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Chapter Text

The Gloomy Dragon, the Faith and the Seeds

After the Dance of the Dragons, the civil war between the Black and Green factions in the attemption to crown one of the Targaryen siblings as King or Queen, the Seven Kingdoms got into a period of false peace as it was known. The battles were over, the dragons did not attack each other anymore, but there was still in the air the feeling of fear, the sensation of a story that was not over.

Rhaenyra Targaryen had apparently won the conflict and got crowned the Queen, becoming the first woman to ever sit on the Iron Throne. The Blacks were celebrating the victory and planning their next steps on the rebuilding and affirmation of their power among Westeros, besides obviously gaining more support to Rhaenyra among those who supported the Greens during the war, however, the plans of the new government did not have time to be started. A short time after being crowned, Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen was found dead in her bedchambers.

The Queen had been poisoned, and soon the suspicions were all on her brother, the moribund Aegon, that after losing the war was confined in the castle of Dragonstone Island.

When he heard about his sister’s death, he got ready to take the throne again, the Greens got excited and slowly started to show up again, but they also did not have enough time to celebrate or prepare anything. Aegon was found dead on his bed in the morning. He was also poisoned.

Soon rumours about who could be the killer of the Targaryen siblings started to spread among the realm, they believed the perpetrator was Corlys Velaryon, a man who lost many things along the Dance of the Dragons and just wanted that Westeros could finally breathe in peace without the suffocating feeling that the Dragons would fight again at any minute, but it was a questionable suspicion, at least towards the murder of Rhaenyra.

Corlys had supported Rhaenyra during all the war and had taken a position on the Small Council when she got crowned, why would he put it all at stake? But as for Aegon the suspicions made some sense, Corlys was against him, besides that for the Blacks, not everything was lost. Taking Aegon out of the way they still had a suitor for the throne, the surviving son of Rhaenyra, also named Aegon.

And just after the death of Aegon II, Rhaenyra's son was quickly crowned, but he was just a 10 years old boy traumatized by the war, his parents and almost all his siblings had died along the conflict and now was practically alone in the world with the weight of the world on his shoulders, it was agreed that until the King complet his 16 years the realm would be ruled by the Small Council and the new Hand of the King, Cregan Stark.

In an attempt to quell any uprising, the now King Aegon III got married to his cousin, the surviving daughter of Aegon II and Helaena, the young princess Jaehaera, another child traumatized by the war. She witnessed the death of her twin brother, the lost of her young brother, and the suicide of her mother, after the death of her father she found herself alone, since her grandmother, the princess’s closest relative, was locked in her bedchambers on the Red Keep, as a punishment for her crimes in the war.

Although everything it looked like the period of the battles were finally staying behind, along the next four years the realm was reestablished, and together with the realm the dragons. The survivors of the war recovered and new ones were born in Dragonstone, Cregan and Corlys tried to encourage Aegon to have a new dragon as was common among many Targaryen’s kings and queens, but the attempts were in vain, Aegon had a real aversion towards that idea and a huge fear of those creatures, and looked like Jaehaera was following him on this, the couple never flew or rode dragons during their entire reign.

It was not the interest in dragons that the Hand and the Master of the Ships tried to awake in Aegon and Jaehaera that excited them, the couple usually quiet and depressed looked like they did not have interest for absolutely nothing, what worried them both, with just one year left before Aegon could truly take the role of the king, Cregan Stark proposed a lot of ideas to the king and his wife of things they could try to do and like, It was an attempt to get rid of the melancholy that followed them around, but nothing worked. They did not like court jesters, theater, sailing, and the king had no interest in tournaments. Anything.

Aegon and Jaehaera lack of interest in life worried the court, Cregan feared that he would become a weak king, the last thing they needed now that the realm was finally being rebuilt from the war raids, and in the same way they did not want a melancholic queen, it was known to everybody that Alicent Hightower used to call her granddaughter to visit her and in those visits she tried to manipulate the girl to convince her to kill Aegon while he was sleeping and take the throne aftwards. After Rhaenyra became the queen she believed Jaehaera could also make it. Cregan Stark and Corlys Velaryon were afraid, one single mistake could take them back to the dark periods of the war, especially when it comes to the future king and queen.

That is why one day, in one last desperate attempt, Corlys brought the couple to Dragonstone and spent the day telling them the story of Houses Targaryen and Velaryon and its emergence in Valyria, he brought then both to the library of the castle and showed them old books of the history of the Valyrian Empire that survived the doom, it was the first time Corlys saw some light in Aegon’s eyes, he got interested in the history of the Empire, specially its valyrian mythology, he loved to read about the ancient gods worshipped in the Freehold, and soon Jaehaera also got interested, both of them spent a lot of time reading the books and asking questions to the maesters, it was a surprise, but a good one.

The always melancholic king started to show interest in Valyrian history, which made him a little bit less sad, but just a little bit, since he was still known as the Gloomy Dragon among the commoners. It was believed that the other reason that made him discover some interest in life was the return of his brother Viserys who everyone thought was dead, he was brought back from Lys by Alyn Velaryon, alone, the prince never said revealed many things about his life during the period he was missing.

When Aegon turned 16 and fully assumed his duties as king, Cregan Stark stepped down as Hand of the King and returned to the North, he felt his duty had been done.

With the departure of the northerner, Aegon named his brother as his Hand and they both assumed the duty to rule Westeros and leave all the war behind, Viserys, perhaps because he had not witnessed certains events, had a different view about the life than his brother Aegon, who was always cautious and seemed to have a real repudiation of the word war, it was visible that he would do everything possible and impossible to avoid any conflict, and this would be reflected in the way he governed and taught his children.

In 143 a.C Prince Viserys took the young lady Daenaera Velaryon as his wife, but the announcement of the wedding was soon overshadowed when in that same period Queen Jaehaera gave birth to the first child of Aegon III, a healthy and strong boy with blue eyes and curly blond hair. They say his cry was heard throughout the Red Keep, which was seen as a good sign.

But the celebrations of the birth of the baby were interrupted when the king announced the name of his first-born, everyone expected he would choose one of the usual valyrian names that had already been chosen before, Jaehaerys, Baelor, Daemon, maybe Aegon again, that is why it was a big surprise when the king announced his son would be called Anakin.

Anakin was not a name on the list, and Aegon explained that name was from an ancient god from Valyria that he admired a lot thanks to Corlys Velaryon. When the news about the name reached the High Septon in Oldtown he did not receive it well, for the religious man that was a blasphemy, an attack against the Faith of the Seven, how could a king spread the faith among his people when his name referred to a valyrian god? A pagan god? The Faith did not oppose when the dragons received those names, but now everybody feared what the High Septon’s reaction might be. He sent a long letter to the king that was never ready by anyone else, but they believed the letter was a long sermon where he made an objection towards the name Anakin and explained to Aegon the reasons why he should think better about that idea, that big letter had a short answer, Aegon was simple and direct with the High Septon when he said he would not change his mind. The name of the child would still be Anakin. He remembered the Doctrine of Exceptionalism created years before by Jaehaerys I and added a new layer to it: as the Targaryens being so different from the people coming from the Andals, they could allow themselves the right to certain exceptions, not only in the marriage between relatives, but also in the choice of the name of their children, Aegon ended saying those gods had succumbed with Valyria and their names means only this, names.

It was the first time Aegon demonstrated determination and even some coolness throughout his reign, and seemed to have an effect, the High Septon did not made any other complain about the Prince’s name, and it also happened with the other septons, both to Anakin and the child who was born a year later.

In 144 a.C. Jaehaera and Daenaera both went into labor, the queen gave birth to two girls, while Viserys’ wife had a boy, Daeron.

The Queen’s twins were born very different from each other, the one who born first looked healthy and strong, while the other was fragile and small, and barely cried, everyone thought she would not live longer, such was the surprise when in the next day the older twin, the one considered as the stronger one, died suddenly, while the weakest one lived and started to develop. Aegon called the girl Zenah, another name from the valyrian mythology, different from her older brother she had silver hair and violet eyes, Aegon had always been attached to the girl, he thought she was a survivor, a fighter, Zenah went against everyone’s expectations and lived longer than her sister.

