24. Maegor XIII / Shiera VIII (Patreon)

Maegor XIII

29AC

‘Hurry the fuck up,’ I thought as my eyes glared at three soldiers taking their sweet ass time making their way into our elaborate tent. 

The wait for these assholes to arrive was agony. Scheduling the meeting time and place was already irritating but actually getting them into the damn tent was almost worse. 

Professional soldiers they may be but they certainly did not show it. Slow as a snail and more disorganized than I could have imagined. Their camp was shoddily constructed and hastily thrown together outside the Pentoshi fortress city of Ghoyan Drohe. 

‘Of course, they could not just meet in Pentos,’ I thought with a sneer as they finally sat themselves down across from us.

“Good morrow, Captain Syros. We have been expecting you.” I heard Prince Nevio resound from my right and a mix of thanks and anger resounded from my emotions. 

It was he who had called me to accompany him to the Pentoshi-held fortress city of Ghoyan Drohe to actually discuss bringing the Men of Valor into the employ of Pentos. Yet he was also mostly handling the negotiations himself. He and his aide from the Conclave, Magister Thorello Obizos.

“Aye, good morrow Prince Iranhor,” the presumed captain of this sellsword company returned before taking a seat directly opposite the Prince of Pentos. 

This Syros person was noticeably different from the soldiers I had spied from our small camp. Dressed in the same boring, though surely well-crafted armor as those under his command. He possessed a distinctive flaming signet on the right side of his chestplate. His two aids at his side possessed similar signets, though they were silver and smaller than the large gold one their captain wore. 

 “So I hear you wish to hire us to fight somebody?” the captain drawled out with a bored tone and before I could even narrow my eyes Prince Nevio continued. 

“That is what you sellswords do, right?” Prince Nevio answered with a smile and I let out a breath I did not know I was holding. I had prepared to participate in this meeting but it seemed I could afford to zone out a bit. 

“Indeed, though it depends on who we are fighting and for how much,” the captain said with a smile behind his helm before he removed the rather dull-looking iron helmet. 

The intricacies of their conversation were lost to me as I once again began to fret involuntarily. ‘Of course, Shiera would pick her to befriend,’ I thought while barely repressing a shiver. 

Tyanna of the Tower was perhaps the most dangerous person in Pentos. I knew from my past memories that she claimed to have poisoned my original self’s wives, thus resulting in the deaths of their children before they were born. Yet I could not rid myself of this dastardly woman. 

I could feel it in my bones she was bad news. I had been willing to give some people a chance since being reborn. Knowing that things were different made me think some people could be too. I had mixed results thus far. Yet I would afford no such courtesy to Tyanna of Pentos. 

However, I was hamstrung in my efforts. By the time I shook off my shock and fear at the sight of the woman who had enabled the psychopath, my original self would have become. My wife had already taken her on as a handmaiden and because her father was the Prince, there was basically nothing I could do to get her dropped. 

‘FUCK!’ I thought again just remembering it, resisting the urge to slam my fist down onto the table. This was without a doubt the greatest mistake I had made since being reborn. Forget nearly dying in the Riverlands, or getting stuck in a meat grinder for nine moons, or even getting banished from my own home and denounced by my father, I had allowed a snake to crawl into my home and threaten my family. 

‘If only I could just-’ I began to think before getting abruptly cut off by a loud yell. 

“You wish to fight the Dothraki? Are you mad?!” I heard the captain rudely interrupt my thoughts before I could continue plotting and dreaming. 

“Aye we do, and we would like your help,” Magister Thorello picked up this time and I let out a sigh. It would seem it was time for me to interject. I would have to continue planning later. 

“Forget it, have you forgotten what happened to Qohor and Norvos? Norvos hired every sellsword company they could and the Khal of Khals still butchered their army and put their city to the sword.” The captain was apoplectic at the thought of facing the Dothraki and I was stuck between being disgusted at his cowardice and sympathizing with him. 

From what I gathered, the Dothraki were much more competent and feared in this world. If they were half as competent and brutal as the nomadic warriors of my old memories, then these people had every right to be afraid. 

“Neither Norvos nor Qohor had a dragon on their side,” I interjected with a confident smile. The coming battle with the Dothraki was surely going to be a difficult and hard fought one but I was certain we could win it. Dragons had changed the course of many a battle from my memories and so long as we had some competent leadership on the ground, we should be able to pull off a win with careful planning and preparations. 

“So the rumors are true, you are a Targaryen?” the captain said, eyeing me up and down before huffing. 

“Yet you do not ride the Black Dread, the Rhoynar were able to fell three dragons and the Dornish got another, what makes you so certain the Dothraki won’t drop you from the skies as well?” the captain said with a questioning look and I resisted the urge to punch him. To so blatantly insult my dragon to my face was bold, I would give him that. 

Younger dragons were certainly not invulnerable but Terrax was more than large enough to face an army in combat and survive it with little issues. The Dragonkeepers already placed him at over a fifth the size of Balerion, and he was still growing rapidly. Having already long since surpassed my brother’s dragon Quicksilver, he might even be a quarter the size of the Black Dread by the end of the year. 

