Chapter Text
Chapter IX.
Author's Note- Thanks to those who reviewed. This is just one smaller chapter from Rhaenys' POV and will show how her mind works and what motivates her in life. The War is resumed in the next chapter after this one that will have Haery, Rhaenys, and Viserys flying their dragon's in battle for the first time together and Oberyn and some of the Sand Snakes make an appearance as well. Things are beginning to happen fast so it will not be long till we're in Westeros most of the time. Thanks!
Disclaimer: I Own Nothing.
***
~ Princess Rhaenys Targaryen I ~
New Palace: Kingsport, 297 AL.
***
'He will be fourteen today.' Rhaenys thought sadly to herself as she looked out over the ever-expanding streets and port that was quickly coming together as the new capital city of House Targaryen's Essosi holdings.
She could hardly believe it had been a year and a half since she had seen her beloved brother and best-friend. All their lives, they'd never been apart for longer than a single night since the day her little brother was born and she first held him in her arms when she was only three name days. It was almost directly after her mother had been murdered. Her little brother's bright smiles and the warm connection she shared with him had truly been the only thing that had helped her get over her loss and the traumatic events she'd borne witness to within the court of the Mad Dragon- their grandfather King Aerys II.
She could barely remember the Princess Elia Nymeros-Martell. Though she did remember loving her just as fiercely as she knew her mother had loved her. While her mother had been taken from her far too soon, she had been blessed because she had been gifted someone in her stead that she had quickly grown to love with all her heart. Almost since the day her mother died, Jae had been the most important person in her life.
Oh, she certainly loved her father and Lya too- adored them even.
No girl could have ever asked for better parents than those whom she had been bestowed with. Her beloved Papa had been gone the same amount of time as her brother, but somehow....it was just harder to deal with the separation from him.
Their time spent since Jaehaerys and Rhaegar had left for distant Slaver's Bay had not been idle, not by any means. It seemed as if one event after the other was quickly besieging them (thankfully not yet literally besieging them). As she was nearly ten and seven name days, she was now considered a woman grown and therefore was constantly having to sit in on the family council and receive ambassadors and dignitaries with the help of the Dowager Queen and Lya. Yet, through it all, neither the pain of separation nor the loneliness brought about by her beloved brother's departure had numbed the pain of his absence in the slightest.
She knew she was not the only one experiencing such a lonely existence either.
Her family was very close-knit. Because they'd been forced to spend so much of their lives in hiding from the Usurper, all they'd ever known or had was each other. She knew Dany had it nearly as bad as she did. She too was desperately missing her, 'Haery'.
She chuckled at that.
She always called him, 'Jae' and Dany had always called him by her own nickname- 'Haery'.
If not for her Aunt Daenerys, she thought she very well might have gone crazy these past un-endingly long months.
She used to occasionally become jealous of the relationship their younger aunt shared with her brother, but those days had long since past. Dany had become her anchor nearly as much as Jae. She would readily admit that the two of them were her best friends in all the world. There was literally nothing she would not do for either one of them. All throughout their childhood's, it had always been the three of them. They had been thick as thieves since first Jaehaerys and then Daenerys began to walk. Most of the time it took but a look of one from the other, and they'd know instantly whatever was on the other's mind. Words had barely even been necessary.
Their adventures in what some would call the mythological or supernatural had also bonded them on another level entirely.
When she and Dany had discovered Jaehaerys practicing his magic and trying to transform into his dragon form for the first time, they had been completely stunned.
Most people would have thought him crazy, or perhaps evil (if you asked a septon/septa and/or a maester), but Rhaenys knew better. She well remembered the legends Queen Rhaella told them of Old Valyria and just what some of their ancestor's had been capable of. Sure, it had been shocking that her own brother had been the embodiment of those legends made flesh, but neither Rhaenys nor Daenerys had been too surprised. They'd both seen him do the seemingly impossible numerous times before after all.