Viserys and his wife had another baby in 146 a.C., another boy this time called Daemon after Viserys' father.

The marriage of the Hand and the Velaryon looked like a great choice.

Daenaera was happy and fun, everybody in the court knew she was the light of the Red Keep, Prince Viserys also had his charm, he loved to fly on his dragon with his wife and visit the places near to King’s Landing, the commoners slowly lost their fear of dragons owned during the war when the Hand flew with Heartfyre, a red and black animal that broke out the egg the Prince kept with him during the time he was disappeared, that dragon looked like Meleys, one of the dragons that died during the war.

But before talking about the dragons that died and those that survived it is important to talk about the king and queen’s marriage.

Different from Daenaera and Viserys who lived an eternal fairytale, Aegon and Jaehaera's relationship was hard to understand, their marriage was a kind of treaty to seal the peace in Westeros for once and for all, but it was very different from what the singers used to say in their songs, telling a story about a couple of enemies in the war that fell in love and let it wins, first because it would be impossible, they were both children during the Dance of the Dragons and did not have any contact since they were in different sides of the conflict. The songs were nothing but this, songs to make the maidens get emotional and dream about a beautiful love story.

Jaehaera and Aegon learned how to live together, they did not fight, did not hate each other, but did not love each other. It was a relationship of coexistence, duty and maybe some respect. It was known Aegon did not blame Jaehaera for her father's actions, the same way she did not blame him for his mother's attitudes like her grandmother wanted until the last day of her life. Alicent Hightower never accepted that marriage and died bitter with her own attitudes and its results.

Aegon did not like to be touched and Jaehaera used to wake up yelling in the middle of the night during their first years as queen because of nightmares, the couple took a long time to consummate their marriage, and for many Anakin and Zenah arrival was a miracle.

Despite Jaehaera almost always following Aegon's interests and even read the valyrian books with him, besides those small moments the couple were not very intimate, like Jaehaera said to one of her chaperones, in another circunstances maybe that marriage would be different, they could have been good friends, maybe a good couple, but they were more united from the pain than love.

The king used to be closer to his wife when she was pregnant, he was always kind snd polite, and was very supportive when their daughter died, one of the maesters reported how Aegon hugged his wife while she was crying and sobbing, and even tried to calm her down. It a one of the first time he allowed himself to be touched. The king also said to his wife that they above anyone did not deserve to go through more this pain in life, clearly talking about all the suffering they struggled during the war, many people believed that after it the couple would be closer, but time passed and the scars healed, and everything went back to what used to be, a politely relationship, but distant.

The Dance of the Dragons weakned House Targaryen and almost vanished the dragons from the world. Almost vanished. Slowly those creatures rose again during Aegon III reign, however, many dragons were lost during the war among the siblings.

Meleys, The Red Queen, died with her rider, princess Rhaenys Targaryen, in a violent battle with Sunfyre and Vhagar. Talking about the first, the one who was once considered the prettiest dragon in Westeros also died, but not in battle, Sunfyre died in Dragonstone as a result of his injuries after joining just a few battles. The dragon was not experienced and much less Aegon was a good dragonrider, and that is why Sunfyre was seriously hurt in a battle against another dragon, they say when the dragon died Aegon II cried a lot.

Vermax, Prince Jacaerys’ dragon, also died in a battle together with his rider, it was the same case of the dragon of the Prince’s fianceé, Baela Targaryen, who survived the war but lost her dragon Moondancer, who died in a battle against Sunfyre. But she was also the cause of his death.

The last dragons to die in the war were Tessarion, Prince Daeron’s dragon, one of the sons of Alicent Hightower and Viserys I, Seasmoke, rode by Addam Velaryon, and also the dragons Silverwing and Vermithor. But in the same way many dragons died, many had survived.

Syrax, Queen Rhaenyra’s dragon, had never fought during the war and survived it, after the death of her ride the dragon of yellow scales stayed in the Dragonpit waiting for a new dragonrider, another dragon who survived was Dreamfyre after the death of Queen Helaena Targaryen, her rider and also mother of Queen Jaehaera, the dragon also stayed in the Dragonpit, years later she was claimed by Zenah and flew for the first time after years chained.

These two other surviving dragons were the ones that drew the most attention and instigated comments about how dragons are truly resilient creatures, they were Caraxes and Vhagar, dragons that fought each other above the Gods Eye with their riders Daemon and Aemond. Both men died in the battle, but Daemon’s body was never found, which made a lot of people believe he had survived someway and disappeared, but these are just teories that does not make sense at all, it was impossible for a person to survive after falling from so high in the sky inside the lake, but it was different for dragons.

Caraxes and Vhagar both left the fight very injured, but survived, Caraxes still had some strength to open his wings and fly after he left the lake and crawled to the shore, Vhagar however stayed many days with half her body underwater and ate the body of her own rider with the valyrian sword Dark Sister that used to be Daemon's and was embedded in Aemond’s skull. The sword was never recovered.

When Vhagar for some strength again she left the lake and flew to Dragonstone where Caraxes already was, Vhagar did not have another dragonrider after the war, but Caraxes was claimed by Anakin some years later.

Both Aegon III and Jaehaera had dragons, Stormcloud and Morghul, the King's dragon died on the same day his brother disappeared, but Morghul was still alive in the Dragonpit, the Queen never rode her dragon. As said before she shared the same aversion to dragons her husband felt, they never visited the Dragonpit and abhorred Caraxes and Dreamfyre presence in the Red Keep, but they could not just order them to leave and disappoint their children who had anything to do with their own traumas.

Aegon and Jaehaera had a third child in 147 a.C., but different from his siblings that child did not receive a name after an ancient valyrian god, he was called Baelon.

The reason was that on the day of the prince's birth, Aegon was away from King's Landing, he was in a retinue on a trip to Winterfell as he had received news that Cregan Stark was ill, due to Cregan's years of service as Hand the king felt compelled to go there since according to the letters, the situation was serious, halfway there however, Jaehaera, who had stayed due to pregnancy, gave birth to the prince and did not wait for her husband's return to name the baby. They say in the beginning the king did not like that name not for a single bit and wanted to change it, but in the end he let the baby be called Baelon after the Queen's appeals, she warned him they had challenged the High Septon twice with Anakin and Zenah, she did not want to do it a third time, the king after thinking about it, or out of consideration for Jaehaera, understood and accepted it. To prove it he gave up the trip to the North and returned, Cregan did not die in the end so there was no problem at all, after returning to the castle the king himself placed a Syrax dragon egg in Baelon's cradle, but soon after he secretly prayed that the egg would never hatch. It seems that the gods had in fact forgiven him for his previous affronts and as a gift heard his prayers. The egg never hatched, but years later Baelon also claimed a dragon for himself during a visit to Dragonstone.

Time took care of healing the wounds and give another chance to House Targaryen after the bloody battle among relatives that almost led them to ruin, the Dance of the Dragons stayed behind and everybody just wanted to see peace coming in the horizon, but perhaps those were not the god’s plans…

Chapter Text

163 a.C.
32 years after the Dance of the Dragons.

The throne room became a sort of tavern for the richest and most illustrious guests, at least in Anakin's point of view. On one side he saw the lords of the Great Houses feasting and drinking more wine than they could handle, on the other side he saw the foreigners guests representing the Free Cities of Essos. Anakin knew that was quite an event after all, it was his own wedding.

On the principal table there was the royal family, on his right there were his parents, as quiet and serious as always, beside them there were his uncle Viserys and his wife Daenaera, they both were talking to other people happily. Anakin knew they would soon leave the table like his young brother Baelon did, the Prince was next to a member of House Lannister, both of them singing a silly song.

On his left there was Zenah, his sister and wife, for the Targaryens it was so common they did not even care anymore, but since the ceremony Anakin could not stop thinking about how now he was married to his young sister, and also just about the first part, that he was married now. It was something he was still processing, but did not make him feel completely uncomfortable.

In fact, it was about time, for many that marriage was late, Anakin was 20 years old and Zenah 19, at that age it was expected that they would already have children.

It was his father that delayed the wedding without a reason for it, since Anakin was 16 he heard around the castle the people talking about how the crown prince and the princess should marry as fast as possible before something wrong happens, and the “something wrong” could be translated as bastard children. But the king did not look worried about that idea, neither did the queen, the wedding only happened now, and the happiest person was his uncle Viserys.

