"I want a statement, not a shift."

"Yes, Your Grace," The seamstress nodded. "I have a perfect piece for you."

She unveiled a red gown with grey dragons stitched and shoulder pads that resembled large metal scales. The material felt like a silk corset and the skirts were soft velvet. The neckline and back dipped lower than what was deemed appropriate. The belt along the waist had a large dragon buckle front and center.

It was perfect.

"Perfect," She smiled. Aemond watched her from the settee, already dressed. He was clad in black leather as usual, but his doublet had the Targaryen sigil in red stitching. All members of her council were commissioned to wear red to long united and strong. Aemond made a compromise of having red on his black leather, heavens forbid he wear more color.

"And what jewelry?" Brella asked.

"The seastone necklace from my father," Visenya answered. "I also have a plethora of ruby bracelets and rings. I do not mind whichever ones."

Aemond watched with a content expression, always happy to see Visenya in the jewelry he got her. It was almost like a way of claiming her. When she covered herself in rings and bracelets he got her, she was wearing him all over her. The thought sent blood rushing to his cock.

"Actually, I also want that ring," She said, pointing behind Brella.

Aemond turned his head to see which ring Visenya picked out. A silver band with a ruby and sapphire.

The ring he got her after they learned she was pregnant with Elaena. Simple times, he thought in jest. Back when he was doing everything to gain her favor. That felt like a lifetime ago, so much had changed since then. He truly missed the walks he and Visenya would take with Aegon through the city. He never would have admitted it back then but he knew they were an inseparable trio.

The memories began to hurt as he felt a weight in his chest and tears burning his eyes. Aegon never wanted the throne or to rule, he was content with a free life around the castle. He did not deserve his end, but Daemon and Rhaenyra made sure as many people as possible saw their end.

Aemond stood up and walked to the balcony before he started crying in front of the women, but his tears were inevitable at this point. His chest tightened as memories flooded his mind, trying to hang on to every word Aegon had said to him.

"I catch him staring much more often and he has gotten jealous. When I was teaching her how to dance, he couldn't even watch. He will deny it and make excuses but I see the truth. Despite your hatred, you have started caring about her. And these past two days she has been hiding, you have been disappearing and a kitchen maid saw you grabbing hot tea. You don't drink tea."

"Do you think Helaena would adore a necklace or bracelet more?"

"I still can't believe you did that from pleasing her. My little brother, a true giver."

"Seeing ... it just really disturbed me. It made me do a lot of thinking. I have taken Helaena for granted, and if she were to die in this war, I would regret a lot of things. Being a bad husband and father being one of them."

Aemond clenched his fists, thinking back on hundreds of memories.

"My love," Visenya said, standing behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist. She rested her head against his back and held him close.

"I do not know if I can do it, Visenya. I look at her and it makes me want to rip her apart for everyone she hurt. We did not lose as many people as she did but she took people of importance! I would trade so many people to have them both back!" He hissed through his tears.

"I know," She whispered and moved to his front, pulling him into a proper embrace.

Aemond wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. He hadn't properly broken down since everything happened, he wanted to be strong for Visenya, but it was almost over and he was losing his composure.

"Do you want to stay behind with the girls?"

"No," He sighed. "I am your King consort, I should be there. I need to see justice. I need to know it was not for nothing."

"There will be justice for Laenora and Aegon, that much I can promise."

-

As they walked through the halls, the world seemed to move in slow motion for Visenya. Her arm were linked with Aemond's, guards surrounding them as they arrived at the throne room.

"Queen Visenya of House Targaryen, the Second of Her Name, The Unburnt, Queen of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men, Lady of the Seven Kingdoms, Protector of the Realm, Dragon Queen and Hero of the Dance of the Dragons."

She winced at that title as she made her way to the throne, the crown of Aegon the Conqueror heavy on her brow. She hadn't picked that title but the hero seemed extreme.

She sat down on the throne, taking a deep breath. Over a hundred lords, minor and major alike, had their eyes on her. Some angry, some proud, and some neutral. To the side, Rhaenys stood with the hand pin on her dress, her entire small council, all of her siblings, and Aemond with Maegor by his side.

