Rhae held many arguments as she docked back at Dragonstone; over which armies to take, over who would arrive, over how she should arrive... In the end, she screamed at the lot of them telling them that they would arrive together by ship, and approach as a party. There was no need for Dragons, or for the entirety of her armies to be there. Her hand covered her eyes as she rested her head on Qotho's shoulder, shaking her head.
"The Dothraki will take 20,000 men; the Reach, Dorne, and the West will meet us there, also taking 20,000 men. The Golden Company, and the Unsullied will remain where they are stationed with the exception of Harry, Malthar, Sebastian, and Torgo." Rhae uttered again, dropping her hand to glare at them all. "It's too late to change our plans, this is what we are doing." She could almost see King's Landing from the ship, another hour and they would be docking.
"It's not too late, we can still call upon the dragons and the armies, it would only delay the meeting by another hour." Tyrion tried to argue, but Rhaenar shook her head.
She was tired of arguing with everyone around her. "No, this is what I've decided upon. If we are to go to the Dragonpit, I will not arrive by Dragon to make a spectacle of myself. I may be the Dragon Princess, but I would prefer to leave them there." Rhae stated. "Does anyone else hold any other objections to this plan?" She asked as she looked over the main member of her council; Missandei and Jorah shook their heads quickly, Aegon, Shaqafi, and Qotho staying silent as they watched her; leaving the blinking eyes of Meria, Barristan, Tyrion, and Varys to watch her.
"I know you're concerned since Viserion's loss, but she still does not know that we have lost him - Cersei still believes we have four dragons and I'd like to keep it that way." The ship had become slightly cramped with the addition of Jon and his men, along with Sandor - the man with the burned face.
Rhae rose her head, moving through the ship before stopping at the edge, staring off. This whole meeting had her nerves fried, her body shivering in anticipation as her fingers drummed against the wood. This would be her first step into King's Landing ever, the home of her family where the Targaryens had lived for hundreds of years, yet here she was, nervous to be let into the gates.
This meeting had to go well if they had any chance of stopping the dead, and it all rested on the shoulders of Cersei Lannister. She hoped the presence of Tywin would knock her confidence, make her see sense that this war would be more than personal pride and who wears the crown. "You look lost in thought." Missandei uttered as she stood beside Rhaenar, a smile on her lips as her hand stopped just shy of Rhae's. "You're worried?"
Rhae nodded. "A little." It would be the first time Missandei had seen Torgo in almost a month, she must be a little nervous too. "Are you?" She asked, a sly smile falling upon the corner of her lips as she glanced out of the corner of her eye.
Missandei tried to hide it, but a wide grin slipped across her lips, a giggle slipping out. "Gods, yes."
Rhae laughed at the sweet nature of Missandei, of the blush that seemed to spill across the apple of her cheeks. "Don't be, if you need it, I'm more than happy to find another room so Torgo and yourself can have some... alone time." Her eyebrows quirked up in time with the latter of her sentence, her shoulders shimmying slightly.
"Absolutely not!" Missandei cried out, slapping Rhae on the shoulder as the pair laughed. Eyes drifted to them, but the two girls paid no mind as they watched the Keep grow closer, the spires reaching higher into the sky above them as they threatened to pierce the blue sky.
Rhae grew sad for a moment, her head turning as she looked at Missandei. "Missandei, when this ends; what would you like to do, if you could do anything?" She asked, never truly having thought about what lay ahead for her armies. Whether they chose to return home or stay here, or whether they set up somewhere else entirely. She was a Khaleesi, the 'owner' of the Unsullied, and the pledge of the Golden Company.
The girl looked shocked, her brows dipping as a smile grew on her lips. "I'd like to see Naath." Naath, her home. A place away from wars and fighting, where they would be free to live in peace. Rhaenar supposed it must be nice, not to have to worry about having to defend yourself, or to live in misery.
"When this is all over," Rhae began, sure of her answer. "I am happy to give you a boat, and Torgo and the Unsullied, and you, can go to Naath. Live if you want to." It was only fair. Missandei had been by her side for so long, she'd seen so much of the bad side of life, she deserved something good - something better than what Rhae could offer her.