Anakin started to watch his uncle again, he was laughing and chatting nonstop, he was the opposite of his brother, made jokes, loved the dragons and many times in the past he accepted to practice with Anakin in the castle courtyard. Viserys was the one who organize that wedding with the aim of making that event as glorious and memorable as the Golden Wedding, he did not stop saying how Jaehaerys I would get jealous if he could see what Viserys was doing, what did not make sense for Anakin, the bride and groom from the Golden Wedding where Alyssa Velaryon and Rogar Baratheon, not Jaehaerys and Alysanne.

Inside Anakin knew the Hand of the King was lying when he said he just wanted to give to his nephew and niece the best wedding possible, no, the truth was another, he was doing this in a way to make up for his own wedding with Daenaera. Anakin had already heard stories about the ceremony, his parents gave to them a simple ceremony without much pomp, and the event was interrupted when Anakin himself decided it was time to be born, but Viserys never settles for simplicity like the king, he wanted to have more, if it was not now, he would surely made a great ceremony for the wedding of his children, he just took advantage of the occasion and for because he had his brother’s approval.

Anakin held his wine glass and took a small sip, his father did the same thing almost at the same time, but of course, with his usual lack of spirit, what was not a surprise for the Prince.

— I heard you won't let anyone come into my room later. — Anakin said in a feigned tone of disinterest. — Why do you go against customs?

King Aegon turned his tired eyes to Anakin's face, and he looked away. Sometimes it was distressing to look into those eyes too much, there was something on those eyes that made him restless, many times Anakin compared the sensation of looking into those eyes to drowning and not having anyone to save you.

— It's for Zenah that I decided to prohibit any procession to the room where the wedding night would be. She wouldn't feel comfortable. — The king said, just for his tone of voice it was easy to notice how he was not feeling comfortable in that feast.

— I appreciate your concern for her, Dad.

Anakin's answer was not just a silly joke or some kind of jealousy, in fact he likes his father cares about Zenah, at least it shows he thinks about his children sometimes and not only about his bitterness.

Since the king did not say anything Anakin turned his attention to his bride, Zenah was silent on her seat and looked distant, lost in her thoughts, she was wearing a beautiful, perfectly white silk dress, to make the ladies jealous, it was by purpose, as Anakin already had noticed. It was Daenaera’s idea with the queen's approval, his aunt wanted all the women in Westeros to look at Zenah and get jealous of the luckiest girl in the Seven Kingdoms, a princess that one day would become the queen, and who had dresses so well cared for that the white never turned yellow. What a joke, Anakin thought, but it was funny either way.

On top of Zenah's head, attached to the veil, was her crown, it was golden and had the symbol of the Targaryen house right in the middle, the three-headed dragon was carved with rubies, the crown, especially the rubies, made a contrast with the white color and the violet eyes of the princess, which Anakin did not even notice that were looking back at him.

Zenah had noticed how her husband was staring at her, she waited to see how far he would go before taking the initiative to speak:

— There is something wrong?

He shook his head and looked around, the guests were still singing and now louder than before.

— I was just thinking about the wedding, there will be seven days of festivities, how wonderful.

— I did not understand if you liked or if you were being ironic, Anakin. — Zenah replied.

— Well, I don't see why we need seven days of festivities but I’m excited for the tournament, so we can say I am… undecided. — He held his glass of wine but did not bring it to his lips. — What about you? What do you think about our wedding?

Zenah was thinking, the court jester in front of them started dancing in a stumbling rhythm, two lords and Prince Baelon started to chase him around the room and almost everyone started laughing, the princess had to speak a little louder to be heard:

— I do not feel so anxious, this marriage should have happened years ago as we both know, but it gives me a feeling of a new start, like a new season coming.

— Interesting. — Anakin ignored the chasing in front of them and turned to look at Zenah head on. — And which season would it be? Autumn, Winter, Spring or Summer?

Instead of answering Anakin, Zenah also turned to look at him head on, she had a surprising smile on her face. It made him feel shocked, for a moment he was sure she would start crying or something like that, but there were no tears in her eyes.

— It's the first time you look at me in years.

She said with that silly smile, Anakin pulled back feeling confused.

— We have lived here since forever Zenah, I see you everyday.

— But you never saw me again, you never really saw me like you did when we were kids and played together. You knew I was there, but it was like you ignored me, now you see me.

There was a new scream when someone finally grabbed the court jester. Anakin took advantage of the moment to distance himself a little, but what Zenah said didn't leave his head.

— There won't be a procession to the bedchambers, our father did this for you. — He said after the scream stopped. — It would be just the two of us.

Zenah nodded and looked forward again in silence, Anakin pretended to do the same, but he has no interest in the new jester hunt.

Hours later Anakin and Zenah were left alone in the bedchambers, as the king promised no one came to take off their clothes or watch the wedding being consummated.

Anakin had not said anything before, but for him, the king's decision was a relief, he spent the whole day tense imagining those drunk bastards screaming unnecessary things and obviously, watching them both in bed like perverts, the same who would be in the septs acting like good faithful and followers of good customs, it was as hilarious as it was ridiculous.

But if was person more tense than him in that room this person was Zenah, like Anakin could notice, she did not know what to do now, her fingers were playing with her veil while she was looking around the room almost like she was trying to find answers, trying to find what to do now. Anakin was not an imbecile and knows that for her the wedding night was something new, a new world, just like for all the other well-born girls in Westeros.

— They could have at least helped you take off that veil, don't you think? — He said, trying to start a conversation. — Do you want help to take off now?

He made a move to touch her but quickly added:

— Just it. It will help you feel more at ease.

Zenah thought and in the end she accepted, Anakin helped her take off her veil and the crown, after which she sat down in bed and then Anakin joined her, they both were looking at the wall in front of them in silence. The only sound they could hear was the trembling of the fire in the fireplace and the children of the world outside.

After what looked like an eternity Zenah opened her mouth:

— If you pay attention you can hear the people having fun outside.

It was true, the sound of the voices was not loud but if you paid close attention you could even discern some words, Anakin heard when someone cursed a little too loud.

— It’s seven days of celebrations, from the third one no one would remember what they are celebrating, but they still would be there, drinking and having fun. It's not like this everyday.

— That's true. — Zenah agreed and even giggled a little. — Do you know what they are calling it? The Jewelry Wedding, the successor of the Golden Wedding.

— And why Jewelry Wedding?

— Because uncle Viserys is spreading that jewels are more valuable than gold.

Anakin could even see his uncle saying those things for the people around him, gesturing dramatically and trying to make that name sound extraordinary, that image made him laugh.

— What would he have said if it was his own wedding? Maybe he would have called it “The Diamond Wedding”!

He had made Zenah laugh and relax a little, her tense shoulders finally calmed down, but not completely.

The silence almost took over the room again, but this time Anakin would not let it happen, they had a lot to talk about now, especially about what should happen that night, the consummation of their marriage.

— Zenah, you know, we should do this. — He was not being authoritarian, nor ordering that they should sleep together, it was just the obvious. — But I want to know what you think about it.

— My opinion? But I thought it didn't matter now.

— How could it not, Zenah? We're talking about something serious here, put the duties aside and think about what you want, alright? I won't force you to do anything!

The last thing Anakin wanted was to force Zenah to lay with him and turn the experience into a nightmare, he was putting her feelings first, even above his own will, that until then he had not thought so much about whether or not he wanted to do that.

Zenah stood up and started walking in circles in front of Anakin, throughout the days leading up to the wedding she was briefly instructed about the wedding night and her duties towards her husband, her mother was one of the people who talked to her.

Jaehaera only told her to obey everything her husband tells her, she did not ask how Zenah was feeling and did not give her the opportunity to ask how is it to give herself to a man. Zenah realized that maybe not even her mother had that chance of asking but was not open to breaking the cycle, and it made her sad, sometimes Zenah close her eyes to the reality of her parents being married by obligation, not love.

She stopped walking and sat down again before taking a breath, and then she said:

— I don't know if I’m ready, Anakin. — She admitted. — I had never done this before, at the same I’m curious I don't feel ready to take this step right now.

