12º Simply, a person
Edmyn looked at Haelyx. She was pale as she laid Iolanthe down. Edmyn took his wife by the shoulders and led her away from their daughter's bed. He led her to their bedroom where a tub of hot water awaited.
Edmyn gently undressed his wife before taking her into the bathroom and washing her carefully. He wanted to take care of her. Haelyx was exhausted, she had worked hard since the birth of Helga and Salazar almost nine months ago.
They had managed to distance the Hightowers from the faith of the seven thanks to several spies who continued to remind the High Septon of Lord Hightower's insults on a regular basis. But the relationship with the Citadel was slowly being restored and he knew that Haelyx was worried about that.
-You must rest.
-But I have much to do. – Haelyx sounded tired. He had never heard her so sleepy. Edmyn had a look of pain in his eyes. Haelyx had to run with all her strength to get to the places he reached easily just because he was a man. She was as strong and valid as he was, perhaps more than him since she was the smarter of the two.
-Honey. If you keep trying so hard you will get sick and we cannot afford to lose you. – Edmyn kissed his wife's forehead. – Take a few moons quietly. Accompany Helaena in her mourning and we will prepare to go to Avalon permanently
-But we said we would do it in about three or four years and still…!
-Haelyx. – The young woman remained silent. – We have done everything we could here, now it is time to return to our homeland.
-I will negotiate a peace treaty with my uncle. We will take Helaena and the children. I do not intend to leave them among the vipers here.
Edmyn smiled and kissed his wife's eyelids. She was still full of fire despite falling asleep
Later, when Haelyx woke up after a few much-needed hours of sleep she acknowledged that Edmyn was right. She was getting exhausted and needed to rest
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Haelyx was faced with a very big dilemma
What did people do when they wanted to rest?
Haelyx had spent her whole life moving in the political circle and making herself strong in the shadows. She hadn't really had a free moment. And Harry had been the kind of person who felt restless when he had free time.
Normally when Harry or Haelyx had free time from their normal obligations they would look for a new project or a new obligation. But Edmyn had been adamant that she couldn't get more work in her free time. He was bossy, Haelyx thought with a beautiful smile on her lips.
Haelyx also thought that trying something new and different from the usual would be good for her. A change of perspective
Things were different in the Red Keep too.
Everything was shrouded in an unnatural silence
It was scary to see the fortress, normally full of life and sounds, so silent that you could hear footsteps. The laughter had died down, the children did not leave their nurseries, the minstrels no longer entered and the music did not play. The servants walked on eggshells and tried to become invisible.
No one wanted to attract the Queen's attention
The woman had locked herself in her bedroom without going out or receiving anyone. She had even dismissed some servants because she had seen them smile. She barely ate and was letting herself be consumed by pain.
The King's hand was always hovering near Helaena and her children, trying to become close to his great-grandchildren. But Aemond and Daeron were physically preventing him from doing so. They hovered around Helaena like two constant protectors, but Otto was also getting closer to Aemond in that regard.
Haelyx wondered what she would have to do to kill Otto.
The other change at the Red Keep was that the Crown Princess and her family had decided to stay. A novelty, in the past even when they went to the Red Keep they fled as soon as they finished the matter that brought them there
But this time they were staying and the Hand of the King seemed increasingly distressed. Without Queen Alicent and with the King indisposed Otto would have to be the one in charge. But that changed if the heir to the throne was present. If neither the King or the Queen could fulfill their duties it was the Heir who sat on the Iron Throne
In this way the image of Rhaenyra as the next Queen was being engraved in the minds of the nobles. Something Otto did not want. Between a child less than five days old and an adult woman it was obvious to Haelyx which was better for the throne
Haelyx walked around the Keep with the twins as she went to the nursery. Helaena was sitting on the floor with the children on a soft rug. Haelyx blinked and counted again. There were more children in the nursery, two more little heads with white hair and violet eyes.
Haelyx looked around quickly and saw a nursemaid she recognized from Dragonstone, as well as a guard she recognized as one of the closest to her father. Besides the children having Valyrian features, there weren't that many Valyrian children in Westeros right now.
--- Hello, Aegon, Viserys.
- Princess Haelyx - Aegon said in a soft voice.
Haelyx suppressed a grimace, her younger brothers didn't see her as much as a sister because she wasn't raised in Dragonstone and only visited from time to time. To them she was just another adult in the family
- I'm your sister, you can call me that. – Haelyx sat down on the rug next to the children before Iolanthe ran out with Maegor. The boy was bouncing on the floor as he waited for her and they started talking to each other.
