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The winter season had fallen upon Westeros and with it came a great fever that spread across all of the Kingdoms of Westeros. It infected people across all walks of life peasant to noble, newborn to old age. Not only did it infect people but it left devastation in its wake. Some estimates say that upwards of 25-40% of all those who fall victim to the fever would perish.

The Red Keep would not be spared from the fever either. Nor even miraculously, would the Royal Family, despite the Targaryen’s typical immunity to disease. When the first cases were reported in the Red Keep, Ser Otto, father of Queen Alicent, ordered that her wing was laden down with non-perishable foods and all of her servants had to be checked to ensure that they did not have the fever before they would all be locked into a quarantine. You see, Queen Alicent was four months pregnant with her first babe and Otto had no intention of risking her or the child.

Once he was as sure as he could be that his daughter and grandson, The Prince, were as safe as he could, he moved on to helping finish getting the King’s Quarantine wing ready. Other courtiers mocked Otto’s decision to focus on his daughter first rather than the King but he was confident in his decision. Just like he was in deciding that the Princess Rhaenyra did not need to enter a protective quarantine, despite her position as heir to the Iron Throne. He told the people that she could not enter a quarantine as she needed to prove her strength by being there for her people. She needed to show them the kind of Queen she would one day be, even as he prayed for her to catch the fever and die.

Soon, it seemed like Otto’s prayers were going to be answered. A month after the first person at the Red Keep came down with the great fever, the Princess fell victim to it as well. He could not help but hope and pray that she would end up one of the fatalities as it would make it so much easier for him to place his unborn grandson on the throne. Then, if he was exceptionally lucky, Prince Daemon would be killed in the Stepstones war. This would leave the King with no other possible heirs as the Velaryon’s had already been rejected at the Great Council.

The Gods' did not seem to favor Ser Otto though, and within days of the Princess falling ill, she began to recover and a week later was fully well again. However, just as the Princess began to recover, her father, though quarantined, fell ill. This terrified Otto. Alicent wasn’t due to give birth for months still and, though he would fight with all he had for his grandson’s birthright to the throne, unless Otto could convince the King to name the unborn babe his heir, there was no guarantee he could win. So Otto set out to do just that. He entered the King’s Quarantine chambers and began seeking to coerce the King of the wisdom of naming an unborn child his heir. However, his efforts were hindered by the presence of the Princess who had decided that she needed to play nurse to her ailing father and Otto’s fear of catching the fever, which prevented him from getting too close to his sick King.

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Unfortunately for all, the King did not recover like his daughter had done and perished a fortnight after he fell ill. Unbeknown to the court, mere days before the King passed, a message came from the Stepstones saying that they were won and that Prince Daemon was coming home.

In his dying moments, Viserys finally annulled the marriage of Prince Daemon and Rhea Royce before telling his beloved daughter that he was glad his brother was coming home as he knew Daemon would provide Rhaenyra with the protection he knew she’d need in the coming months and years. He then would die with his daughter still clutching his hands crying while Lords Strong and Beesbury looked on. Ser Otto was absent as he was checking with the servants that his daughter still hadn’t caught the fever and had not realized how close to death the King actually was.

Shortly thereafter, the Silent Sisters were summoned to embalm the body of King Viserys for his final voyage to Dragonstone where he would be laid on a pier and set aflame. When his ashes cooled, they would be gathered and interred beside Queen Aemma in the Targaryen funeral vault.

Before King Viserys’ body and a reduced number of courtiers could board ships bound for Dragonstone for the funeral, Prince Daemon arrived back at the capital. He asked for and was granted a few moments alone with his brother’s mortal remains. Then, before he could seek out his beloved niece, the new Queen, Lord Lyman Beesbury stopped him. Lyman informed Daemon that it was Viserys wish that Prince Daemon would protect his daughter and handed Daemon the signed annulment that he’d wished for so long.

Following this, Lord Lyman left Prince Daemon to find his niece while he joined the other courtiers boarding the ships for Dragonstone.

