Chapter Text
The reign of King Aegon and Queen Daenerys of House Targaryen was a long and peaceful one. It saw many miracles, from the birth of many children to the couple, after years of her being cursed to be childless with a dried womb, to an army of eight children plus their first and adopted daughter, Princess Lyancy. Aemon and Rhaenna had started what seemed to be a bonfire of royal births; then Aenar through to Alysanne and Jaehaerys.
Sansa had gone to the Dreadfort as she was granted and found a miracle, a dead queen. Margery Tyrell was secluded and kept at the Dreadfort, to the realm she seemed reborn. As the Dreadfort was not ready for inhabitation according to Sansa, Margery was sent to recover in Winterfell, where she found a dead king, who cared nothing for the burns upon her back because he fell in love with her beautiful heart. So, a dead queen became Robb or Rhyszard Stark’s Lady of Winterfell.
To Rhyszard’s delight all his daughters were born with their mother’s upturned nose. No one teased them about being piggies as they had brother’s happy to blood other’s noses for their sisters. Jon Stark, the heir to Winterfell, inherited his father’s dislike of Lady Cersei Baratheon, for the scars left on his beloved mother’s skin.
Sansa renamed the Dreadfort to Hopesgate as her friend suggested after the hope it brought to Margery’s life, and also the North. Hopesgate was a castle of peace and refinement, no longer and never again would the castle strike fear into the hearts of people visiting or passing there.
It was not long Sansa stayed there alone for an old nemesis turned out to be a new love, though there were times she cursed her husband for loving the sea so much, almost as an equal to her, but her husband never stayed too long on the waves for he liked to return to his wife and daughters. Everyone was surprised when Sansa asked to have her House named Starkmont.
Sansa reigned wisely and found she did not find Brendan Mormont such an irritant after she was settled in her new home and slowly she learnt to love and trust someone who was not a Stark. He returned to his wife and daughters to tell them tales of romance – not his – and adventure. Sansa got to live her love sonnet with her ‘smuggler’ husband. ‘Trader’ husband if you asked Brendan.
Gendry returned to Storm’s End with the recuperating Elise and his life-long prisoner, Cersei Baratheon-Lannister. The mercenary girl stole the heart of a raised lord and a long healthy line of children in Storm’s End kept Cersei out of trouble as they considered her their grandmother. All little black haired babes to tickle and open the Mad Queen’s heart. Sometimes Gendry did not correct Cersei when she called him Steffan.
Lady Cersei Lannister, was glad to accept the name Baratheon to honour the man who was raised to the name from Waters. Secretly she believed Darkstar’s word that Robert had swapped her little black hair boy for a whore’s son and Gendry was her little fawn, Steffan. Cersei played her antler game with all her ‘grandchildren’ and each was given a little lion cub toy with emeralds for eyes.
The people of the Stormlands loved their new lord and lady because they were simple down to earth rulers. Gendry found his old vocation a great stress relief to being a lord. Some of his lords found he took counsel while he worked. He became so good at his craft he started to turn out pieces used as art by his wife and ‘mother’. Gendry did like to have his ‘golden’ mother back and Cersei did fit the image perfectly, especially after she decided to regrow her golden locks..
Gendry had worried when he took on the burden of keeping Cersei it would be a life of scratching, but she was part of the family within a year. She adored every child Elise birthed and played with them like a real grandmother, like he remembered his dream mother had played with him. She picked up the antler game easily, like she had done it before.
Joanna Baratheon was a headstrong version of her mother – perhaps a copy really - and she especially loved her grandmother Cersei, she would spend hours with her and was the first one to take Cersei out of the castle – without permission – she brought her back, of course. They formed a strong bond, which saw her become her brother, Standford’s closest and wisest political advisor. No one tricked or out maneuvered House Baratheon politically, but as long as you weren’t trying to trick House Baratheon, you got the friendliest of welcomes.
Tyrion was given Casterly Rock but as part of Daenerys advisory team, Jaime and Brienne kept The Rock for the everyday needs. Brienne never got to return to Tarth to retire as Jaime admitted his need of her in the Westerlands with him. A tiny Lion cemented Lady Brienne as Lady of The Rock, like all the Lions before him, his uncle Tyrion gave him many stuffed toys in the shape of Lion cubs. Eventually Geron and Ella forgave their father, so he could see his grandchildren.
Geron stayed by Aegon’s side until he was too old to travel with his friend then he and Ellara retired to Casterly Rock with Ella and Nicholas. But forever would there be tales of a Dragon King walking with a War Lion beside him. Many children went to their pillows with tales of the greatness of the King, Queen and their loyal friends.
Missandei and Greyworm, as well as a number of Unsullied, travelled to Naath to keep it free of Slavers. Myra the chamberlain of the Winter Fortress gave them elixirs to ensure none succumbed to the Fever who were not native to the Isle. Though Naath did not practise marriage, Missandei and Greyworm lived the life of monogamy, even when Greyworm had offered to let Missandei step outside their relationship to have a child, she said it would not be his as well, so she was happy to leave it as it was.
The royal couple spread their time between four castles, The Red Keep, Dragonstone; Springdawn and the Winter Fortress. Two summer castles and two winter castles, everyone had opportunity to seek an audience with their monarchs.
Early in their reign the king had done an unbelievable thing, using the Queen’s Dragons he dismantled the Iron Throne and sent a portion of the swords back to each Kingdom that had been conquered and had their sword turned into the Iron Throne. All the realms turned them into statues of their beloved King and Queen which did not please the King but made the Queen smile.
During their long reign, hospitals, libraries, and hostels were build; Law and a justice system were also established. By the end of their reign, people had control of their society and corruption reduced considerably. King Aegon reminded his people to be vigilant over their power and their lives, to not let corruption fester, or apathy. He also, naysaid the title of Utopia for their realm, saying no society was perfect and the people should not rest on the current regime’s compliance.
The king and queen retired to their bed chamber as always. As always they kindly shut the door in the faces of the servants trying to help them and hobbled on their crackly ancient bones to their bed and crawled in to embrace each other.
Aegon would never see the Iron Throne or the Seven Kingdoms again, King Aemon already ruled in his father’s stead in King’s Landing and Lyancy pretty much did the day to day reigning for the ancient King and Queen of Always Winter, training her son Jon to be king one day. He had said he would die in Always Winter and indeed as Death he had spoken his Fate.
“Welcome home.” The Guide smiled at King Aegon as he stood at the entrance to the Tunnel. “It has been a long life.”
“A slow Death. I got distracted.” He smiled as he stood looking around the dark tunnel that had no features to catch his attention.
“Are you waiting for her?”
She smiled at him as he gazed down the tunnel of The Black. “Always I await my Beloved.”