The Princess expected a negative reaction from him, it was what every man would do, but Anakin's reaction was different, he just smiled and fell down in bed with his arms open.

— It's fine.

— Really? — Zenah widened her eyes. — Is it really fine? Aren't you going to get upset? Or run to one of those brothels?

— Zenah, what do you take me for? — The Prince sat up, forcing a false reaction of disappointment. — Do you think I am going to run out of here and go find another woman? I’m not a pervert!

— I’m sorry, I didn't mean to say it like this, anyway, I’m glad you aren't going to one of those places.

It was such a big relief that Zenah almost could not keep it to herself, besides everything she could not stand being betrayed, the gossips, the mistress, all of this would ruin her.

But now was not time for relief, another problem has to be solved, if they did not do anything that night it means the wedding would not be consummated, and if there is no consummation…

Anakin already understood what was going on inside his wife’s little head, but he was much more chilled about it than her.

— Let's lie about this night to everyone, if someone asks we’re gonna say everything went well and that there was consummation.

— Lie? But tomorrow everyone will want to know what happened, aunt Daenaera will ask me many things and will want to know every single detail!

— And uncle Viserys will do the same to me, but it's so simple, Zenah. Let's not go into details and say everything went well, end of the story.

Zenah realized he had a point and that story could work if they pay attention to the small details.

— We have to tell the same story, Anakin, to guarantee there will be no inconsistencies, in the first slip is where they will catch us, and we will get in trouble.

— I don't understand why we would get in trouble, look at our parents, everybody knows it took years until they consummate their marriage, no one even expected them to have children! — Anakin had all the arguments ready to face anyone who discovered the lie, but he knew the court would find a way to say they were wrong and he even knows how. — Anyway, even if someone thinks we're lying, how are they going to be sure? It's our word against theirs, no one is going to order you to open your legs and check if you're still virgin.

— Do you really need to be so vulgar?!

Zenah snorted and got out of the bed, Anakin just started to laugh and threw his hands to the air to defend himself.

— Sorry, Zenah. I’m just telling the truth!

After it he stood up and walked to Zenah, they were now face to face, she was still angry while he was laughing.

— Don't get mad with me, come on, don't be like that!

— I’m going to sleep Anakin, it's late and we had a long day!

When the Princess turned around to go Anakin called her, he wanted to keep teasing her, but he did not even notice when he just called her by a nickname he did not use for a long time:

— Zennie! Wait a little…

— Wait, Zennie? — Her jaw dropped and just then Anakin realized what he had done. — You called me Zennie, like you used to do when we were kids…

She smiled in the same way she had done during the feast, Anakin for the first time in years was speechless, he stuttered and cleaned his throat, until he gave up trying to find an explanation and just turned around.

— I think you're right, we should go to sleep.

Zenah's bedchambers had a private latrine, and he locked himself inside it trying to stay alone. He took a deep breath and mumbled, that nickname escaped through his lips, he did not mean to call her like that, no, it was a name that had stayed in the past, in their childhood.

But part of him was feeling nostalgic and even happy, Zennie, how long has it been since he called her that?

Anakin caught himself smiling when a memory of the past came into his mind, one of the many days he and his sister spent playing around the Red Keep without worrying about duties, marriage, nothing but their toys, it was days full of happiness and laughs, and playing pranks on the court members and maesters of course.

Unfortunately life pulled them apart, Anakin and Zenah grew up and their obligations started to call, he could still remember exactly when the removal was definitive, when he started to train his marcial skills and received a valyrian steel sword, and Zenah got her lessons of how to behave in the court, then they claimed their own dragons like they planned since childhood, but without fulfilling one of the silly promises they made back at that time: to fly together one day.

At the beginning Anakin was reluctant with the wedding, but now looking back to the past he could even see a good part, and it was her, Zennie.

Chapter Text

The sixth day of celebrations had started and for this day Anakin was much more excited, because it was the beginning of the tournament that he was going to join.

Anakin always loved tournaments, but not just watching, he likes to participate and every time he can he is at the arena with his sword or lance. Anakin likes it better to fight with a sword, but he also joins the jousts, like in that day.

It was a friendly tournament, that is, it was expected that there would be no serious accidents or deaths, but this is the interesting part of a tournament. They are unpredictable. And most of the time unforgettable.

Early in the morning he was in the pavilion destined for the Targaryens, with him there were his cousins, the princes Daeron and Daemon. Baelon, his younger brother, was there too. He is Anakin's squire.

Daeron was Viserys' older son, a tall prince with shoulder length curled silver hair, his eyes were dark purple, almost bluish, he was a kind man, good-natured, generous and adventurous. Although he was a Targaryen he was much closer to his mother's side, the Velaryon. Daeron did not choose to have a dragon, but a ship, he he inherited nothing more than the boat that belonged to Corlys Velaryon, and with it he had already traveled to a lot of places.

In reality Daeron was not going to fight in the tournament because he was injured, about some months ago he faced a stormship while traveling between King's Landing and Volantis, the violent waves did not throw him on the water, but in his attempts to keep the boat in the right track he broke two fingers from his right hand, the one he uses to hold the sword.

However, his brother Daemon is going to fight. This one was the opposite of his brother, Daemon was taller and stronger, his silver hair was always cut very short and his eyes were darker than his brother’s. While Daeron was kind and sociable he was reserved, had a difficult temper and was known to be selfish, but when he was fighting he was a formidable knight.

Both Anakin and his cousin were getting ready for later, Daeron just showed up to support them.

— So how are you feeling today, Anakin? — Daeron asked and patted his shoulder. — Welcome to the world of the married.

— How nice of you, Daeron, but I think you're late. The wedding was yesterday.

Daeron got married almost two years ago with Lady Lauren Lannister, a strategic union planned by Viserys to strengthen the sea fleet of House Velaryon by joining it with the Lannister fleet.

Daeron laughed and patted Anakin's shoulder again before taking the prince’s helmet and analyzing it.

— I’m sorry, last night I got carried away by the wine and couldn't give you the proper congratulations. What about you, Daemon? I don't remember seeing you after the ceremony.

Daemon was getting ready in silence since he did not wish to join the conversation, but when they brought up his name he got tense, his dark armor with the Targaryen symbol was exuberant and even frightening, this added to his face that was always closed in a frown made his appearance uninviting.

He put the last part of his armor, the helmet with a red plume on top and drew his sword.

— I was feeling unwell after the ceremony and did not attend the party in the hall. — Daemon replied, his eyes were analyzing the state of the sword on his hands. — And all that drinking isn't exactly what I like to do to celebrate.

— Even my father was there, and he really hates feasts.

Anakin retorted, even though Daemon and him were cousins they did not get along very well and Daemon knows it very well, many times he was the one who intervened to calm the situation as he did now by placing himself between the two and returning Anakin's helmet.

— Here Anakin, good luck there. For you too, brother.

He left them both alone with their squires, nor did Anakin or Daemon say anything more after it.

Anakin just has to go to the arena later, but he would not lose the opportunity of watching other combats and learn how the other knights behave for the time he would face them later.

He was not in the royal box with his family, but from time to time his eyes moved towards where he could find his parents’ face, his uncle and aunt, and her, Zenah.

Since he left the room so early in the morning he did not have the opportunity to talk to his now wife, but they were already telling the lie that there was consummation. As agreed with her, he did not tell many things about the night, just that everything went well, what makes people satisfied. However, there was always someone wanting to know more, but Anakin just says the same thing, that the details of the wedding night belongs only to him and Zenah, no one else.

At some point the couple’s eyes met, Zenah showed surprise when she realized he was there all the time, so Anakin waved before turning around and leaving because it was already time to get ready, but also because he did not want Zenah seeing How he was smiling right now.

Anakin's first opponent was a knight from House Arryn, they were introduced by the master of the games before getting inside the arena, the Targaryen and Arryn banners waved in the wind as the crowd screamed in ecstasy, Anakin was known to be one of the most skilled knights of his time and it was always a joy for the common folk to watch him mount his horse and defeat knights one after another, there were few times when he lost a duel, and for Anakin, that was a victory.

Anakin adjusted his shield and lance and guided his horse to the right position, the Arryn knight, a younger guy called Edgar, had never faced the prince before, but Anakin got ready as he always did.