After that night, the three of them spent a part of nearly every night in the future diligently practicing the arts of Sorcery. All Targaryen's were capable of the talents to at least some degree. Some just had much more ability and power than others. Their grandmother, the Queen was a rather strong sorceress, but Jae....he was something else entirely. There almost seemed to be no end to the wondrous things he could do if he wanted something badly enough. Watching him practice magic was truly a beautiful sight to behold.
He had shown both Rhaenys and Daenerys that they too were capable of some of the same things. Though admittedly, her brother held within him some sort of....additional....form of powers that were unlike anything she'd ever even heard of.
Thinking back to those days, Rhaenys was still uncertain of how any boy of only six name days had become so very advanced as her little brother had been at that age. They all knew he was a prodigy of some kind, but that was almost too exceptional even for him. She dearly hoped that one day he'd reveal the things she knew he still kept hidden from her. (It would have angered her by this point, considering how close they were with one another, if she did not know in her heart that there was something that was....somehow....quite literally preventing him from explaining the full truth.)
Under his tutelage, both she and Daenerys had progressed quite quickly and seemed to pick up instruction from him at an amazing pace. She knew that if her brother ever decided to abdicate as king one day, he'd be able to have a wonderful career as a teacher. He had a real gift for helping others to learn, and she thought him an extremely adept instructor.
From the very beginning of their training with each other, the three of them had noticed a rather....curious effect: when they were all three together, their power's were much....much....stronger than they ever were apart. She'd never been able to figure out the exact reason (though she had her own suspicion's), but the facts were undeniable. They were much more powerful together. Any spell attempted was produced with far greater ease and efficiency and was also far stronger if all three of them were there.
That was saying nothing of the results of anything they cast in combination. If they cast the same spell....the results were absolutely phenomenal.
She had once overheard a conversation between her father and her grandmother years ago that had led to her asking a number of questions mostly to herself. (She had not been eavesdropping!)
Her father had told the Queen that he believed the three of them were the prophesied, 'Three Heads of the Dragon' of legend that their ancestor (and many other seers) foretold the coming of.
At first, she'd thought it all non-sense.
Her father always did have a tendency to ponder things of a daunting nature, and at times could become somewhat melancholic. Such thoughts never lasted however, as Lya would always be there to anchor him and remind him of the joy they had in each other and in their family. Watching her ability to wholly brighten her father's countenance with naught but a smile and her presence alone, always made Rhaenys yearn and hope for her future. When she was younger, she prayed that she herself would find a partner of her own one day, and that she could share in a love the likes of which her parent's clearly held with one another.
Such were the things which made life worth living in her eye's.
Despite her skepticism of portents and prophecy and the like, it was after that over-heard conversation that the thought first came to her that perhaps she did not have to look too far to discover what her heart and destiny yearned for.
Still, she had continued to doubt the validity of the three of them being the 'Chosen Ones.' Surely, they could not be any kind of prophesied 'saviors'.
That lasted till she asked herself exactly how common did she think the things the three of them were capable of truly were?
Her answer was easy: not at all common....even for sorcerer's.
That overheard conversation had been enlightening for many reasons.
Their exact words had all but haunted her mind ever since.
Flashback
***
It was late at night, and there were more lights on in the drawing room than there normally would have been at that hour. She knew it was wrong, but she had always possessed an extremely inquisitive nature. She could therefore not help herself when she pressed her ear against the crack open in the doorway and listened in.-
"I have to admit, even I was surprised by just what those three have been able to accomplish of late; and at such a young age at that! The girls are stronger than any in our family since before the Doom at the least, and Jaehaerys' level of powers are absolutely unheard of. He'll be well past anything Brynden Rivers could do whilst still being a child. Of course that's saying nothing of the powers I can feel him occasionally use (especially when he shifts forms), that are unlike anything I've ever even heard of. It's still nearly unfathomable that proof of the ancient legends would show itself in our time's."
"Admittedly though, if there were ever a greater time of need, I am not aware of when that would have been. If those old prophesies hold any weight, I cannot imagine how it could mean anyone but Jaehaerys and the girls....I sometimes wonder just what that shall mean for them?" Rhaella said to her eldest son.