Two guards had Rhaena, Aegon the Younger, and Viserys in front of them.

"I would first like to thank everyone for making this journey. I know some of you traveled quite far for this occasion and I appreciate that."

"Some of us did not have a choice," A voice came from the crowd.

"Do not dare interrupt your queen!" Rhaenys hissed.

"No, it is acceptable. But please step forward, whomever spoke. I understand to some there may be confusion," Visenya said.

A male stepped forward, dark locks on his head and beard that made him look like a man but she could tell he was not quite. The Stark sigil was on his tunic and she knew it had to be Cregan. She had not seen him in many years and hardly recognized him.

"Lord Stark, you seem cross."

"I am sure you can understand why," Cregan replied.

"Honestly, I can admire your loyalty and honor. Your family made a vow and you followed it no matter what. You lied to me about a betrothal, though, and I did not appreciate that. You had told me you would swear fealty if I married my brother to your bastard sister and legitimized her, but you always planned to swear for Rhaenyra."

"I admit I did not intend any deception. While my court encouraged me to entertain your offer, I could not break the oath of my family."

"Well, I did call you all here for a purpose. Rhaenyra Targaryen did surrender, but she also came with confessions that will make you all regret your decisions... if you have any honor." After speaking, she nodded to one of her guards and they brought Rhaenyra in. She was in a plain colored dress, her hair a mess, and bags under her eyes. She had wanted to bring her mother in with nothing but a shift but she figured she would save her from some sort of humiliation.

Aemond clenched his fists again, glaring at his sister. Remorse was written all over her face, but he cared naught.

"Rhaenyra Targaryen, you stand here accused of war crimes and treason to the crown. How do you plead?"

"I am guilty," Rhaenyra whispered.

"Why don't you tell everyone the truth of this war," Visenya said through gritted teeth.

Rhaenyra faced the lords, a tear falling down her cheek. "You all agreed to follow me for different reasons. For some of you it was honor and believing I was the heir. Others, it was because you believed I was the victim and did not start the war. That was a lie. Visenya - she did not start the war. I did."

Murmurs spread across the crowd and she knew someone was bound to ask about Jacaerys.

"You all believed that the first stroke of war was Prince Daeron attempting to murder my heir Jacaerys. That was a lie. I did not know it at the time, but it was Prince Daemon who stabbed my son in an attempt to make it look like a murder so that he could kill Princess Laenora."

The murmurs became a full-blown outroar. Lords were yelling at her, yelling at each other, and yelling at Visenya. Some accused her of making Rhaenyra say this, and some were yelling insults at Rhaenyra.

Murderer, kinslayer, child murderer,  traitor, liar, and whore.

"Silence!" Visenya yelled. "I will not have these accusations thrown at me. I did not force any of this. Rhaenyra came here and surrendered and told the truth when she could have lied. If there is anyone more guilty than her, it is Prince Daemon."

"While I did not know about Jacaerys, I did allow my husband to send a  killer after an innocent child, which is a war crime in itself."

"She started this by taking your throne!" Someone yelled.

"I cannot deny that," Rhaenyra let out a huff. "But I had already committed treason. All of my children are bastards, including my sons with Daemon during our marriage. Before our marriage, I forced Laenor to leave so that my marriage to Daemon would solidify my claim to the throne. Visenya is my only child who has been legitimized, making her the true heir to the Iron Throne."

An outcry.

Rhaenyra turned her head to look at Visenya with pleading eyes.

"I urge you all to bend the knee to the new queen as I have. I am a traitor to the crown and as such, pass the crown to my eldest child and rightful heir, Visenya Targaryen. I surrender myself to the judgment of the small council and ask for a trial of mercy."

"Mercy? We followed you based on a lie!" Lady Sabitha Frey yelled. "We followed you because we believe you were wrongly usurped and that your heir had been mortally wounded. But it seems she always saw you for what you are."

"She did," Rhaenyra admitted. "I sat by as Daemon physically and mentally abused her. I watched her grieve for her adopted father as I threatened his life, forcing him to leave so that I could further solidify my claim. Having bastards was enough to be disinherited, but I did not stop."

