Chapter 30: One Heart, One Flesh, One Soul

Viserra

Second Moon, 88 AC

She shivered briefly as her father took her cloak off. The three-headed red dragon of House Targaryen was soon replaced with the silver seahorse of House Velaryon as Corlys wrapped his own cloak around her protectively. She nestled in the warmth.

The High Septon spoke as he brought out the ribbon. "My lords, my ladies, we stand here in the sight of gods and men to witness the union of man and wife. Corlys Velaryon, and Viserra Targaryen have come before the Seven today to be wed. To be made one flesh, one heart, one soul, now and forever." As he tied the ribbon around their hands, he told them to begin their vows.

Following the High Septon's instruction, Viserra turned to Corlys, her new husband, their eyes met as they spoke their vows. Corlys had asked her if she might be willing to say some vows of their own making with him, as some who wed did. She had seen no reason to deny him.

Before the entire realm, they vowed to love and cherish each other, to always be always faithful and true. They swore to stand by each other's side, in sickness and in health, in good times and bad, in wealth and in poverty and to always protect and defend each other, till death did them part.

"In the sight of the Seven, I hereby seal these two souls, binding them as one for eternity," the High Septon said when they had finished with their first vows. He then unraveled the ribbon. It was no longer needed.

The most famous and sacred vow awaited them now and at the High Septon's nod, they began to speak together. "Father, Smith, Warrior, Mother, Maiden, Crone, Stranger."

"I am his and he is mine…" Viserra said.

"I am hers and she is mine…" Corlys chorused at the same time.

"From this day, until the end of my days," they finished together.

"With this kiss, I pledge my love, and take you for my lady and wife," Corlys declared as he placed his hand gently on her chin.

"With this kiss, I pledge my love, and take you to be my lord and husband," she replied before he kissed her.

The crowd cheered loudly at that. As they broke the kiss and turned to face the crowd, the High Septon declared with triumph. "Let it be known that Corlys of House Velaryon and Viserra of House Targaryen are now one heart, one flesh, one soul! Cursed be he who would seek to tear them asunder!"

Viserra saw pride in Alyssa's eyes, and tears in her mother's. Her father and brothers looked proud and happy, and her old friends and ladies cheered loudly. Laena was particularly boisterous to be her cousin by law now. Her new husband stood beside her as they basked in the crowd's adulation and congratulations. A man she was fond of already, and one she hoped to grow to dearly love. All was right in the world, as it should be.

______________________________________

Fourth Moon, 91 AC

"I think you're being too hasty," Viserra said. This was not the first time they had had this argument.

Ever since Rhaekar died, there had been a gap in House Velaryon. They had stewards and bureaucrats beneath them, but none as skilled as Rhaekar had been, or as trusted. None of them were family. Aurane and Alys were capable enough aides but their talents did not lie in stewardship.

It had fallen to Corlys and Viserra to fill the gap and they had been arguing more and more often, disagreeing on what decisions to make as they ruled the city without their capable steward and brother. Their sleeplessness had not helped at all. If they had been running themselves ragged before Rhaekar had died, now it felt like they were on the brink of exhaustion.

"In what way? The evidence speaks for itself Viserra. Eranyr is guilty. His allies have been caught disposing of Strangler stocks. He and the Dyes had plenty of servants and spies in place in the Black Fortress to carry out any plot and many of them were personally on hand to direct it. These agents have nearly all been implicated in suspicious activities. Unscheduled guard and servant shift changes that could easily allow assassins to slip by. Corruption and embezzlement of government funds.

"At this point, everything seems to suggest that he either ordered or abetted the plot to kill us. And failing that, his influence in the city is so strong it would be better to remove him altogether now that we have evidence of his general duplicity and corruption. Even if he wasn't involved in trying to assassinate us that time, whose to say he won't leverage his influence to move against us in other ways? He's already been stealing from us."

"All of this applies to Orlyr as well!" Viserra insisted. "Remember what you said? They balance each other due to their competition for support from the same groups in the city. If we remove Eranyr, Orlyr's power will swell."

"It's different now," Corlys rebutted. "We have our own people from Driftmark ready to step into the Dyes' positions. The Towers' growth in power can be mitigated and our replacement of the Dyes with our loyalists will strengthen our regime."

"Why not remove them altogether if we have the men then? Dyes and Towers alike? The Towers had agents in the Fortress as well no?"

