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She was Queen Ariadne of Meereen.
As she stood in the silent chamber of the throne room in the Red Keep, returning on the heels of the Great War fought at The Wall and beyond, Queen Ariadne looked at the throne that sat in the distance and wondered if this was indeed her destiny. Thoughts in the affirmative left a slight trace of a bitter taste in her mouth.
When she and her siblings conquered Slavers Bay, Ariadne felt she was moving towards a purpose. It was the reason that explained her survival when her life should have ceased years ago. A justification for the existence of dragons. The why that defined her lay in her belief that she and her siblings survived because they had a part to play in a story designed by the Gods. That tale was yet to be seen until her arrival to Yunkai. It was there where she found her purpose…to use her strength to stand with others who wanted to fight against the chains that bound them.
Her dragon, and those of her siblings, gave those fighters leverage over their slave owners in a way they never had before. In return for their freedom, the people of Slavers Bay chose both she and Terus to lead them. In truth, Terus is truly their King, and she accepted their grace but stood aside to let her brother rule. As the eldest child raised by a Dornish mother, she should have felt more comfortable presiding over her brother, but something just did not ring true about her reign there. It was nothing Terus, or the people had said or done, but rather the otherness came from within herself. A voice within telling her this place was not meant for you.
Her destiny wasn’t in Meereen or Slavers Bay, but as she looked around the empty throne room, she wondered if this was the fate she wanted.
Over one shoulder, some Lords and Ladies whispered under bated breath that she was a usurper. She was not Westerosi, even though she was born here and had lived in Westeros for the first three years of her life. They called her usurper because they believed she killed her half-brothers under the guise of warfare to hide her kinslaying. No one speaks of how they sought their own deaths by their own hands. They claim if she didn’t come to conquer Westeros, she would step aside and let the subsequent Targaryen male rise to the post of King. Each guarded murmur reached her ears and deposited a slice across her skin. Further fueled by the salt poured when the male they wish to ascend was not her brother but that of her lover, Viserys. Even here, her brother was considered a different type of other.
However, over the other shoulder, she hears the voice of the smallfolk as they cheer her name as she flies above them on her dragon. The voice of the Dornish, who stood aside during the great war, threatened to rise in her name and set the remainder of a battered continent on fire if they chose to deny her birthright. Furthermore, she hears her sire’s voice as he faded into the realm of the Stranger.
" I fear my time has come to an end.
I have failed in so many ways, Ariadne.
I wish you understood the depths of my guilt and regret.
I set your fate on a course that not even I could have imagined.
It seems our ancestors found a way to right what I did wrong."
"The end of a story tends to spark clarity because we can see the picture a tale chooses to paint more clearly. I could not be the one to tell you if your story was a good one. It isn't until you pen that last sentence that your Gods can tell you that."
Ariadne looked at the older man as he lay on the snowy ground, cloaked in heavy furs and a gaping hole on the side created by an undead stag. Knowing of her sire's past and her own history when she once walked the world as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Ariadne found irony in his death coming at the hands of an undead beast that represents the sigil of the man her father killed at the Trident, the former betrothed of his wife, Queen Lyanna.
Over the moons, she stood beside him as they prepared for war against the Others. In private, King Rhaegar explained his choices and his rationales. Ariadne gave him the space to do so, for a small part of her was curious, but his insights never moved her to open herself to him. If anything, she took the opportunity to deconstruct his justifications as flawed from the onset.
In the end, she had a better insight into the dynamics of his family, the relationship he had with his wife, sons, and siblings, and the rapport they had with each other. However, the truth was decidedly an unhappy one. They were a family in name, but they lacked the bonds that she could so visibly feel linking her to Terus and Esabelle as well as to her parents and extended family. These people, these Targaryens, were untethered, suspicious of each other, and bond-less, and that was something she wanted no part of.
As she looked down at the dying man, Ariadne was saddened by the fact that she felt…very little, or rather she felt the same amount of sadness as she would have felt for any of the fallen men she has fought beside. However, he was her sire, and yet she didn't feel a profound loss where she thought perhaps she should. She wasn't angry, bitter, or rageful. Instead, she felt perhaps a sense of pity for the man. Yes, she almost died by his choice to disrespect the marital bonds to her mother, but she doesn't have a recollection of the horrors her mother and father vividly remember. No, Ariadne's memories are filled with a loving family, and these memories were…so good. She had a good life as Ariadne, the daughter of Jamie and Meara (or Elia to their Dornish kin). Therefore, she had no hatred towards this man even though he was entitled to every drop of it she could muster. Does she truly trust him with her heart? No. Is she cautious around him and his family? Yes. Did she wish death upon him? Perhaps once upon a time when she learned of her past, and even then, her ire came on behalf of what her mother experienced.
