Rhaenar had never felt rage like it, the fury filling her bones at the sheer thought of Aegon Targaryen sitting in her city, and the words of Tywin Lannister. She should have been happy that another Targaryen had been revealed, that her nephew was walking the streets. He was a piece of Rhaegar, someone to help heal the divide that had settled along Westeros. But, she would lose everything with his mere presence alone. Rhaenar may have never wanted the throne, but she wanted to help people; that was her driving force and what better way to help people, than by ruling them.
As she hovered on the steps of the pyramid, she gazed over all that they had achieved; the Golden Company, the Unsullied, the Second Sons, the Dothraki... They fought for her because they believed the same thing that Rhaenar did. Aegon stood with one hand on a wooden beam, his midnight blue eyes staring up at her. Everywhere she had turned, he seemed to be there; those deep blue eyes burning her as she watched him.
He never smiled, he always kept his distance, she didn't understand it. Rhaenar had come to learn through the whispers of her advisors that he had brought with him ships, and an army of 10,000 men; a sellsword company named the Firebornes who he had united under his rule after slowly taking over smaller companies. "Your Grace, what is it you wish to do about sailing to Westeros?" Ser Barristan asked her as he lent forward, one arm resting on the table.
"What is there we can do? The sails are being painted as we speak, the ships modified to accompany larger numbers, and provisions acquired to feed everyone." She'd turned the small number of fishing sized boats that they had previously had, into ships that could carry 200 men and their horses at one time. Their numbers having dropped drastically from 13,000 to a healthy 650. The size that they had now.
His blue eyes seemed to watch her for a moment. "We will be landing at Dragonstone?" She nodded. "You'll need to begin to think about your moves from there."
She looked around, biting down on her lip. Rhaenar didn't know where to go from there, what her next move would be. She supposed it would be allies. "What would you suggest Ser Barristan? What would you do?"
He was blown away, his brows rising. "Secure Dragonstone, discover the weaknesses of your enemies, and write to the Lords of Westeros." That seemed reasonable.
Securing Dragonstone should be easy, it was her ancestral home and she had a large army if there was resistance; weaknesses of her enemies would rely on little spies, and writing to the Lords would be easy as Rhaenar was young and had secured a tie with Dorne and the Iron Islands.
"Okay, we'll do as you suggest, Ser Barristan." She agreed softly, bringing her hand down on top of his. "You'd be honest with me, wouldn't you?"
"Always."
Rhaenar debated in her mind as she weighed what she wanted to say, insecurity filling her as her indigo eyes grew wide. "What do you think of this Varys?" She didn't understand him. Varys had made this deal with Tywin and Elia to save Aegon, but he had advised her father not to open the doors. "You must have spent a great deal of time in his company during your years of service."
"He is as his name suggests, a spider. He's a secretive man, knows many in high places and low places. I would not trust him as far as I could throw him." But they had similar backgrounds; both starting with Aerys, and serving Robert. Joffrey may have dismissed Ser Barristan, but she was sure he would have continued serving even if they hadn't. "What makes you ask such a thing?"
She shook her head, pale curls bouncing. "Everything I've heard of the man, has been mixed. Everything he does is so loyal but to what? He arrives in my city, he talks amongst the people, and then disappears. He sends the Greyjoys - a very much needed ally, but on the same day, Aegon Targaryen arrives. Does Varys not have faith in me?"
Barristan knew he couldn't answer her question, his head shaking. "I don't know." His voice was soothing, fatherly as she took his advice. "What I do know is that we will fight for you, regardless. Everyone here follows you for a reason." But following her for what she's done, and following someone for their claimant are two separate things. Countless times people had reminded her that the Lords of Westeros were fickle, she couldn't help but doubt herself.
"You must have known Aegon as a baby, does that not raise any feelings inside of you knowing he is Rhaegar's heir?" It was a harsh question, she knew Rhaegar was the closest friend of Ser Barristan.
"I loved Rhaegar, he was like a brother to me; and I knew Aegon as a child... But, I have also come to know you, and you've given me everything I could have ever asked for. Every morning, I wake up, and I am proud of the vows I have taken to join your Queensguard, to protect a ruler that deserves protecting. You have a gentle heart, but you can be ruthless when she wish to be. I could never have asked for anything more."
Her heart skipped a beat, her lips quirking as she quickly wrapped her arms around the old Knight. He meant so much to her, and she just didn't know how to express that at times. He'd been there through the Unsullied, through taking Slaver's Bay, for all of it; and not once had Barristan thought about betraying her. Rhaenar knew that Barristan would cut through them all if anything ever happened to her, and she would do the same for him.
They pulled away. "Have you given much thought on who you want to watch over Meereen?"
Rhaenar nodded. "I'm going to get Quouo to look after it with the help of the Second Sons; she's been my oldest friend, and I know she has a good heart. A small number of Dothraki will remain here with her, and ease any tensions that may occur until a council is set into place." Quouo was the best choice, she knew it in her heart of hearts.
"Will the Second Sons accept that? Staying here?" With Mero dead, she wasn't sure at all. Daario was their only other link, but Mero had kicked him from the Second Sons.
"It's hard to tell. They may just stay here for a while, or they take up contracts but keep the city as their home. It's not my place." The blue of his eyes seemed to read her, taking in the slumped position she held, her arms crossed on the table in front of her. It wasn't his place to say anything. "I better go see Tyrion before he drinks the last of the wine."
Rhaenar stood, stretching her back. "You're going to make him hand?"
Was that questioning in his tone? "He's had experience."