"I know, Mother. I worry for him....for all of them really. We have no idea how our lives will unfold in these uncertain times. I am certain of one thing though: whatever the future holds in store for our children, I have no doubt that they'll meet it head on and destroy anything that stands in their paths. They are our real future. We're merely paving their way. I see the potential for such greatness within all three of them. Their relationship is so very similar to what we know of the tales of the union of Aegon the Dragon and his sister's. The parallels are undeniably manifest, and I cannot imagine them apart. They are each three parts of a whole." Rhaegar replied.
The Queen looked thoughtful for a moment before replying.
"You see it too. Do you not?" She asked.
Rhaenys had no idea what her grandmother was referring to in that moment. She was soon to find herself illuminated.
Rhaegar let out an humorous snort.
"See it? I'd have to say it's almost blindingly obvious. They....all three of them....they are more than connected. They were meant for each other. Of that I have no doubt." He answered.
Rhaenys' eyes widened as she suddenly realized just what her father was implying concerning Jae, Dany, and herself. The three of them....together in the future. Just like Aegon the Conqueror and her namesake and Visenya. That was just....she was unsure how to feel about it. Though, she was not overly surprised to find she did not find the idea distasteful in any way. Not like she would have had someone suggested a union between herself and Viserys or even Aelyx.
"How would you feel about that? How do you think the realm would feel about it? Do you think the dangers...." The Queen trailed off as she momentarily lost herself in thought.
"Well....I do not believe I'd be exactly opposed to such a thing. Not after the way they've grown up together. Their bond is unlike anything I've ever witnessed, and if that is the direction their relationship takes them, who are we to gainsay the will of the god's? That's the only way such powers would appear in all three of them in such a remarkably intriguing manner. Their relationship is almost symbiotic. Besides, none of them are full-blooded siblings. I believe the risk to their future children would be....minimal. Also, with the re-birth of the dragons, I do not foresee too much in the way of opposition. I'm nearly certain the magick is playing, and will continue to play, a large part of their union. I actually have a theory about that." Rhaegar replied.
She had been thoroughly shocked to hear her father's thoughts on the three of them. She had never really thought about anything like that, but at the same time, she could not imagine life without Dany and Jae in it always.
Nothing else seemed right to her.
"I believe you are right. My thought's on the matter were similar. I just hope they're luckier than some have been, and what theory do you mean?" The Queen asked.
"The magic. I remember the archives at Dragonstone. In the past, sorcery was always at the heart of our family. Almost every single dragon rider was also a very capable sorcerer. After all, an empire like Valyria could never have remained as the predominant power in the world for thousands of years if all the blood purity did was manage to produce rulers like Father or Aerion Brightflame. It is also highly likely they would have bred themselves into extinction. We did not have these problems in the past. The only real difference that I can find (besides the introduction of the blood of a few different lines of Queen's not of Valyrian descent) was that fact that all the Targaryen's of Old remained strong in their magicks."
"However, something began to change after the Exodus. The usage of magic by members of our house began to decline because of the predominance of the Andal Faith of the Seven in Westeros. I believe what really doomed our family though (not that he was aware of it nor do I think he did it intentionally of course) was when the Conciliator submitted to the Faith."
"The Old King was a strong sorcerer. He was as strong as Visenya had been at the least. Before King Jaehaerys' time, there were no records (no more than anybody else's family anyway), of problems with insanity or large-scale fertility issues effecting them. Even Maegor was sane; power-hungry and cruel, certainly- but that did not mean he was mad. The more the use of magic dwindled, the more problems one generally associated with inbreeding became apparent. The dragons were becoming smaller too. After the Dance, there were no more sorcerers left. None remained even from the few that had managed to remain shadowed from the Faith- at least none that knew how to actually use magic. In the end, my hypothesis is this: no magic, no dragons." Rhaegar said; explaining his thought's more in-depth.
The Queen's eyes had widened at her son's words.
She could almost see the wheels beginning to turn in her grandmother's sharp mind.