Upon her words, her sire choked up some blood as he attempted to laugh.
"I fear you speak the truth, Queen Ariadne.
Nonetheless, I fear my first error might have begun with your name."
"My name?"
"Aye. You were never a Rhaenys, not truly. But, while you were, are, a beauty like your ancestor, you have always been a force in your own right. I remember how you always used your wits to get what you wanted. You never led with your looks. Do you know who led with her wits?"
Ariadne thought it best to let the man wander the maze into death in his own way. However, she felt no desire to leave him to it. While many men deserve dying alone, and many in her family would count her sire in that category, Ariadne knew better. It would cost her nothing. It was he that would feel the severing of life and existence. While some would consider her brash and bold, Ariadne is not without empathy and compassion. Until watching one die in battle, one cannot speak of what one should or should not do.
"No. Why don't you tell me?" Ariadne asked, not out of curiosity but in keeping the dying man company.
"Visenya. She was the oldest. Not Aegon. They agreed to marry to consolidate their power, but she was never content being his Queen. She wanted to be the Queen. Westeros was not ready for that, and I think Aegon used that."
"Mmmm, perhaps he did. But, his line with Rhaenys has endured in the end. Visenya may have been strong enough to rule and make it, so your family survived, but in the end, it is not her line that lives, but Aegon and Rhaenys. So, one might argue your King Aegon made the right choice making him the cleverer monarch."
"I should have named you Visenya. That is what you look like to me."
"Pardon, but I do believe the tales tell of a tall Valyarian woman. I am not that."
"No, you may not carry my colors, but you are tall and as fierce as her."
"My mother would argue that my fierceness stems from my Rhoynar and Dornish roots. Do not forget the Targaryens could never conquer Dorne."
He sluggishly nodded his head.
"Your mother…Elia."
Ariadne took a subtle yet deep breath when she heard him say her mother's name.
"I know I deserve not seeing her again. I deserve worse, but it doesn't stop my heart from wishing to have seen her one last time, even if she came with anger and hurt in her eyes. Your mother was always lovely. I've never been whole since her death. Do you think she will be waiting for me on the other side?"
Glancing back at the man, Ariadne knew he was tipping over the abyss, for he knew her mother to be alive.
"I suppose it depends on the Gods, King Rhaegar."
His indigo eyes sought her gaze and burned the brightest of colors, hypnotizing her for just a moment.
"I should have named you Visenya.
Perhaps Westeros wasn't ready for a Targaryen Queen,
but now the time has come.
You are my eldest child with both the blood of Old Valyria and the Rhoyne.
Maybe both bloodlines are what is needed to tip the tide in your favor.
I hope with you your descendants will break the curse that seems to surround Targaryens to self-destruct our own path."
Taking a deep swallow, Ariadne smiled sadly at the man as his eyes began to look too weighted to keep open.
"The only problem with this proclamation, King Rhaegar, is that
I am not a Targaryen. I am Ariadne of Meereen.”
Ariadne's eyes darted to where the King had squeezed her hand.
"I know you think so, but unless you leave this continent, you will always be seen as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, even if they call you by the name you demand. I have watched you and how others respond to your appearance."
Looking ahead, Ariadne took in the scene of men trying to triage others while some wept over the unmoving bodies.
"I've seen how my sons with Lyanna were envious of your dragon and those of your brother and sister. They were good boys…men, but they were not perfect. You came here riding what they had always known to be a birthright given to Targaryens. They made foolish decisions because they had the hubris that troubled most Targaryen males and thought they could control your dragons, and one by one, they paid the price for that folly."
Ariadne had begun to doubt the wisdom of staying till the end with this man.
"I am sorry you had to lose your sons, but it is as you said they made foolish decisions."
"I do not say this to make you feel guilt. There is none for you to feel. I can admit to watching you, and I must confess to knowing about you and Viserys. He has been a loyal brother to me, but he didn't always agree with me or my choices."
Hearing Viserys's name caused Ariadne's heart to pause, if just for a moment. He was a Targaryen male that elicited many emotions. All feelings she wanted nothing but to ignore if she could. Another squeeze pulled her attention back to her dying sire.