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That first small council meeting following the return to King’s Landing was a solemn one but one in which the big question was should Rhaenyra, King Viserys’ chosen heir ascend the throne as Queen or could they wait another six months until after Queen Alicent gave birth to see if, as Otto claimed, that Alicent would birth a boy.

The problem was that, while Alicent’s pregnancy was out of the danger zone of the early months, there was still no guarantee that she would actually carry to term. Otto had absolutely forbidden any talk or mention of the King’s demise near his daughter as he didn’t want the stress of it to harm her child.

Even if Queen Alicent did carry her pregnancy to term, there was the chance that the child would be stillborn or die in the cradle. Plus, there was truly no way to guarantee that the Queen even carried a son within her. For all anyone knew, the child could be a girl, in which by any standard or precedence, would not stand to inherit before her elder half sister.

How long could the realm go without a crowned monarch and would it truly be fair to force the King’s named heir to wait until after the birth of her half sibling to see if the male preference succession would leave her, or the newborn, wearing the crown?

Lord’s Beesbury, and Strong felt strongly that Rhaenyra was the Queen and that her claim superceded that of her potential half brother. She had been named heir and was a woman grown and fit to be wed. Her half-sibling’s gender was unable to be confirmed nor could anyone guarantee that the child would ever live to see adulthood. The throne was hers.

Ser Otto and the Grand Maester disagreed. They believed that Otto, as the Hand to King Viserys should rule as regent until after Alicent’s child had reached maturity, so sure were they in that the babe was a male who would live a long life. If they thought they could convince enough of the Lord’s, they would hold a coronation for the babe before he even exited his mother’s womb. However, they realized they would have to hold off on actually crowing the babe until after he was born. Rhaenyra might hold precedence due to having been named the official heir and having Widow’s law on her side but Otto planned to stall and prevent the Princess from being crowned with all he had.

In that first council meeting, he declared that they could not be too hasty and that it would not be decent while so many throughout the realm were suffering of the great fever to even be considering naming a new monarch especially since the realm already had a Queen and he, as Hand, was well versed in handling affairs of the state.

This outraged Lord Lyonel Strong who declared that yes, they did already have a Queen, Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen and that there was no true question about the succession as it had already been set.

Ultimately, after much back and forth, nothing was decided and Lords Lyonel and Beesbury went to inform Her Grace and Prince Daemon of what Otto was attempting as neither had been informed or invited to the meeting.

Meanwhile, Ser Otto plotted. He decided that, since he knew he couldn’t outright kill his opponents in the Small Council nor could he kill Rhaenyra and Daemon, that he would have to resort to some underhanded tactics. He contacted the High Septon who was in King’s Landing in case Queen Alicent was in need and asked if he could declare King Viserys’ marriage to Aemma Arryn as being invalid and thus, Rhaenyra as a bastard as bastards were not allowed to inherit, particularly bastard girls. This would also further elevate Alicent’s place as being King Viserys’ only true wife and Queen and their child as the only true heir, regardless of gender. The High Septon agreed.

Next, Otto forged and post dated a degree from King Viserys that stated that his children by Queen Alicent would inherit before any other kin of his, including the daughter he named heir in his grief and by mistake. Also, no one was allowed to have a dragon outside of the children of Queen Alicent and all other dragonriders must immediately relinquish their beasts under penalty of treason and death to safeguard the future of the realm.

Little did Otto know that as soon as Prince Daemon heard what Ser Otto was trying to pull in the council meeting, he immediately went on defense for his niece.

First, he wrote out missives for all of the Paramount and important houses of the realm informing them of King Viserys’ death and the ascension of his daughter and heir as Queen and asked them to ensure all of their bannermen were informed. He also demanded that they send their pledges of fealty to their new Queen as soon as possible. He then personally sent out each and every message.

Second, he ordered that the chambers belonging to the King be cleared out of all of his brother’s possessions and cleaned deeply.

Third, he met with Gold Cloaks that he knew were loyal to him and told them what Otto Hightower was trying to do as well as how Rhaenyra was the new Queen. He asked them to spread word of Otto’s dirty and underhanded techniques around and to let the people know how Otto wanted to crown his daughter’s belly King rather than have Rhaenyra ascend the throne. They agreed.

