Shadows of the Realm: Rhaegar's Resolve (ASOIAF) (Completed)

289 AC

Dragonstone

Rhaegar

I am standing on the ramparts of Dragonstone enjoying the cool wind on my face as I am looking over the Navy down below on the docks as the sailors are preparing to embark on their ships for a 'mission to the Stepstones'.

Now while Balon hasn't declared himself King yet, he will soon enough, and in preparation for that, the Navy will be sent to the Stepstones and once the Lannister fleet burns and word arrive at the Stepstones about the Rebellion, the Navy will set sail from the Stepstones to the Sunset Sea to crush them.

In the meantime, the Army is being marshaled from the Crownlands, the levies are being raised and officially it has been passed off as a drill that I have mandated to occur every two months, so it won't look suspicious,

Oh hell, who am I kidding, it will look suspicious to anyone with half a brain cell but thankfully Balon does not come under that category, so it will be alright, maybe the more astute people like Tywin, Olenna, and Doran might know that something is afoot but that fool Balon doesn't even have a spy network so he doesn't even know what is happening on the mainland, how exactly is that man even alive in the world of Westeros.

This rebellion is going to be fun.

It has been six years since I reached this world and looking back I have to say that while life is not amazing it is better than what I expected it to be. I am on the route to being a complete and total despot, power has been centralized under the Crown and the power of the nobles is slowly diminishing,

Of course, there are a few nobles who have realized what is going on but unfortunately for them, they are far too few and in between. The political power of the nobles has remained the same but their military power has been reduced for them. I have used the War of the Pretender as an excuse to curtail their powers and now after the Greyjoy rebellion, I will clamp down even more on their beloved rights. They will dance to my tunes once I am through with them.

Tywin, Olenna, and Doran are being silent about my actions but I believe that they are simply waiting for another moment to strike and in Doran's case for me to die and for him to convince Aegon to roll back my policies provided that dickhead manages to outlive me, well too bad motherfuckers because one step out of line and I am going to burn you all to hell.

And one of those methods that I am using is the Longbow. I made it mandatory that every boy and man in the Crownlands practice with a longbow every week just like how it was during the middle ages in England. I have the longbowmen from my Army go to villages every week to train them and soon enough when the levies will be raised it will be mostly longbowmen who will be called up.

I would love to see the Westerlander and Reach Knights face my longbowmen, maybe one day there will be an Agincourt and Crecy in Westeros.

The main reason why longbowmen are not so prevalent in Westeros is that the nobles for one don't like commoners owning weapons like the longbow which they can use to hunt in their woods and also because they know how devastating the longbow can be, Raven's Teeth showed exactly how dangerous it can be and they are afraid, not to mention the fact that longbowmen are hard to train and time-consuming compared to crossbowmen as they need little skill. And also the longbowmen make the concept of Knights and their charges obsolete and no noble wants that.

As for the Cannibal, a few ships have been set aside for me for a detour to Skagos while the rest of the fleet leaves in a week for the Stepstones.

It's time that I woke him up. Brynden and Daemon have told me how to wake up that Behemoth from slumber but the bigger question would be to make that mean old bugger obey me.

Right now the main reason why I am on Dragonstone is to prepare for my trip up North but officially, it's because I have taken a break from court. The entire family is here and they all should remain here for the duration of the war.

I walk over to the training yard to see my kids training and with Maekar becoming six this year he was finally allowed to join in, much to his delight, that boy has been begging me to allow him into the yard since his sister started.

Speaking of his Sister, I made it very clear to everyone that Rhaenys would start in the yard once she was six, and even though a few Septas protested I was adamant on that and so was Elia, and as such Rhaenys was given training spear, a bow, and a wooden sword on her sixth birthday or as to how it is called here in Westeros her Name day.