Before any duel no matter it is, swords, lances on horseback or not, Anakin always tried to learn informations about his opponent's fighting style and especially, what were their weaknesses. Of course many knights do it and this is not the most innovative technique. But it works, and this is what matters the most.

He had learned Edgar Arryn is good with the axe, but was still getting better in the lists, Edgar had some victories and losts in arenas, but despite everything he was brave and did not fear to lose.

Anakin thought it made him an honorable and honest knight, he would like to talk to Edgar after beating him.

Both the knights held their lances high putting them in the right position and it was when the crowd yelled, all because of the white piece of fabric wrapped on Anakin's lance, that Zenah recognized immediately as a piece of her veil from her wedding dress. Her jaw dropped, which made Anakin happier than ever, he knew exactly what was going on inside her head right now, how did he get that piece of her veil? It was simple in reality, before leaving the bedchambers that morning he cut that small piece and hid it in his pocket. Anakin knew the people would love that scene, the princess’ favor to her new husband.

Of course, they just did not need to know it was a surprise for her too.

When the herald gave the signal, Anakin pulled the reins and his horse took off, Edgar Arryn did the same with his animal, but his reflexes were not as agile as Anakin's because his horse started to run a little later, it was a minimal difference that perhaps not everyone would notice, but Anakin noticed perfectly.

The hand holding the lance tightened its fingers. Anakin aimed for the center of Arryn's shield, but at the last moment he threw his body forward and changed the angle of his spear. It hit the left corner of Arryn's shield. Anakin's strategy of leaning forward was a way to minimize the impact of the enemy lance, and it worked. Edgar lost his concentration and when he understood what the prince was going to do, it was too late. He lost his balance and fell backwards to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

The crowd's scream was like a kiss to Anakin's ego, he loves to fight but loves even more that part where everybody cheers for him.

But there was one person specifically he wanted, even if unconsciously, to see cheering for him, and this person is Zenah. Anakin pulled the horse's reins and made the animal go around the arena until it stopped in front of the royal box. His father nodded in approval. It was a simple gesture, but Anakin was already used to it and didn't care anymore. He really wanted to see Zenah's reaction.

The prince pointed to the piece of veil on his lance, at that moment his helmet covered almost his entire face, and so he smiled knowing that Zenah would not see him. Anakin was not sure if he was imagining things or if it was true, but he thought he heard Zenah whispering something like "be careful" to him. Anakin decided to believe that she really said that.

He left the arena to wait for the next combats on his pavilion, in that day Anakin has to face other two opponents, he even thought about waiting to see who would be his next fights but his body needed a quick break and Anakin knew very well that keeping his body in top condition was one of the most important parts of winning.

Prince Baelon went to take care of Anakin's horse and left him alone, luckily Daemon was in the arena since he was the best in line to fight, so Anakin had the pavilion just for him.

He took off his helmet and threw some some water on his hair and face, it was when Anakin noticed someone came inside, thinking it was Baelon he did not stop to see, until he heard that voice that surely was not from his younger brother:

— You're always good at tournaments.

He turned around and there she was, Zenah, the princess was standing at the entrance, her hands together in front of her body and those always pacific violet eyes facing him.

That day Zenah was wearing a blood red dress with gold details on the sleeves and hem of the skirt, her straight silver hair was loose and falling over her shoulders, on top of the princess's head was the same crown from the previous day with the three-headed dragon.

Anakin was not expecting to see Zenah there, it was expected she would stay in the royal box the whole event, but it was interesting to think she left the box and came here just to see him, he could not help but comment:

— Did you come here to see how your new husband is doing?

Zenah snorted and walked towards him, suddenly she was handing him something, a handkerchief.

— If you wanted my favor you should have just asked me for it. — She placed the handkerchief in the palm of his hand and took a step back. — Here, now it's right.

Anakin held that tissue and smiled, he could not believe Zenah came here just because of the silly joke he made before.

— Thank you, my lady. Your favor will be very honored today.

Zenah hesitated for a moment, it was like she had something to say but did not know if she should, but in the end something convinced her and she said:

— Today when I woke up I had a memory from our childhood. I remembered when we both played through the secret passages of the fortress and pretended to be Aegon the Conqueror and Queen Rhaenys.

Anakin remembered this game well, they spent hours running through the secret passages while recreating Aegon's entire conquest, he of course, was the conqueror. At that time they used to take the dogs and cats that walked around the castle and pretend that they were Balerion and Meraxes, while Zenah was Rhaenys.

Anakin was feeling nostalgic now, those were memories he would never forget.

— You always wanted to be Rhaenys and I always got angry with you. — He said, his mind still lost in the world of memories.

— Yes, because you always wanted me to be Visenya, and I always refused. So we fought and in the end you accepted that I would be Rhaenys and we went out to play. — Zenah pulled her lips into a smile without showing her teeth. — Why did you always want me to be Visenya and not Rhaenys? You know, I always told you I didn't want to be Maegor’s mother.

— That's true, but I always told you my reasons, Visenya was better. She was a warrior, had a valyrian steel sword, and rode Vhagar! Maegor is just a detail about her life.

— A big detail about her life. Visenya could be all of these things you said, but everybody knows it was Rhaenys who Aegon really loved.

Zenah left the pavilion after saying this, Anakin did not try to stop her, he stayed there thinking about the real reason why he never wanted her to be Rhaenys, a reason he never told her: he always wanted her to pretend she was the other queen because he hate the part where Rhaenys die. He hates, even if it was just fake, to watch Zenah dying.

Baelon came back suddenly calling Anakin, he wanted to know if he should make some adjustments to the horse's saddle, the prince came back to the reality of the tournament, at least for now.

Later that day Anakin was back in the arena, his second opponent that day was an older knight from Oldtown, a Hightower.

Everytime Anakin sees a Targaryen he has mixed feelings, in some way he used to think how he has some connections with that House, since Alicent Hightower was his great grandmother, but he also felt repulsed, the Hightowers' wish for power was one of the factors that contributed to the beginning of the Dance of the Dragons. They supported the Greens, the losing side, and until nowadays House Hightower still tries to get over and leave the war behind.

Manfred Hightower, that was the name of Anakin's opponent, he was a skilled knight as Anakin already knew, but he was older, his body no longer had the dexterity and agility of youth, however, he had the experience to counterbalance. It was a battle where Anakin could not count with youth to win, he knows he will need much more than this to win.

At the herald's signal he made the horse run, once again he managed to gain the advantage of faster reflexes, but he could not afford to simply repeat the strategy he had used with Edgar Arryn. No, this time Anakin would do it differently. He held the lance firmly and waited for the right moment to attack Manfred, hitting the lance right in the center of his shield. Using the strength of his body, Anakin pushed the lance even harder, making the other knight fall. Manfred, however, did not give up. He got up from the dust and drew his sword. Anakin immediately dismounted and drew his own. He had already expected that the fight would come to this.

Both knights started to fight, iron against iron, Anakin was strategic, fast and even a little bit violent on his way of fighting, Manfred was skilled but not so fast as he probably was years ago, the combat was good, Anakin could not deny it, but the Hightower was not good enough to beat the prince.

Anakin attacked him and noticed how the Hightower knight lost his balance for a fraction of time, the prince did not miss the opportunity, he repeated the attack and disarmed Manfred, finally he surrendered.
With another battle won Anakin heard the people celebrate, now there was only one more to go and he felt ready for whatever came, after two victories the prince began to feel invincible. For many this could be considered one of his defects, as his own father had once told him, he had a lot of his grandfather Daemon when it came to the arts of combat, but of course, Aegon did not see it in a good way. He often said that Anakin let his ego speak louder with each knight he pushed into the dust.

When the crowd stopped yelling the next knight who would come and fight with Anakin was announced, the second best of the day, Daemon Targaryen.

The idea of seeing dragon against dragon excited the people, how ironic, Anakin thought. Look at the Dance of the Dragons.

Daemon showed up on his horse, he came slowly through the arena and passed right beside Anakin, the moment he spoke to his cousin:

— You will not go undefeated today.

— We will see, Daemon.

Anakin mounted his horse, held the reins tightly and waited for Baelon to hand him a new lance, then the cousins stood face to face.