Fourth, he met with Lord Lyman and Lord Lyonel and they confirmed that they also suspected Otto was going to play dirty to steal the crown and that they were on Rhaenyra’s side.

With all of that done, he called for Ser Harold and told him to gather his entire order in the Throne Room as Daemon was going to gather the new Queen and then they would take their oaths to her.

Then Daemon went to find his grieving niece. He knew that she’d been having a hard year that was only going to get harder. She’d lost her mother, gained a title she’d never been trained for, lost her best friend to her father, lost her father and now was going to have to fight for her crown.

After he collected Rhaenyra, they walked to the Throne Room where Daemon had her sit for the first time upon the Iron Throne. Then, before the gathered guard, he dropped down on his knees and pledged his undying loyalty to her as his Queen and invoked both blood and the Gods' in his oath to her. Once he was done, one by one all seven guards took their oaths to her as their Queen as did Lords Strong and Beesbury, who, upon hearing that Daemon had requested for the guards to offer their oaths, decided to offer their own so their new Queen knew she could count upon them for support.

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It took less than two days before Otto got wind of Daemon having placed Rhaenyra on the Throne and had the White Cloaks take their oaths to her as their new Queen and Otto was livid. He knew Daemon was audacious but to do this was tantamount to treason. Rhaenyra was a bastard born to the Whore of the Vale and the Throne was his grandson’s lawful and rightful birthright. Daemon had no right to attempt to steal it from the true heir.

As much as Otto wanted to keep his daughter in the dark about the affairs of the realm until after she gave birth to his grandson, he knew now that he had no choice. Perhaps Alicent might appeal to Rhaenyra to surrender her claim to the throne since the girls had once been such good friends. Surely Alicent could make the good for nothing spoiled bastard child see the fallacy of her claim and make the girl stand down, force her Uncle down and surrender her dragon. It is truly the best thing for the realm. He will even tell Alicent to pacify Rhaenyra that, despite her status as a bastard, that they will find her a good and suitable husband of high standing and wealth so that she’s truly not losing much.

With that in mind, Otto broke Alicent’s Quarantine to tell her the news.

“I bring sad and terrible news, my daughter,” Otto began.

“What news father?”

“The Stranger took your husband under the guise of this great fever. However, in his dying days, he declared that any and all children you would ever give him take priority of inheritance over all other kin and that naming Rhaenyra his heir was something he did by mistake in his grief. He also decreed that only your children could possess dragons so all of the others would need to surrender theirs under penalty of treason and death. However, despite knowing this, Prince Daemon has seen fit to order the Kingsguard to swear fealty to Rhaenyra which they have done. Daemon also knows that the only way for him to secure his own place and his life in Westeros is to go against his brother’s dying wishes and crown Rhaenyra Queen. I fear that if Daemon is successful that your life as well as mine and your unborn son’s life will be forfeit.”

“Father! Tell me, is there anything we can do to prevent this calamity?”

“I hate to do this to you while you are in such a delicate condition, but I beg you, entreat with Princess Rhaenyra. Beg her to surrender her claim and her dragon in favor of your son. Promise her that you will find her a husband of great wealth and high standing and abundant lands to compensate her for any perceived loss in status. She will be well taken care of and, should the Gods' be merciful towards her, she will give her husband a dozen sons and a dozen daughters to provide fulfillment in her life. Tell her that it is truly the best thing for her and for the realm as women were never meant to rule as declared by the Gods' themselves.”

“I understand, Father. I will implore her as such. If you could summon her to me as you leave so that I may hopefully rid her of her misunderstandings soon, I would appreciate it”

“With pleasure, my treasure.”

So Ser Otto sent a servant to fetch Rhaenyra to Queen Alicent’s apartments not knowing that Rhaenyra was with Prince Daemon at the time when the servant found them.

The servant entered the Library where Prince Daemon and Queen Rhaenyra sat going over laws.

“Queen Alicent requests Princess Rhaenyra’s presence, immediately,” said the maid.

“You tell her that she has no right in ordering QUEEN Rhaenyra around!” Daemon retorted sharply.