"Take your place here. Call yourself Ariadne, or reclaim Rhaenys or christen yourself Visenya, but come back home. Your fate is what you make it and if you choose to make it here, then do it. Rewrite the future, my daughter. If your story contains a Targaryen besides yourself, then know that he has never suffered any bouts of hubris."
"He?"
She held her breath as she waited for him to speak the name that seemed determined to be tied to her own.
"You chose to play coy. That is a first. Very well then, Viserys."
Turning her head away, as not to give away her feelings about the man through her expression. Upon collecting herself, she turned her face to look at her sire for the last time.
"I will keep that in mind, King Rhaegar."
"See that you do, my heir, my Queen.
Ariadne found an unexpected swell of emotion pushed forward upon hearing her sire calling her "his heir, his Queen."
"I am sorry to leave you this way. I just can't seem to leave you with a positive thought of me. In the end, I am nothing now. I leave the realm to you and wish you good fortune in the wars to come, should they be needed, my child."
Ariadne felt her lips tremble, and she couldn't understand why. A question to reflect upon at another time.
"I return the gesture and wish you good fortune in the wars to come," Ariadne whispered.
"Daresay, I will need it, my little dragon. My angels and demons await."
Ariadne stayed beside the dying King. He was not always a good man, but she had come into contact with the worst type of men. She is mature enough to know the decisions one makes in their youth doesn't mean they continue to feel the same as they age and live with the consequences of their choices.
As the end came for him, Ariadne barely heard his voice, but his words traveled in the air almost as if it were a prayer.
"Elia, I am so sorry..."
Tears slipped out of her eyes but froze as soon as they came in contact with the air. A good thing for she didn't want others to see her weeping for a man who didn't deserve it from her. A voice called out for her, but she couldn't pull herself away from her sire. She needed another moment before she returned to her inner state to the part of her she knew so well. The warrior, the leader, the Queen.
A hand reached out to touch her shoulder as a large body crouched beside her. She didn't have to turn her head to know who it was.
Viserys
The man's violet gaze lost to her as he closed his eyes. His own tears slipped freely as he lowered his head to his brother's chest. Ariadne laid a hand on his back in quiet support as this man who makes her feel unsure about her feelings mourns the man who was more father than brother.
The sound of the door opening and closing behind her told her she was no longer alone. Measured steps made their way towards her until the owner of said steps was standing beside her. She made no movement or sound, and long slender fingers intertwined themselves in hers and gently squeezed her hand.
"A raven comes bearing news. Mother has arrived at Dragonstone. She says she was grateful for father's presence and your thoughtfulness of not having her wait any longer to see him."
A smile pulled at Ariadne's lips as she listened to her sister's voice.
"That is good news. Father was just as eager to meet her. They both will arrive in a sennight, and I am glad for that. I have missed her."
"As have I. On another unrelated matter, all arrangements are finalized for Queen Lyanna's departure upon your coronation.
The smile that pursued Ariadne's face disappeared upon hearing Queen Lyanna's name. After her sire's death and his own cremation at The Wall, the army of six kingdoms, as Dorne refused to fight unless Ari asked it of them, began to sort themselves into fractions right before her eyes. In truth, the fractions were always there, but the death of King Rhaegar disposed of the facade, and the sides that were chosen in secret were now quite apparent.
With the death of the King's heirs with Queen Lyanna, some loyalties transferred over to Viserys, and they wanted him as their King. He was a Targaryen. He was from Westeros. To them, he was the legitimate choice. She was the other. However, there were families and smallfolk who instead aligned with the side that had dragons. Dragons that fought for them. It seems they were able to overlook that she didn't look Valyrian enough, or she chose to identify with a name other than Rhaenys Targaryen, and whose memories of Westeros run superficially on the surface. An opportunity could grow from chaos, which spurred others to stand behind her.
In the end, her assertion that she was her sire's eldest legitimate child and heir, adding her moniker as the Lightbringer when she destroyed the heart tree that held the source of the Others power and paired with Viserys visible support of her claim, dissipated the potential for war. She recalls her cousin Nym sharing news of a private meeting to overturn her ascension. Viserys was brought to the gathering and apparently informed all the Lords in attendance that he would not fight to take her claim and that if they wanted to prevent the coronation or her rule, they could not do it under the guise of making him, King.