Even still, dragons only ever died when facing other dragons, being too young to fight, or when their riders acted with particularly egregious levels of overconfidence. That, or sheer, unimaginable levels of dumb luck. 

I would suffer from none of that. The Dothraki possessed no dragons of their own. Terrax was plenty large and strong. More than strong enough for a single battle. I was not going to go in solo and fight several thousand men alone like a fool, and I doubted I shared my aunt’s same level of hatred from whatever spiteful creature controlled luck in this world. 

Before I could retort, the arrogant captain continued. “If your dragon is so strong and mighty, why ask for our help at all? Surely you can handle this,” the captain said, clearly looking to get out of the meeting. 

“Are you sure you are the Men of Valor? You certainly do not sound like it right now,” I let the insult slip from my lips before internally wincing. Insulting those you wished to hire was likely not the greatest idea, but I had stomached enough stupidity from this man. 

“Aye, we have valor, but we are also not stupid. A fight with the Dothraki is certain death. Nobody has beaten them. What makes you different?” the captain replied with a sneer before Magister Thorello spoke up. 

“Ahem, trust not the bluster of our guest, trust the decades of planning and preparations we have been making. Prince Maegor is merely a recent addition to our forces. We are not relying on him for our victory,” Magister Thorello cut in and I was reminded of the rather spindly magister. 

He was no fan of mine, I first learned that fact in the Pentoshi conclave. Where he was perhaps the most skeptical of my willingness to help the city of Pentos. Calling for caution and leading a rather large group that balked at the scale of payment I demanded. 

‘As if you can attach a payment to a dragon at all,’ I thought with a silent glare sent his way. He emphasized the word guest too. On that much we could agree, I had not hated my stay in Pentos thus far but the feeling of homesickness was quickly dawning. I had barely been on Dragonstone for a day in the last year and a half. 

Even still, I knew I would be here for a while at least, so I leveraged my demands to set myself and Shiera up here for a few years. My brother would surely lift my banishment but there were some years off before he became King. So assuming Aegon does not get a change of heart and lift it earlier, I was looking towards at least seven or eight years in Pentos if my past memories served me correctly. 

“Yet you brought him along?” the captain continued, pointing a finger towards me. “Some plan you must have to only start recruiting after hiring a dragonlord,” the captain continued with another scoff and I was tempted to just leave. I had far more important places to be right now. Like at the side of my wife who was in serious mortal danger. 

“We only began hiring now because we were preparing to pay all sellswords we hire a worthy sum for the task at hand,” Prince Nevio excellently countered this dullard and I could see the greedy eyes of the captain light up behind his dirty brown locks. 

“You seriously think you can win?” the captain asked with hesitation present in his tone and it was clear we had won. The prince just needed to negotiate down his payment as far as possible. 

“With your help, careful planning, and a dragonlord, yes.” Prince Nevio answered with a false calm. I had shared drinks with this man over the last two moons and I knew privately he was far more pessimistic. 

Suddenly the man to the captain’s right began speaking. “Then shall we begin to discuss payment?” the man said and I mentally noted him as some sort of quartermaster. ‘Perhaps he is smarter than his captain,’ I thought with hope as the table descended into talks of how many thousands of pounds of gold they would earn and their share of loot from a potential raid on the Dothraki camp. Throughout all of it, all I wanted was to return to my wife, so I could keep her safe. 

…

I got back to Pentos in what must have been record time. Terrax cutting through the air like a hot knife through butter. All towards my singular goal. To make sure my wife was safe and sound. 

‘Damn it all,’ I thought again, I could hardly get Tyanna out of my mind. It was like there was a snake hanging right above my head, just waiting to strike at my neck. Yet I could not just cast away this snake. Her father was Prince Nevio, and she was also well-liked and had deep connections, worst of all was her budding friendship with my wife. 

I had never truly argued with Shiera before we moved here. Sure we had playfully shared witty retorts and snarky remarks but I had never truly argued with her. Yet we were arguing more and more frequently about Tyanna. Worst of all, I could not piece together a concrete argument for why she had to go. All I had were gut feelings and fright, which Shiera so frustratingly waved away. 

I brought Terrax down in a clearing near the House Narratys palace and sent a glance towards the manse we would be moving to in a few days. I hoped I could feel a bit more secure there. Thorello Obizos had made it abundantly clear we were not universally loved in this city. On the contrary, many were wary of our presence. 

Sure some nobles and magisters like the Prince, Illyrio, and Gessio were quite fond of me and my wife. But there was definitely a sizable group who were wary of my presence. I would have to tread carefully after the Dothraki were defeated and my usefulness began to wane. 

‘For now, though, I have a snake to deal with,’ I thought with a glare as I descended from my dragon’s saddle and sent him away. I would call him back when I needed him, or when I next wished to fly. 