Corlys's face was grim. "We have evidence to move against Eranyr, we don't have nearly enough to move against Orlyr. If we do Viserra, the city will riot. He's even more popular than Eranyr is."

"So be it. We have ten thousand soldiers in this fortress and I have Dreamfyre. We can crush any dissent by force."

"Then what? You will have us rule over ashes? Feed our sons the bones of the rebels you slaughter when we become destitute? Have you forgotten that our coffers are still bleeding? Disposing of the Dyes will give us full access to their assets and allow us to recoup some of our losses. Moving against the Towers might ruin us further on the other hand."

"You're exaggerating. What about all the treasures we acquired earlier? From the nobles when we first conquered the city?"

"Much of that has been reinvested to help rebuild Tyrosh's businesses and economy, or to help support the freed slaves. A lot more of the wealth of Tyrosh is still tied up in the hands of Dyes and Towers or their supporters."

"All the more reason to purge them all and retrieve that wealth."

"And what will support us as we carry out that purge Viserra? If the city revolts and we destroy half of it putting it down, what will see us through all of this?"

"Our reserves. We have stacks of gold and treasure, accumulated from years of trade and fortune, saved up in the vaults of High Tide, still untouched."

"Viserra, are you suggesting we compromise the last wealth of our house because of your prejudice against Orlyr?"

"It's not merely a prejudice Corlys! You promised me that you would hunt down and make whoever killed Rhaekar and tried to kill us pay. The man with the fiery heart scar has still not been found. You cannot say for sure Eranyr or his allies killed Rhaekar. What if it's Orlyr? What if this is all a cunning misdirection? Will you let Rhaekar's killer go free? Let him gather more power to strike again? Our sons are here in this city, and every day the killers are free puts them at risk."

Corlys's face was grim and hesitant. "I'm still building my case against Eranyr. You have three weeks before I move against him. All our resources are at your disposal. Find me the man with the fiery heart scar Viserra, bring me the evidence I need, and I will do as you ask."

He looked into her eyes. "I will destroy the Dyes regardless, it will strengthen our position and they are guilty of more than enough already, but if this assassin reveals that Orlyr and his Towers killed Rhaekar, I will destroy them as well, as I promised you."

"Even if it causes a rebellion?" Viserra asked.

"Hopefully it will not, but yes, I will. We are in agreement. Rhaekar's killer cannot go free. But I must have evidence Viserra. If I act without any, I will be looked upon as a tyrant, no better than your father. Tyrosh will reject us and that will be immeasurably dangerous for us."

"I will bring you the assassin," Viserra said determinedly. "And we will finally cleanse this city of the filth that defies us, Dyes and Towers alike."

Corlys nodded. "I look forward to it."

Turning around, Viserra left Corlys to his work and left the solar. She was on her way to speak to the guards when Pina approached her.

"My lady, there are some papers you need to look at, concerning the distribution of food to the former slaves."

"Put it in my chambers Pina. I will see to it later," she instructed her… what even was the right word for Pina? She was her maid officially but by now she was so much more, really more like a personal secretary and assistant aide as well without having officially been named such. She should look into making that official when she was less busy. Pina more than deserved that elevation and the increased wages it came with.

She continued walking toward the guard barracks once Pina had heard her orders, sighing. Her eyes drooped and if she allowed herself to lean against the wall to rest, she feared she might fall asleep as she had many times before. She had so much work to do, so many things to worry about. Sometimes she felt like she was drowning beneath it all, but she had to push through it. For her house, for Corlys and their sons, for Rhaekar.

__________________________________________________

Fifth Moon, 91 AC

Viserra was so determined to find the assassin, she only realized later that she had neglected her other duties in her singlemindedness. She had barked orders at the Tide Guard and other soldiers, sending them to search throughout the city and interrogating many of the now dismissed servants of the Fortress to no avail.

Many sleepless nights had been spent planning and worrying over it. It had had a cost. Her exhaustion had grown and she had slipped up in her normal duties. She could have sworn she had ensured all the paperwork had been in order, but if she was being honest she knew she hadn't been paying as much attention to her other tasks as she should have been.

There had been a riot. Not a major one like Corlys had feared they would face if he arrested Orlyr, but a riot nonetheless. There were many problems the city faced, wages were often not high enough, subsidized food would not be distributed on time, street fights would break out between former slaves competing for food and jobs, or the Stars and Towers would clash in the streets over religion. One time too many, and a riot had started.