Ariadne remembers Nym's sly smile as she recounted her observations.
"He said he would not participate in any way, and they would have to fight against you as houses or kingdoms if all the houses in a kingdom agreed."
"Truly, those were his words. Do you have any reason to find them false?"
Ariadne knew the answer but felt it wise to ask just the same. She knows how hard it can be to see what might be obvious to another.
Nym pulled a cup of wine from her lips and shook her head.
"No. I have no reason to not see the sincerity in his words. In fact, I could sense his ire at being brought to the gathering. I suspect if you asked him about it, he would admit he attended, and he might even be persuaded to reveal the names of those in attendance."
Her cousin, ever a thorough spy, has secured the names of the Lords who partook in this meeting. So the question became did she need to test Viserys about something that happened in secret when he had done nothing in public to warrant her suspicions. Yes, he attended the gathering, but his message was no different from his public position.
Falling on the eyes of people she trusted, she asked.
"Do you think I should?"
Standing up to refill her goblet with more wine, Nym walked over to sit on the edge of Ariadne's desk.
"Are you asking as a Queen, or are you asking as a woman in love?"
Ariadne refused to look away from the intense golden gaze of her cousin. He had learned not to cower when faced with the gaze of Nym's father. She could survive the daughter, even if her cousin knew her so well.
"You are the last person I would expect to attach sex with love. I've had lovers before, and nary have I ever heard you propose my desire to inquire as to their intent as confusion between sex and love."
Nym tipped her head, but her eyes gleamed as she leaned forward.
"True, but previously you never seemed so invested in the outcome of the answer. That is until now. If I told you he had considered the request and was secretly moving against you, then would that news hurt you, anger you, or would indifference rear its head."
Turning away from her cousin, Ariadne looked out towards the open doors of the balcony as she considered Nym's words. If she were being honest with herself, the revelation that Viserys was against her would have fractured her heart in a way she didn't think she could recover from. She loved him. She might not be ready to admit it to others; she could acknowledge it for herself.
Yes, they argued about her father and brothers but typically found agreement on Lyanna and the purpose for dragons returning to the world. He humored her obsessive love of poetry, and she kept his love of reading tomes about worlds beyond Westeros a secret. To the outside, they were both reserved, dare she say cold, to those not well acquainted with them, but they were more than their facades. Those closest to them knew better. She and Viserys made each other vulnerable, and that could be an exploited weakness that posed a threat that could undo them both.
"I suppose you have found me out." Ariadne forced a smile.
Nym squeezed her hand as a concerned gaze caught her own.
"This wasn't about proving anything for me. I just want to make sure you understand where you stand with him. Once you know that, you'll find clarity in the answers you seek."
Nym stood up and began to walk to the door.
"I have plans to spar with Terus this afternoon, so I should prepare for that."
Ariadne stood and walked her cousin to the door. She leaned over and placed a kiss on each of her cousin's cheeks, a Dornish custom of greetings and salutations.
"Thank you, Nym. I appreciate you and your concern."
Nym sent her a warm smile before she leaned over to whisper in her ear.
"If you love him and you think he feels the same, which I think he does, make your move, my dear cousin."
This memory takes her to another, where she finds herself and Viserys arguing about her plans for Lyanna now that King Rhaegar is dead. An argument she was sure reverberated through the Red Keep.
"I dislike Lyanna as much as you do…."
"You couldn't possibly dislike her as much as I do. What she did with my father almost led to my destruction and that of my mother and brother. Until recently, you thought us dead because of it. While I survived and I did lead a good life, make no mistake, it doesn't absolve Rhaegar or Lyanna from what did happen."
"Yes. I agree it doesn't absolve Rhaegar and Lyanna, but what you want to do is punish her doubly because Rhaegar is no longer here to feel your wrath, your vengeance."
Ariadne jerked back as if he physically slapped her.
"I do not speak of vengeance. On the contrary, I argue for justice."
Viserys' anger was palpable. He scoffed vibrated off the walls of the chamber.
"Are you sure, my love? Aren't vengeance and justice the same as love and hate? Both polarities of the same thing that for the love of the Gods we can't truly name."
Ariadne walked into his space, her finger pointed at him as she managed her own mounting rage at his insinuation that she was making an emotionally rash decision.