As for Aegon, while sometimes he can't come to the training yard because he is too sick, other days when he is well enough he does come to train, he doesn't lack determination and today is that day. There are already rumors and gossip going on in court on how Aegon is sickly while Maekar is healthy, already people are whispering about Daeron and Daemon, and while they have the common sense not to say anything in front of me a few of them were stupid enough to say it in front of Elia and the dressing down they all received was legendary and I don't think that any of those fools are going to return to court anytime soon.

Cersei was wise enough not to provoke me and so she hasn't said a word about my kids but the same cannot be said about her handmaidens. Speaking of Cersei, she has given birth to two kids so far, Joanna Hightower (286 AC) and Jason Hightower (287 AC), Jaime has assured me that the kids aren't his and I am inclined to believe him at least as far as Jason is concerned, Jason has brown hair and green eyes while Joanna is a complete miniature version of Cersei hopefully only in looks and not in nature.

And then of course there are the Blackfyres, I need to send a few men to attack Illyrio's manse and kill everyone before they become an insufferable pain in my ass but according to Richard, the kid and Varys are not in Illyrio's manse. They have gone somewhere else.

"Come on, Mae, swing harder and faster and you Egg, for Goodness sake, do something other than just putting your shield up" Rhaenys yells at the two of them from the sides holding her spear while Egg and Mae whack at each other with their wooden swords, I walk over to her "Since when did you become their trainer, speaking of which were is Jaime and Barristan" Barry is Egg's trainer while Jaime is Mae's.

She grins "I sent Jaime and Barry away because I decided to take over their training" I raise an eyebrow "And may I ask why?" And she just shrugs and looks at them and says "Because I am better than them"

This girl has taken to the spear as fish to water and suddenly she thinks that she is the next Oberyn Martell.

"Egg, move your bloody sword for once" Rhaenys yells, I have to say that Egg needs to move his sword, he is just using his shield. Maekar is stronger and faster so he is more comfortable pressing on the attack, and Maekar has already come off as a prodigy within the first few months of entering the training yard, while I have ensured that no ill will lie between the brothers, it's the nobles that I have to worry about. They might poison their minds against each other.

After a few minutes of watching them train, I turn to Rhaenys "Well, good luck training them sweetheart" I kiss her on the forehead and head for my chambers.

Next Day

Throne Room

The main reason why I am in this throne room isn't that I am holding court but because a certain someone asked an audience of me and when I found out who it was, I decided to let her, that certain someone was a Melisandre of Asshai.

I reach the throne room and sure enough, she is there, and next to her lies a chest which I believe that I have seen somewhere but I am not sure where.

"Your Grace, My name is Melisandre, I am from Asshai and I am a Servant of the Lord of Light" She begins, but I cut her off "Yes, I know who you are but what I want to know is why have you come here and it better not be that Prince who was promised crap"

She looks at me with amusement "You started a war over that crap, your grace" I grit my teeth "Just a folly of youth"

"Folly of youth indeed," She says in mirth but I quickly cut that off "I doubt you would know what youth is, Melony, considering that you are nearly a thousand years old"

I expected terror and horror to come on her face when I said that like how it is told in fanfictions but instead she just looks at me emotionless and said "Flames were right, another being has entered this realm"

How does she know? Is the fact that I am a person from Earth common knowledge for people in the magical sector of Westeros?

"Leave us" I command and the Royal Guard leave, they have been trained well to obey everything I say without question.

I walk over to her and grab her choker "Talk, or else I will tear off this thing"

"No need to get violent, I am willing to answer any questions that you may have" She calmly answers and I let go of her and ask "Why did you come here?"

"I think that you know the answer, your grace, I am here to help you against the coming darkness" She answers me while I am left fuming "I don't want your religious fanatic nonsense anywhere near me, my children, and my family"

"Don't worry, your grace, the Lord of Light told me not to push further in converting" That's a relief "I am also here to help you wake the black beast from stone"

"How do you know that?" I am leaving for Skagos in a week and the entire thing was kept a secret, hell not even the captains knew, I would tell them once I got on to the ships.

