheered for Marissa. Maekor yelled for his sister, and they embraced each other when she got back to the spectator's box.
Despite having disagreed on some things in the past and their relationship still rocky, Mae congratulated her sister on her win. Markus and Maegor were about to go up against each other as nobody wanted to go against either of them, except one person decided to interfere.
Ser Richard, arrived on horseback, proudly wearing his helm that identified him as the main swordsman of the Queen, her sworn protector. The knight had grown significantly in his ability to wield a sword and had become one of the best as time went on.
The announcer looked over at the man, proudly announcing him, "Ser Richard of the Queensguard, and the Knight of the Shadows has now become an opponent for the Princes."
Markus and Maegor both look over at Mae, who sat comfortably with Rhaemont, and she shrugs.
"I thought Richard could not enter the tourney," Markus uttered over at his brother as they stared at the man across the way, "Isn't he supposed to be, I don't know, guarding the Queen? I do not know if I can compete against him."
"Agreed, brother," Maegor replied as he put on his helm, "Which is why I will do it." Markus grinned as he ruffled his brother's hair.
"Good. I was hoping you would," Markus said as he patted his brother and walked away to the sidelines.
"Prince Maegor has volunteered to go against Ser Richard of the Queensguard!"
People cheered for Maegor as well as Richard who proudly looked up at Mae who smiled at him, giving him a thumbs up. Maegor got on his horse, making his way over to the spectator's box over to Maxine.
"May I ask for your favor, sister?" Maegor cheekily asked as Maxine placed a wreathe of flowers for him, cheering him on.
Everyone stood and waited in anticipation as they watched Maegor get ready, and eventually both men dashed toward each other.
Mae kept her eyes on both men as they got closer and closer, until the clash of metal was heard. Both men had been knocked off of their horses and were scrambling to get their weapons. Maegor grabbed his sword, quickly picking himself up, unbeknownst to him, Richard met him in the middle.
Both men pointing their swords at each other, and panting heavily.
Mae could not decide whose side she was on as she watched the two men compete in the melee. Steffon was screaming for his father to win and all of Richard's children were screaming for him to win.
It was an intense battle that everyone thought had ended in a draw when they simply could not knock the other down. But Richard would not stand for it, when he saw that Prince Maegor was looking up at the spectator's box, Richard struck his face with the flat side of his blade, trying not to hurt or slice him. Maegor collapsed, holding his nose, groaning and in pain.
The crowd cheers as Richard lifts his arms up in victory. Mae smiles at him as she rocks Rhaemont, but also giving her brother a look of concern as Markus runs over to him.
He helps him up and looks at Maegor, whose nose was bleeding, but all in good spirits, "Fuck, I should have made you go first, brother."
Markus laughs at his words and hits Maegor's chest, relieved that he was okay and he congratulated Richard in winning this match.
The matches went on and knights, lords, and commoners all competed to honor the birth of Prince Rhaemont. The last man to be crowned the winner of the tourney was not even Ser Richard, but rather a commoner man by the name of Erik.
At the end of the tourney, Erik walked into the spectator's box and gifted the crown of victory to the babe as a token of gratitude.
"For the Prince, Your Grace," Erik said as he bowed his head, and handed the crown to Mae who smiled at the young man.
"Your gift is greatly appreciated, Erik," Mae told him as Erik turned to leave, but Mae stopped him, "You have great skill, you know. Have you ever considered becoming a knight?"
"I have dreamt of it for a long time, but.... I must support my family. I cannot abandon them," Erik responded as he stood, tightly smiling at the Queen, slightly intimidated by her presence.
"If you become a knight of the Queensguard or perhaps a knight in the city forces, your family will be accommodated. They would move to a better part of town, you would have food in your stomach every day, and a place to sleep," Mae told him, "We pay our soldiers back for the service they provide for the city. And I think you would be a great asset to the city's forces."
Erik looks at the Queen in disbelief, "That would make me very happy, Your Grace."
"I will speak to Commander Henry about you joining the forces," Mae confirmed as Erik repeatedly thanked the Queen, who gave him a side hug, Rhaemont still in her arms.
As the tourney ended, everyone headed back to the castle, all in great spirits. House Maltheon was at its highest strength, thriving, and everyone was truly happy.
•