"Don't! Don't speak to me like I am making decisions purely in spite. Queen Lyanna made her choices, and for a while, it seemed all looked well for her, but her King was dead. It was he who protected her, and now that protection is gone. She may have been young, but she was not that naive. I've been to the North. She would have known about marriages and alliances. She made a choice, and though she made them so long ago, these consequences ripple through time. This is just another wave. I owe her nothing, Viserys."
They stared at each other, both panting as though they were running the halls of the keep. The emotion in Viserys's eyes began to shift from anger to something akin to guilt.
"No, you don't, but to send her North of The Wall is tantamount to a death sentence. Rhaegar brought her South. She has lived more years here than in the North. She will not survive."
Ariadne felt herself respond to him. Not in acquiescence, but rather in her understanding, his conflicted emotions were less about how he felt about Lyanna and more about how they are tied to his feelings about her sire, Rhaegar. Raising her palm to his chest, she attempted to make him understand.
"I asked Lord Robb Stark if he would take her in, but his response was as expected. See, even the head of House Stark doesn't feel like he owes Queen Lyanna, who is his aunt by blood, anything. In all fairness, I can't, or rather I won't demand it of him not considering his own personal loss. I refuse to inconvenience anyone in the realm for her."
"Then send her to Essos..."
"And what or who is to take her in over there? No one wants to attach themselves to her. Tell me that you can see that."
"You can send her to Essos, and the crown can provide her a stipend…."
Ariadne stepped away from Viserys but kept her gaze on him straight and true, with no guilt.
"No. She is Westerosi. She is from the North. Queen Lyanna can go back home. Lord Stark has secured safe passage for her. He has even found an abandoned farmhouse she can dwell in just North of Castle Black. I will send her with her trusted Kingsguards, Sirs Dayne and Whent, and provisions. They can spend the rest of their days there. Lord Stark has committed to checking on her frequently to provide assistance if necessary. Should she require more help than he can provide, he has my leave to ask me for help."
"I am not sure she will survive, Ari."
"Well, she has a chance to continue living if she wants it. Truthfully that is more than she deserves, Viserys. I am not without empathy or compassion, but I will not continue to support this woman in this life she has grown accustomed to. I will not allow her to parade herself as though her past actions come with no penalty. I could choose to take her life. Lock her in the Black Cells. Sell her to a brothel in Lys. I haven't chosen any of those options. I will not have the stain of that on my hands. I can live with this decision. I am simply sending her back to whence she came or as close to it as possible."
Viserys's gaze pierces her heart. She knows he disagrees with her decision, and she wonders how the ripples of this choice will impact their relationship in the future. His expression changes as he walks towards her. Reaching on hand to cup the side of her face. Violet-colored eyes stare so sincerely into her own gaze. He rests his crown against hers. She can feel him nod subtly. Then, raising his head to stare down at her, she sees that discrete nodding becoming more pronounced.
"Very well, Queen Ariadne. When do you intend to tell her?"
"I spoke to her this morning."
Surprise sprang in Viserys's eyes.
"I see. Privately." His voice was seemingly unsure.
Ariadne nodded in response.
"Yes. What were you expecting? That I demand she come to the throne room filled with members of the Court. She has her fate. There is no need to make a spectacle of her circumstances. I am a queen, Viserys, and I know when I need to flex my might. There is nothing to be gained by publicly shaming her. While people may not want to align with her for fear of association, it does not mean she doesn't have people sympathetic to her cause."
A deep sigh forced itself out as she stepped away from him. Her gaze caught on an open window in the room.
"I think about my mother. When they thought the Targaryens had fallen, the strategy wasn't to keep my mother or me and my siblings alive. Instead, the plan was to kill us and publicly display our bodies to anyone who entered the throne room. Did everyone at that moment agree with this choice? No, but with little recourse at the time, what could they do."
Viserys gentle caress of my hair pulled my attention back to him.
"When King Rhaegar showed himself victorious, you know what befell those that made their opinions known. As it stands, people have no reason to fight my claim. Therefore I have no desire to give them a reason by humiliating her in public. Queen Lyanna's fate will be known across the kingdoms. She has her life still. She is going North. The realm will know I am firm but fair. This is what I am, Viserys. Firm. Fair."
He stared at her for so long, their eyes meeting in silent conversation.
"Those are words I would use to describe you, which is why this punishment seemed more severe than I had expected, but when you remind me of Elia's fate, I suppose you truly could have gone another way."
"If I were a usurper, I could, but I am not. I am claiming my birthright and restoring the balance I need to rule well. I can't have her here, but I need her close enough that she can't participate in an action that can harm me or mine again."