- But you don't live with us like brothers! – Aegon was six or seven years old, now that she thought about it, Haelyx wasn't sure how old he was. She might have skipped her name day
- That's because I'm married, Aegon. Married women live with their husbands, not their fathers or brothers
Aegon frowned at that with an adorable stubbornness. Helaena also made a gesture to indicate how cute she thought Aegon was
- But why can't a married woman live with her family?
Before Haelyx could answer, the Septa who was always present in the nursery spoke for her
-Because when a woman gets married she leaves her maternal home to join her husband's. They would only live in the woman's house if her husband could not provide a roof for his wife. But that is not the case
-But Haelyx is a Targaryen, and this is a Targaryen house!
-It's different here, Aegon. – Haelyx threw a nervous glance at the twins who were sleeping peacefully. – This is not just a Targaryen home, this is the Court. Many nobles stay at the Court on a regular basis, like my husband and I.
-I don't understand
Haelyx put a lock of Aegon's hair behind his ear.
-One day you will understand, but do not rush to grow up, Aegon. Stay a child for a little longer
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The Council was arguing loudly. Haelyx had been called to carry some documents because she was the only person with a high enough status to enter a Council meeting with all the other Targaryens present without fear of being beheaded. Now she was a damn messenger
Haelyx opened the door and all eyes turned to look at her.
- I bring the maps of the latest movements of the Triarchy, transcribed by the Maester. As well as Lord Velaryon's battle report
- Thank you, Haelyx. You can leave it on the table over there. – Rhaenyra rubbed her forehead as she pointed to an empty side table. – This discussion is going nowhere. We are at a tie
- We can break the tie. Princess Haelyx has the right to give her opinion on this particular matter. – Haelyx looked at the Septon sitting at the table, who was blocking the Grand Maester who had spoken. – According to the Law, the Princess has the right to participate in this meeting due to the absence of the King and Queen, although she has refused.
Yes, the meeting began at dawn. Haelyx did not want to get up so early on her vacation, voluntarily
Harry had always had that mentality in the few vacations he had had in his life. If you took a day off, that day you had to get up after noon. And the light was already beginning to fade, so the meeting had been very long
-My children are too young to be left alone for so long. But if the gentlemen want my opinion, I will give it. Although I should first know the matter
Rhaenyra looked at her cousin and stepdaughter with a soft smile. Haelyx was always polite and passive, there was fire in her, but Alicent had turned her into the perfect follower of the Seven. Rhaenyra shuddered to think that this was what Alicent had wanted to do with her all those years ago.
A pretty, silver-haired puppet that would follow the Seven's will with a nod and a soft smile.
- We are discussing whether or not to send a delegation to Avalon to negotiate a trade or peace treaty. – Daemon looked at his daughter intently.
Haelyx was surprised. She was already negotiating the treaty with her uncle Viserys, but it was true that there were more and more voices talking about the new kingdom of Avalon and its riches. Many greedy eyes were looking in the direction of the peninsula.
- I think it is not convenient for us to move yet. The Kingdom is young, the powers of Essos want those lands and the treasures hidden there, which will weaken the forces of the Triarchy because they will not be able to maintain a war on several fronts. But if we make an alliance and do not maintain it, we would be seen as traitors and that would damage the image of the Kingdom. At the moment I do not think they are strong enough to make an alliance. But that can change in the future. Besides, I think we have all heard the absurd rumor that they have a dragon rider…
-It is not a rumor. – The master of whispers spoke. – It is confirmed, several times. Avalon has at least one dragon and its rider
Haelyx seemed to think about it for a few moments. She was on enemy land and her response could cause a war or a peace treaty, depending on how she expressed it at this moment.
-Then there are more reasons for us to stay watching. Let us see the strength of this new rider. Although I don't think I can win against Vhagar and Caraxes at the same time, they are both very experienced war dragons even when fighting other dragons. We beat them in armies, territory and dragons, we will be fine. We just have to show that we will not be hostile to them
-Your opinion is prudent and wise, Princess. But very cautious. Without risks
-Well, if there is a war my children will have to fight it. It is natural for a mother to want to protect her children
Haelyx stormed out of the small Council room. They were treating her like a fool. Then she sighed and looked at one of the few symbols of the Faith that had survived the purge of her stepmother and father. Even if the plumage returned to its original state, there was still a lot of misogyny in the seven Kingdoms
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-I'm serious, I've never seen a country like this. And believe me, I've seen almost everything there is to see. – One of the freed slaves was talking to his friends. – It's not just magic, they're teaching us all to read and write. They're also creating a school system and they've even set a minimum wage that they have to pay us based on the activities we do. The streets are clean, food is cheap, and there's good security.