I made my way into the palace I currently called home. Shiera was either in the garden with her ladies still or reading in our room. Deciding to head to our chambers first, I walked with a quick pace and practically flew past all of the different servants and slaves that filled the palace.

Opening the door, I was met with my good luck. I found my wife sitting in one of the spare chairs in the room, humming to herself happily as she read some small book. 

“Good evening,” I broke the silence with a smile and I watched my wife’s head snap up in an instant. 

“Maegor!” she practically yelled as she launched herself towards me with a surprising quickness. 

Catching her so that she would not hit her head on my armor. I gave her a quick spin before setting her down in front of me. Before I could get a word out, she then wrapped me in what must have been the tightest hug she could manage. Shiera Qoherys was not particularly strong. 

“You seem happy,” I said with a smile as I peeled her off my body and placed a kiss on her forehead. Shiera had grown a lot more lively since our marriage. It was a wonderful sight to behold. Her dour mood had been thoroughly cast away, though she seemed particularly chipper today. 

“Of course I am, I tried to catch you this morning but I missed you,” she said with a beaming smile, and my interest was piqued. 

“Catch me? We sleep in the same bed,” I said with a small smile and Shiera gave me an adorable pout in return. 

“That's not what I meant! I spoke with the healer this morning, he confirmed my suspicions! I am with child!” Shiera said with a yell and threw herself at me again. 

I did not return her hug this time as I was practically frozen in my mind. ‘With child?’ I thought with a sense of utter disbelief. 

“...Truly?” I asked, uneasiness present in my tone. 

“Of course! Do you think I would lie to you about something like that?” Shiera said, pulling herself off of me and giving me a raised eyebrow. 

“That is wonderful!” I practically yelled as I lifted her off her feet and into the air. ‘A child of my own,’ I thought with a giddy joy I had not felt in years. I almost felt like I could cry. 

I had worried a few times in the past that I may be infertile. Even if Tyanna was telling the truth to my original self. The original me had still failed to produce a single heir with any of his six wives. To hear that Shiera was pregnant… it was a joyous thing. 

All those sleepless nights, full of worry and fear. The mild jealousy of my brother so easily getting what I knew my original self had sold his soul for. It all seemed meaningless now. Shiera was with child. 

“I know! I haven’t told Queen Visenya yet, I assumed you would want to tell her,” Shiera said with a little smirk of her own and I narrowed my eyes at her. 

‘She just does not want to deal with her excitement,’ I thought with a small smile as words began spinning in my head. I would need to draft a letter to Dragonstone after we were done here.

“...Could you put me down?” Shiera asked after a moment and I realized I was still holding her aloft. 

“Sorry, I got distracted,” I said with a smile and I noticed Shiera was practically jumping with joy. 

“That is fine, truth be told I have gotten lost in thought a few times too,” Shiera waved it away and moved back towards her seat. 

“Tell me of your day!” Shiera said sitting back in her rocking chair. 

“Hmm, you first, mine was quite boring,” I said with a smile, sitting across from her on the bed. 

“Well you already know what I was doing this morning,” Shiera said with a shrug and I returned a small smile as I began removing my armor. It was quite heavy and I was certainly not planning on going out again. 

“Indeed, tell me of the rest of your day,” I returned as I lifted my chestplate over my head. 

“Well, I spoke with Queen Visenya right after I got back from the healer,” Shiera said with a nervous smile and I nodded knowingly. I had forgotten that Shiera and my mother had coordinated a time to test speaking with the glass candle I had acquired. 

“So it worked then?” I asked for confirmation I did not need, truth be told I just wanted to keep hearing her voice. 

“Yes! Though keeping this secret was a lot harder than I thought it would be,” Shiera said with a smile and a hand placed over her stomach. 

“I imagine so,” I affirmed and Shiera excitedly jumped to the next point. 

“Oh right! I received news from Queen Visenya!” Shiera excitedly pronounced before I quickly cut her off. 

“What did she say?” I asked expectantly. No doubt my mother had some news for us. We were already four moons into our stay in Pentos. Surely some events were going on in Westeros. 

“Aeron Velaryon is gathering a force of soldiers and lesser lords to cross the Narrow Sea and join us here!” Shiera said excitedly and I was stunned into silence. 

‘Aeron, coming here? To willingly join me in exile?’ I thought with a sense of disbelief.

“Are you happy?” Shiera asked and I realized my face was frozen in a blank expression. 

“Yes! I am!” I quickly assured, spotting the uneasy expression on my wife’s face. The last thing I wanted to do was worry her now. I was beyond overjoyed, the thought of seeing my friends again was a grand one, it was just a surprising idea to consider.

“Me too, maybe it means you can stop spending time with that Lyseni,” Shiera said quickly, in a slightly bitter tone before covering her mouth. 

“Maybe,” I said just as easily, though with a slightly calmer and more emotionless tone. 

Shiera had not exactly taken a liking to some of my companions in Pentos. She got along well enough with the Pentoshi magisters I frequently spent time with, along with the guards who came over from Dragonstone, it was just the man who brought them here which irked her. 

