Chapter 3: Rhaenys I

Rhaenys saw the ships on the horizon, which only meant that Lord Belaerys had arrived with his people as he said he would. She got on Meraxes, flying off towards them while Balerion followed. It would not take long for her and the dragons to reach the ships.

As she got closer, Rhaenys counted over forty ships, not large in comparison to the ships she had seen from regions such as those belonging to the Storm King and Harren the Black, and they maintained an orderly formation as they sailed towards her home. She saw Cloudwynd flying in circles over the fleet carrying a last remnant of Valyria, but Jaenyx was not riding her. Quickly looking through the ships, she spotted the lead vessel and saw the familiar shape of Lord Belaerys.

Rhaenys made Meraxes fly low above the water, using a few words to point her in the direction she wanted and used her whip to make small adjustments. She thought about jumping onto the deck of the ship while Meraxes hovered nearby, but decided not to as she never done that before and the risks were too great. She flew a little closer, hoping the deck of the ship was large enough for Meraxes to land and that the wood wouldn't collapse under her.

Rhaenys saw the ship's crew stop moving before making an opening on the deck. Apparently, their lord landed his dragon on the deck before and they knew what to do. Meraxes touched down on the deck, with the ship rocking back and forth in a struggle to keep balance. Thinking quickly, she slid off Meraxes and used her whip to make her fly off before the ship capsized.

Rhaenys let out a breath in relief, but saw the scared looks on the crew. They held onto the ship's railings and the masts, their faces frozen in fear at almost sinking into the sea. She straightened her dress and met each of their gazes. Maybe I should not do that again, she thought.

"Lady Rhaenys!" She looked up to see Lord Jaenyx on the quarterdeck, clearly indignant at the risk she put his ship's crew in. "What were you thinking when you decided to have your dragon land on top of this ship?!"

Rhaenys looked at him apologetically. "My apologies, my lord. That was the first time I did that. I didn't mean to put your crew at risk."

Jaenyx exhaled, relaxing after seeing her sincerity. "Cloudwynd knows how to be careful whenever she lands and she doesn't stay for more than a few seconds. Just try not to do that unless you practiced a few times." Rhaenys dipped her head in understanding. "Now, what's your reason for coming here, Lady Rhaenys?"

"Just wanted to exchange a few words with you before you arrive in my home." While she knew how to speak High Valyrian before learning the common tongue, Rhaenys was getting uncomfortable speaking one tongue while Lord Jaenyx spoke another. Either Vis or I would have to teach him how to speak in the common tongue, or we would have to accommodate him and speak Valyrian more often, she contemplated.

"Come to my cabin, Lady Rhaenys," Jaenyx gestured her to follow her below the quarterdeck. "We'll talk in there." He turned towards the coxswain. "Continue on course. Everyone else, back to your duties."

"Aye, my lord!" the coxswain affirmed while the rest of the crew resumed their work.

Rhaenys expected Lord Belaerys' cabin to be luxurious and befitting for a dragonlord, with valuables filling every inch of the walls and wine on top of his desk. Instead, she found the cabin bereft of those comforts. There was only a wooden frame and mattress on the right side of the cabin, a simple wooden desk near the rear of the cabin with two chairs in front of it, and two candles and two torches providing light. There was a greatsword and two slightly-curved swords of different length with black silk handles and bronze circle hilts suspended on the left wall along with a suit of strange armor. The greatsword and armor were made of Valyrian steel judging from the smoky black ripples across the metal while Rhaenys was unsure of the other two swords, having never seen such a style before. There were maps and pieces of parchment scattered all over the desk along with a quill and half-empty ink pot. He seems to be entirely focused on what he needs to do. Maybe he'll get along with Vis after all, she pondered.

Rhaenys was surprised to see a harp set against the right wall next to the mattress, or a rather larger form of a harp. It was rectangular, had thirteen strings and bridges, and had tiny legs at each corner similar to desk legs. I wonder if he can play that well. That'll be interesting and maybe something I can talk about with him.

Rhaenys took another moment to look upon the man that would be her sister's husband. Taller than Aegon by a few inches but shorter than Orys, he was not as broad-shouldered as her brothers and looked slimmer than both. However, despite the white tunic and leather vest and trousers, she could see that he had well-defined features on his midriff that included a firm chest and abdomen. His arms and legs were not as large as Aegon's or Orys', but they had a solid build and was devoid of fat. He had so much lean muscle all over his body that his garments hung loosely off him and made him look larger than he actually was. He had a well-defined jawline, clean shaven face, pale skin, silver hair that grew past his ears but remained above his neck, and amethyst eyes. There was no doubting him having the blood of Valyria from those features alone. His youth made his features look powerful and enhanced the glow that shined from his face. He might look thin compared to Egg and Orys, but he can probably take on both of them in a match for strength, Rhaenys thought. And he's quite stunning to look at. If Father didn't plan for Vis to marry him and if I didn't love Egg, I would have tried to make him mine.