"You'd do that for me, truly?" Missandei asked confused.
Rhae nodded, smiling at her friend as she placed her hand upon hers. "Yes, I would. You've done so much for me, taught me so much; giving you a ship is nothing compared to what you've given me." Missandei quickly moved, wrapping her arms around Rhae. Missandei smelt like home, like a familiar scent of something so long forgotten; it comforted her.
"You gave me my freedom." She argued, so unsure as Rhae clutched her close.
"No, you took that yourself." They may forever go back and forth over who truly owed who, but in her heart of hearts, Rhaenar felt as though she owed Missandei the world - even if the world meant she would miss her best friend to death. "I owe you so much, Missandei; you've taught me about being compassionate, how to understand others... If I can do this for you, I will." Missandei slowly broke away, holding Rhae's face within cool hands as they smiled at one another.
She grinned. "No one will mean more to me than you do, you will always be my Queen." Rhae tugged her close again before stepping away, nodding her head with a tearful grin.
"When there's a time where you need to go, you should go. Get away from here, and fill your soul with butterflies and harmony." Gods would she miss Missandei, her kindness alone would fill Rhae was a soft longing for her friend. Their hands remained clutched to one another as they turned back to King's Landing, lighter than before. Maybe Rhae shouldn't have brought Missandei here, perhaps she should have let her live her own life wherever she wanted after Meereen; but it was too late now, and Rhae could only right the wrongs with time.
"Not long now, Your Grace." A voice interrupted the pair, their eyes shifting as Davos hesitated at the side, careful not to intrude. "Just to that dock there and we'll be in King's Landing before ya know it."
Her brow rose, keeping a pleasant smile on her face. "Have you spent much time in the capital, Ser Davos?"
"I was born here, in Gin Alley; tried my hardest to get out and always seem to come back." He uttered, his accent strong as he joined the pair, looking over the city. "I know this place like the back of me hand." Davos told her, nodding his head. Rhae pondered for a moment as she looked at him, how not only had he been the Hand of Stannis, but came to advise Jon Snow in the North - the very furthest he could get from King's Landing in Westeros.
"It's how you managed to get Tyrion in successfully, no?"
He nodded. "Yes, Your Grace. As a trader, I used these ports, knew how to miss paying taxes." Davos' eyes widened, as though he shouldn't have said that, but Rhae simply smiled, shaking her head. "Of course, I wouldn't do that now if I was allowed into King's Landing - especially if you were Queen..."
"Fear not, Ser Davos. I'm sure we can overlook a couple of missed tax payments." She teased gently, grinning. "I can only assume, it must be far nicer now, being able to serve someone who smiles; from what I've heard of Stannis, he was a hard man..."
Davos nodded, lips pursing. "Stannis was a fair man, I let him take my fingers; but in the end, he did something unforgivable." Her brow rose in questioning, inviting him to speak more. "He allowed the Red Witch to burn his daughter alive in hopes that the Lord of Light would grant him favour on the battlefield." Rhae was disgusted as her lips pulled back over her teeth; Stannis allowed his own daughter to burn? "I can't forgive him for what he did to little Shireen, and I can't forgive Melisandre either."
"Children are a gift, any one who has one is lucky." Rhae muttered, shaking her head. She wished she had her own children, to pass her love onto them and dote after them in their gardens as their laughter echoed from the walls. They deserved to have the childhood she never got.
"Aye. My son died right in Blackwater Bay, from wildfire." Davos admitted, glancing down to the water. "We thought we could destroy the royal fleet, it's why I let him come along." His eyes were lost as they gazed at the lapping waves, the way they hit the side of the boat, making it rock with a gentle shudder.
Rhae reached out, placing her hand on his. "I'm sorry you lost your Son, Ser Davos. The pain of losing a child..." She thought for a moment. "Is unbearable."
"You lost your own?" He questioned.
It was her turn to get lost in the past, to allow old memories to flicker like ghosts around her. "A baby boy, it was a long time ago now." Davos' thumb turned up, rubbing against the top of her hand as they both stood in silence. The boat moved past the rocky cliffs edge, heading straight for the little beach where it was allowed to dock before they'd then move out.