Zenah looked first at Anakin, and then at Daemon, her heart was beating faster than before, even though she knew Anakin was good she could not help but worry, Daemon could be quite treacherous after all.

She held her own hands, closed her eyes and held her breath when the herald gave the signal, all she heard was the trotting of the horses and suddenly the crash.

Chapter Text

The crash they heard was the sound of the lances crashing on the shields, both hit each other almost at the same time. Daemon was the first to fall, but Anakin could not keep himself steady and fell too.

Once on the ground all Anakin saw was the dust, but he could not let himself lose like this, so he got up and pulled his sword, Daemon was doing the same thing.

Anakin started attacking, his sword’s blade hit his cousin’s in another crash. They were face to face clenching their teeth below the helmets.

— Your ego is too high, cousin. — Daemon said in High Valyrian. — Makes the fall more enjoyable to watch.

— Dragons don't fall, Daemon.

Anakin pushed and attacked him again, he knew his cousin was sneaky and deceitful and didn't want to give him a chance to win. Not against him.

The fight was getting more and more intense and dangerous, at that moment it seemed that both had forgotten that the tournament should be clean, without deaths or serious injuries. Something predictable for those who knew Anakin and Daemon, cousins who never got along inside and outside the tournament arenas, but who found ways to release all their pent-up anger within them.

Zenah did not like the way the situation was developing, her eyes were moving side to side watching every new strike and defense, her heart was getting more tight every minute.

— Maybe it's time to stop the combat. — She said to her father. — They are going to kill each other!

— You know your brother wouldn't like me to do it, Zenah. — Aegon replied, he also seemed worried about what was happening. — This time I can't help you, my daughter.

She clenched her fists and kept her eyes on the fight in front of her, in that moment it was like Daemon and Anakin had forgotten this was just a tournament, not a war, and she could not do anything to stop them.

The air was hard and tense, the orange light of the sunset was falling over the knights in the arena making their armors and swords shine while they were fighting like two lions, no, Zenah scolded her own thoughts, like two wild dragons.

But they are not dragons, they are cousins, should not the blood speak louder? She scolded herself again, the world had already seen no, blood does not mean anything.

Anakin threw himself at Daemon and roared as his sword clashed against his again, beneath that heavy armor he only felt the taste of his own sweat and hatred, Daemon was indeed exceptional, but he would not win against him. Anakin would never allow something like that.

The battle kept going but it was not possible to say who was going to win, until Daemon let his sword drop accidentally after one of Anakin's attacks and he did not let the opportunity pass, he attacked again and made Daemon fall down on the ground. The crowd screamed in celebration, Anakin had won.

The crown prince lifted his helmet to breathe better and walked towards Daemon to extend his hand and help him up. That is when his cousin's treacherous side appeared. He tried to pull out a dagger hidden in his armor and attack Anakin, but the prince was not taken by surprise. He kicked Daemon's hand when it rose with the weapon and disarmed him for the second time. But this time Anakin was not so gentle. He placed the blade of his own sword against his cousin's neck and said:

— Surrender right now, or I hope Viserys forgive me, because I’m going to kill you.

He had some fire on his eyes, a mixture of anger at the dirty attack he had suffered and his own battle instincts, Daemon noticed that fire and knew that Anakin was serious, so he surrendered, clenching his fists and teeth in hatred, losing was already a shame, but losing to Anakin was even more so. Daemon would never say it out loud, but he hates the crown prince to the core, he envied him, and if he could he would take Anakin's place.

Finally Aegon stood up and announced that the battle was over, Anakin was declared the winner of the clash but he did not celebrate as much as the people did in the stands, the fight with Daemon had left a bittersweet taste, as it used to be every time they faced each other training in the courtyards of the fortress.

The night came and the tournament ended for today, all the royal family came back to the Red Keep where another feast was made for the guests, but the newlyweds were not there that night.

Zenah was on her bedchambers, the maids helped her change her red dress to a white nightgown and then left her there alone, the princess was brushing her hair when she heard the door opening and suddenly Anakin was coming in.

— Anakin? — She said. — What are you doing here? How did you get in unannounced?

Anakin was tired after that long day in the arena, he passed Zenah and walked towards the private latrine that he had only just noticed his sister also had, for him it was a relief.

— I think I don't need to be announced when I’m coming to my own room, right?

That answer made Zenah get confused, that was her room, not his.

— What? Did you hit your head too hard when you fell? This is my room, not yours!

— Looks like no one told you anything. — Anakin put his helmet down on a table and started taking off his armor. — Uncle Viserys had a conversation with our parents and convinced them it would be better if we start sleeping together everyday.

— What?!

Zenah did not know anything about that conversation and it made her get frustrated. Her parents had left her in the dark about such important change like that, if no one told her anything before now she would do anything to discover more:

— And what is the reason behind this? — She asked.

— I think you know the reason, Zenah.

Yes, Zenah knows very well the reason for this change. She sighed and put her hairbrush down.

— Babies… — She murmured angrily.

— Yes, they think we have to make up for lost time and have children as soon as possible.

— They make it seem like it's our fault, they're the ones who put off this wedding for years! And now they want us to deal with this? Our... our marriage hasn't even been consummated yet!

Zenah whispered the last part to make sure no one could hear them, even though it was impossible.

Anakin already knows it, the wedding was delayed for years because of their father, but now they want the new couple to make up for the wasting time and make Zenah show up pregnant as soon as possible. The problem is that the wedding was not even consummated, and Anakin does not even know when it will be, he did not want to rush just to knock his wife up.

The prince finished taking off his armor and sat down in bed with only the clothes he was wearing below, his body exhausted and pleading for some rest after that long day.

— There's nothing we can do, Zenah. They made up their minds, we just have to accept it.

Anakin even tried to argue with his parents, but it was in vain. They did not listen to him and remained firm in their decision to make them sleep in the same bed. Of course, Viserys and Daenaera were very persuasive, and his parents agreed with everything they said.

After removing his linen shirt, Anakin threw it to the corner. It was then that Zenah noticed that he had gained some bruises after the jousts that day, the biggest stain was on his back.

— Are you alright? — She got up and walked to her husband. — Look at you…

— It's fine, I’m feeling well.

Zenah was not satisfied with that answer, she believed that Anakin was just minimizing the pain so as not to worry anyone, so she touched his back carefully so as not to hurt him, the bruise was not that big but she was still worried.

— Look at this! I’m calling the Grand Maester to check you!

Zenah was about to leave when Anakin grabbed her by the arm.

— Hey, why so worried? Zennie, I’m alright, you don't have to worry so much.

And there he was using that nickname again, Zenah touched his back but her eyes were fixed on the floor, that nickname made her feel strange things.

— Your back says other things, Anakin.

— Zennie…

— Stop calling me this!

She pulled away abruptly and stood on the other side of the room in front of the window, from where she could see the castle garden, one of her favorite parts of that place since forever.

— Why can't I call you that? You liked that nickname when we were kids.

Anakin tilted his head to the side. It was interesting to call Zenah by that nickname. He liked the reactions she got. The princess, however, seemed irritated. Or at least she was pretending to be. Deep down, she could not say exactly what that nickname made her feel. It was as if the word was there on the tip of her tongue but Zenah simply did not know how to say it out loud.

— They say Aegon married Visenya out of duty, and Rhaenys out of love. — Zenah said without looking at Anakin, but she knows he is listening. — And it was with her that he spent most of his nights, not with Visenya, Rhaenys was the first to give him a child, Aenys I, and probably would have given him more if wasn't for the tragedy in Dorne. Did you ever stop to think about it?

She leaned against the window after speaking, closed her eyes and let the gentle breeze touch her face, that feeling always brought her peace.

— You are very dreamy sometimes, Zenah, you have always been given to love stories. I remember when we were children, you loved to hear the story of Jaehaerys and Alysanne, and hated it when I never wanted to play pretend to be him. — Anakin said.

— And I still can't understand why you never wanted! It was cool as the time of the conquest!

Zenah replied in a frustrated tone, the same one she had used in the past when he refused to play. Anakin felt nostalgic, but he put it aside to answer:

— Of course not! At the time of the conquest we had the battles, the beginning of the united Seven Kingdoms, Jaehaerys' reign was a period of peace, what were we going to do? Pretend we were fighting over Princess Saera? It would be boring!