-Have you seen all the countries in the world?
-I used to be a sailor on a merchant ship. -The man put his hand to his chest proudly. –Or I was until my captain suffered losses and decided to sell us to make up for what he'd lost. And then he wondered why he couldn't get a new crew. But here there's even free medical treatment. Before this I'd only been to a master once and it cost me an arm and a leg to get him to cure me, all my savings for a year.
-Are things that bad in other countries? –The one who said that was a former slave by birth. –Before coming here I hadn't even left the master's house. She had no idea what the outside world was like
-Believe me, boy, you're happier not knowing how the outside world works. And this place... This place is paradise...
Haelyx left the tavern being discreetly followed by a guard. The best fruit wine in Avalon was made there and she could finally drink alcohol because she had stopped breastfeeding her young children
Haelyx walked down the street until she reached the orphanage. They let her in without asking too many questions and she went to the area where the rooms of the children who should be more closely watched were. It was in the Ravenclaw duchy, where they had found most of the libraries.
A golden-haired boy was in a bed and next to him was a red-haired girl whom Haelyx recognized as one of the freed slaves
-As far as I know, that girl has parents. What is she doing here?
-And she does, but she's a friend of James's and she's visiting him. The poor boy's lungs are destroyed by his previous work. Poor children and bastards are just expendable and disposable things for people who only want profit. - Haelyx looked at the headmistress. A woman who had come from Yi Ti as an escaped slave.
A Yi Ti practice for slaves who tried to escape was to have the words "I am a runaway slave, take me back to my master" tattooed on their neck if they tried to escape and failed. This woman had come to Avalon in its early days with a rowboat that had crossed the barriers with eight other escaped slaves.
The woman had the words tattooed on her neck, but it was a relatively small tattoo. She had said it was because they were engraved when her mother tried to take her with her when she ran away when she was only two or three years old. Apparently her mother had left her behind later because she cried too much, but it was for the best, because they hunted her mother down and pierced her liver with a spear for fun.
-Is he recovering well?
-Yes, his lungs are getting stronger every day thanks to the potions and the mountain air. His skin infections are getting better, but he may have the scars from the dye burns for the rest of his life.
-Poor boy. But he is strong, he will survive.
Haelyx did not want to think about those who had not been able to survive. The slaves who were too abused, those who had not been able to overcome the horrors of their past, those who were sick and exhausted and those who simply gave up when they finally felt safe. There were more successes than failures, but each failure was a stone that weighed down Haelyx's heart.
-Grow big and strong, little ones. Live lives full of happiness
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Haelyx showed her Balerion embroidery to her uncle
-The wings are wrong. They were bigger.
-I can make them bigger, it will just be a few more stitches. It wouldn't break the embroidery design.
-I like it when you come to take care of me. It's nice.
-I like spending time with you too, Uncle Viserys
-I don't have much time left. I'll be reunited with Aemma and my children soon. I hope Aegon is treating his older brothers well
-I think Aegon will be like when he was little. Do you remember, Uncle Viserys? He was very funny, he always wanted to make people laugh. – Haelyx remembered Aegon when she was very young, the Aegon from when she was five or six years old. The Aegon before Otto took him to a brothel to get him hooked on alcohol and sex and make him easy to manipulate. The Aegon before the teenager who tried to rape his eleven year old cousin.
Haelyx pressed her lips together. Sometimes she saw two people, those who were and the monsters they became.
-I remember when he made Otto sit on some eggs. I had to force myself not to smile when I told him off.
Haelyx kissed her uncle's forehead and hugged him. It wasn't Harry, she didn't have the power Harry had that allowed him to see and feel Death in a person. But for a second… She could swear she felt it in her uncle Viserys. And that had scared Haelyx to the core. Haelyx had Harry's memories and his magic, but she didn't have much of his courage in her opinion. Harry had been able to greet Death head on as if it were an old friend, Haelyx had only felt his presence and she was terrified.
Once her uncle died nothing would tie her to the seven Kingdoms. He had to finish his last job in the Kingdom before returning to Avalon
-Shall we continue negotiating the treaty, King Viserys?
-Of course. We will finish it soon, my last work as King…. Rhaenyra will be a good Queen.
-I'm sure she will. – Haelyx had to kill Otto to secure the throne of her cousin, her stepmoth