The penitence of the wolf - a Dragon Queen's Tale (Patreon)

Rhaella Targaryen, Dragonstone

"I will inform Lord Tywin that you have arrived safe and sound, my queen," said the maester, still disturbed by the sudden appearance of the queen along with Prince Viserys in the ravines of Dragonstone

The queen smiled politely, but limited her interactions with the old man, since the incident with Pycelle, Rhaella had become extremely cautious of the order, relying only on her uncle Aemon and the grumpy old Marwin

"Perfect Maester, I will be in the royal rooms with my son, I do not wish to be interrupted" said Rhaella with that tone of voice that was more and more common in her, her beloved Aerys called it her "queen" voice

The old man nodded and left the woman alone, Prince Viserys was sleeping peacefully after having fed, so, at least for the moment, Rhaella had time for herself

The room she was in was quite well-known, at least among the dragon's house, it used to belong to Queen Visenya, the conqueror's wife

Rhaella had always felt warmth within these walls, from a young age this room had been her refuge from the world, there was something about them that just relaxed her greatly

The rumors about the conqueror's consort were many, it was said that Visenya was not as beautiful as her sister Rhaenys, and that the conqueror spent one night with her for every twenty that he did it with the other queen

Although Rhaella had learned not to believe everything she read in the books, by now, it was clear to her that the order of maesters was as trustworthy as a group of laundresses at King's Landing

Aeranax's roar caught the queen's attention, at the same time she put a smile on her face, her dragon flew placidly around the island, claiming her, as if she felt familiarity with the place, her huge black body plummeted into the ocean, only to emerge with her mouth full of fish, and repeat the process over and over again

Under her husband's orders, the ancient caverns of Dragonstone had been cleansed, and the flight cave, where the dragon lords of old land and depart at will had been reactivated

Rhaella gazed at the incredible sight in silence, Aeranax dived and emerged, again and again, until suddenly, her dragon emerged at an extremely short distance from the queen's window, to such an extent that Rhaella could feel the heat that her dragon's body emitted with ease

However, just as Aeranax passed by, something strange happened, all the torches in the room, which illuminated the place with a warm light, changed color, the flames turned a blood-red color for an instant, and a strange sensation invaded the queen's body

All of them, except one, which, unlike the rest, simply died out, becoming totally inert, an action that touched Rhaella's curiosity, after all, if Aeranax's magic had enhanced the fire of the rest, why did it have the opposite effect in that one?

The queen observed the object in question, it was made of iron, black, forged to simulate a roaring dragon, and the flame illuminate the mouth of the beast, like all the braziers of Dragonstone, however, this particular one looked different from the rest, a little smaller, it was evident that this particular one was different from the rest, although the queen did not know the reason 

Curiously, the queen placed her hand on the strange object, with obvious curiosity, and then, something incredible happened

The statue lit up again, the fire returned, now the same color as the rest of the room, but the statue's eyes flashed with a faint red light, at the same time that the dragon descended a couple of inches and, the innocent wall on one side, began to open with difficulty, releasing a large amount of dust and cobwebs,  It was evident that such a mechanism had not been used in a long time

When the wall stopped, a huge, dark, descending corridor appeared, at the same time that torches lit themselves, illuminating a strange staircase

Where were they headed? Rhaella ignored it, but she wouldn't be left in doubt, that was for sure

Making sure that her beloved prince was asleep, and on her side, to avoid suffocation, the queen inhaled hard and thought of her family, her husband and her beloved Rhaegar to gather her courage, a second later, with a firm step, Rhaella descended into the unknown

The journey was long, it was evident that the stairs descended considerably under the fortress, probably to one of the many caves below the castle

After several minutes, Rhaella arrived at a huge and heavy door, it was made of black metal, with beautiful engravings of dragons and a poem in High Valyrian, it was evident that Rhaella, on her own, would never be able to open such a colossal structure

Even so, the queen admired the exquisite artistry and skill with which the structure had been built, and she passed her hand gently over the huge door, it was warm to the touch, as if it were somehow alive

Rhaella smiled softly and was about to remove her hand from the imposing structure, however, such an act was impossible for her

"AAHHG" Rhaella shouted, feeling how something cut the palm of her hand and her blood permeated the metal, the pain passed instantly, the queen was distracted by something else, something incredible

Something magical

 Her blood spread through the door, flooding the engravings, which shone with a crimson light and, to the queen's disbelief, began to move on the metallic surface, the dragons danced, at the same time, before Rhaella's incredulous gaze, the heavy metal door simply melted, allowing the queen to pass into a simply incredible room

It was huge, like a kind of underground tower, at least three floors and it was evident that no one had been here in a long time, on the first floor, the queen looked in amazement at incredible things, a luxurious living room, with desks and workshops, books still open, carving tools, and more wonders

On the second floor, Rhaella knew her beloved son would have a seizure when he saw the immense bookstore, it was huge, at least four times larger than the one in King's Landing, with Valyrian tomes

Curiously, the queen took one, reading the title

-Gaemon Targaryen's travels, the shadow of Ashai-

To be honest with herself, Rhaella didn't know who Gaemon Targaryen was, so she put the book back in place, focusing her attention on the top floor, it was the smallest of the three, with only three important things