Visenya could tell how much pain her mother was in as she admitted all her faults. And she deserved every second of it. Rhaenyra got away with years of not being held accountable for her actions, there was no worse punishment than admitting them before a crowd of people.

While Lords and Ladies alike were outraged by the confession, Lord Cragen had a neutral expression on his face. It was slightly concerning to her, and she longed to read his mind.

Rhaenys silenced them all, turning to Visenya for her next words. "In my brother's dying letter to me, Jacaerys asked for a just punishment. Mercy or death is the choice I have here. But what would mercy be for her? A quick death would be mercy for what she has done to my family," Visenya spoke, gripping the throne.

"Slice her until she screams!"

"Rip every limb off her body!"

"Pluck her eyes from her skull!"

"Sell her to a brothel!"

Inhumane suggestions were yelled out into the court as people begged for justice. Visenya felt herself slipping into madness and pure -

But then her eyes landed on Maegor on her whole world stopped.

Her little boy looked terrified. Here she was, relishing in the violence the people wanted against Rhaenyra, not realizing how much her son was watching. The whole point of naming him Maegor was to break that cycle of madness. She was supposed to raise Maegor to be kind and just, to not desire violence.

And here she was, desiring violence in front of him.

Her whole body felt like it hit the pavement, everything turning around and opening her eyes. Aemond was right. She had gone down a dark path. Alys was right when she said Visenya sold her soul for darkness.

And Visenya was not okay with this. The scared look on Maegor's face tore her apart. None of this was okay.

"Silence!" Visenya belted out. "No one wants justice more than I do."

She looked over at Aemond and he held her eyes in a knowing glance before nodding at her.

"But Rhaenyra Targaryen shall not die today."

She stood up, walking down the steps of the throne. "Look at yourselves, begging for more blood. Have we not lost enough? Hasn't enough blood been spilled? The true enemy was Daemon, and he is dead. Everyone knew his reputation, that was no secret. He was violent and a manipulator. While my mother is responsible for her actions, we must acknowledge she was not the only one at fault.

"But I will no longer choose violence. Rhaenyra Targaryen, I strip you of all titles. You are banished across the Narrow Sea to live your life in Essos. I acknowledge the innocence of my brothers Aegon and Viserys, and my half-sister Rhaena caused no harm in the war. All three shall have the choice to stay and have a place in my court, or they may leave with you. At any point in their life I will welcome them back with love and kindness, but not you. If you ever show your face in Westeros again during my reign, my mercy will not extend again."

Rhaenyra's shoulders slumped as her eyes welled with tears.

"I will go," Rhaena said, looking between Visenya and Rhaenys. "Grandmother, I am sorry, but I will not kiss the boot of the woman who killed my sister. I have no role here, I choose Rhaenyra. I will not come back, you will have no trouble from me."

Visenya nodded. "I understand."

"We want to go with Mama," Aegon said, holding his little brother's hand.

Visenya forced a smile, watching the last of her brothers - save for Luke - leave her life. Not that she had an attachment to Aegon or Viserys, she didn't know the first thing about them, but she would have liked to try.

"Will their titles be stripped if they decide to come back one day?" Rhaenyra asked.

"No," Visenya shook her head. "But that does not mean there will be mercy if they decide to finish your work. If they come back, they will bend the knee and abide by my rule. I do not want another civil war."

"There is no war so hateful to the Gods as a war between kin, and no war so bloody as a war between dragons. We have done enough to anger the Gods for generations," Rhaenys added. "As for the rest of you, you will all be made to renew your vow to the rightful queen, and all of Rhaenyra's former supporters must swear obeisance or be punished. As gratitude for you all making the journey, Her Grace has prepared a week of feasts and tourneys."

-

Not many people were left in the throne room as Visenya sat on the throne, spinning the ruby ring on her finger. Rhaenyra sat on the steps with her two boys as the council spoke among themselves.

"Sister?" Aegon asked, slowly approaching her. Her guards straightened up and she waved her hand.