“Peace Uncle, I will go and see what Alicent wants. Perhaps she has some insights into her father’s plots that she wishes to share?”

“If you wish to go and see what the girl wants, then go but be warned that she may very well try to insist that you sacrifice your inheritance in favor of her child.”

“I know. Ever since she wed Father, she’s been trying to pull power plays over me and now, I have power over her again, as the rightful Queen.”

Rhaenyra then departed the library and journeyed across the Keep to Alicent’s apartments along with two members of her Queensguard.

“I do not know why you have requested my presence now, despite the great fever still ravaging the Keep.”

“I have a matter of utmost importance to speak with you on, Rhaenyra.”

“You’ve been locked away for weeks now. What matter could possibly be so important?”

“It has to do with your father’s succession. I know that you believe that your father truly meant for you to sit the Throne after him, but it simply is not true!”

“How exactly have you come to that conclusion? My father named me his heir and had all of the Lord’s throughout the realm swear fealty to me as Princess of Dragonstone and her to the Iron Throne.”

“He was plagued with grief and feared that he might not sire another child in his lifetime. He was desperate and you were the only option.”

“Oh, then what were you? My father, as King, had his choice of all the maidens throughout the realm. Daughters, sisters and cousins of the Lord’s Paramount. Maidens who came with vast dowries, armies, navies and yet he settled on my maid. A girl who only even got the title of “Lady” because she was my ladies maid. The daughter of a second son with no army, navy or dowry to speak of and who’s only notable quality was that she was my companion and she was old enough to be bred. It seems like rumors may actually be true that you, as an unchaperoned maiden, spent time alone in my father’s chambers late at night and my father, in his grief and loneliness, chose you for his bride because you were convenient. Perhaps my father never truly meant to take you for his wife but rather his mistress, as would have been more suitable for your station.”

“That is another matter entirely Rhaenyra! No matter what your thoughts are, I was your father’s legal wife while all you are and ever truly have been is merely his daughter. The sooner you accept that, the better.”

“And if I don’t? What is your father plotting to do to me? Kill the Queen? The Whitecloaks have all sworn their oaths of loyalty to me as the rightful Queen and they will defend me with their lives.”

“RHAENYRA! I am TRYING to help you. Accept that your father made you heir as a mistake. Accept that my child is the rightful monarch and that I am the rightful regent alongside my father. Surrender your dragon and my father and I will ensure that you are soon married off to a man of great wealth, lands and status. You will be well cared for and hopefully the Gods' are merciful towards you and grant you a reprieve of the affliction carried by your mother and grandmother. That way you may bear your Lord Husband and abundance of sons and a few daughters as well.”

Rhaenyra responded with tears in her eyes. “You demand that I surrender my inheritance and my dragon, who’s egg hatched in my cradle and I’ve been bonded to ever since for what? To be some Lord’s broodmare? I was born a Targaryen Princess. Fire and blood runs in my veins. I am a Dragonlord of Old Valyria in my own right and you THINK I’m going to give that up for your halfbreed? To be reduced to nothing but a womb on legs? I know that’s what you Andals think is the only purpose for a female but I am not an Andal woman and I will not surrender my birthright!”

“Right before your father died, your father decreed that any child I gave him would supersede any of his other kin’s claims, including yours, to the Throne and he admitted that naming you heir was a mistake. Grow up Rhaenyra and get over it! You are NOT and NEVER WILL BE QUEEN.”

“How did you come up with such lies? Were you at his bedside, trying to nurse him back to health?”

“No, my Father told me and he is no liar.”

“He is. As soon as I recovered from the fever, I was at my Father’s bedside, scarcely leaving for even a moment until after he was gone and he NEVER wavered in his conviction that I was his heir. Your father barely even visited due to his great fear of the fever. He lied to you Alicent all because the only reason why he whored you out to my father is to get more power and to get his blood on the Throne. That is why he lied to you!”

“He did not lie! Its you who refuses to see the truth! My child will sit the Iron Throne and you will either accept that and allow us to find you a suitable husband or, and I deeply regret it, will have to be executed for treason alongside Prince Daemon. The realm will never accept a Queen regent. Please Rhaenyra, don’t let your pride blind you to the truth. Please, for all the love you have ever had for me, renounce the Throne, renounce your claim, renounce your dragon and renounce your title and all will be well for you!”

