Rhaella looked at the letter in her hands as she reread it for the umpteenth time. She wanted to pull her youngest son's ears. He had done something stupid by getting Ned Stark's daughter pregnant, as if the tension between Dragons and Wolves wasn't tense enough.
He had dishonored his adoptive father's daughter. What would the lords say? Rhaegar seemed quite surprised, shocked, and even a little amused. He commented on his brother, but Rhaella noticed how his eyes sparkled with happiness.
"How long until we reach Argentstone, Ser Balon?" Rhaella asked the royal guard who was accompanying her to her sons' castle.
'How will Daenerys take it?' Rhaella was a woman who knew the importance of having children. Her youngest daughter had bled long ago and still had no children. Rhaella suspected she was not very fertile, and knowing that her husband had a daughter with another woman could hurt her.
"A few hours, my Queen," replied her guard. He was a man with broad shoulders and strong arms. Honorable, like few others, and focused on his duty.
Rhaella was traveling to meet Jaehaerys and take him to the tournament organized by The Mighty Tywin. And partly she wanted to see the dragons again.
It didn't matter to her who controlled the dragons; they were back, and soon House Targaryen would be at the top of Westeros, above any man.
The dragons would serve to maintain peace. Rhaegar's reign was already prosperous, healing the wounds left by Aerys.
"Rhealle." The Stark girl had taken a Targaryen name for her bastard daughter. Rhaella didn't know whether to take it as an offense or a compliment; the name was a variation of her own. She hadn't even heard about her granddaughter's appearance. She wondered if she would look like a Targaryen, a Tully, or a Stark.
To some extent, she hoped she would look like anything but a dragon, that way Jaehaerys could even deny being her father, although she knew her son would never do such a thing. He was not capable of abandoning his daughter; he was a man with a good heart. Too good for this world.
Rhaella looked at the walls from afar. Before, several imperfections could be seen in the outer walls, but now they seemed completely repaired, impenetrable. From a distance, she could see three massive towers, and the imposing structure was visible from a great distance.
Harrenhall was a strange castle. It was enormous, and she had no idea what her son would do with so much space. He would need to have more children than Lord Frey to fill it.
'As long as they're not bastards...' she thought bitterly.
Part of her was excited to have another grandchild, another part was furious and disappointed. The consequences were not yet clear, but Lord Stark would not be happy. That was why she had agreed to marry Sansa to Jaime. Tywin had conspired against Jaehaerys before, but Jaime was a good man.
Rhaella could see how Tywin wanted Jaehaerys' daughter to be raised at Casterly Rock, which was why she was looking for her son to go to the tournament and decide his daughter's future. He was already a grown man, more than capable of taking responsibility for his mistakes.
It took hours to reach the castle, whose black walls gave her a horrible welcome. Everything about that place made her hair stand on end. She entered through the enormous gates, looking at the surrounding camps of men.
"Unsullied, my queen. The best infantry in the world," said Balon Swann when he saw her looking at the men with interest.
"Too thin," she said. They didn't seem to eat enough. She looked at the White Cloak and couldn't see how the Unsullied would ever be better than him.
"Their training method prepares them to survive on the bare minimum. The slave masters in Essos wouldn't want to spend too much on their possessions," the man explained.
"If you fought them, could you win?" she asked curiously.
"It depends, my queen. Individually, they are not renowned for being great warriors. Their training is based on discipline and teamwork. They are a terrifying army, but I would not choose one of them to represent me in a duel," said the man, knowing a little about the way they were trained.
The queen mother remained silent. She was glad that Jaehaerys had a good army under his command, but she couldn't ignore the currents stirring in King's Landing. She had already heard many lords conspiring, whispering in Rhaegar's ear that it was only a matter of time before Jaehaerys rebelled. Rhaella was grateful that her eldest son was not a foolish believer.
Finally, she passed through the castle walls to see inside. There were more people than the last time she had been here, merchants and workers, although at that moment they had all stopped what they were doing as she passed by in the horse-drawn cart. Inside, there was chaotic order. She could see how two other towers were being built simultaneously, and she even noticed a structure connecting the two central towers. Rhaella did not know what magic her son used to keep those towers so stable.
"My son," she said happily, unable to help but look at her son and feel a surge of pride and love well up in her chest.
Daenerys was there too, standing next to her husband, smiling beautifully as she looked at her. The princess's height did not even reach her husband's shoulder, Jaehaerys being too tall and she too short. Dany covered her hair with a cloth, which made her look a bit like a Septa.
The two northern twins were there too, as well as a group of Unsullied guarding the princess. She hoped that Lyanna and Visenya would also appear, but they were not there. The little princess had probably gotten lost, and her mother was looking for her, which happened often in King's Landing.
"Mother," they both said. Rhaella hugged them both, maintaining decorum but still showing plenty of affection. "It's a surprise to see you here," Jaehaerys said, handing her bread and salt.
She ate the bread, finding it far more appetizing than any she had ever tasted.
"I came to accompany you to the tournament at Casterly Rock," she said, watching her son frown while Daenerys gave her a look the queen could not read.
"I sent my refusal to Tywin days ago. I will not be going to the tournament," Jaehaerys said firmly. Rhaella noticed his hand go to Daenerys's waist.
The queen frowned, though somewhat relieved that he did not seem to have much interest in Sansa. She was also disappointed that he had decided to do nothing to face the consequences of having a bastard daughter.
It was not unlike what many other lords did. The number of noble bastards in the kingdom could well equal the number of nobles in Westeros. Most did not even seek to be part of their bastards' lives. But she hoped Jaehaerys would be more responsible, not a man who made mistakes and made no amends whatsoever.
"Impossible. Your presence is needed there," the queen said firmly.
If it were another bastard, from a peasant or even a small house, it could be ignored, but when it was from one of the great houses, it could not be overlooked.
"I don't see how my presence will help in the tournament," Jaehaerys said boredly.
"You don't know, do you?" Rhaella asked.
Jaehaerys frowned, concerned. He tilted his head to one side, reminding Rhaella of when he was a child; whenever he didn't know the answer to something, he would tilt his head in the same way.
"I think it would be best to speak in private, Your Majesty." Ser Balon's interruption could be seen as disrespectful, but Rhaella nodded in his direction as she glanced around.
"Yes, it would be best if we spoke in private," said the queen. The merchants and workers just looking at them made her cautious.
Jaehaerys led her to his Solar, Daenerys at his side. Rhaella watched the affection between the two spouses and felt joy knowing that their bond was strong.
She hoped that the bond would survive the news.