"It is fine, he may approach."

Aegon climbed the steps, a sad look on his face. "I know Mama did bad things, but I have to go with her."

"I know," She nodded with a small smile. "I am not mad at you, little brother."

"But I can come back one day?" He asked.

"Of course. I hope one day when you are older and understand, we may have a conversation about what happened. But you are still young, you need not worry about war anymore."

He nodded and looked down at his feet. "Thank you for saving me and Viserys. I wish my dragon could have made it."

"Would you like to try and claim another? Or I could send two eggs with you and Viserys."

His eyes widened. "Viserys does not like them but can I?"

She nodded. "Between Grey Ghost and Dreamfyre, we have one to spare."

Aegon smiled. "Thank you, Sister. I promise to come back one day."

"I hope so, Aegon," She said, trying to hide the pain in her face. Aegon was a name used many times now, but for now, Aegon the Elder was still a fresh death. Saying his name to a little boy that looked like Daemon was difficult, but it was not his fault.

"Your Grace," Rhaenys said as she approached. "The ship for Rhaenyra is ready."

Visenya nodded and stood up. "Ready, little Egg?" She asked her little brother. The last time she called him that, he was an infant and she still lived on Dragonstone. A lifetime ago.

Visenya walked up to her mother, sucking in a deep breath. "There is a boat waiting for you at Blackwater Bay. I am having gold sent, but only enough to get you started, I do not wish to see my brothers starving. Aegon has also requested an egg."

Rhaenyra nodded. "I must admit, you picked a good choice for Hand. I couldn't imagine anyone better."

"She has served me better than most," Visenya responded, holding her hands behind her back.

Rhaenyra placed a hand on Visenya's cheek. "Thank you."

"I am not doing this for you," She whispered, glancing at Maegor. "This is for him."

"Then I envy him for knowing such a good woman."

"I could be wrong, mayhaps. You had a good mother and you still turned out cruel. So maybe I will fail all around."

Rhaenyra shook her head, cupping both cheeks. "You can do this. If anyone can, it is you. I have seen more strength from you in the past year than I could ever imagine. After learning about Daemon from Jace and he died, I felt lost and alone before I surrendered. I wanted to die. And I realized that was how you felt when you lived on Dragonstone butyou pulled yourself up and became this. I admire you, Visenya. I envy the woman you became, you are everything I wanted to be."

A tear slipped down Visenya's cheek and Rhaenyra wiped it away. "All I wanted was a mother."

"I know. And I will regret this for the rest of my life. I wish I could go back to the day you were born and hold you in my arms and never let go. I took you for granted, the daughter I always wanted. I made every mistake a mother could. I hope my remorse can help give you some sort of peace."

Visenya let out a breath, exhaling all of her worries and fears, and did something she never expected: she wrapped her arms around her mother in a tight embrace.

Rhaenyra placed her hands over her daughter's hair, gently stroking as she tried to soothe her daughter.

"I love you, Visenya. When I die and the boys come back, please take care of them. Take care of Luke and everyone."

Visenya wanted to sob, to mourn the relationship she would never get. The weight of never seeing her mother again was oddly heavy despite their conflicts. But it was final, taking away any possibility. She believed her mother's remorse.

"I am going to say goodbye to Lucerys, okay?"

Visenya nodded and pulled away, pushing her tears back further to prevent a meltdown. Rhaenyra walked over to Lucerys and pulled him into a hug. Ellyn did not have Aerion, and maybe it was best Rhaenyra did not see him, she would grow attached.

Rhaenyra, Aegon, Viserys, and Rhaena were escorted out of the throne room by an envoy of guards and Visenya watched her mother walk away for the last time.

"Your Grace, might I have a word?" Lord Cregan asked, slowly approaching.

She nodded, wiping away any evidence of tears. "Yes, my lord."

"I would like to offer my formal apology. I think had anyone known, Daemon would not have had any supporters. We knew he was hotheaded, but this was different."

"You did not speak during the whole ordeal after her confession when everyone else did. Why was that?"