"Viserra, when I told you to find the assassin, I did not say neglect your duties to do it," Corlys said, standing in front of his desk. The disappointment in his voice was crushing, but Viserra could barely even hear his words. Her eyes were betraying her as she struggled to keep them open to listen to Corlys's reprimand. Of course he had to reprimand her, why couldn't he just let it be and let her rest?

"I… I know," she stuttered out awkwardly, trying to find a defense but none came to her quick enough.

"Do you understand the position we're in now? Orlyr put down the riot. If we arrest him right now after he has done us such a service, we will most definitely have a rebellion against the tyrants on our hands; and you still haven't brought me the assassin either. Do you understand? My hands are tied."

She nodded tiredly, wanting him to get to the point already. Or was that his point? She didn't know, nor did she have the energy to care.

"What were you even thinking? Viserra I told you it would be three weeks until I arrested Eranyr. I never said you had to find the assassin within that time or I wouldn't act against Orlyr at all. You could always have taken your time and we could have dealt with him later. Why did you feel the need to exhaust yourself like this? It was unnecessary. I expected better of you."

His voice was exasperated, chiding, like a teacher teaching his student. Much like it had been when he had tutored her in the art of stewardship, but Viserra heard something else. In her mind's eye, it wasn't just Corlys saying that but her mother, lecturing her for one stupid thing or another. Her eyes widened and her drowsiness evaporated. She felt a wrath empowering her, like a dragon Corlys had awoken. The restraints on her rage slipped and she did not have the energy or will to pull it back before it was too late.

Corlys expected better of her? After everything she had done for their house? What right did he of all people have to say that?

"What about you?" she demanded, her voice cold and angry.

"What?" Corlys was confused.

"I expected better of you as well. I thought you had a plan, that you would save the day just like you always did, that you knew what you were doing, but you don't do you? You led us all into this crazy quest to conquer Tyrosh and now we're in this mess. Rhaekar is dead because of you! We are forced to let his murderers go free just to stave off the ruin of our wealth, because of you Corlys! You and your miscalculation!

"You drove my mother and sister away from Tyrosh when they came as well, because you were too impatient too resentful of my father, too eager to brag. They could have helped us so much, they could have helped us out of this, but because of your pride and stubbornness you drove them away and that chance is gone! You've made so many wrong decisions and we are all paying for it! Why weren't you better?"

Her anger had betrayed her. Viserra could see her words sink into her husband, piercing into him like Valyrian steel daggers, the hurt showing clear as day in his indigo eyes. The eyes she loved so much and she had dimmed their light with her cruel and thoughtless words.

She regretted saying it the moment she did, regretted giving voice to her darkest, guiltiest, and most selfish and unfair thoughts. They had insidiously tormented her for months now, their pestilence growing after Rhaekar had died especially, poisoning her feelings for her husband despite her best efforts to not let them control her but they had slipped out in a moment of weakness. Her tired mind had failed to keep her tongue on a leash. It was too late for regret. Words once spoken could never be unsaid.

"Corlys… I…" she tried to apologize, but it was too late.

He leaned onto the desk, seeming to lose the strength in his legs as his arms grabbed onto the desk. Corlys had always liked to show strength, even to her. He seemed to think it was his duty, his responsibility, to be the strong indomitable leader. So rarely did he let her see his vulnerabilities and insecurities but they were writ all over on his face now.

Yet Corlys the Sea Snake was never one to back down from a challenge or slight, not even from the person he loved most. His desperate hands clenched into resolute fists and he grew filled with a terrible rage of his own. She had seen Corlys's wrath before, but never like this, never directed at her. His indigo eyes narrowed like a snake watching its prey, his body stiffened as he raised himself to his full height.

When he spoke at last it was with a cold and calculating wrath, with words meant to tear, hurt, and eviscerate. "You know, even at my lowest, I thought that you of all people was someone I could trust to have my back. That after everything we'd been through, you wouldn't throw that in my face because you knew that I felt it already. I didn't need yet another person, my own wife nonetheless, beating it into me.

Do you think I don't know I fucked up Viserra? Do you think I'm not brutally aware of it? I KNOW! I know I failed! I know I screwed everything up! Rhaekar's ghost knocks at the door of my dreams every night, asking me why I got him killed, why his murderers have still not paid, why our house continues to suffer, why our grandfather's legacy dies! I feel like drowning from the grief and the guilt, so much so I sometimes wish to die so I be free of it!