"He's a Lannister." A disliked Lannister.
"We can't judge a person based on their family, only by their actions." Rhaenar reminded, walking to the door, her hand resting on the frame. "If we did, no one would be innocent."
He bowed his head. "Well said, Your Grace." She left with a quick smile, making her way through the halls of the Pyramid, ready to come to the throne room. Rhaenar paused, hand reaching into her pocket before running over the cool piece of metal.
Rhaenar pushed on the door, seeing Tyrion already set with a glass in hand, a jug just beside it; she smirked at the sight. "How are you feeling?" He asked, watching as she stepped down with heavy footsteps.
"I don't know. I've spent so much of a short time thinking about this, I'm not entirely sure I feel anything." Rhae uttered as she sat beside him, her eyes meeting the jewel green.
He had a way of looking at someone, seeing through them. "You would be leaving behind Mero." Mero had left her some months ago, but Rhaenar supposed she would be leaving him. "Have you been to see him yet?"
"No."
Tyrion sent her another look. "You loved him, didn't you?"
Her brow rose, questioning in her eyes but she left it, resting her elbows upon her knees. "We were going to marry."
"He would have been a liability in the Seven Kingdoms." Rhaenar turned, outraged that he could have said such a thing. Mero would never have been a liability, he could handle himself. "You know as well as I do that they would never have accepted it, you frown upon your sister doing such deeds with a sellsword."
"But I didn't get pregnant by him." No matter how hard they had tried.
He patted her hand. "But you would have risked everything for him. If he lived, you would have to have left him here; that's the kind of self-sacrifice that makes for a good ruler, if it's any consolation."
She shook her head, rolling her eyes lightly. "It's truly not."
"No, I suppose not." Tyrion reached down, grasping his cup before sipping at the bitter wine. "I'm terrible at consoling."
Rhaenar reached out, patting his hand. "You have other strong characteristics."
"All right, how about the fact that this is actually happening? You have your armies, you have your ships, you have your dragons. Everything you've ever wanted since you were old enough to want anything, it's all yours for the taking." In that moment, it hit her. She would be returning to the place she began, she would begin to try convince the people of Westeros that she would make a good Queen. "Are you afraid?"
"Our whole life is going to change now, isn't it?" She asked, looking over with paralysing fear in those indigo orbs.
Tyrion nodded, grasping her hand as they looked out over the Throne Room of the Pyramid. "Absolutely. Everything you've ever thought about yourself will change." He uttered, her hand tightening in his. "Are you scared?"
Rhaenar would be leaving everything she had known for her entire life behind, in favour for something she had only ever dreamed about. Westeros, where she had been born. But here, in Essos, her entire life had been created. Her childhood with her siblings, her marriage with Khal Drogo, and the love she had shared with the people of Meereen. Rhaenar had known nothing but this lifestyle, a free lifestyle that was without judgement.
And she would be leaving that all behind. Mero, her city, everything... It was the fear of the unknown she supposed that had snaked the cold rigidness into her body. "Paralysed with it." She choked out, swallowing the thickness that seemed to grow in her throat; her breathing struggling to bring in air.
"You'll do well, you always have." He brought her hand to his lips before pressing a kiss to the back of it, her eyes meeting his once more with a smile. "You're in the great game now. And the great game's terrifying." That it was. She'd either win, or die trying. "The only people who aren't afraid of failure are madmen like your father."
"It frightens me completely. Leaving everything I've come to grow around, and be thrust into this new culture. I'd be leaving Mero here, unsure if I could ever return." And that pained her, in her heart of hearts. He should have been by her side, always.
"He wasn't the first to love you and he won't be the last."
Rhaenar laughed through the fear and the pain, smiling at the man who was completely awful at possibly making her feel better; and she liked that about him. In failing what he set out to do, he achieved it. "You are truly awful at consoling, do you know that?" He cracked a smile.
She moved, standing from her position before moving in front of him; her indigo eyes positively shining in the light. "For what it's worth, I've been a cynic for as long as I can remember. Everyone's always asking me to believe in things - family, gods, kings, myself. It was often tempting until I saw where belief got people. So I said no, thank you to belief. And yet here I am." He stood himself, moving towards her.
"I believe in you. It's embarrassing, really." She giggled gently, but not out of malice. Tyrion bared himself to her, in a way that very few could ever even muster the courage to do. And Gods, did she admire Tyrion for it. To be so in touch and to admit when he was wrong. It made what she wanted to do, all the more sweeter for him. "I'd swear you my sword, but I don't actually own a sword."
They smiled at one another; perhaps she should have one made for him, it would be no use to have a Hand that couldn't defend themselves. "I don't need you to fight for me with a sword Tyrion; just the quick witted words and complete bullshit council that pours from you will do."
"It's yours. Now and always."
"Good." Now was the time. Rhaenar reached into her pocket, feeling the cool metal in her hand before gazing down at it, her brows raising. It was a simplistic little thing that she had relied not only on Ser Barristan to explain the design, but for Harry to work that little charm of his upon. It was silver, a hand surrounded with a circle, holding onto a sword; but it was more than that, along the hand sat a twist of a dragon's tail, that led on down to the very tip of the sword where the head was engraved. "You'll have to excuse it if it isn't right, I've never seen one before but Ser Barristan and Harry assure me that it's correct."
He looked down to it, his eyes swimming as they widened slightly. She reached forward, smoothing his doublet before gently pinning it onto him. It rather suited him. "Tyrion Lannister, I name you Hand of the Queen, where you shall remain by my side."
"I'll be by your side, every step of the way."