Rhae watched as her men unloaded first, the small number of Dothraki leaving the ship before eventually her advisors moved out. Qotho and Shaqafi were the first to move out, leading their horses as they waited for more ships to dock. Despite having a large horde of Dothraki, Rhaenar kept the numbers she was taking with her small; an equal distribution of men and women. "Are you coming with us?" Tyrion asked as he was the last to leave the ship, Rhae hovering back.
She shook her head. "No, I want to check on the men first. See how Oberyn and Willas are beforehand, check on Torgo and Harry." Tyrion nodded at her, his emerald eyes glancing down as he hesitated slightly. "I'll be alright, Tyrion. I just want to make sure they've arrived safely."
"They'll escort you in?" She nodded. "I'll meet you in there, if they do anything to you, we'll crumble this city to the ground." He promised, Rhae's lip quirking. She watched as he disappeared, heavy boots echoing from behind her.
Sandor stood beside her, the wooden box sitting upon his back as he looked out at the city. "I fucking hate this stinking shit pile of a city." He grumbled, a smile raising on her lips as she dared a glance back. "Why anyone would want to rule it is beyond me."
"It's home, Sandor." Even if she'd never lived there, it would be home. "It's not the place, it's the people inside that make it shit."
His dark brow rose. "No, it's the people too." He was a cynic, she knew that from the short time they'd been together.
"Are you always this grumpy?" Rhae asked him softly, beginning to walk forward as Sandor followed.
"What's the point of being anything but, when the whole world's a cunt." A laugh slipped from her, her eyes shining as their feet found solid ground. She didn't want to raise questions on his face, if that was a reason for part of his attitude, or if he had suffered mistreatment for most of his life. But Rhae liked the way he used it, taking it for his own. "What are you laughing at?" He grumbled.
She liked him, he was a breath of fresh air despite being crabby. "You." He tutted, no change there. "Do you wish for anything? Or do you just go where your horse takes you?"
"I learnt not to want things a long time ago." Rhae couldn't believe that as his eyes drifted out, almost searching for something.
"There's no one waiting for you?" His eyes flickered again; maybe the feelings weren't shared, or perhaps she was going down the wrong route.
Sandor shook his head. "The only thing waiting for me is my brother. Why are you asking so many questions, irritating woman."
"Forgive me, Sandor. I'm just curious about those around me." Rhae left him behind as she slipped away, letting him watch as she disappeared with a confused look to his face; she was weird, he decided.
Rhae slipped out through the cliff faces before coming to an open space, Lannister forces stationed almost every two metres as it opened up to a set of crossroads. She could see the tails of the Lannister forces, and the Dothraki to her left; but she didn't want to see either as she followed behind; hoping it would lead her to Harry and her men.
They would have met on the King's Road, Tywin and Torgo going together, before eventually being met by Willas and Oberyn - if they were coming, she hoped her letter had gotten to them in time, that they'd be joining them. The summit would give all those who ruled the regions of Westeros to join, to make their own decision on joining the North or not. It would give them strength in numbers, even if Cersei chose not to join.
Her hands wound around one another as the indigo met every pair of Lannister eyes that she walked by; they could easily end her now if they wanted to, but they didn't; keeping their backs straight, their head forward, only their eyes moving as she went. Rhae was nervous as she brushed her hands across the plates of armour that lined her jacket, feeling the soft clinks of scales as they hugged her body.
Her boots continued to click on the dry stone, tall green palm trees surrounding her as repetitive heavy footsteps thumped across the ground. Rhae came to another crossroad, her head turning left as a grin filled her face. Tywin and Torgo were making their way across, their helmets covering their faces but there was no denying who it was. Tywin's red cloak fluttered behind him as his armour chinked, coming to a stop just before her. "I hope your travel has been well, My Lord." Rhae greeted pleasantly with a smile, her indigo eyes meeting his pale ones.
"Your Grace." He greeted back, nodding his head before removing his helmet.