"You know, My Son? I do believe you are on to something there. That would actually explain so much. I remember as a girl finding in the old journals on Dragonstone one reference that was remarkably similar to your own supposition. The journal originated in the era from before the Conquest. It was the recordings of a daughter of House Targaryen from around a couple of centuries before the Doom."
"In it, she spoke of the similarities between themselves and their dragons. If I remember correctly, she was referring to the problem she was then facing. The current Lord Targaryen of that era was, by necessity, marrying his only daughter off to another son of one of the Forty because they were in rather desperate need to secure the other family's alliance. However, the daughter was very much in love with her brother. I remember her writing about how both siblings were very strong in their magic, and that they'd always felt drawn to one another. She wrote how it felt like the most natural thing in the world to her, and for him it was the same. Just as their family's dragons always mated with each other, so too did their rider's strong in magic mate with their own kind. Her own parent's and grandparent's had been similar."
"The lady had said those whom were powerful in their magicks were oftentimes bred to be the next lords of the house. It had been especially true in times past that such had been the case, and she wished for one of their weaker cousin's to marry into the other family. She did not wish to take the chance of producing 'damaged' children. After five millennia, nearly all of the Forty were strongly inter-related. Her prospective bridegroom was not strong in magic and was from one of the family's that while they were very wealthy, had been forced to use those damnable dragonhorns that our own family so disdained. She went on to illustrate how if one who was strong in magic mated with what she called a 'weak-blooded scion', their offspring was just as likely to be mad as they were to be a powerful dragonrider. To ensure the magic was strong, you must have a similar mate. Her word's were something to the effect of, 'one would always produce a real dragon versus a mummer's dragon'." Rhaella had described.
Her father had looked very intrigued hearing his mother's exposition and nodded his head in interest.
"Concerning the Dance, you are exactly right about that. I studied quite a lot about that particular era. To my knowledge, Queen Rhaenyra (Rhaella always referred to Rhaenyra as the 'rightful' ruling monarch during the Dance of the Dragons) was the last of our line before myself to actively practice the arts. Her father indulged her as well as insured the High Septon turned a blind eye, but after his death that was one of the main reasons the Faith and the Citadel were more supportive of Aegon II. Well, that and Alicent Hightower. Rhaenyra never had the chance to teach Aegon or Viserys- both of whom were reportedly very strong in magic, but had no knowledge or training to utilize their gift's, and her Velaryon boys were killed. Alicent Hightower made certain that any remaining vestiges within our family that had kept their knowledge hidden after the Old King's death were purged. The loss of Prince Daemon was also a great blow as he was even more knowledgeable, if not quite as powerful, as his lady wife."
"In short, I think they, and their future children will bear the mark of greatness upon them. Aerys was a mummer's dragon. Of that, there was no doubt. Those three on the other hand, are incredibly strong in magic. None of them or theirs will share such a fate." The Queen said.
Her father had appeared to be thinking deeply upon his mother's words before he eventually replied.
"So, you think I should simply allow nature to take it's course as it were?" He questioned.
"Yes. I believe that if those three have the same type of bond close to that of Aegon, Rhaenys, and Visenya....then whom are we to interfere if it be their will?"
"That is what we shall do then. I will do my best to make certain Lyanna does not think on too unkindly on the prospect. It should not be difficult as she adores the girls as if they were her own in any case, and Lya only ever wished for their happiness. If it were Aelyx, Valarr, or Valaerie; I would not allow it as I am still too reticent about full-blooded siblings mixing the blood, but Rhaenys, Jaehaerys, and Daenerys are not so closely related as all that." Her father concluded as he chuckled at the end.
"You know, they're quite like their dragon's too. Those three dragon's are by far not only the leaders of the pack so to speak, but also closer with each other than any of the others by far." Rhaegar added with a smile; likely remembering just as Rhaenys herself was at that moment, just how precocious their three dragon's were together.
She had heard more than enough at that time, and had quickly departed back to her room's lest she be discovered.
End Flashback
***
That night, she had gone to bed with thoughts different than she had ever experienced in the past; thinking....and soon dreaming....of a life and future with those she held closest to her heart always at each other's sides.