Matarys of Lys. A brand new resident of Dragonstone and also my former turncoat. He had spent about two moons in travel to get his family from Lys to Pentos but he was just getting settled in when I was banished. 

To say it was a shock seeing him appear in Pentos accompanied by five and ten guards from Dragonstone would be a severe understatement. I could not fault Shiera for her skepticism of this former pirate though, apparently, he left Westeros to “join the man he owed everything to” but I did not truly buy that. 

He was certainly a suspicious individual, already proven to be willing and capable of throwing his superiors under the wagon. Yet all the same, he was an interesting person to speak with. I decided I would keep him around, though at arms length, growing too close to this man just for him to stab me in the back was hardly something I wanted nor needed right now. 

“Ahem, then?” I cleared the silence between us, she still had more to tell. 

“Right! Uhm, then I went to the garden and spent a nice midday with my handmaidens, then I merely waited in here for you to return. 

‘Handmaidens,’ my mind repeated back to me and my whole body went cold again. All the joy I had been brimming with for the last few minutes was practically extinguished in a flash. 

Shiera is pregnant, with our child, and Tyanna of the Tower was practically alone with her today. ‘FUCK!’

______________________________________________________________________________

Shiera VIII

29AC

Groaning awake had become a common occurrence for Shiera the last two moons. It seemed that the queasy feeling she had been growing accustomed to decided to attack her this day as well. Fighting the urge to vomit, she shuffled in the arms of her husband and he readily let her go, though she noticed him also get up behind her. 

She quickly righted herself before closing her eyes and taking deep breaths. Her mornings had looked like this for a while now. It made enjoying their new manse much more difficult. Especially because she had been losing much of her mornings to these bouts of sickness. 

She felt the bed shift as her husband left the room, no doubt going for the healer. ‘Like I need his help,’ Shiera thought with a pang of annoyance.

The local healers of Pentos were of much lesser quality on average compared to the Maesters of Westeros. The greatest healers in the world resided in Essos but they were very few and far between. The average healer could barely hold a candle to the average Maester, which was what Shiera had discovered since the beginning of her pregnancy. 

She had to correct the healers “gifted” to her by House Narratys several times now. Getting the measurements of certain remedies wrong or just plain out not understanding what she was dealing with. Shiera wondered if this was how Queen Visenya felt during her pregnancy, it was practically the only example she had to work off of, given she had ignored her own mother’s musings on the topic. 

Hearing the door open once more, she expected to see the spindly healer hired on but instead, she found her husband and a servant she did not recognize carrying a tray. Quickly glancing at the plate sat down on the table by their bedside before her nausea forced her eyes shut again, she noticed some small pieces of bread and some lemon water. 

‘So he can listen,’ Shiera thought with an annoyed smile. Shiera had not expected the reaction Maegor would have toward her pregnancy. He had been attentive to her needs, but perhaps too much. He practically never left her side and the constant companionship had quickly turned from endearing to irritating. 

Her times with her ladies had been cut shorter and shorter, instead being replaced with seemingly endless meetings with the healer and a similarly endless stream of nobles arriving at their new manse on the outskirts of the city to give their congratulations. News spread rapidly in this city and the news of her being with child was now widely known. 

‘I wish he would just trust me,’ Shiera thought, holding back a huff as she nibbled on the small, hard, bland pieces of bread and took small sips of her water. At first, she found her husband’s concern for her endearing. The feeling of being doted on and worried over was refreshing, especially because for so long she had played the part of the worrier. Yet now she was beginning to resent it. 

Queen Visenya had trained her for this. Trained her to be the best wife for Maegor she could be. She read countless books, tomes, and grimoires. All set to help Shiera be the best wife she could be for Maegor. She knew exactly what she was feeling with her pregnancy and she even knew remedies for it, yet her husbands still sought the advice of these “experts.”

Yet all they did was flounder around. Even then she could stomach answering the healer’s foolish questions and correcting him on his foolish assumptions. Yet she was growing more and more irritated with her husband controlling who she could and could not meet with. 

She had not met with her handmaidens in almost a sennight now and even then, their last meeting was for hardly any time at all. After her handmaidens were dismissed she had to return to her books and whatever else she could busy herself with. 

Not today though, today she would meet with her ladies, she had already approved it with her overbearing husband, though she had to acquiesce to the presence of guards in the room with them. ‘Good enough,’ Shiera thought as she began to feel her sickness subside. 

Shiera understood the fear of being targeted, truly she was well aware that over the last two moons, the nobles of Pentos began to shake off their momentary jubilation at the arrival of a Dragonlord to save them. Many more were beginning to realize that with the acquiring of a manse in the city, along with establishing ties to several powerful families, that they were not merely altruistic in their endeavors. Many nobles and magisters feared that they would take over this city. 

‘As if,’ Shiera thought again. From what she could gather, the politics of Pentos were a veritable nightmare. The thought of having to manage such a system sounded positively agonizing to Shiera. However, she was working on assumptions, she would have to discuss their future here with Maegor once their child was born. 