"I know my approval means very little, but I was watching you, judging your reaction to things. If you were going to be violent, soft, or just. I wanted to see if violence bred violence. Tales of you ripping out Daemon's throat reached many ears, and I worried you might have become the very thing you sought to destroy."

"I must not lie to you, Lord Cregan, I did for a moment. This war changed me. Everything I did, I thought I was doing it for my daughter. But I was doing it for my rage and grief. Laenora ... she would have never wanted me to lose myself."

Cregan nodded. "I became a father not long before the war. I could not imagine the grief you experienced. I try to imagine how I would have reacted and I can not find it in me to blame you for your reaction."

"So then why judge my reaction today if you would have done the same?"

"Because as leaders, we must be held to a standard. I know the North is bound to the Iron Throne, but I still lead it, as do you. But you lead a whole nation now and unfortunately, you do not get the luxury of being a good leader and act on that violence. I wanted to see if you had the resolve to handle this today in a fair manner."

Visenya tilted her head. "I might have conjured up the wrong opinion of you, Lord Cregan. You are wise for your young age."

"I had the lead the North at a young age. I know the personal sacrifices that come with being a leader. Today you showed restraint and I might be the only one who noticed why," He said, looking at Maegor.

"I suppose that at the end of the day, being Queen for me was never about power. I was never power-hungry. It was about ensuring a better future. Before I had children, I was unsure. I just didn't want my mother or father to have that power because I knew the truth. But the second I had that little boy and his sister and I held them, it all made sense."

"And what is the point of leading if not to preserve the future? That's when I knew it was you who belonged on the throne. You made a personal sacrifice for the benefit of your son, and your mother's sons."

"What?" She asked, taken aback.

"Young Aegon and Viserys did nothing, and yet your plan would have been allowing them to witness their mother be tortured and killed. I do not truly think you wanted that, I know your son was your main priority, but that also saved two boys from a more traumatic life."

Visenya let out a chuckle. "If I did not already have a Hand, I would ask you in a heartbeat."

"Do you not feel qualified to lead?" Cregan asked.

"Do you want my honest answer?"

"Yes."

"Fuck no. I am terrified, Lord Stark."

"Good. That is the right answer. The second you are not afraid in this position then you have messed up. This position should always terrify you. You have lives in your hands, and every action you make will always piss someone off. You cannot do something helpful for one person without it making life more difficult for another. There is not one solution that makes everyone happy. It is about compromise."

"How do you have this all figured out?" She asked.

Cregan let out a laugh. "My Queen, I do not. Every day is hard. Someone is always complaining. The North is like its own kingdom, being so far away from the rest of you. It is closer to travel to me than all the way to the Red Keep. So I get to hear it all."

"I could benefit from your council, Lord Cregan. This first year post-war is going to be hard. Now everyone has claimed for me and I must rule now without a war at my door."

"I would be happy to give it. I think asking for help is the hardest thing a leader can do, and it is the most respectable. Just for the year, though. I still have the North to lead."

"Of course," She nodded. "Thank you, Cregan."

"No need to thank me, Your Grace. I see a long and prosperous relationship between Houses Targaryen and Stark."

"You have a son, yes?" She asked.

"Yes, Rickon."

"I cannot believe I am about to offer this, but -"

"You do not believe in betrothals, do you?" He asked.

She let out a sigh. "Not particularly, but I know that in this world, they are necessary. And the idea of shipping any of my children away terrifies me. To send my child off so far to live away from me truly scares me."

"Then we may have this discussion another time. After my year here is done, I will spend time at home for a while. Then, when Rickon is older, we may come back and spend time here. We can see if there is a natural connection between him and either of your daughters."

"I like that idea," She said with a small smile.

"Visenya," Aemond said behind her. "The council is requesting you."

She smiled at him and nodded. "Of course, my love."

"I shall see you at the feast, My Queen."

She reached for Aemond's hand and they walked to the small council room with the rest of the members.

"Are you ready for this, Visenya?" He whispered.

She nodded, finally confident with her role and her fear. "As ready as I shall ever be. Just stay by my side, Aemond."

"Always."