On one side, there was a burning brazier, which glowed with Valyrian symbols, in which, to the queen's surprise, there were two dragon eggs, one white and the other dark purple, evidently still alive 

On the other side, Rhaella saw a mannequin, wearing the most beautiful armor she had ever seen, made of black steel over a battle robe and crimson cloak, evidently feminine

And in the center, a simple desk, with a closed journal, and a name, one infamous and respected in his family's history

-Visenya Targaryen's experiences-

And on one side of the innocent diary, a strange object, made of dragonglass, spiral-shaped and oversized, at least two feet high, simulating a crystal candle, illuminated by a faint purple flame 

Evidently, such an object was important and clearly powerful, there was something about it, which called the queen like a moth towards the light, so recklessly, Rhaella touched the curious object

In an instant, she was no longer in the mysterious tower, but in a familiar place, one she had visited regularly

The Red Keep, in the Tower of the Hand, where, to her surprise, Lord Tywin was chatting with her husband's pet, Cersei.

Apparently, the issue was the lack of response from the Lords of the three daughters

"Nothing yet?" Cersei asked seriously, in her hand, as usual, a glass of wine, a bad habit that Rhaella would report to her husband to discipline the young lioness

Tywin shook his head

"No, the arrogant imbeciles of the Vale assume we won't do anything about it, they've ignored two calls from the crown, a message must be sent," said the old lion

Beside him, Cersei nodded and, handing her father a scroll, spoke

"The captains' report this month, four boats were attacked, apparently a young Lord, a stupid insignificant named Darren Sunderland charges the 'sea fee' for the right to cross his oceans," Cersei said, with contempt more than evident on her face

Tywin snorted and said

"He's an imbecile, I'll send a raven to Winterfell, informing the king of the situation, in the meantime, I'll wait for the prince to co-ordinate a response to such an insult, if this...Darren, wanted the attention of the crown, he got it," Tywin said in a cold voice

Cersei just nodded and said

"I understand, in the meantime, I will prepare a small fleet to sail to the island, I'm sure this Darren will shit on himself when he sees a Targaryen war fleet, being escorted by Sun Stryder" Cersei said with amusement, making Tywin snort, sharing the image and opinion of his daughter

A second later, Rhaella returned, she was back in Dragonstone, in that mysterious and magnificent place, looking at the "innocent" glass candle

"Magic," she muttered to herself, now focusing her gaze on the innocent diary on the table

Visenya Targaryen, a warrior queen, a powerful Dragon Lord, Rider of Vhagar, the Queen of dragons

A figure feared and respected, even three hundred years later

Compared to her What was Rhaella? What were her exploits? Would the world remember her simply as the wife of King Aerys II?

The queen knew the answer

And in her chest, fury began to gush out, as never before, not towards her beloved husband, or her beautiful children, she loved her family, Aerys had more than won the affection of Rhaella, who thanked every day the amazing husband who had returned from Duskendale

The queen was furious with herself, for having been so docile, submissive, and useless, and she remembered her husband's words

"You are a Dragon Lady Rhaella, the whole world belongs to you, you just have to go, and take it, with Fire and blood, if necessary"

Months ago, Rhaella just nodded, not understanding the words, but being really comfortable with her life, but now, seeing her family's legacy, the legacy of a woman as important and powerful as Visenya Targaryen, the queen couldn't help but feel useless and incompetent

But...

She also knew that only she could make that change, it was in her hands to begin writing the legend of Queen Rhaella, wife of King Aerys, and ruler of Westeros

Decisively, the beautiful queen walked towards the mannequin, the armor was in perfect condition, as if, all this time, it had been waiting for her, it did not have a helmet, but a crown, evidently belonging to Queen Visenya

Inhaling forcefully and with firm hands, Rhaella Targaryen took it and decisively placed it on her head, making it fit

It was time to prove that, contrary to what the Lords of the realm thought, the House of the Dragon did not have two heads

But three

Darren Sunderland, the three sisters, the Vale

"It is a great loot" said Lord Triston's young heir, looking with eyes full of avarice at the commission he had obtained from the merchant ships

Although calling it a commission was not appropriate, the young man knew perfectly well that it was theft, although he cared little, if ships wanted to cross his ocean between north and south, it was the least they could do

"We must stop, by now the captains have returned to King's Landing and House Targaryen must be informed of our actions, it is prudent to think that they will take action against us," said Marlon Borrell, a second son of one of his father's vassals

To be honest, Darren only put up with Marlon's shit because he fucked his mother, Lady Darilla Borrell had been his whore for three years, and she begged on his knees for a position for Marlon

Of course, for such a favor, Darren made sure to leave her with her cunt full of his seed and her ass wide open, the stupid whore step out of his room walking like a duck that night, but nothing is free in this world, thought the despicable young man with a smug smile, who knew that a little Stone was running in Lord Borrell's corridors, perhaps he would sail to his whore and give the little bastard a brother so that he would not feel alone

Although Marlon's words were true, the frequency of the vessels had decreased, or they were accompanied by those new escort ships that House Targaryen had built, so it was becoming increasingly difficult to collect their fee