Torgo following suit. "How has he been treating you? Nothing wrong?" She asked as she turned to Torgo. She hadn't heard much from him, especially with most of his time spent in Casterly Rock.
"He has been kind, Mhysa. Missandei?" The brown looked on in longing, a weakness having developed inside of him for Missandei.
She smiled. "Waiting for you." A small jolt rippled through Torgo at hearing she was waiting, a small smile raising the corners of his lips. She couldn't wait to see the pair back together, knowing that they would need a day or two for themselves after being kept apart for so long. "Shall we walk ahead?"
Tywin offered his arm to her, Rhae taking it as she slipped forward with him. "Has anyone seen you yet? Has news spread of your return?" Varys had said very little on if Tywin's presence caused a stir in Lannister forces, but she hoped that it had.
"Not as far as I can tell, but it's still early and we've sent a vast majority of our time in Casterly Rock. This summit will truly test her, she can't lie to me." He affirmed, strong in his word as he thought of his only daughter. Rhae nodded. "I heard about your dragon, and the North. Tyrion sent word, we received it shortly before we left."
The fear froze her, straightening her back as the conniving in her eyes disappeared. "They're terrifying, Tywin. If Cersei refuses, I need you to speak with her - make her see sense. We can't do this on our own, not without taking a large amount of casualties."
"She'll listen." He promised, nodding his head as the Dragon Princess looked ahead.
Her tongue flicked against her lip, wetting the skin. "Have you heard anything from Oberyn or Willas? I thought they would have met you on the King's Road." Tywin glanced above and around before his head motioned to a certain direction. Capes of green, and armours lined in gold filled her vision as Willas was pushed forward in a wheelchair, a blanket of duck egg blue settling on his lap as his curls danced around his cheeks.
"Willas!" She greeted, smiling as she broke from Tywin's arm and stepped forward, meeting him halfway.
Warmth filled his eyes, smiling. "Princess Rhaenar; beautiful as ever." He mused as he took her hand, pressing a kiss to the skin. A flush filled her cheeks, her lips raising into a wide green as teeth flashed at him.
"You flatterer." She giggled out, before taking hold of his hand. "How are you? Your travels? Highgarden?" She wanted to know everything, especially as she hadn't heard from his since her letter.
"Everything's fine; but you were right about House Florent; they betrayed us, let the Lannister into the maze and then Highgarden." Her shoulders sunk, the indigo storming as silence settled around them.
To be betrayed by your own bannerman, she shook her head, glancing down. "I'm so sorry, Willas. Have you done anything about them yet?"
"Not yet. I thought I would wait until the air had cleared a little, and my grandmother can be mourned properly." That was a good call, she thought before squeezing his hand. When Willas finally decides something to do about the house, she was more than willing to support his choice; especially when one of the men tried to get her alone in the maze, if it wasn't for Sebastion... she hate to think what would happen.
"Well, you know where I am if you need me." He nodded, squeezing her hand back before they dropped them. "Forgive me, I'm being rude." Rhae thought quickly as the presence of Tywin and Torgo lingered behind her. "You must know Tywin by now, but meet Torgo, the leader of the Unsullied." She introduced the pair, her eyes eagerly dancing between them all.
"Yes, I briefly remember seeing him in the aftermath - you helped bury the men, if I remember correctly." Willas said, his eyes turning to Torgo who agreed with his words. "Thank you." Willas reached out, holding his hand to Torgo who took it, the pair nodding at one another. "Are we walking in with you, Rhae?"
"You can if you'd like to? Have you seen any of the others?" Rhae needed to know if Oberyn would be here, it felt like too long since she had seen his face.
Willas shook his head, curls dancing as he reached up, pushing them back with the flick of his hand. "Only Harry, he travelled with us. Oberyn was supposed to meet us on the road in." A wave of nerves washed over her, what if he wasn't coming?
"He didn't show?" Another shake, her head nodding as her hand tightened around one another. He had a family, she had to remind herself; he had to think of their safety first. Rhae's arms wrapped back around her waist, running her fingers over the cool scales.