“I would say the same. Renounce your father and accept me as the true and rightful Queen. Do not let your pride or sense of entitlement make you keep forcing your unborn child’s claim over mine and I promise that I will find you a handsome young husband who will treat you well, just like you always dreamed.”

“Rhaenyra, I can’t. My child, my son, is the true King. All you are is an usurper and if you keep on this path, you will die a traitor’s death.”

“Your father is the traitor and he is the one who will die a traitor’s death while you end up with the Silent Sisters and your child, if it lives unlike any of my trueborn siblings, will become my ward and then will be married off to someone suitably loyal once he or she is old enough. Ser Harold, please ensure that Lady Alicent is cared for by only the most loyal of our servants and is well guarded by loyal guards. Also, Ser Otto is not to have any access to Lady Alicent at any point from here on out.”

“Yes, Your Grace. Your will will be done.”

“ITS QUEEN ALICENT!!! I AM STILL QUEEN OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS RHAENYRA STONE! YOU ARE NOT AND NEVER WILL BE QUEEN! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO PREVENT MY FATHER FROM VISITING ME!”

Rhaenyra paused at the door, “You’re right, you are not LADY Alicent as that was the title you gained when you became my maid but you are also not QUEEN Alicent as my father is now dead. You can’t be Queen Mother or Queen Dowager either since you are of no relation to me. This leaves only… Mistress Alicent, prospective mother of a Targaryen Prince or Princess and yes, as Queen, I can do what I want as my word is law.”

With that Rhaenyra exited Alicent’s apartments to rejoin her Uncle and to fill him in on what Alicent told her.

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When King Viserys died, his wife was six months pregnant, though she did look far further along. This led to much speculation that perhaps the child was not King Viserys’ afterall.

A month and a half after the death of her husband, Alicent’s labors began. Otto tried to get his loyal people in and to prevent any of Queen Rhaenyra’s people from being present, however, Prince Daemon had largely managed to secure the Red Keep. Yes, six women loyal to House Hightower and were of high enough rank were allowed in the birthing chamber, however, and additional six women of similar rank and loyal to Rhaenyra were also given the privilege of witnessing the birth. This was in addition to the Young Queen and the Queen Who Never Was.

Alicent’s labors lasted for 18 long hours before, at last, it was time for the birth. At this point, the Young Queen summoned Ser Otto and Prince Daemon into the chamber. Ser Otto so he could witness first hand that no foul play was pulled up on his grandchild and Prince Daemon to help ensure everyone, particularly the Young Queen’s safety.

Shortly thereafter, Alicent delivered her first babe, a girl who was swiftly followed by a second babe, which was a boy. Otto and Alicent were overjoyed, believing that they had truly won with the boy’s birth since son’s always inherited over daughters. That was, until the boy was placed in his mother’s arms.

“This is not my son! This is not my son! Rhaenyra stole my son!” Alicent screamed as she shoved her boy away.

This perplexed the gathered noblewomen who had just seen the boy leave his mother’s womb. How could she deny, while the child was still connected to her, that he was her child?

The reason quickly became clear when all who had gathered got their first glimpse of the newborn babies.

The very first thing anyone noticed was the skin color. Both children had skin that was dark, somewhere between the color of the Dornish and the Velaryon's, rather than the typical pinkish color of the Reach or the unusually pale skin of the Targaryen’s. Second was the hair color. The twins had heads full of dense curls that almost glowed a dark reddish black, like the color of dying embers in the hearth. Lastly, the girl twin had icy blue eyes while her twin brother had eyes the color of peridot. As for the facial features themselves, they were unlike anything anyone had ever seen save for Prince Daemon and Princess Rhaenys. Princess Rhaenys commented that the features looked like those belonging to the people of Yi Ti. Neither looked like their mother and neither had any features that looked even vaguely like their supposed father.