“Feeling better?” she heard her husband whisper to her in front of her and Shiera realized she had kept her eyes closed. 

“Yes, thank you for the bread and water,” Shiera quickly replied. She had gotten lost in thought again. 

“Of course, do you need anything else?” Maegor asked and Shiera fought the urge to bristle at the question. It was asked so sincerely like he could not see that he was denying her time with her friends. 

“I am fine, do you not have a war meeting today?” Shiera asked, more than anything she just wanted some time alone with her friends. Her current situation was stifling. 

“Aye, they have been wishing to meet with me. But I will remain here if that is what you wish,” Maegor said easily, worry coloring his tone. 

“I will be just fine here, go meet with the magisters,” Shiera dismissed her husband with all the energy she could manage. She just wanted some time alone. 

“Very well,” Maegor said, standing up and preparing to depart the building and Shiera breathed a sigh of relief. 

…

The garden overlooking the sea in their new manse was a welcome reprieve for Shiera, who had grown accustomed to the rather dull interior of their new manse. ‘Perhaps we could get some further decorations,’ Shiera quietly mused to herself. 

The villa on the outskirts of the city had been quickly renovated for their use after that first meeting between Maegor and the Prince. The hasty renovations had meant that the manse still lacked much of the finery that Sheira had grown accustomed to seeing on the walks through the halls. 

They lacked great tapestries, fanciful works of art, priceless artifacts adorning the main solar, expensive books, and other works of beauty. The garden of their new manse was the one part that actually looked like it belonged to a prince. Filled with dozens of different colors of flowering plants, the cool temperatures of winter did little to stifle the veritable rainbow of colors that adorned her eyes. 

Even still, the beautiful sight merely necessitated further renovations of the interior of the manse. The two greatest decorations they currently possessed were Dark Sister, which hung on the wall when it was not otherwise on Maegor’s hip, and the ornate chest she had purchased for her glass candle. Such a travesty could not stand, her family would be brought up in this palace, and she would not allow her little prince or princess to be raised in veritable squalor. 

“Deep in thought, my lady?” Tyanna broke Shiera from her thoughts and she turned to face her greatest friend here. 

“Indeed, Tyanna. My apologies,” Shiera quickly answered. She had called her handmaidens here and yet she was the one hardly speaking at all. 

“It is of no concern, my lady,” Tyanna quickly assuaged her fears and Shiera once more detested her husband’s actions toward this poor woman. 

Maegor had been gripped by the fanciful notion that Tyanna may be part of some plot to harm her. ‘What has gotten into him,’ Shiera thought again, eyeing her friend up and down.  

He was positively petrified of the possibility of her being poisoned during her pregnancy, all of it only served to anger Shiera further. ‘Does he have so little trust in me?’ Shiera thought, balling her hands into fists. Sure she had not exactly been forthcoming with the true extent of her tutelage by Queen Visenya. But even still, he should know better. 

Queen Visenya had thoroughly drilled into her the importance of her position during her training on Dragonstone. Sure she mainly focused on the acquiring of magical insights and training, but she had made dozens of tonics, antidotes, poisons, and potions to cure or inflict all sorts of ills. She was more than ready to treat any potential poisoning and she had even been preparing for such a possibility, even if she did not think it likely. 

She knew that she may be a target given her husband’s growing opposition in the conclave, yet she balked at the idea that it was her who should be worried about an assassination attempt. Maegor was the one constantly out in the city with miscreants and other nobles far more likely to stick a knife in his back than her own. 

“My lady? Are you feeling well?” Narha asked this time and Shiera had to gather her thoughts, she was being rude to her ladies. She could worry about what to do with Maegor later. 

“Uhm, my apologies, I was just feeling nauseous again,” Shiera said a bit of a fib. Truthfully the salty fresh air and wonderful aromas from the flowers were easing such a burden. That and the small pieces of bread she continued to snack on throughout the day. 

“Mayhaps you should have some tea? I have been told it does wonders for women with child,” Fereah asked this time and Shiera pondered the idea. She had been diligently following her husband’s demands that she not drink anything near her ladies but she had been growing more and more tired with such stipulations. She was holding luncheons with no lunch and tea parties with no tea. It was a travesty. 

“Sure, might you send for some tea?” Shiera quickly acquiesced before turning to the guard in the garden and asking him to go and fetch tea. She was quite comfortable in her seat and she had little desire to get up. 

“Of course, my lady,” the guard originally from Dragonstone said before bowing and leaving in a rush. Maegor had assigned her guards to her and they were remarkably loyal. They were loyal enough to follow them across the sea into exile after all. 

Turning back to her friends, she spied Tyanna shift in her seat before beginning again. “Have you thought of a name for the child yet, my lady?” Tyanna asked with her usual calm tone and Shiera fought the urge to ask her if she was alright. 

“Hmm names, Maegor and I have discussed a few. Why, do you have some suggestions?” Shiera asked excitedly. She knew the prince or princess currently growing in her womb would need a name befitting Prince Maegor Targaryen’s firstborn. Plus baby talk was exactly what she needed to get her mind away from her troubles. 