Zenah took a deep breath and finally decided to tell Anakin something, something she had kept to herself for a long time:

— Sometimes I wish I could play at being Alysanne so I could imagine what it would be like the day we would be married and have our family.

That was the pure truth, Zenah and Anakin always knew that one day they would get married and were just waiting for the moment, but she spent her time dreaming about what it would be like to have children with him, what it would be like to be his wife and queen, and deep down, she wanted her wedding to be like Jaehaerys and Alysanne's

Anakin's eyes widened and his jaw dropped, it was one of those rare moments when you do not know what to say, he did not imagine that his wife had been imagining their future together since so early. He got up from the bed and walked towards her just as Zenah turned around, the two stood face to face in silence until Anakin touched her face and was surprised when she did not push him away, seeing this as a positive sign he let his hand stay there for a little longer.

— Do you know, I can even see some of Alysanne and Rhaenys on you? Everytime we played together and you pretend you were riding an imaginary Meraxes it was like I was seeing the real Rhaenys there. — Anakin smiled to her. — You were right when you didn't want to be Visenya, you're not like her.

— And this is good or not?

Instead of answering her, Anakin came closer to kiss her forehead, it was a lovely gesture, it was surprising even for him.

— You're a dreamer, Zenah, I wish life was as sweet as in your dreams.

He walked away, giving Zenah space to leave or get mad at him if she wanted, but she did not do either. On the contrary, Zenah just blinked a few times as if she wanted to regain consciousness and then she walked away, but without yelling or anything.

— Which side of the bed do you want? — She asked, already far away from him.

— You're the owner of the bed, so I think it's right to let you choose where I can sleep, don't you?

Zenah rolled her eyes and finally pointed to the right side.

— From now on this is your side of the bed, alright?

— Sure, but who knows, maybe one of these nights we'll sleep close together?

— Anakin!

She finally snorted and Anakin burst out laughing.

That night Anakin dreamed that he was flying on the back of Balerion, the dragon was so large that his shadow covered entire cities and his roar could be heard for miles around, but he was a formidable creature. Right behind him came a second dragon, Meraxes, and on his back was Zenah.

The two dragons landed in an open field where the couple ran. As the princess moved away, Anakin tried to bring her back to him. He reached out and grabbed at the void in vain, until finally he put his arms around Zenah's waist and pulled her against him. The two stopped running and Anakin continued to hug her. Suddenly he could hear everything she had told him before when they were awake: Aegon married Visenya out of duty and Rhaenys out of love. He felt like Aegon and saw Zenah as Rhaenys, and that was why he kissed her.

When Anakin woke up he saw Zenah still asleep beside him, it was dark outside which made him realize that only a few hours had passed since he fell into his new bed and fell asleep, Anakin touched his wife's face carefully to avoid waking her and then whispered:

— My Rhaenys… my Alysanne.

Chapter Text

In the next morning they court and the guests headed to the Kingswood where there would be a hunt, part of the wedding events. Anakin, Zenah and their parents were in the same carriage on the way to the place where the pavilion had been set up, being escorted by the royal guard.

The silence inside the carriage was a little bit uncomfortable to Zenah, and made the journey seem longer than it actually was. But that was not anything new. Her parents usually travel in silence, almost like speaking is too hard for them.

Zenah fiddled with the fabric of her dress several times as she observed the forest landscape outside, she wanted to find something to talk about but nothing came to mind, and most of the time her parents would not be interested in the subject.

She did not really want to be in that carriage. Just before they left, Zenah tried to ask the king for permission to go with her dragon, Dreamfyre, but Aegon refused, saying that a dragon as big as that would only scare the animals in the forest and disrupt the hunt. However, Zenah knew that even if Dreamfyre was the size of a cat, her father would not allow her to be there.

The road to Kingswood was especially uncomfortable today, the carriage shook and the wheels hit small rocks more often than usual, Anakin was already getting uncomfortable.

— What happened to this road today? It must be the thousandth time I've seen Zenah holding on to keep from falling! — He commented irritably, finally breaking the silence.

— There was a heavy rain a few days ago, with a lot of wind. — Queen Jaehaera said. — I heard that some trees fell.

— We could have avoided this trouble by coming with our dragons.

Anakin growned, he also wanted to bring Caraxes with him, and Aegon also did not let.

— I say it again, dragons would only disturb the hunt, the animals would get scared and escape.

It was Aegon who said it, he was sitting next to his wife, in front of them were their three children.

It seemed that silence would once again take over the interior of the carriage when Baelon smiled at the corner of his mouth:

— But it would have been interesting to hunt with our dragons…

— You would set fire to the forest out of recklessness and we would have a disaster. — The king's answer was dry and slightly irritated. — No more.

Baelon lowered his head after being reprimanded by his father, so Zenah touched his arm in a way to try to comfort her younger brother, Anakin did nothing, but he almost thought about fighting back. Which would not be good at all. They were on their way to a celebration and fighting right at the beginning would only hurt all of them, but that did not mean that the anger would diminish.

Queen Jaehaera looked at each of her children's faces, Anakin's frown, Zenah's lost expression, and Baelon's shame, she did not like seeing them like that despite everything.

— It's going to be a fun day, my children. Anakin, Baelon, you'll be able to hunt a little and Zenah and I will stay with the other ladies of the court.

— I won't be able to go into the forest, mother? — Zenah asked.

— It is more recommended that you stay and keep the ladies company, as a princess and future queen it is your duty to be a good hostess.

The queen was emphatic, something that Zenah was already used to. The princess had always heard her mother talk about duty as if it were the most important thing in a queen's life, a legacy she inherited from her grandmother, Alicent Hightower.

Queen Alicent implanted in her granddaughter's head that she should surrender herself to the crown body and soul, even if it meant giving up her life. But Zenah did not agree with that vision. However, what could she do after all? Her mother was the queen, she was just the future queen. It was as if they were a rose bush, Jaehaera was a rose that had already grown and been well cared for, while Zenah was just a rosebud waiting for her day to bloom and perhaps see things from the older rose's perspective.

Anakin glanced at Zenah out of the corner of his eye. It was curious how he could always tell when his wife was thoughtful or lost in her own metaphors, a habit Zenah had since childhood and he had already learned to notice. In a way, he found Zenah's thoughtful personality cute, but he always wondered what was going on in her head. Sometimes Anakin wanted to get in there and understand her like no one else would, to get a taste of what his wife was like beyond what she wanted to show others, beyond what she wanted to show him.

A new jolt inside the carriage made the prince grumble, he just wished that this journey would end soon, or he would prefer to get off and walk.

— Do you believe that you have already produced an heir?

It was Jaehaera who suddenly asked, Zenah remained surprisingly calm, Anakin then smiled from ear to ear and crossed his legs:

— Of course! I believe that soon we will have a prince or princess running around!

Zenah held herself back from raising an eyebrow and questioning what Anakin was talking about. They would only have an heir with a divine miracle since they had never slept together before, and now Anakin was lying to their parents.

— That's good news, my son. — Jaehaera tried to smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. — A boy would be ideal.

— Of course, who knows, maybe we'll have a boy and name him Aegon? Such an original name for a king in Westeros!

Anakin was deliberately ironic, sometimes he liked to do that, to tease his parents and try to somehow get some feeling out of them, but it was no use. King Aegon just nodded, and Jaehaera lowered her gaze.

Zenah finally looked at Anakin as if she wanted to ask him what that was, but now was not the time for that, so she was forced to shut up and wait.

In the Kingswood the royal family was received with joy, especially the newlyweds, Zenah and Anakin walked through the crowd receiving applause and whistles from the lords and also from the servants. The common people were very happy with that wedding, since they adored King Aegon's children more than he himself and Queen Jaehaera.

Anakin and Baelon spent the first hours there hunting together with some lords, they found boars, some geese and Anakin even killed a deer, all the slaughtered animals were brought to the camp where they would be prepared for dinner. King Aegon did not participate in any hunt with his sons. He never participated in any hunt in fact, as usual Aegon stayed in the tent designated for the royal family and remained there with lords and servants surrounding him, not that he was more interested in conversations than in the brutality of the hunt, he just had no interest in anything that happened there, and among the available options he chose the one that in his view was the least worst.

