With flushed cheeks Henley meets up with Rhaenyra who has orders from the King for the two of them to see him, which of course spiked Henley's nerves.

One of the guards leads them to the King, where he's at the lowest level of the castle. Candles are burning everywhere around stone sculptures. Henley admires the stoned-dragon, Balerion, as the guard nods and leaves them.

"Father." Rhaenyra begins.

"My King." Henley does a short curtsey, although angry with the King she still knows better.

"Balerion was the last living creature to have seen Old Valyria before the Doom." Viserys spouts off. Confusion rises in Henley, was this a history lesson? "Its greatness and its flaws. When you look at the dragons, what do you see?"

"What?" Rhaenyra asks, also confused on the matter. "You haven't spoken a word to me since mother's funeral, and now you send your Kingsguard down, not only for me-"

"Answer me." Viserys interrupts his daughter. "You as well." He turns to Henley, startling her because she was starting to think her being here was a miscommunication. "It's important." He stresses. What do you see?"

Rhaenyra stares at the Balerion statue so Henley hesitantly goes first. "Beauty and greatness." She says honestly. "I always have." Viserys smiles at the girl. She's the only non-Targaryen or Kingsguard that's been allowed down here. But he knows she is just as important in the matter.

"I suppose I see us." Rhaenyra answers after a moment of thought.

"Tell me." Viserys urges her to continue.

"Everyone says Targaryens are closer to gods than to men, but they say that because of our dragons." She looks her dad in the eye. "Without them, we're just like everyone else." Henley smiles at Rhaenyra's answer. A humble one. But that Targaryens have the dragons in their possession for a reason, shouldn't they been seen as close to gods then?

"The idea that we control the dragons is an illusion." Viserys chuckles. Henley frowns, slightly disagreeing. Controlling dragons is a bit much yes, but with the right bond the dragons will listen, obey. And they don't do that with just anyone. Dragons know the blood of the dragon. But for some reason they seem to like Henley, they sense a sort of calm around her. A presence of importance. The Dragon Whisperer.

Viserys' voice pulls Henley back in. "They're a power man should never have trifled with." That is something Henley can agree with. These beautiful creatures would have been perfectly fine left alone, better off perhaps. "One that brought Valyria its doom. If we don't mind our own histories, it will do the same to us. Targaryen must understand this to be King... or Queen." Rhaenyra quickly turns back to her father. "And one must understand this to be the Hand of one." He turns to Henley.

Her eyes widen. With all of the chaos recently she never thought about her role with this. Her and Rhaenyra have always joked about being Queen and the Hand, but Henley always thought of it as just that, talk. She never thought in her wildest dreams this would become reality. That she would ever get to be by Rhaenyra's side and guide her as her Hand as she was Queen.

"I'm sorry, Rhaenyra." The King's voice cracks. "I have wasted the years since you were born wanting for a son." He lets out a chuckle. "You are the very best of your mother. And I believe it, I know she did, that you could be a great ruling Queen."

"Daemon is your heir." Rhaenyra hastily shakes her head to remind him. Henley frowns. Yes, exactly. This is Daemon's right before it is Rhaenyra's, not just because he is a man and she is a lady, but by age. Not to mention Rhaenyra is young, immature. Could Rhaenyra make for a good Queen someday? Henley didn't know. It's doesn't seem like the right fit for her, not where she would truly be happiest. But it is not Henley's decision nor her place to say.

"Daemon was not made to wear the crown. But I believe that you were." Viserys tells her. Yet he never thought to make Rhaenyra heir until it came down to losing the person that created heir's for him? Henley wants to support Rhaenyra, but she can't help but think of the hypocrisy and the cracks in this speech. The King has never considered Rhaenyra before. He was just defending Daemon until Otto had to manipulate the situation. And to her that just didn't seem fair. She knows exactly what it's like for ones future to be undermined, to be ruined because you did not act exactly how people wanted you to.

"This is no trivial gesture, Rhaenyra. A dragon's saddle is one thing, but the Iron Throne is the most dangerous seat in the realm." Henley's eyes narrow. Then why is he subduing her to this danger?! Rhaenyra's eyes begin to water.

Viserys turns to Henley. "And I know you are a very strong and intelligent young lady that will follow well in her fathers footsteps and become a wonderful Hand." Henley fakes a smile at the lies that come from the Kings mouth. She wishes to never be as the current Hand is now.

"There's something else that I need to share." The King says. "It might be difficult to understand, but you must hear it." He tells the girls. Henley perks up.