In the years to come, such thoughts would begin to evolve into desires of a different kind as her body slowly began to change to that of a woman and her younger partner's seemed to begin to finally catch up with her. Her dream's had become more involved and mature over time; being filled with images of her brother and her aunt as they aged. Although they had still been mostly of an innocent nature the last time she had seen her brother, she could no longer deny the thoughts and feelings his name evoked within her in the darkest recess of her mind.
Soon, the mere thought of him had begun to fill her heart and consume her. She could only imagine what he would look like now that he had completely finished going through puberty and was becoming a man.
She knew for a fact that Dany had also begun to feel exactly the same as she.
Jae's absence had at least allowed for her and Dany to finally realize what it was that their heart's desired. They had discussed it, and reached an agreement between themselves where Jaehaerys was concerned. They knew they both loved him, and knew his heart was large enough for the both of them. If he desired it, he would never be forced to choose. They loved each other enough to share his love.
Her heart pounded with exhilaration as she stood still upon the balcony overlooking the sea. She somehow just knew she would finally be setting eyes upon her beloved brother soon. She knew not how she knew this; only that it was so. Their bond no doubt at work as the cause.
The last time she had seen her brother he had been barely on the cusp of becoming a young man. Jaehaerys always bore a strong resemblance to their father, but he was also his own person in both opinion and look as well. She had long thought that he was even more handsome than their father (an opinion shared by many as difficult as some would believe such a feat to be, but true nevertheless), and could only imagine what he must look like after such a long time apart.
She eyed the blue waters of the Narrow Sea intently; almost as if she could will the seas to produce that which her heart missed most.
Rhaenys felt a hand on her shoulder as she looked over slightly to see the younger girl that had been her only anchor and solace these past many moons that the missing third of their trio had been gone from them both.
"Good Morning, Dany." She greeted her young aunt and best friend.
Today, Dany wore the brightest smile Rhaenys had seen on the younger girl in quite some time. Her whole face lit up and it somehow managed to enhance her already ethereal beauty to a near-unearthly degree. She was wearing a light violet dress made of Myrish silk that clung to her still-developing frame; sinfully enhancing her curves and quickly growing cleavage.
"Good Morning, Rhaenys! You look gorgeous as ever on this fine morning. Isn't it a wonderful day!" Dany said brightly.
Rhaenys raised an eyebrow at her aunt's....lively....and unusually up-beat mood. She was curious as to what may have caused such a reaction from the other girl who had missed her brother near as much as Rhaenys herself had. She was also appreciative of the compliment. Of the two of them, she'd always think Daenerys the more beautiful of the pair, but Dany herself would always claim the opposite. They were as different as night was to day, but both were undeniably beautiful.
"Good morning to you too, Dany. What exactly has you in such a bright mood today?" She asked curiously.
Daenerys looked her straight in to her eye's and smiled.
"He'll be home today, Rhae! He's finally coming home!" She exclaimed.
Her excitement at the prospect of seeing their best friend again after so long an absence was palpable.
Rhaenys felt her breath leave her momentarily.
She had hoped....she had so longed for it...but she had tried not to get her hope's up too much. She then realized something.
Dany seemed so sure of her words, as if she knew beyond any and all doubt that today they would indeed be with him again.
She had to have had a vision.
She knew that amongst them, while they all had the occasional prophetic dream, Daenerys saw many more things on a much more regular basis. She was also known to have never been wrong a single time. If Dany said she saw Jaehaerys arriving today; he would be arriving today.
"Did you see him, Dany?"
Her voice was almost trembling with undisguised hope.
Dany smiled back to her in perfect contentment.
"Indeed I did, Rhae. He'll be back to us today. Fear not." She said with a near blinding smile.
She almost startled Dany when she jumped up to hug her in her own excitement.
"Oh, thank the god's. I've missed him so." She whispered.
Dany just held her close to her.
"So have I....so have I. Now, come on. Let's get you done up! I want to see his eye's when he set's his sight on the two of us for the first time in so long!" Dany said with a mischievous twinkle of deviousness in her eye's.