“Oooh, first tell us what you are thinking!” Narha excitedly jumped in and Shiera was reminded of her youth. The same age as Maegor, and the youngest among her ladies. Her youthful excitement was something Shiera wished to share. 

“Hmm, if it is a girl, I have suggested Visenya and Maegor has suggested Daenerys,” Shiera began with the girls. She had a gut feeling she would have a son, but the idea of having a little princess was too exciting to pass up. 

“Visenya, like your goodmother?” Tyanna perked up at that and Shiera nervously smiled. 

“Yes, I owe her so very much, I think it's only fair. Though my husband wishes for some more original names,” Shiera confessed. Maegor was not opposed to the idea of naming his potential daughter Visenya but he thought it would be a little awkward. 

“Daenerys sounds pretty, if you do not use it then I will,” Fereah interjected and Shiera had to agree and return a smile. She had no idea where he pulled the name from but it was a good one. It kind of grated on her, it was so good she had a hard time arguing against it. 

“Oh right, your wedding is soon, yes?” Shiera asked but her three ladies were having none of it. 

“Please, do not leave us in the dark with the boys, my lady,” the three all said in unison and the timing was uncanny. 

“Oh uhm, boys, hmm…” Shiera began. Truth be told she had far less of an idea for a potential boy. She should be more prepared for such a possibility, it was the ideal situation after all. Yet she had too many ideas. 

“I am still sort of unsure, I have floated names like Viserys, Aelyx, and Gaemon but they all feel off to me,” Shiera said with a heavy heart. She was not very good with names. She had consulted every book she could looking for inspiration, yet none seemed to stick with her. 

“What of your husband, does he have any ideas?” Tyanna asked and Shiera noted her mentioning of Maegor. Her husband’s treatment of her friend had been appalling. Shiera had apologized to Tyanna numerous times for it yet she seemed to wave it all away. However, Shiera was a little confused as to why she kept bringing him up. He made it readily clear he wanted absolutely nothing to do with her. 

Before she could continue to spill her thoughts, the guard arrived with a servant who was carrying a teapot and a set of teacups. 

‘Right, the tea…’ Shiera thought, feeling the nausea return. 

As the tea was set down in front of her and the servant departed. She took in the smells. Shiera fought the overwhelming urge to vomit. She had to test many different foods during her early pregnancy, trying to find what would set off the nausea. It seemed this tea was certainly not an option. 

“Pardon me,” Shiera quickly said, standing up from her seat and moving towards the balcony. Attempting to get some fresh air and a reprieve from the smell. 

“Are you feeling well, my lady” the guard suddenly asked, appearing behind her and Shiera shook her head. 

“I will be fine, just need a moment to gather myself,” Shiera said quickly. She disliked making people worry, she could handle herself. Being babied like this was an irritating feeling, it was like she was back in Harrenhal all over again. 

Just then, Fereah and Narha joined her on the balcony. 

“Is the tea not to your taste, Lady Shiera?” Fereah asked with a look of concern coloring her face and Shiera hurriedly tried to assuage her friend. 

“No, no, I am sure it will be fine. Just a momentary bout of nausea that's all.” She reassured her friend. It had been Fereah’s idea to get tea and she hardly wished to put blame on the poor woman. 

“Perhaps forcing it down will aid with the nausea. Tea is known to have medicinal effects,” Tyanna suddenly said, appearing to her right whereas her other ladies were to her left. 

“Perhaps you are correct,” Shiera acquiesced. Tyanna shared much of her knowledge and interest in magic and medicine. So much so that she had even offered fertility medicine to her on one occasion, though she politely turned it down. So perhaps she was right. She had not really had much tea over the last two moons. Focusing on moving to the new manse and her early pregnancy taking up much of her time and energy. 

“Are you feeling well enough to get back to the table?” Narha asked innocently and Shiera almost laughed. 

“I am plenty strong, Lady Narha. Just a bit queasy,” Shiera said with a reassuring smile. She had flown on the back of a dragon, she could manage a little nausea. 

Returning to her seat, Shiera continued to fight off the absolutely vile smell wafting from the tea as four cups were poured. One for each of her ladies and herself. 

Fereah and Narha brought the tea to their lips and both made sounds of delight. 

“This is wonderful, what is this tea exactly?” Ferea excitedly said and Narha nodded along too. 

“My apologies but I haven’t got a clue,” Shiera said shrugging her shoulders. ‘So it is good…’ Shiera thought, staring at her own cup. 

“We must ask the cooks later. I do not know which merchant you got this from but I must know,” Narha continued where Fereah left off and the urge to at least try the tea was at war with Shiera’s revulsion to the smell. 

“What do you think, Lady Tyanna?” Shiera quickly turned to her friend. Who had brought the cup to her lips readily.

“It is good, though I prefer golden tea,” Tyanna said, lowering the cup from her lips back onto the table. 