However, Rhaenys took a closer look at his eyes. They were just as piercing as her father's, more than Aegon's and Orys', and she could sense that they were older than his age. She also saw hints of dark circles around his eyes, which she surmised came from the weight of a leader's responsibilities. His face carried an expression that was bereft of the innocence that defined other young men like Aegon and even Orys who was ten years older older than Visenya, probably pointing to how much he had to sacrifice to ensure the well-being of those he led. Add all of that to the amount of parchment and scribbles on his desk and one could see that this was a man who knew his priorities and did not let the passions of youth lead him astray. Rhaenys became more awed by the man that would be betrothed to Visenya and grew more confident they would have a loving relationship, since Visenya always appreciated maturity and Lord Belaerys definitely had that.

Rhaenys' respect for his maturity and awe of his physical form were tempered with surprise upon noticing another man in the cabin. This man, an Essosi by the looks of him, was considerably older than Jaenyx, probably past the age of fifty. He had raven black hair tied up in a bun, narrow brown eyes, and tan skin. He had a short beard that just covered his jawline and chin and a moustache that did not grow past his upper lip. He wore blue robes that flowed to his ankles and tied with a wide silk belt, black leather sandals, and had two swords that looked just like the ones Lord Jaenyx wore when he first came to Dragonstone on Cloudwynd. His gaze was even more piercing than Lord Jaenyx and Rhaenys could tell that this man was sizing her up.

The old man talked to Jaenyx while keeping his gaze on Rhaenys, conversing in a tongue she never heard before. There was strong emphasis on certain words he used and yet the sounds flowed smoothly out of his mouth. Jaenyx responded to the old man in the same tongue, which frustrated Rhaenys since they did not speak in High Valyrian. After a few words exchanged between them, the Essosi nodded to Jaenyx and left the cabin. He motioned for Rhaenys to sit down in one of the chairs in front of his desk, after which he also sat down.

"I am sorry. I did not know you had company," Rhaenys began after a few moments.

"Don't worry. It was nothing important. I just explained who you were to my teacher," Jaenyx waved off.

Rhaenys raised her eyebrows. "Your teacher?"

"I will explain everything to you and to your family in due time, Lady Rhaenys. Now then," Jaenyx sat straighter after rearranging his desk while also cleaning up some spilled ink when the ink pot tipped over due to Meraxes. "You said that you wanted to have a few words with me. You can, but be mindful that I have pressing matters to attend to, all of which pertain to our arrival at your family's home. So please don't waste my time."

Rhaenys was taken aback by how straight-forward he was. It reinforced her belief that he and Visenya will get along very well, as there will be no lying or deception between them.

"I merely wanted to have simple words with you, as you are going to be staying in my home. Permanently, it seems." Jaenyx nodded. "You are definitely concerned for the welfare of your people and you are clear when it comes to what you want. That's something that most people our age, including lordlings, don't have."

Jaenyx had a blank expression. "I don't see how that can be interesting to anyone. I just do what I have to do. Nothing more to it."

Oh, my. The more I talk to him, the more blunt he becomes. "I am guessing you don't know how to properly talk to a lady."

Jaenyx blinked, and then shrugged. "You are misinterpreting, Lady Rhaenys. It's not that I don't know how to talk to a lady. I just have a lot of worries at this moment. My people and I have been on a voyage that lasted several moons and while they are relieved at finally finding sanctuary, there are still many things that can happen. Some of those things may put them at risk."

That's reasonable. "So much worries for a young man like yourself. Do such worries don't occupy all of your time?"

"Are you asking if I partake in recreational pursuits?"

"Something along those lines, yes."

Jaenyx narrowed his eyes. "I'm not sure why you want to know about that."

Why's he being so frustrating? "We may be a few years apart, but we're both at a similar stage in life where we can engage in similar activities. I see the harp next to your bed, so I am guessing that you like music. I like music too and I can play with our castle's musicians from time to time."

Jaenyx looked at the harp before relaxing. "First of all, that's not a harp. It's called a koto, used by many back in Yi-Ti beyond the Red Waste, but it serves a similar purpose to a harp."

That was surprising for Rhaenys. "Yi-Ti? Then, that old man who was here, is he Yi-Tish?"

Jaenyx nodded. "Yes."

"Have you ever been to Yi-Ti?" She had to know, as people in Westeros only heard about Yi-Ti in passing.

"One time, and that was when my teacher got me my name-day present."

"What's it like over there?"

"Oh, it's… just being there made me question everything I ever knew and made me realize how insignificant the rest of us are in the world."

"Can you speak the tongue there?"

"Tongues. There's more than one, and yes, I do. My teacher taught me two of their tongues."

"How does it compare to Dragonstone or even Sothoryos?"