Oh, she almost felt sorry for her poor little brother.
Now that both she and Dany were old enough to know exactly what they wanted in life, he would not know what hit him.
Between the two of them, poor Jaehaerys would be putty in their delectable hands....and he would be all theirs. He belonged to them the same as they belonged to him and him alone. They both knew there would never be anybody else for them. They may all be open to trying new things with new people, but in the end....in the end, it would always be the three of them for the rest of their lives.
Rhaenys smiled easily as she allowed Daenerys to lead her over to her wardrobe.
'Yes, today would be a good day indeed.' She thought.
***
She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled.
Dany had done an excellent job.
Daenerys had insisted they both be at their absolute best when her brother arrived. If for no other reason than just to see his reaction.
While Dany wore a dress of light violet Myrish silk, Rhaenys' own choice was a similarly styled dress of the deepest purple. It contrasted well with her tan skin and brought out her deep violet eye's.
The silken fabric hugged her frame and blatantly displayed her sensuous figure to maximum effect. The dress was sleeveless and the bodice was low and tight with only two small silk straps holding her ample cleavage nearly on full display.
She had to admit, she looked stunning.
Rarely had she ever worn anything quite so provocative, and she felt a tiny bit of a thrill and expectation mounting at what Jae's reaction would be to seeing her so enticingly displayed.
Daenerys had taken a bit of kohl and lightly dusted her eye's; creating a sultry smoky effect that brought out her deep violet eye's and gave her an even more exotic look than her Rhoynish blood already gave her. The tiny bit of color applied to her cheeks and lips completed the look and the vision standing before her looking glass would be hard pressed to be thought of as any man's sister.
And therein lay the heart of her worries.
Jaehaerys was closer to her by quite a large margin than he was to any of his full-blooded siblings. The same as her, he had never made any distinction between Rhaenys and the others and had never once referred to her as his 'half-sister'. She'd always been his dearest sister and the fact that they shared different mother's had not been an issue between them. If anything, it only brought her closer to him.
She cut her eye's to the vision of Valyrian perfection standing beside her that Daenerys made.
Despite being raised together the same as Rhaenys had been, there had never been any confusion with Dany's relation to Jaehaerys. She may have been as close to Jae as Rhaenys herself growing up, but she'd not ever been looked upon as a sibling. She was their father's little sister; never his own.
In a family such as theirs, that slight distinction made all the difference in the world when one began to look for appropriate consorts. It had been an understood thing in their family that Daenerys was always a distinct possibility in regards to her potential as a future bride for Jaehaerys. While fairly closely related, a union between the two of them would never hold the same stigma with some as a union between Jaehaerys and Rhaenys.
In truth, there was little difference in the degree of consanguinity between Daenerys and Jaehaerys, and Rhaenys and Jaehaerys. If anything, due to the sibling marriages of their grandparent's and their great grandparent's, Rhaenys and Jaehaerys actually held a far more diverse pedigree due to their mother's differing blood.
To the realm however, it was the relation between Rhaenys and Jaehaerys that would be so looked down upon.
She did not quite even know how to describe why she desired him so.
It was an all-consuming thing, and she knew no amount of trying would change anything for her.
She did not think it even possible for her to not desire him with all her heart.
It simply was.
The very idea of being with anyone else permanently was repugnant to her. She could not bring herself to even contemplate such a thing.
Her troubled thought's must have been plainly visible for she soon felt Dany take her hand and lead her over to her bedroom's sitting area.
Once comfortably situated, Dany turned to face her directly.
"What's the matter? I though you'd be happy that he's coming home today?" She asked her concernedly.
She did not even bother pretending confusion to that which Daenerys spoke of. The bond between the three of them made lying impossible.
"I don't know what to do, Dany."
She sighed deeply. She was not certain how to exactly to explain what had her worried so.
Daenerys narrowed her eye's in thought.
"You're worried about getting him to see you as more than just his favorite sister, aren't you?"
Dany had always been far more perceptive than most presumed.