“Oooh, you have some expensive tastes,” Fereah said with a teasing smile and Tyanna merely shrugged her shoulders and smiled. 

“What can I say? It is in my blood,” Tyanna said with an exasperated smile on her face and Shiera smiled at the quip. Tyanna rarely quipped back, when she did she was tactful and short with it. 

Before Shirea could lift the cup to her lips, Narha turned to her. “My lady, you said your husband had some boy names picked out?” her youngest friend asked and Shiera was surprised she had forgotten. 

“Oh right, he had some, but they all feel off somehow,” Shiera confessed once more. She had not thought that finding a name for her child would be the most difficult question she could ask herself. 

“Well, what might they be?” Tyanna asked this time. She appeared to be a lot more chipper all of a sudden. Full of energy compared to how she was before. 

“He said Aurion and Baelon appealed to him. Yet both feel off in some way,” Shiera said, hoping her friends could come up with something. 

“Hmm, yes quite a conundrum huh?” Tyanna continued before Fereah jumped in. 

“You have thought of taking names from your husband’s family but what of your own? You are Valyrian too, surely there are some names you could pull from your own family lineage,” Fereah said happily and Shiera had never really thought of the idea. 

Both she and Maegor looked heavily upon their shared Targaryen heritage but she had plenty of non-Targaryen blood too. ‘Names, names, names’ Shiera thought, trying to remember the few mentions of her Qoherys ancestors from her father’s stories. 

“Brothers, fathers, uncles, grandfathers, surely there must be some names for you to pull from?” Tyanna said and Shiera nearly died thinking of naming her son after her brother. 

“I will never name my child after my lecherous slob of a brother,” Shiera said instantly. A fierce rage covered her tone. The very notion of cursing her child with the name Gargon made her wish to fling herself from the balcony. Her brother had thoroughly ruined that name for her.

“Well, what of some other names? Surely you have some other male names to pull from?” Narha interjected and Shiera was calmed by her voice. Narha was just a great person to be around. A jovial and friendly person wrapped in a veneer of kindness. 

“Hmm, Vaegon is too close to Aegon for my liking,” Shiera first considered her uncle. He was a warrior, a skilled one to boot. It would not be a terrible name but it being so close to her new nephew Aegon was irksome. Not to mention the closeness with the King. 

“Quenton maybe? You have spoken highly of your grandfather before, his could be a good legacy to inherit,” Tyanna continued and Shiera smiled at the thought. ‘Quenton Targaryen huh,’ Shiera thought before deciding against the idea. 

“Quenton Targaryen does not sound quite right, I cannot explain why,” Shiera said easily. The rest of her ladies then descended into thought, Fereah and Narha taking another sip of their tea. 

“Lady Shiera, are you not going to partake?” Tyanna suddenly asked and Shiera was cleared from her thoughts. 

“Oh right,” Shiera said, bringing her cup of tea closer to her face. The cup had barely reached her lips when the smell pushed her away again. 

“I am sorry ladies, I do not think I can drink this,” Shiera said, placing the cup back down on the table. The smell was just too repulsive. She could sit in its presence but the thought of actually ingesting such a drink made her wish to vomit. 

“Are you sure my lady? I can assure you it is quite good,” Tyanna quickly responded and Shiera shook her head. 

“I am sure, though do not let that stop you from enjoying your own tea,” Shiera said with a smile and she noticed sweat form on her black-haired friend’s face. 

“Are you alright, Tyanna?” Shiera asked and Tyanna quickly waved it away. 

“Yes yes, I am just fine. The sun is merely right above me that's all,” Tyanna said with haste unlike her, and Shiera’s interest was piqued. 

“Right, back to names,” Shiera righted the course of their conversation. It had gotten wildly off course again. 

“What about your father?” Narha asked and Shiera pondered the name. ‘Daeron Targaryen,’ Shiera thought before a smile rose to her face. She liked the name, it did justice to her father and gifted her potential son with a name worthy of a prince. 

“I like his name, Daeron Targaryen has a nice feel to it. However, I will have to discuss it with my husband first. Naming a Targaryen after a lowly Valyrian will need his decision,” Shiera said with a beaming smile. She thought she was on the right path now. She and Maegor could discuss future names pulled from her own familial lineage, or they could look to other Valyrian names from Houses Velaryon, Celtigar, or some other of the small Valyrian families on Dragonstone if need be. They had plenty of options. 

“Have you done any tests to figure out if it is a boy or a girl? There exists many for you to try,” Narha picked up and Shiera smiled. 

“I think I may try some in the future, though my gut tells me I am carrying a prince,” Shiera said with a smile beaming from ear to ear and a hand tenderly placed over her stomach. 

“Oh a little prince running around here would be wonderful,” Fereah gushed and Shiera had to agree. The idea of a family of her own was enticing beyond belief. She wanted nothing more than to hold her child in her arms and stare into their little eyes.

“A princess might be more fortuitous no?” Tyanna suddenly asked, and it was only then that Shiera realized her friend had gone completely silent before that. 

