An evil eye had fallen on the peace and the prosperity of the seven kingdoms. The royal court was divided into two factions - 'The Greens' and 'The Blacks'. The seeds of war sown long ago were sprouting.
Naerys Velaryon was the daughter of Princess...
Princess Rhaenyra's belly had swollen with a child. Her feet felt heavier with each passing month. She took each step carefully and spoke every word with caution. She knew that the eyes of both her friends and foes were on her and the child that was awaiting his birth. There were whispers in every corner of the Red Keep. They worried her but there was nothing she wanted to do about them.
Rhaenyra was walking to the castle sept to pray, accompanied by Elinda Massey, her lady-in-waiting. On the way, she lost her balance and was about to fall down.
Elinda saved her from the fall and said, "Princess, the Gods can wait till you give birth. Look at yourself! You are not able to walk properly."
"It is fine, Elinda. I can walk." Saying this, Rhaenyra continued to walk towards the sept. Elinda asked the princess to hold her arm so that she does not fall down.
Elinda said, "It seems that you didn't sleep well last night. Was the baby kicking too much?"
Rhaenyra smiled at her companion and said, "The baby was too restless last night. I couldn't even get an ounce of sleep. I tried to sleep again in the morning but the baby has decided not to allow me to do so."
The ladies entered the sept and lit a few candles. When they were praying, Rhaenyra shook Elinda and said, "I feel uneasy. Let us go back."
Elinda knew what Rhaenyra had meant. The contractions had started. She hurried out of the sept and called the maids who were working outside. They took the princess to her chambers and called the midwives and the maester.
King's Chambers:
King Viserys was having lunch with Queen Alicent when a maid rushed to the chambers.
"Your Grace, Princess Rhaenyra went into labour," the maid said, panting.
As soon as the king heard the maid, he washed his hands and hurried towards the castle sept. He did the same thing every time his daughter went into labour. The Gods had snatched his first wife from him. He would not let them snatch his beloved daughter.
However, Alicent did not move from her place. She sat there calmly and continued to eat. She thought, "Why should I go and wait outside her chambers to have a look at a baseborn child? I will go there after she has given birth. And if she dies during childbirth, it's even better."
Rhaenyra's chambers:
A few hours had passed. The princess was screaming with pain and the midwives were attending to her.
Even though Rhaenyra had given birth before, she was afraid. "We have royal wombs and the birthing bed is our battlefield," her mother used to say, and she had seen her mother perish in the same battlefield while giving birth to her brother Baelon. The lives of every member of the royal family would have been a lot more peaceful if Prince Baelon had survived. However, the Gods were cruel. The prince did not live long. Her own uncle called him 'An Heir for a Day' and was sent away to Runestone for that.
She was scared for herself and her children. She said, "What will happen to Jacaerys and Naerys if I die?"
Elinda, who had heard the princess, started crying. She wiped Rhaenyra's forehead and kissed her cheek. She said to her, "No, you are not going to die. Don't say that! I beg you! You will be fine."
The pain was increasing. Rhaenyra started crying. Seeing her condition, Elinda hugged her and sobbed. One of the midwives got angry. "What in the Seven Hells are you doing, woman?" she shouted at Elinda. She added, "You are here to take care of the princess. Wipe her forehead and try to comfort her. If possible, motivate her to push harder. You are not here to hold her and bray like a goat." Another midwife separated Elinda from Rhaenyra and sent her out of the chambers.
The labour continued for a few more hours. Finally, the princess let out a loud scream, and the child was born.
"You have given birth to a boy, Princess," a midwife said. She then cleaned the baby and placed him in his mother's arms. Rhaenyra's eyes became moist with tears of happiness. She brought the child close to her heart and kissed him. She said to him, "You are such a lovely boy, aren't you?"
High Tide:
A raven carried the news of the prince's birth to High Tide. Upon receiving the raven, the maester ran to Lord Corlys.
Corlys saw the maester and said, "What happened, Maester? Why are you running? Did something bad happen?"
The maester said, "No, My Lord. There is good news. Princess Rhaenyra has given birth to a healthy boy. You have another grandson now."
Princess Rhaenys said, "That's wonderful. I am flying to King's Landing to see my grandson."
"That will be good. You can go on dragon back and I will travel on my ship to see him," Corlys said.
Without wasting any time, Rhaenys set off to King's Landing on her dragon Meleys. The red dragon was swift. Within less time, she reached her destination.
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She dismounted her dragon and walked inside the castle. The knights bowed to her and the ladies curtsied. She had royal blood in her and she rode a dragon. She had everything that was required to be the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. Or was that just an illusion? She did not want to know.
A maid escorted her to Rhaenyra's chambers. She was lying on the bed with the child beside her. Alicent was already there. On seeing Rhaenys, the queen hugged her and said with a smug face, "Congratulations, Princess Rhaenys. You had another grandson. Have a look at him. He's such a beautiful child with brown hair."
Rhaenys approached the bed and looked at the child. Alicent was right. The child had brown hair and a pug nose, just like Ser Harwin Strong. She looked at Rhaenyra. Rhaenyra's smile faded and she looked downwards, towards the sleeping child. No more words were exchanged between the three women, but the silence spoke volumes.
A few moments later, Ser Laenor entered the chambers holding Jacaerys and Naerys in his arms. He placed them on the bed and said, "Here, see your new brother. He is a lovely lad, isn't he?"
Then, he turned around and hugged his mother. He said to her, "How are you, Mother? And how is Father?"
Rhaenys said, "I am fine, Laenor. Your Father is fine too."
The baby opened his eyes and blinked a few times. Jacaerys was touching his cheeks and hands. However, the princess decided to act differently. She opened her mouth and proceeded to put her newborn brother's ear in her mouth. Laenor, who was horrified to see that, immediately pulled her away. He said to his daughter, "Naerys, don't eat your brother." Naerys giggled on hearing her father's words and leaned on him.
"She's such a mischievous child," Rhaenys said laughing.
"That is absolutely true," Laenor replied.
Naerys, whom Laenor was holding in his arms, was observing her grandmother very carefully. After a few moments of observation, she decided that it would be very good to pull her hair. Rhaenys was standing close to Laenor. So, Naerys stretched her hand to get hold of a lock of her grandmother's hair.
However, Laenor noticed that in the nick of time and stopped his daughter. His stubborn daughter stretched her other hand. "Not now, my dear daughter," he said holding his daughter's hands. Meanwhile, Rhaenys was amused to see Laenor struggling with his daughter.
Laenor moved away from his mother and said, "I forgot to tell you that she likes pulling hair."