"Very well. When will the proclamation be sent?"
"My letter is written, but I would appreciate it greatly if you would look at it before I sent it. I am pretty sure you would have preferred I had spoken to you before I spoke with Queen Lyanna…."
"No. It is not my purpose to rule. You are a queen or will be Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. You don't owe me anything, but this country is my home, and I know it well–warts and all. So on that front, I serve to guide and nothing more, Ari. I meant it when I said I did not want to be King. Trust me when I say it."
Remembering Nym's words, Ariadne reached for both of Viserys's hands. She took a deep breath as she looked deeply into his eyes before taking a calculated leap and praying she was making the right choice.
"Viserys Targaryen, you are my equal in so many ways, and yet you challenge me without hesitation. I might be out of bounds in telling you this, but I wish to marry you. If you do not feel or wish the same, you only must speak of your desire to remain as we are, and we will never speak of this moment again."
Violet eyes grew large, but then they slanted as a wicked smile began to grow on supply lips.
"Why Queen Ariadne of Meereen and Westeros are you asking me to be your betrothed?"
Ariadne let a pent-up breath release. While he had not given her a verbal affirmative, his demeanor told her that a marriage between them was on the horizon.
"It seems I am. I will need a bit of time to settle myself into Westeros, but if you are willing to agree to a long betrothal when I do not see why we couldn't marry. So, what say you?"
His smile got sharper as a chuckle forced its way through his lips.
"I suppose a marriage alliance could be arranged. Though I must say, we are both getting long in the tooth for marriage. I will wait for you, Ari, but I want to enjoy chasing our children before old age settles into my joints."
Feeling her own lips split open with joy, she allowed herself to just feel as his lips slid over her own.
A voice from the present pulled Ariadne out of her reverie, and once again, she was in the throne room with her sister.
"Ari?"
"I'm sorry, Esa. My mind sort of just wandered for a bit."
"I would say so. Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes, I am fine. What about you? Aren't you meeting with the Lannisters today?"
Jamie introduced Ariadne and Terus to his brother Lord Tyrion and twin sister, Lady Cersei Lannister, married to Stannis Baratheon and the current Lady of Storm's End. Unfortunately, when the introductions were made, Esabelle was still chaperoning soldiers down South and missed out on their father's reunion with his Westerland family.
"I should actually be on my way. I just wanted to pass on the news."
"Do you need company?"
"No. I think they are curious about me in a way that might not extend to you. I am slightly curious about them, but I am not sure what they want."
"Perhaps they want nothing. Maybe all they want is to meet the child that sprung from their beloved brother's loins. I had the sense that they missed him dearly, if only in different ways."
Esabelle rolled her eyes as a scoff fled from her mouth.
"Lest you not forget, sister, that their father played a direct part in what happened to our mother, Terus, and you. Lady Cersei went from a potential queen to marrying a second son from a traitorous family."
"Well, the Baratheons were given a good cause. Our Targaryen grandfather did ask for Robert Baratheon's head."
"True, but while I am willing to offer grace to Lord Stannis Baratheon, I am willing to withhold it for his wife once I've actually met her. You and Terus's decision to be close-lipped about her and Tyrion has probably made me more suspicious than I should be."
Ariadne pulled her sister into her arms and hugged her tightly.
"You are our mother's daughter, Esa. Meet them. Talk to them. None of that requires a commitment beyond today. Do as I do and trust your intuition. It has never failed you before."
Feeling her sister's body shake as she laughed, Ariadne pulled away to let the young woman begin her long walk to the exit. She waited until her sister walked out of the room before she returned her gaze to the bloody throne.
Light from a servant doorway entered the room, as well as her brother, Terus.
"Brother…" She calls out in an affectionate greeting.
"Sister…" He returns with a smile.
"Are you here to tell me you are off to Dragonstone?"
"Contrary to your own personal beliefs, I am capable of spending time away from our mother."
Ariadne barked out the laughter she didn't try to hide.
"Well, you are a mother's son, are you not."
The dry expression on her brother's face did not fool her. She knew her brother well, and his love for their mother was well documented. But, while she and her sister loved their mother dearly, Ariadne knew she and her sister shared a different bond with Jamie. Fathers and daughters, mothers and sons. Each relationship had its own rhythm. From her sire's experience with his father, she knows that she was very fortunate to have had the parents she did.