Darren would worry about that later, his father had sent for him urgently, and from the messenger's face, it was clear that he was really angry

Entering the great hall of the Sunderland "fortress", Darren watched as all of his father's vassals were present, including, to his pleasure, Lady Darilla who, upon seeing him, her face contorted in terror and she simply lowered her gaze

Although Darren was not able to enjoy his whore's fear, his father, Lord Triston spoke out, furious

"What the hell were you thinking, you stupid fool?" said Lord Triston looking with total contempt at his son

Surprised by the tone used, Darren asked

"What do you mean, father?" with real confusion in his voice

Such words infuriated Lord Sunderland even more

"TO YOUR FUCKING ADVENTURES IN THE OCEAN IMBECILE, Marlon has told me everything, how dare you assault Targaryen ships, are you a useless retard? I have sent letters to King's Landing non-stop, begging Lord Tywin that the dragon's route would include our islands and bring prosperity to our people, and I learn that you, my own son, not only intercepted the letters, but dared to hide not one, but two calls from the crown?” Lord Triston was furious, but also terrified

Knowing Lord Tywin's reputation, Darren could understand him

However, he was young, stupid and proud

"Those ships owe us tribute, how dare they sail my oceans as if nothing had happened?" said the imbecile recklessly, looking at Marlon, who looked at him with satisfaction and cruelty in his eyes

He'd get revenge later, probably by breaking his mother's ass, Darren thought cruelly

“THE DRAGONS RULE THE FUCKING CONTINENT STUPID BOY! NOT YOU” Triston shouted throwing a glass at her son, catatonic with fury

"Aerys Targaryen has all the great Lords dancing for his pleasure, with a powerful fleet and a terrifying army at his command, not counting the dragons, what makes you think that a man like that owes you something" the contempt and hatred towards his son was more than evident

Darren couldn't help but snort in mockery at his father's words

"By the Gods, do you really believe those rumors? Dragons are dead, if they ever existed," said the young man recklessly, never having left his miserable and insignificant island

Triston was about to answer, however, something paralyzed everyone present, something that froze everyone's blood, including Darren's

A roar, powerful, deep and terrifying, that filled them with anguish, at the same time, the windows of the fortress were darkened for an instant, as if something huge had flown over the castle

"It's here..." Lord Triston said terrified, after that, there was a second of silence

And then, all hell broke loose

Terrifying black flames lashed the island's docks, destroying a dozen Sunderland ships, including Darren's personal ship, as a huge black beast ascended into the sky, preparing for another wave

Darren looked at the situation completely terrified, a dragon, a fucking dragon, a huge beast, a monster taken from the seven hells, had come

And apparently, it was totally furious

The beast swooped down a second time, wiping out another dozen ships, destroying half of the pathetic Sunderland ships, however, that was not the most worrying thing, but the huge beast

It was heading towards the castle

"Shit" Marlon said, as he ran to his mother in an attempt to protect her

“WATCH OUT!!!!” shouted the guards, as they left their posts in terror

The flames embraced the façade of the castle, collapsing a large part of the outer wall, leaving the great hall totally exposed and collapsing, with all the "nobles" of the islands

The terrifying beast calmly walked towards the remains of the fortress, its snout engulfed in flames as it looked at the terrified nobles with apparent contempt

And on his back...

"Queen Rhaella," said Lord Triston, kneeling instantly, with his forehead on the ground, an act that was copied by the rest of the nobles

For all but Darren who, in his pathetic mind, could not believe that a mere woman possessed such power instead of him

That a simple whore, good at being fucked and raising children, has destroyed his great inheritance

The queen looked coldly at the furious Darren and said

"From your stupid countenance and lack of intelligence, I suppose you must be Darren Sunderland, my husband's petty annoyance," said the queen, dressed in stunning black armor, with a crimson cloak and a crown on her forehead

Darren was about to speak, however, it was evident that the queen was not interested and simply said

"Prostrate and humble yourself before me, and perhaps, I will have mercy from your pathetic skin, I will intercede with my husband to send you to the Wall, I have heard that they need penitents lately" said the queen calmly, looking at Darren in the same way he did with his servants and vassal

With total contempt

Something that the self-centered Lord could not stand

Totally out of his mind, Darren screamed and raised his axe, ready to show this whore where she was

However, he did not take more than two steps, before a sharp blow, coming from the tail of the demon beast, sent him to the ground, leaving him totally defenseless

Then, the dragon placed its claw on his body, looking at him with total indifference, at the same time that the queen walked towards the "throne" of the castle, calmly and collected

When she arrived, Rhaella Targaryen sat down and only then, she ordered

"Stand up, we have a lot to talk about." At the same time as her dragon, wrapped itself protectively on the throne, showing its ferocious teeth and fiery jaws to all the nobles of the islands

"Things will change on these islands from now on, from this moment, you cease to be vassals of House Arryn, and will answer directly to House Targaryen, if old Jon doesn't bring you to heel, my husband and I will do it" said the queen

And Darren could only feel one thing in his whole being, something he rarely felt

Absolute terror

In the end, everyone will kneel before the dragons

By hook, or by crook