"Yes. Even if we both know what we want, you know how he is. Even if he does want us...want me....how could we get him over his own conscience? With you, no one would think much of it, nobles in Westeros wed often enough with the same degree of relationship that the two of you share. He's always known that you'd be a possibility as a potential bride. Me on the other hand...." She trailed off then.
Her own thought's and feeling's were so wrapped up and twisted together that she could not even find the correct words to describe all that was troubling her.
Dany's voice brought her back to the conversation at hand.
"No man could look at you right now and think, 'sister'. You should also remember something important. If we've been having dreams so similar, you know perfectly well he's been having them too. We may never know the exact reasoning for the connection between the three of us, but it's undeniable. If we've been seeing the both of us and him in our dream's, so too has he. Mine have been much too similar to your own for them to not have originated through our bond. I know in my heart he feels the same for us as we do for him."
"Will it be a trial for us to get him to act on his own desire's?" Dany questioned.
She answered herself just as quickly.
"Certainly, it will."
"You know how dense he can be with regards to matters of the heart. For someone so smart, that's one area he's as dumb as an oxen. I have no doubt that the both of us will have to make things crystal clear to him. Once we have however, well....he's not completely daft. He wants us as much as we do him. I know you can feel it in your heart and magic both the same as me, Rhaenys."
"Dragons have always mated with each other. The stronger the power, the stronger the desire. It's as undeniable as it is unalterable. As long as you leave him without any doubt as to what you desire, he'll not be able to deny his own nature even if he wished it." She said in a tone of finality.
Dany spoke softly next.
"Trust in your own heart, Rhae....trust in your own power's. They'll never lead us astray."
She sat there and absorbed her younger aunt's words that were wiser beyond her years, and she knew instinctually that she was right. Her own magic was virtually humming in her vein's; confirming the truth of Dany's words.
She was right and she just had to trust in that. She would not allow herself to be beaten down by her own self-doubt, nor would she allow the opinion of others to dictate whom her heart could love.
She unconsciously straightened her spine.
She was the Dragon's daughter, and she bowed to none.
With that realization, she felt her own magic singing in her vein's. It was light and joyously happy at it's mistress's resolve to gain that which her magic too desired.
She felt freer than she had in a long while and Dany was beaming at her; delighted that she had found her own inner strength that Daenerys had always claimed was so strong within her.
In the next moment before anything else could be said, both girls turned their head's sharply in the direction of the door of Rhaenys' suite.
Both of their eye's immediately dilated slightly; widening as they felt the build-up of distinctly familiar magic calling out to them.
"He's coming." She whispered and Dany leaned forward and lightly took her hand into her own.
Moments later, a loud crack of displaced air disturbed the silence that seemed be permeating the palace at present as well as large influx of magic and sheer raw power they immediately felt not very far away.
Jaehaerys had finally come home.
She looked to Dany and smiled brightly at her companion.
Daenerys' smile was as brilliant as her own.
No words needed to be spoken.
They silently rose form their chair's, hands still clasped together, and all but ran from the room.
The intoxicating feel of Jaehaerys' tantalizing power bid both girls to forget any previous insecurity. Their own magic was calling to him and it would not be denied.
***
They immediately flung the door open that was separating them from their bond-mate as together they stood upon the threshold of Jaehaerys' rooms that had gone unoccupied for so long, and drank in the sight that stood before them.
Standing just outside of his room's balcony overlooking the sea with a new tunic in hand, they both laid eyes on their other half for the first time in a year and a half.
The light near mid-day sun was shining down upon him as he stood there shirtless looking for all the world like the most beautiful statue of a young Valyrian god of the Sun.
His silver-blonde hair was longer than when he left; resting past his shoulders in waves of liquid silver. He also appeared to have grown several more inches in height; standing now at close to six feet tall. His shoulder's had broadened and they could now see definition in his toned back which curved slightly ending in his firm backside which his black leather pants were clinging to sinfully.
Jaehaerys had to have sensed their presence the moment they entered, despite how silent they had both been.
He quickly turned away from the view of the sea and set his eye's on them for the first time in what felt like an age.