"Our histories they tell us that Aegon looked across the Blackwater from Dragonstone, and saw a rich land ripe for the capture. But ambition alone is not what drove him to conquest." Viserys has Henley's full, undivided attention now, Aegon being one of her favorite Targeryen's to read about in the history books. Though she did favor Visenya even more. "It was a dream." Oh? "And just as Daenys foresaw the end of Valyria, Aegon foresaw the end of the world of men." Viserys sighs. " 'Tis to begin with a terrible winter gusting out of the distant north. Aegon saw absolute darkness riding on those winds. And whatever dwells within will destroy the world of the living." Henley's head hurts trying to decipher what he's trying to say, almost as if he's saying a riddle.

"When this Great Winter comes, Rhaenyra, all of Westeros must stand against it. And if the world of men is to survive, a Targaryen must be seated on the Iron Throne. A king or queen, strong enough to unite the realm against the cold and the dark. Aegon called his dream "The Song of Ice and Fire." This secret... it's been passed from king to heir since Aegon's time." Viserys grips his knife. "Now you must promise to carry it and protect it. Both of you. Henley, you are the first outsider to hear of it, but I feel it as necessary and you as trustworthy keeper. Promise me this, Rhaenyra, Henley. Promise me."

♔♔♔

I sigh as Alicent and I, mostly Alicent since of course I'm not doing it right, help Rhaenyra get ready for the announcement that she is to be the new heir. Her hair was in a braided up do that took me hours to complete, her dress was a stunning ruby red and black complimented with a light gold cape. She looks absolute stunning, graceful.

Rhaenyra has seemed full of nerves this morning as have I, but Alicent is working fast enough to keep all of us occupied. We both hug Rhaenyra once she's fully ready. It's time.

♔♔♔

Alicent stands in between Otto and I as we wait for Rhaenyra to enter the throne room. We're standing to the side with the council members as the rest od the room is filled with people. I feel eyes upon me as some point and whisper. Has it already started? Has my fate already begun? Am I just being paranoid?

"Corlys of House Velaryon." Mellos announces. "Lord of the Tides and Master of Driftmark." Lord Coryls kneels.

"I, Corlys Velaryon, Lord of the Tides and Master of Driftmark, promise to be faithful to King Viserys and his named heir, the Princess Rhaenyra. I pledge fealty to them and shall defend them against all enemies in good faith and without deceit. I swear this by the old gods and the new." He vows. Rhaenyra enters after his vow as more begin to pledge their alliances to her, the most boring thing ever to stand through.

"I, Lord Hobert Hightower, Beacon of the South, Defender of the Citadel, and Void of Oldtown, promise to be faithful to King Viserys and his named heir, the Princess Rhaenyra. I pledge fealty to them and shall defend them against all enemies in good faith and without deceit. I swear this by the old gods and the new." I withhold a yawn as the same thing is repeated over and over again. My mind wanders to Daemon, thinking of him leaving today. I wonder if he'll ever be allowed to return and dread fills my body.... was last night the last I'll ever get to see of him?

This is what my life is now. Trapped. Trapped in a Kingdom where I will be molded into taking my fathers place, destined to be alone, never to fall in love or bear children of my own out of that love. I will spend my entire life worrying over when the day will come someone outrages over Rhaenyra being heir or even someday becoming Queen... Constant fear, stress, misery. That is the path that awaits me.

If I could run off with Daemon I would. But I can't abandon Rhaenyra, not when she needs me the most. Not when everything is hanging in the balance.

Maybe it's for the best I'll never be able to have children. They don't need to be apart of this, especially not born out of anything other than love and adoration.

Rhaenyra finally turns to face the King as it is his turn for the vow. "I, Viserys Targaryen, first of his name. King of the Andals, and the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm, do hereby name Rhaenyra Targaryen, Princess of Dragonstone, and heir to the Iron Throne." Everyone bows their head down and I quickly follow before having to immediately raise back up. Alicent side eyes me for being behind everyone else, better her than Otto.

I feel dread in the pit of my stomach as I glace out of one of the window's and see Caraxes flying off into the distance, wishing more than anything I was on him as well.

♔♔♔

Author's Note: FINALLLYYYY!!! Omg it has taken me months to complete this episodes chaptersss (bc it's so freakin long) so it'll def be after I'm out for summer before the episode 2 chapters come, just a heads up!!

Hope y'all enjoyed <3

This is only the beginning of Henley and her story so stay tuned ;)