While the king was forcing himself to pay attention to Lord Francis Tully's idle chatter, Anakin appeared. He and Baelon had just returned from the forest after hunting the deer and decided to take a break to rest. The crown prince walked among the people until he reached where his mother and wife were. At this point, the king was not even listening to what Tully was saying, he was paying attention to his son.

Anakin's shadow covered Zenah and announced his presence there, the princess raised her head and there was her husband.

— Anakin? Are you back from the hunt?

— Are you always so casual with your husband, your grace?

Asked Melba, a woman close in age to the queen, she was the wife of Lord Andrew Redwyne of the Arbor and they had both come representing their house to attend the wedding.

Anakin did not like that comment, his hands behind his back clenched until his knuckles turned white, but he restrained himself from being rude.

— Anakin and I have been close since childhood, casualness has become a habit between us — Zenah said to the woman with all the politeness in the world.

— Besides, we are husband and wife. — Anakin added. — There is no need for formality between us, is there?

Completely ignoring Melba's existence, Anakin turned on his heel and set his eyes on Zenah.

— Come with me.

He said without giving much explanation, which left the princess confused.

— Where to?

— Come, I know you'll like it.

He reached out his hand to her and Zenah made a move to touch it and it was then that the queen intervened:

— Zenah needs to stay and continue to keep the ladies company, Anakin.

The princess recoiled, on one hand she knew she should stay and continue to be a good hostess as expected, but honestly, she wanted to go out for a while. Zenah wanted to go to the forest outside, see the animals, the flowers, everything, but how could she tell her mother that without being reprimanded?

Anakin knew very well that Zenah would abide by their mother's decision, and that was why he acted. The prince held his wife's hand firmly and said:

— Zenah, this is not something I like to do or that I will do often, but if it’s the only way to defeat our mother, then so be it: come on, I am your husband and I am not asking, I am ordering.

Jaehaera did not like being contradicted. She was about to speak when Aegon appeared behind her. The king touched his wife's shoulders and with that gesture alone the queen remained silent.

Zenah immediately stood up and followed Anakin out of the tent. As she left, the smell of smoke from the fire and meat being roasted invaded her nostrils. It whetted her appetite, but the princess had other priorities before eating. She wanted to go out and have fun.

— It was like using duty against duty. — The princess said as she and her husband walked. — But don't ever do that again.

— I already told you I won't do that, Zennie. I don't want to boss you around.

The princess sighed, something telling her to trust him.

— Thank you.

She whispered. Anakin did not know if she was thanking him for saying he would not boss her around or if it was for getting her out of there.

Anakin took his wife to the forest on horseback. Zenah wanted to go on her own mount, but the prince insisted so much that they go together that she accepted. Now they were both on the trail and Anakin guided his horse in no hurry to return.

— Are we going somewhere specific?

Zenah asked after they had been walking for a while. She looked around and all she could see was the green of the trees and bushes, the air smelled of pine and oak.

— Or are you just leading us aimlessly?

— You hit the nail on the head. I don't know exactly where we're going. Doesn't that sound interesting? Let's go for a walk and see where life will take us.

— But people will be worried about our delay…

— Zenah, I'm sure they think we're in some bush somewhere having sex.

— Anakin! — Zenah frowned and hit him on the shoulder. — Of course not!

The prince started to laugh, he was aware that Zenah was not naive and he knew that she was, that was the most likely thought of her parents and the rest of the people in the camp, she just preferred to deny it due to the nature of the thought.

— Zennie, people think about sex, they think about sex a lot. And what do they think a young couple would do alone in the forest?

She did not answer his question because she did not want to give him the pleasure of being right.

Anakin made the horse stop suddenly and got off, then he helped Zenah do the same, the two of them were in the middle of the forest, already far from the camp. Before she could still hear the sound of dogs barking and the muffled voices of people, now all they heard was the chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves. Zenah looked around, there was nothing there that indicated why Anakin had come here and brought her along.

— What are we doing here?

— You'll see soon enough.

He reached out and held her hand, then Anakin led her through the bushes until they reached the edge of a cliff, there the wind seemed to be stronger but the view was breathtaking.

The prince pointed to the left, the direction where they could see King's Landing and the Red Keep on top of Aegon's Hill, the great castle seemed so small from there, as if they could put it in their hand and hold it, Zenah was impressed by that view, she walked carefully closer to the edge and smiled in wonder.

— How beautiful, we can see almost everything from here.

— Yes, almost everything, King's Landing, Blackwater Bay, our home. — Anakin stopped beside her and crossed his arms. — If we had our dragons we could see even more, we would have gone to Storm's End and back.

— Unfortunately, we couldn't bring them, but who knows, maybe one day?

They continued to watch the view for a while in silence. Soon after, the couple sat on a fallen tree trunk nearby, from where they could still see the view. Zenah, as usual, was distant, distracted by the landscape. Anakin, however, no longer paid attention to the Red Keep or anything around him, he only had eyes for his wife.

— Zenah…

Anakin was about to say something when the wind brought the sounds of the camp, the sound of the dogs barking and now a new sound, a song being played. It was almost impossible to distinguish what was being sung, but the prince had an idea. He stood up and held out his hand to Zenah. When she stood up, Anakin pulled her close and simply began to dance with her.

— What is this, Anakin? — Zenah asked, she had not understood why they had suddenly started dancing in the middle of the forest.

— I felt like dancing, that's all — He shrugged. — So let's dance together, one step at a time.

The princess did not understand, but she kept dancing with Anakin, the two of them spun and spun from one side to the other, until it was fun.

— One step at a time.

Zenah repeated, as they continued dancing, both of them became more relaxed, more joyful. They laughed and twirled until they lost track of everything around them and completely forgot about the forest, the hunt, everything.

Amidst the laughter, Anakin grabbed Zenah by the waist and lifted her up before starting to spin with her in his arms. They both smiled at each other. When he put his wife down again, they were face to face laughing like children. Suddenly Anakin found himself staring at Zenah for too long.

— It was kind of fun, this one step at a time thing, — The princess admitted.

— Yes, it's really fun, isn't it? Following this rhythm like this without rules, duties, only our own desire…

Zenah nodded in agreement. Anakin had not let go of her waist yet. In fact, he was getting closer and closer, his fingers slowly traced her waist, almost in an imperceptible touch.

— Only our own will and nothing else.

He murmured, his lips hovering a hair's breadth away from hers, the two then looked into each other's eyes and brushed their noses.

For a moment, there was a slight hesitation, as if something was holding them back, but it was not long before the invisible bonds revealed themselves to be nonexistent. And then Anakin kissed her on the lips. And Zenah responded.

The kiss did not last long, but for Anakin it felt so good, more than he imagined it would. The touch of the princess's lips was soft and gentle like a flower. When the two separated, Zenah took a step back, her mouth agape. Her heart was hammering in her chest and any train of thought disappeared from her mind.

— What was that?

She murmured, still in shock, Anakin thought about answering ironically, just to provoke her. But for some reason, perhaps because of the feelings that kiss had awakened in him, Anakin ignored that urge and simply kissed her again with more desire than before. Zenah responded in the same way. The cold wind made her shiver and bring her body closer to Anakin's. When they separated again, Zenah did not pull away.

Anakin touched her face and slowly traced the outline of her blushing cheek, all while smiling.

— One step at a time, understand? — He whispered to her. Zenah watched his hand fingering her face, and in the end she smiled too, even though she was still surprised. — Every day we'll discover something new, without the slightest rush to do so, understand? Like in the dance we did just now, where we slowly moved forward until we were laughing for no reason. What do you think?

It was a proposal that Zenah honestly was not expecting, and that maybe before she would have been a little hesitant to accept, but now after those kisses she knew very well what her answer would be.

The two returned to the camp where they received malicious looks from everyone, yes, everyone there thought that they had run away into the forest to have a moment of intimacy. Zenah ignored the looks and went back to the larger tent where her parents and the nobles were, Anakin came right behind, he was the reason for all those smiles and inappropriate thoughts, the reason? The idiotic smile plastered on the prince's face.