"You are supposed to be my light, my salvation from all of this. The hand that reaches out to me and pulls me from my despair, stands by me through good times and bad, wealth and poverty, sickness or health, that's what you swore! I guess I was wrong to assume too much."

He stalked closer to her, but he stopped short in arm's reach. "You want to play the blame game Viserra? Own up to yours. Rhaekar accepted his part, and I have mine. You? You stand there like a spoilt princess, forgetting that it was you who raged at your father when he slighted us like a petulant spoilt child. It was you who demanded that I do something and we know full well you would not have tolerated anything less than what we ended up doing, because your pride was hurt by yet another humiliation by your family.

"You were fully onboard with conquering Tyrosh Viserra, before anyone else, before Rhaekar, and Irina, even before Aurane. It was you Viserra, not I, who ultimately asked your mother and sister to leave Tyrosh. I wouldn't have liked it but I could have tolerated having them baring their teeth at me a little longer. You're the one who couldn't take the emotional turmoil having them near brought you.

"Don't you dare shirk your responsibility in all of this! Has it even occurred to you that maybe, just maybe, we're in this whole fucking mess because you were a spoilt and selfish vain little girl who claimed a dragon so she could feel important for once in her life? You and I both know that the dragons are why Jaehaerys acted against us; if it wasn't for your selfish reckless decision, none of this would have ever happened at all!"

Her rage had burnt out, and Viserra felt only hurt, only grief. A kind of hurt that shattered her being and crippled her body. Like knives were tearing her soul apart.

"I did that for you," she choked out. Corlys had asked her a few times what had led her to claim Dreamfyre, but she had never been forthcoming with him, it was very personal and she spilled it now like a cracked jar of water.

"I thought that you would be Rhaenys' and not mine and I couldn't bear it. Maybe, just maybe, a dragon could let me be with you, to have one thing for myself for once that my family couldn't take away. It was selfish and reckless I know but you were the last straw, my last ounce of courage to take that last step. Everything I've done since then has been in the service of our house. I turned my back on my family, and gave dragons to yours. I burnt and I killed thousands for you, protected you… and you throw it all back in my face?"

She could see the regret in his eyes, regret she had felt moments ago herself. But like it was then, it was now. It was too late to take back what had already been said.

"Does it feel good to let it out? These dark thoughts that have poisoned your mind for what I'm sure must be months now? I guess we're both being honest for once. Good to know I'm such a vain and spoilt disappointment to you Corlys. I suppose we can both say that about ourselves now," she said before she walked out of the solar and slammed the door behind her.

She held her emotions at bay as long as she could, feeling them threaten to drown her and pull her under. The servants sensed that she was in a foul mood because none dared to approach her. She thought of going to her sons and drawing solace for her soul from their presence but she needed to be alone right now. It wouldn't do to let them watch her cry.

Throwing open the doors of her chambers, Viserra ran to her bed and screamed as she finally let her grief out, let the teardrops fall like a waterfall. She hadn't even had the presence of mind to close the doors behind her, her loyal Tide Guard had done it for her.

The world felt like it was collapsing around her. Rhaekar had died, her family were far away and either against her or trying to tear her away from her husband. Her friends were distant and desperate with their own troubles and her sons were too young to be plagued with her worries for all that they were like a balm on her soul.

It sometimes felt like Corlys was all she had left and he had turned on her and cut away at her shaky confidence cruelly. Why did it have to hurt so much? They said that the person you loved most could hurt you the most. Her parents had experienced it, Viserra guessed it was her turn now.

Viserra sobbed and screamed into her pillows, not caring for her duties or her responsibilities. She was just so, so tired…

______________________________________

When Viserra came to, it was dark outside. It was midday when she had come into her room. She hadn't even noticed that she was falling asleep. She really was tired wasn't she? Even now she felt it still, like an exhaustion that had seeped into her bones. But for the first time in weeks she felt refreshed and a little less weary.

She rose from her bed and noticed Corlys had fallen asleep in the chair by the window. Seeing him there, brought a torrent of emotions she didn't even fully understand. Anger, grief, shame, guilt, love, and joy all swirled into one and she was left uncertain of what she truly felt. Not knowing what to do, she seated herself in the chair opposite her husband and just watched him sleep.