"Yes, I suppose I am, but I promised to wait until her arrival here. I imagine our parents would prefer to indulge in carnal delights without any of their children underfoot."
They stared at each other for a moment until Terus's word indeed sunk in for the both of them.
"Ugh," They both echoed as they shuttered at the thought of their parents being more than just parents.
"Let's agree never to paint that visual ever again." Ariadne posited.
"Done!" Terus agreed.
Her brother made his way to stand beside her. They both stood silently before the throne. The seat represented ascension to greatness and a loss of power or sanity to others.
"I must say, sister, you chose a hard road. These people are steeped in their traditions and have no desire to explore anything not from this land or decreed by their religions. They may ban slavery in word, but their traditions just do the same thing to those who have no power, does it not? How is it different from what we have been fighting against?"
"It's not, Brother. It just wears another face. In time I will do here what we brought to fruition in Meereen. Will it be perfect? No, I suppose not, but I hope as Queen of the Seven Kingdoms I can do better and not make a life for the people worse."
They stood in comfortable silence once again. A long time had passed before her brother raised a topic that was the source of bringing her to this chamber.
"Do you still dream of him?"
"I wouldn't call them dreams, per se."
"Does he not make his presence known during times of slumber?"
"I suppose he does, but the moments do not feel like dreams."
"What do they feel like?"
"Like I'm straddling the realm of the living and the dead, and at that moment, he takes the opportunity to call out to me."
"What does he want? Grace, mercy, forgiveness."
Ariadne considers her brother's question, and she tries to breathe into existence an answer.
"King Rhaegar does not speak. He just stares at me. Sometimes his eyes look concerned, and other times they look filled with…pride. He doesn't ask me for anything, though."
"How strange, but then I suppose he was odd in life, was he not."
"Agreed."
Terus cleared his throat, and the sound echoed quite loudly in the silent chamber. Ari found her gaze pulled towards her brother as she waited for him to continue.
"I will speak of this now, and I will never bring it up again. I can feel your place here, though I fear you. You are a wise leader. You will surround yourself with those who will fight beside you as well as for you. In the past, I've always been close enough to fly into battle with you, but now with you here and me in Meereen, that will change everything. Know that if you need me, I will come. You were always marked for greatness, my dearest sister, and I can't wait to see what you will do."
Ariadne leaned her head against her brother's arm. Her heart was full of emotions that brought great sadness and infinite joy. She closed her eyes tightly to stop the tears that began to distort her gaze.
"I will miss you dearly, Ari," Terus whispered.
And I you, Terus." She whispered back.
They stood that way for a long time. Then, finally, the chamber grew dark as the sun started to set.
The opening of the chamber door forced them apart. A familiar voice calling out.
"Queen Ariadne and King Terus, the evening fast is to begin in an hour or so, and I believe your sister has ended her visit with the Lannisters."
Ariadne and her brother shared a look. Yes, they agreed that they should see Esa before they took their evening meal. Ariadne thanked her guard and cousin, Obara, as they walked to the door.
"We appreciate the notice. Would you like to join us?"
"I would have to decline, Cousins. I have already heard my fill from Nym while guarding the door."
"Hmmm…it went that well, huh."
Obara's expression made it clear that she wasn't impressed by her cousin's meeting with the Lannisters.
As they began to walk away, Ariadne closed the throne room door behind her. She caught a glimpse of the throne once again, and she swore she would not enter this room again until she received her crown.
She was true to her own words.
A sennight had passed.
A coronation was had. As she entered the throne room full of people, she saw the Lords and Ladies in attendance and her Dornish relatives standing towards the front of the chamber. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Queen Lyanna standing stoically on the balcony with both Dayne and Whent.
Slowly she walked up the bladed steps. She carefully seated herself on the throne. Standing at the doors stood the former King and her sire. Once again, he had a look of pride on his face. He gave her a subtle nod and a wistful smile. Something pulled at her to do the same. A baton was passed. It was a private ceremony between them. She gently nodded back and kept her expression neutral. Just as quickly as he appeared, he disappeared. After this moment, she never saw him again.
It took her a moment to reevaluate who she was. Everyone on this continent has their opinions. However, they were wrong. She wasn't Visenya reborn, and the child that was Rhaenys Targaryen had long died. Her life trajectory was imprinted all over her. She could never be just one thing, and she had no intention of trying.
Now and forever, she is Ariadne, Queen of Meereen and the Seven Kingdoms.