Rhaenys saw his expression darken before he suppressed it. "There were many things I could do over there and maybe in another life, I would have liked to live in Yi-Ti."

"How are the women over there?" Rhaenys felt her eyes widen, her question leaving her lips before she knew it. Oh, gods. Why did I ask that?

Jaenyx let out a nervous laugh. "They're pretty docile on the surface but they're very resilient. They just don't show it."

"Are you a virgin?" Rhaenys felt like she had to ask since they were talking about women.

"No," Jaenyx simply answered. "All right. What is this? Why are you curious about what I do for recreation, about Yi-Ti, and now if I'm a virgin?"

I just want to know the man that will soon become Vis' husband, Rhaenys thought.

"Did your lord father send you? Get as much as you can out of me and see if he can manipulate me in some way?" He was now very suspicious.

"No, no. It's not like that," Rhaenys waved her hands and shook her head in denial. "They don't even know I'm here."

"Then why are you so curious, Lady Rhaenys? What is it all to you?"

Rhaenys sighed. Her mistake was bringing up women and she let her curiosity get the better of her. If she didn't give a sufficient explanation, she and her family will have a bad start with Lord Jaenyx.

"You do know that my father will not offer you sanctuary without conditions."

Jaenyx nodded. "I expected that. Probably will take a portion of the coin made from the sale of Valyrian steel tools and have the Leniars become his healers in exchange for us staying on his lands. Not a big issue."

"Those are not even the important conditions."

"Ahh," Jaenyx began to understand. "He wants me to marry one of his vassals so that I will have something that binds me to your family while preventing me from going elsewhere."

"Not his vassals. He wants you to marry into our family."

Jaenyx sighed as he leaned back in his chair. He looked down as he twiddled with his thumbs for a moment before looking back up. "Is it you that he wants me to marry? Is that why you're here?"

Rhaenys shook her head. "Not me."

"Lady Visenya," he stated as the final piece came. Rhaenys nodded. "Can't say I'm surprised. You are dragonlords, I'm a dragonlord. It only makes sense that dragons have relations with one another. My guess is that your sister did not take the news very well."

"She's still trying to adjust to it, because she was always expected to marry our brother Aegon. However, they don't have that kind of love for each other. I always loved Aegon and he loved me back, but she agreed to marry him because he was not a stranger."

From his expression, Rhaenys saw that he understood. "I am not going to say that I am happy about your lord father's decision and how he's leveraging the welfare of my people for his own advantage. At the same time, I don't have a lot of choices and my first concern is to get my people onto lands where they can be safe. If that is his price, I will pay."

Rhaenys offered a smile. "Don't worry so much, my lord. Before I continue, can I call you Jaenyx?" He nodded. "Jaenyx, Visenya is a very beautiful woman. She is intelligent, she knows how to fight with a sword and with her hands, and she can be as serious as you are. If you want to get started on the right foot with her, use the training yard. She spends as much as time over there as she does in our library."

"How good is she with the sword?"

Rhaenys could tell he was genuinely curious. Now we're getting somewhere, she thought happily. "She's one of the best I've seen, and that is saying a lot. Aegon and Orys are strong, but she's quick with her feet and knows how to use your weak places." She saw Jaenyx was getting more interested, so she pressed on. "She also likes to learn tongues, so maybe you could teach her the Yi-Ti tongues that you know. But I would not recommend you play the harp, or what the Yi-Ti call it, as she gets bored with music very quickly."

"I was like that, but then my teacher taught me about Yi-Ti music and that changed my perspective. If your sister is intelligent, I think she'll also like their music."

Oh, they have some common ground now. "Well, I think it'll be best if you told her that yourself. After all, I'm not the one you're going to marry."

Before they could continue, they heard a knock at the door. Jaenyx opened the door and saw one of the crew standing there.

"My lord, we are near the shore and there are boats from the island that want to guide us to their docks."

"Let them. Prepare to disembark and inform the heads of the Rahitheons, the Tarareons, and the Leniars. I have things of importance to discuss with them before we meet the lord of Dragonstone."

"Yes, my lord." The crewman ran away from the door.

Rhaenys figured out what he was going to do. "Are you going to tell them about my father's plan?"

"Your father may have control over the situation, but that doesn't mean I will not have my own preparations. If I am to marry your sister, then so be it. But he won't be the one to get everything."

Rhaenys did not know if she should be worried about that, but decided to put those thoughts away. She followed him out of the cabin and saw the ship right about to enter Dragonstone's docks. She saw Meraxes and Cloudwynd fly around each other, two new dragons getting acquainted. She then saw Visenya and Aegon walking onto the docks to greet the new arrivals.

After they saw her with Jaenyx and noticed the worrying expression on her face, Rhaenys knew that they knew she told him about the betrothal. I will not hear the end of it tonight.