It occurred to her how rarely she was able to watch him sleep. Corlys almost always slept even later than she did and he woke up before her as well. He looked relaxed and at ease for once, not tense or troubled or busied. The wrinkles that had become so present on his face had smoothed. Seeing how peaceful he was right now made her realize that as tired as she had felt, how doubly more exhausted had he felt?

After Rhaekar had died, Corlys had thrown himself into Tyrosh, working himself to the bone. He knew just how many mistakes he had made and he was trying desperately to redeem himself, to be the man they all needed him to be. The weight of expectations you could not meet was crushing.

Much of Corlys's life's work was destroyed. He had spent decades building Velos and the trade routes to Yi Ti and now they had quite literally all gone up in flames. The grand idea that Tyrosh would save them from her father's trap had proven to be false. In a cruel irony, the actions they had taken to prevent their trade and wealth from being threatened had made them so.

She knew all of this. Long ago, Viserra had already seen the hints. She had known how much Corlys's failure had weighed on him and she had still twisted the knife deeper. Viserra did not crush the guilt, she let it flow because she knew she deserved it. She should never have said any of that, her well rested mind was tormenting her with the reminder of her stupidity now.

Viserra didn't know how long she spent watching her husband sleep, lost in the novelty and wonder of the experience. She had been unfair to him she realized as she watched him snore lightly. She'd put him on a pedestal, lionized him like everyone else had, and thought him to have all the answers and solutions and resented him when he hadn't.

He'd been like a hero to her, and it had been a disservice to him. Corlys wasn't supposed to be her hero, but her husband. He was just a man, a wise and kind man, but a man nonetheless. Human all the same, and all of them were flawed and full of mistakes. Each and every one of them needed someone to pick them up when they fell.

Finally, Corlys began to awaken and his indigo eyes widened in love as he took her in. Viserra sensed an uncertainty in his demeanor however, the same turbulent swirl of warring emotions. Almost as one they spoke. "I'm sorry."

Viserra chuckled and Corlys smiled. "You first," she said. Corlys had sought her out, it was only courteous to let him speak first.

"I'm sorry Viserra, I'm so, so sorry. I should never have said that, I shouldn't have –"

She had wanted to let him speak, but seeing him lost, she placed her finger on his lips. "It's alright. I shouldn't have said it either. I'm sorry."

Corlys nodded. "Exhaustion has a way of loosening your lips. It makes you lash out; say things you don't really understand or mean in anger. We both said things we shouldn't have; cruel, vicious things. We've both hurt each other Viserra, and I hate it. I... I want to forgive you, put this all aside and just forget about it, could you do the same for me?"

Deep down, Viserra knew they probably both meant and felt what they had said. Their true feelings had revealed themselves and if she was being brutally honest she couldn't say that either of them were wrong to feel that way, but exhaustion and anger were definitely not excuses for saying it as cruelly as they both had. For a moment her anger and pain threatened to drown her all over again but Viserra forced it down. She didn't want to fight anymore; she didn't want to be angry any longer.

She nodded and took the out Corlys was offering them both and let him stitch the sutures over the tear in their marriage. She saw his face ease in relief. Things were right again between them once more. Both of them had hurt the other with cruel words and they had forgiven each other for it; all should be well now right?

They sat there awkwardly, staring at each other and looking away. Viserra finally broke the silence. "Our duties for the day?"

"Settled. I finished as many of them as I could and I gave the rest to Aurane and Alys and the others. We really should delegate more," Corlys smiled awkwardly.

"Yeah. We should." Viserra returned his awkward smile. They were both trying, and that was enough. It had to be.

They sat there for a while, just talking for once. Not about Tyrosh, or Rhaekar's death and the search for his killers, or the problems facing their house. They spoke not as the Lord and Lady, but as just Corlys and Viserra. For the first time in so very many months, they told stories and laughed at japes, reminisced over happy memories and the books they had read together.

Throughout it all, Viserra felt a burning need begin to grow. A desperate urgent desire pooling in her body, but it was not simply lust. She needed a balm to reassure her heart and soul. Even now with their mutual apology and reconciliation, things felt so uncertain and awkward between them and she couldn't bear it.