Willas sensed the nerves, watching as her dark brows dipped down. "He'll be here if he can, he wouldn't miss this." Willas was right, she agreed as she plastered a smile on, pushing back a lock of pale and tucking it back into one of her braids. "Shall we continue on?" He urged, raising out a hand in the direction to the Dragonpit.
Rhae took the first step, leading the small group as they went. "Your Grace!" A voice cried out, her head turning as a bundle of gems ran to her, a wide grin plastered on Harry's face as he stopped just shy of her, his hands falling to her arms. "Positively radiant, and fierce." He muttered as his mousey eyes darted over her, taking in the breast plate he'd designed.
"Harry, please..." She drawled, her own hands finding his waist amongst the cluster of gems. "You made it."
"Wouldn't miss it; had to leave the elephants back in Highgarden but they're in capable hands, aren't they Willas?" He enthused, eyes darting to Willas.
He nodded. "That they are, we've had fruits imported from the Summer Isles and Braavos just to keep them well fed."
"I've never seen them happier than when they're roaming the fields, Rhae. I'm sure they're glowing, which means they're prime to ma-" Rhae quickly clapped her hands over Harry's mouth, her indigo eyes shining as she stopped him.
He blushed. "I'm sure they're very happy, Harry. I'm glad for you." He smiled as she removed her hands, taking a step closer.
"We have a lot to talk about, with the dragons..." That they did, she thought as Rhae nodded, agreeing with him. They had to find better armour for them, to at least attempt to protect them against the Night King and Wights. "Later, yes?"
"Yes." She agreed.
"Now that we're all caught up, should we make our way forward, again?" Tywin asked, trying not to step on her toes as she broke away from Harry, her head nodding. Two men came running forward, grins on their face as they took their place behind Harry; Malthar and Sebastion.
"You're looking well." She told them as they began to move, the party growing larger as more Golden Company joined their flanks before eventually disappearing to stand at the edge of the walls.
"As well as one could be, Your Grace." Malthar spoke, his deep tone bringing a smile to her lips once more. They came up to the pits, no men waiting for them but one, watching as Rhaenar approached.
She stopped, letting men swarm her as they continued on. Rhae took a deep breath in as their eyes connected, the smile growing on his face as he watched her. "Go ahead without me, I'll be there in a minute." Rhae said breathlessly, his eyes locking her into place. Willas grinned as he passed his old friend, their hands meeting as Willas passed before breaking apart.
As the last man disappeared into the pit, Rhaenar approached with slow careful steps, months of being apart rushing back to her as she stopped before him. Oberyn reached out, taking hold of her hips before pulling Rhae to him, his arms wrapping around her as she wrapped hers around his. Orange and spice sat upon his black coat, infused into the snakeskin that lined as a trim, and the orange fur that ruffled out from beneath.
Tears threatened to raise as she burst out into a giggle, home really being in his grip. She was back to Meereen, back to standing before him as they spoke with their eyes. Gods had she missed him, and gods was she thankful that he made it home safe. "Gods." She chuckled out, shaking her head as her hands found his hair.
Oberyn's face moved, burying itself into her neck as he placed a kiss to the exposed skin; her body melting in his arms. She broke away slightly, keeping his arms around her as she reached up to clutch his face. A small scar sat upon his cheek, the colour red against his olive skin as Rhae's thumb stroked it. "You made it home."
"I have now." He whispered to her. "I can't believe you flew North."
"It was a mistake." She admitted to him, the indigo raising to meet his soft, black eyes. "But we did it, and you won't believe it when you see it."
He reached up, wrapping his hand into the pale braid before tugging softly. "I'll believe anything you want me to believe." He told her, bending slightly before pressing a kiss to her forehead. He'd missed her, he just never realised how much when he was surrounded by his girls.
"Not this. This is the stuff of nightmares." Rhae warned him, knowing he wouldn't fully understand it. She wouldn't have unless she'd gone north and seen it herself; how many there were, how they fought tooth and nail to kill them all.
A shiver ran down her spine. "Whatever it is, Rhae; we'll face it, like we always have." Oberyn promised her, pressing another kiss to her head before stepping back, missing her touch. "Let's face them shall we?"
Taking his arm, she nodded. "Let's face them."