The babies could not possibly have come from the seed of King Viserys, the noblewomen all thought, even as they began to exit the chamber to inform their husbands and families. Even the most staunch supporters of the Hightowers struggled with the thought of crowning a clearly bastard born boy King born from the former Queen Consort over that of the late King’s daughter.

From the pens of the twelve noblewomen, soon ravens were departing for places all over the Realm, including to the High Septon that Queen Alicent had been unfaithful to King Viserys and had birthed undeniably bastard twins and that, even so, Ser Otto planned to crown the bastard boy King.

No one had any idea on who could possibly have been the father.

Meanwhile in the birthing chamber, Otto was in shock. All of his grand plans hinged upon his daughter birthing a healthy son. Well, she did but how could he possibly explain the boy’s appearance? He looked nothing like either parent so Otto could not claim the boy favored his mother rather than his father. This made him furious!

“You stupid, stupid girl!” Otto roared, forgetting that he was not alone in the chamber as, along with several midwives, maids and the Maester, was Prince Daemon, Princess Rhaenys and the Young Queen. “You disgust me! After everything I have done for you, all I ever asked was that you birth Viserys a son. A SON ALICENT! NOT THIS ABOMINATION! A TRUEBORN SON! NOW EVERYONE IS GOING TO CALL YOU A WHORE AND YOUR CHILDREN BASTARDS! I HAVE NO IDEA HOW I’M GOING TO FIX YOUR MISTAKES! YOU HAD BEST PRAY THAT I’M ABLE TO SALVAGE EVERYTHING OR ELSE YOU WILL PAY!”

Otto then stormed out, leaving his exhausted daughter in tears.

“I’ve only ever slept with Viserys!” cried the new mother even as she shoved both infants away when maids tried to hand them to her. “They aren’t mine! They can’t be mine! My babies should look Targaryen! Why am I being punished!” Alicent then broke down into sobs.

Rhaenyra then moved to sit next to Alicent after silently dismissing Daemon and Rhaenys. “Alicent, its okay. Its just us now. You can tell me who the father of your sweet babies is. I won’t judge you for having sought comfort with another man. I know my father was never someone you would have picked for yourself.”

“How dare you make such a grave accusation towards me!” Alicent turned to Rhaenyra in anger. “I never slept with anyone but your father, my husband!”

“Then how exactly do you want to explain why neither baby looks anything like you or my father or either of our families. They are clearly bastards. I cannot protect you or them if you do not tell me the truth, Alicent!”

“Those babies are not mine! You did something to mine! You stole mine to protect your ever so weak claim to my son’s throne. You killed my son! YOU KILLED MY SON! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! AND TAKE THOSE HIDEOUS BASTARDS WITH YOU! MARK MY WORDS RHAENYRA, WORD WILL GET OUT THAT YOU STOLE AND MURDERED MY SON AND WHEN PEOPLE LEARN THE TRUTH ABOUT YOU, THEY WILL NEVER STAND FOR YOU, YOU KINSLAYER!!!”

Rhaenyra then stood, taking a baby in each arm to join her Uncle and Cousin in the hall.

“Alicent refuses to acknowledge the babies that plenty of witnesses clearly saw exit her. They are obviously not Targaryens so I don’t know what should be done about them. Should I grant them the Targaryen name nevertheless and grant them the titles of Prince and princess?”

“I don’t like to even suggest it as it plays well into Otto’s hands, but both babies should be given a cradle egg. If it burns the babe and grows cold quickly, it will be further proof of Alicent’s infidelity and that the children are bastards. As for everything else, perhaps we should speak with Lord Lyonel Strong as well as my Uncle Boremund and Uncle Vaegon. We should use their wisdom to guide us. Regardless, the babies do need names.”

“I’ve been thinking about that. I wish to call the girl Ayra and the boy Draven. They are somewhat Valyrian sounding but also different enough as well.”

“You've chosen well my niece. The names are quite suitable. I will ensure that the Ravens get sent out saying that Queen Alicent Hightower has been safely delivered of twins of unusual coloring and features which Her Grace, Queen Rhaenyra has named Ayra and Draven.”

“Thank you, Uncle. I will see the babies to a wet nurse and then will proceed to meeting with Lord Lyonel about the twins' fate.”