She pulled Corlys into a kiss suddenly and deepened it, their tongues met and danced as she tasted him. It had been weeks since they had made love, both of them too busy and exhausted, but now, refreshed from their sleep and with their tasks for the day settled, there was nothing stopping them.

Viserra pulled Corlys to the bed and he fell gently on top of her and began slowly taking her dress off. She giggled in ecstasy as he kissed her body delicately, moving down from her lips to her neck and going further below and soon she lost herself to the pleasure, lost herself in him.

Her life was chaotic and messy enough already. She needed something to be certain, something to be stable, a bedrock to see her through it all, and she knew what that bedrock was. That Corlys loved her, and she loved him.

He was her heart, her love, her joy. He held half of her soul. Her love for him had grown slowly like embers for years before she had fed it kindling and it had roared into being. Even now with all the pain and hurt between them, that love remained, dimmed perhaps but not extinguished, it would never go out, Viserra knew that for sure. He was her Florian, her Odysseus, and she was his Jonquil, his Penelope. They had sworn years ago that they would not let themselves become Aldarion and Erendis, and Viserra meant to keep that promise.

___________________________________________________

Sixth Moon, 91 AC

Viserra placed the last letter to the side and leaned back in her chair briefly, enjoying the light of the morning before she took out a fresh sheet of paper to start writing a reply. She had been dithering for months, but she had decided to finally reread and reply to the letters her family had sent her.

She wouldn't bother gracing her father's sole letter with a reply, but she did intend to write back to her mother, and to her three eldest siblings, Aemon, Baelon, and Alyssa. They had proven that they still cared for her, in their own way, and pragmatically, Viserra knew that having supporters inside House Targaryen will help strengthen their position once they had stabilized Tyrosh. If they ever hoped to bring an end to these sanctions, they would need that support.

Corlys entered the room then and came to sit at the table by the window with her. He had been doing this more often since they had fought and reconciled, taking steps to spend more time with her away from work.

It had done wonders for their relationship and Viserra felt that it was stronger than ever, for all that they continued to clash and disagree on several matters administratively, including him still moving forward with arresting and executing Eranyr and the Dyes. Still she consoled herself that Corlys had at least been smart enough to frame it in such a way that they were guilt of crimes meriting execution regardless of their involvement in Rhaekar's death, which they were for now, considered guilty of, though she feared the true killers were still at large.

It wasn't all so grim and worrying though, Viserra had just received some very, very good news. News she planned to add to her letters to bring her mother and siblings some joy, but first she had to inform Corlys, it was only proper. It had started when she had experienced a familiar sickness in the morning and her breasts becoming sore. A short consultation with Maester Desmond and it had been confirmed.

"Darling, I'm with child again," Viserra said happily.

Corlys was stunned and for a moment Viserra saw fear and worry in his eyes but a radiant smile soon replaced it, a real smile that drove away all the worries. "That… that's brilliant."

"I hope it's a girl this time," Viserra jested. "Jace and Luke are wonderful, but we need more girls around in this family."

He laughed. "You know; I hope so too. It would be wonderful to have a little girl of our own. Imagine her running after Jace and Luke, dazzling all the soldiers and servants with her charm and beauty. She'd surely be as radiant and gorgeous as her mother, a spitting image of her."

"Or perhaps as cunning and clever as her father," Viserra countered with a teasing smile.

"Aye. That would be incredible," he said and his eyes grew excited imagining the possibilities. "If it is a girl, what do you want to name her?" Corlys asked, reminding her of their agreement.

She searched for a name briefly in her head, but she had her answer very soon, almost like it was meant to be. "Laena. For your aunt, and my best friend. I would like to honor them both, they've both taught and helped me so much."

Corlys had a look in his eyes, like he knew something she did not. "Laena Velaryon," he said, testing the name aloud. "I like the sound of that."

Viserra smiled. She understood Corlys's worry. Tyrosh wasn't exactly stable yet and her being with child complicated things for at least nine months. It certainly limited her ability to ride Dreamfyre if there was any urgent need for it.

Yet, Viserra could not bring herself to truly care or worry right now. She would leave the worrying for another time. She would not poison this moment. This moment of joy and happiness was something they both sorely needed, a bright star to light up the dim darkness they and their house had fallen into. Her child was a blessing; one she would cherish as she did its older brothers.

She wasn't sure why, but something told her that they were reaching a turning point. Perhaps sometime very soon, the future would look bright indeed for House Velaryon.