“Explain,” Shiera said quickly, staring down her clearly nervous friend. 

“I mean, a daughter could be offered to Prince Aegon across the sea, or to any of the extremely wealthy and powerful families in Pentos, a prince would be far less useful right now, given he has little to inherit,” Tyanna continued and Shiera had some mixed feelings about that. 

The idea of any of her children marrying any of Alyssa’s irked her but she recognized the possibility. Her children by Maegor would be the closest kin to their cousins. With strong dragon blood and with any luck, a significant wealth to throw around too. Yet she had spent the last six years of her life learning about House Targaryen. They married brother to sister, cousin to cousin was more rare. 

“A daughter should ideally marry a son, though any potential marriages or betrothals are a long way off. I do not even know if I am carrying a prince or a princess,” Shiera said with a smile. She would kick this pot down the road for now. This was a discussion with her husband, not her lady friends. 

“Are you sure you do not wish to try your tea, my lady?” Tyanna suddenly asked her again, and Shiera noticed that the amount of sweat on her had increased. ‘What is going on with her, it is not that hot,’ Shiera thought before taking a glance at the cups around the table. 

“Are you sure it is that good? It seems like you are hardly drinking it at all,” Shiera pointed out. Narha and Fereah had basically emptied their cups, meanwhile, Tyanna’s was merely half full. 

“You… you must savor the flavor of the tea, my lady, it is positively divine,” Tyanna quickly stuttered out and Shiera was growing more and more confused. 

“I am sure I do not wish to try it, this tea will not agree with me, now back to names. What do you all think of Daeron Targaryen?” Shiera forcefully changed the subject. She was tired of hearing about this damn foul tea. She cared not if her friends wanted it but she would go without it. 

“I like it, not overly complex and easy to remember,” Narha said excitedly and Shiera was in agreement. Now she just had to convince her husband. 

“Prince Daeron Targaryen, huh,” Fereah said then and Shiera liked the ring of it. 

“Would he be a prince?” Narha suddenly asked and Shiera resisted the urge to immediately exclaim yes. 

‘Would he?’ Shiera thought before she shook her head. “Of course he would be, his father is a prince and his grandfather is a king,” Shiera exclaimed easily. Maegor may hold no lands of his own right now, but he still held the title of Prince. King Aegon banished him not disinherited him. 

“Right, well Prince Daeron Targaryen has a nice ring to it,” Fereah said with a smile, placing her head in her hands. 

“Princess Daenerys sounds nice too, Daeron and Daenerys,” Narha continued with a light giggle, and Shiera and Fereah returned one too. 

“A perfect match one might say,” Shiera said proudly. Should her child be a son, he would need a sister, if not to marry. At least to have as assurance. Queen Visenya emphasized the necessity of purity of blood. Continuing to marry distant cousins would not be ideal for such a scenario. 

“How many children do you aim to have, Lady Shiera?” Narha asked her then and Shiera pondered the question. 

She had yet to really discuss this with Maegor. They were more excited for their first one. ‘How many do I want?’ Shiera had to genuinely ask the question. Going through her current level of sickness a dozen times sounded positively torturous. But at the same time, she needed sons and daughters. 

“That depends on how many sons I have, as each will need a daughter naturally,” Shiera gave her nonanswer with a cocksure smile. This was another pot that would be kicked down the road. 

“Uhm… uhh, what if you… have like… four sons?” Fereah suddenly slurred out and Shiera whipped her head around towards her friend. 

“Fereah, are you alright?” Shiera quickly asked her friend. Worry coloring her tone. 

“...Yes… why?” Fereah slurred out and Shiera quickly grew very nervous as her friend began to sway back and forth. 

“Your nose is bleeding!” Shiera quickly called out and Fereah raised a hand to her nose before Shiera noticed Narha was suffering a similar situation across the small table from her. 

‘What?’ Shiera thought before both of her friends collapsed at the table. Their heads loudly banging against the solid wood sending the fine metal cups flying off the table. 

Shiera whipped her head around again towards Tyanna just to find she was suffering the same fate. Blood trickling from her nose and her form wobbling. 

“...Help, my lady,” Tyanna gasped out before she collapsed at the table too. 

“Guards!” Shiera quickly called out, with the two armored protectors of this little garden quickly sweeping toward the table she was sitting at. 

“What happened, Lady Shiera?” the first guard announced, his sword already drawn and ready for action. 

“They have been poisoned! Call the healer here now!” Shiera quickly exclaimed, trying not to look at the pools of blood that were quickly forming beneath the faces of her friends. 

‘No, no, no, no this cannot be happening, this cannot be real,’ Shiera thought hysterically in her mind as tears brimmed in her eyes. Surely this was all a dream, her friends had not all been poisoned right in front of her, they couldn’t be, not under her watch. Surely she had not dodged mortal harm by a hair's breadth. Maegor’s incessant worries and warnings were just him being paranoid, they had to be. There was no way she and her child were actually a target for assassination, right?