If she had thought he was impressive from the rear, it was nothing compared to the magnificence she currently beheld.
His face had lost any remaining trace of childhood and was now all sharp angles and refined definition.
Jaehaerys' silken hair was pulled behind his ear's; allowing them to clearly see every little change that had been wrought on their lost one during their separation.
His cheekbone's were more prominent without the lingering traces of childhood, and finely arched darker silver brows framed his still ridiculously long-lashed heavy eye lids and searing deep violet eyes. His perfectly proportioned aquiline nose seemed slightly more prominent, and if possible, his full pink lips almost seemed fuller; something she'd not thought possible.
He had always been beautiful beyond any compare, and now age and time had only enhanced the vision before them.
She could not tear her eye's away from his still-growing muscular body.
She continued her perusal of his person, and only felt heightened by the feel of his own eye's drinking in the sight of herself and Dany just as hungrily as they were him.
Jaehaerys had managed to gain a light golden tan and his skin seemed to glisten like the rays of the sun itself were shining down upon them. His broader shoulders gave way to a firm muscular chest that now had gloriously chiseled abdominal muscles.
Rhaenys itched to run her hand's over the perfectly smooth planes of her brother's exposed skin.
Her less than pure inspection of him however came to an abrupt halt when she spied two distinctly angry-looking reddish areas on different sides of his lower abdomen.
He had been injured!
From the looks of it, it had to have happened fairly recently as the wounds only just barely appeared to have healed.
With narrowed eyes, she was unable to restrain herself any further when she marched straight towards him; tossing his fresh tunic to the side and poking him on the shoulder none-too-gently.
"Who told you that you could allow yourself to get injured? And in such a dangerous area? Do you have any idea how deadly lower belly wounds like that are?" Rhaenys demanded of him- Daenerys following right behind her.
Not waiting a moment for him to get a word in edgewise, Rhaenys carried on. Not giving him the opportunity to even greet them, let alone defend himself, she plowed right over anything he might have said as her fear and anger at the thought of him injured manifested itself. Something that had long been in the forefront of her mind since practically the day he left with their father.
"What were you thinking? Do you have any idea what would have happened to me....to both me and Dany....if anything had happened to you?"
Her temper was boiling.
"That's it. You're no longer allowed to go anywhere else without at least one of us in attendance to watch over you and make certain you do nothing to get yourself killed!"
She just kept staring at the angry and large jagged red marks on his otherwise perfect flesh.
"How dare you get hurt!" She yelled at him before throwing any anger out the proverbial window and immediately pulling him into her arms; holding on tightly to the one she loved more than anything else in the world desperately.
Rhaenys buried her face in the crook of his neck and was stunned as tears began to flow from her eye's unbidden; so great and so desperately had she missed her beloved brother.
Jaehaerys wasted no time in reciprocating his sister's embrace and immediately wrapped her into his strong arms. He pulled her even tighter to him as he pressed his nose into her silky black hair; inhaling her wonderfully fragrant scent that made everything feel right in the world and that he'd so dearly missed.
For her part, Rhaenys felt like the large hole in her heart....the missing piece that she'd barely begun to understand the significance of until it had gone away....all of it had returned and filled her with a contentment she'd never felt. Being held in her beloved brother's arms was the best feeling, and one that she did not think she'd ever get enough of. His warm flesh was calling out to her and all she wanted to do was melt into his embrace forever.
"I'm sorry. Seeing you injured....I don't like seeing such a sight." She whispered into his skin.
"Oh, Rhaenys. I've missed you so dearly, Sweet Sister. I'm right where I belong with you now." He whispered back just as quietly; tightening his hold on her infinitesimally.
They finally broke apart and she looked up into his nearly identical amethyst eye's and bestowed upon him a beaming smile as she felt Dany about to break if she was forced to control her own patience in greeting him any longer.
"Welcome home, Jae." She said warmly; holding his eye's firmly locked with her own.
His answering dimpled smile was beautiful to behold, and set her heart to racing even further as her magic once again sang gloriously thru her vein's.