"The flames tell me everything my King" She answers serenely but I know that this is all an act, I have to ensure that she doesn't convert any of my children otherwise the political and religious fallout will be more than devastating.

"Just keep it quiet and I don't need some religious ritual to help me with it," I tell her and she nods "As you say, your grace, I also have gifts for you, your grace," She says pointing to the chest.

"What is it?" I ask her and she opens and lo and behold, It's the dragon eggs.

Not just any dragon eggs but the very same ones from Dany's wedding to Drogo in the OTL

"How?" I ask stunned and she simply smirks and says "They are from the Shadowlands, and while the Magister may have tried he failed for the flames told me to take these eggs to you"

I take the one which is supposed to be that of Drogon, it's cold, and time has turned it into stone. Not for long

I turn to her "We leave for Skagos in a week, and also not a word about this to anyone"

"Of course, your grace" She nods

Later that Night

Unfortunately for me, there were three dragon eggs and four kids so I was stuck in a quandary on who gets which dragon so I decided to let my kids decide.

I am sitting on the throne with my mother and wife with the chest with the dragon eggs on the steps and I have called for my kids and Dany to come to the throne room.

"Rhaegar, How exactly did you get these dragon eggs," My mother asks me, I tell her "The Red Priestess gave them, and No I won't be converting, and neither will I be doing another Summerhall stunt" My mother looks relieved at the last part, however,

"Oh, the Red Priestess, I had a nice conversation with her," Elia tells and I raise my eyebrow "This is the first that I am hearing of it"

She simply tells me "I met her after she left the throne room meeting you" I am getting scared of what she might do next "Don't tell me you are converting"

But she looks at me and says "I was just listening to what she was saying about her religion, I was just curious because I have never seen them in person"

Oh sweetheart, trust me when I tell you, we have seen that religion firsthand under my father, the color of the fire may be different but the preaching is the same.

"That is the first step in converting" Oh God my wife is going to become a religious fanatic nutcase maybe like Selyse or Stannis or the many other fools who followed Stannis in the OTL and I am forever going to be hounded by those fire fanatics, I will face a religious war-

Wait a minute, doesn't Elia know that the Lord of Light tends to have people burned alive, I mean like how on earth can she possibly stand to be in that religion that burns people alive?

Maybe Elia doesn't know everything about this religion, or maybe the High Priest in Volantis told the Red Priests to go easy on the burning people alive nonsense.

Speaking of other Red Priests, Thoros of Myr is a member of my court, he is not a bad company and even better when he is drunk, and during the melees, he tends to acquit himself well mostly because of his wildfire-drenched sword. But he has never really gone proselytizing anyone.

So much for a light and breezy reign. Not that it was like that in the first place.

Then before we could continue our religious debate the kids show up and I show them the dragon eggs they are predictably thrilled but then Rhaenys catches on "Kepa, there are three eggs and four of us"

My goodness, that girl is perceptive alright, "That's right dear and as such we will let you all decide on who gets the dragon eggs" I tell her as much, and already Dany is looking dejected as she believes that she won't be getting any dragon eggs.

But then Rhaenys walks up to the chest and takes the black dragon egg and gives it to Egg, and then she takes the green dragon egg and gives it to Mae and finally, she takes the cream-colored dragon egg and gives it to Dany surprising everyone in the room. Bless her heart, she gave others the dragon eggs and took the fall.

"Don't you want it?" Dany cautiously asks Rhaenys but she shakes her head "That's alright because Kepa will get me another one" She says to her while the others look at me with very pointed looks especially Rhaella and Elia

Cannibal, you better be a female or a hermaphrodite because I need a few dragon eggs once you wake up, pronto" Of course, dear, I will get you another dragon egg" Or better yet another dragon entirely, in case I die before the White Walkers show up or I die killing White Walkers but Rhaenys and Cannibal survive, they might bond.

Well, this is gonna be fun.