Queen Haelyx Peverell

Haelyx looked at the designs for the throne. Fortunately the artisans had learned to make comfortable chairs and the seats were much better than those in other countries, but the designs varied greatly. On top of that were the requests for new roads, building permits, designs for the cities, the design for the magic school,….

Most of the work was cosmetic due to good advisers forced by magic to work to make a better kingdom without thinking about their personal benefits.

The problem was mainly that the definition of “what is best for the Kingdom” varied from person to person. A very clear example was one of the scrolls that were on Haelyx's table.

Most of the western territory was on steep, arid, and rocky terrain. Which meant there were few places to farm. But recently they had found a valley that could be enough to feed twice the current population that was supposed to build a village there, that meant they could sell some of their supplies. The problem was that this valley did not have abundant water for more than a few months a year when almost half of the land was flooded and the rest of the time only a river ran that would not serve to provide water for many crops.

Upstream the explorers had found the remains of a dam that was used to store water in a pond and control its flow in the valley. The bad thing is that the man put in charge of those territories had found some precious stones in the cliffs where the water was contained in the past. Specifically, high-quality diamonds after being polished

The current lord believed that it was best to exploit the diamond deposit given the rarity of the stones and use that to give wealth and power to his territory. But the inhabitants believed that the mine would benefit the nobles above all and that the best thing to do was to rebuild the dam and take advantage of the scarce farmland in the West.

The two proposals were "beneficial to the Kingdom" so a conflict had been caused and the final problem had come to the Queen, that is, to Haelyx. She decided that it was best to build the dam because they already had enough wealth but not much arable land in the west.

She still met later that week with a master builder and the nobleman to discuss the design of a dam that would open a gate at the bottom to let out the accumulated mud and diamonds trapped in it. That way the nobleman would get the diamonds from him, albeit to a lesser extent, and the inhabitants got a constant supply of water for their farmland.

Haelyx went through the designs for the throne again, discarding the ones that looked too similar to existing thrones. One of the craftsmen wanted to recreate Aegon the Conqueror's throne.

Haelyx then discarded the ones she didn't like and was left with six designs. Oscar entered the room with his arms full of documents and Haelyx smiled sweetly at him. He approached her and took her hand to deposit a kiss.

-"There are problems?"

– “I don't know which throne to choose. Why is it easier to decide to found a country than to choose a throne?“

-"Because you are special. You never thought of creating this country just for yourself, from the beginning you wanted to create a refuge for everyone who needed it. But the throne is something only for you and Iolanthe, so that gives you doubts"

Haelyx's face lit up and she smiled at Oscar.

-"You're right. The decision is not mine alone. Iolanthe also has something to say”

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Oscar thought that putting all the designs on the floor and letting Iolanthe choose was silly. But he knew Haelyx wouldn't make up her mind easily, so it might be for the best and he gave Haelyx the chance to spend more time with her daughter.

The girl approached one of the scrolls, picked it up and went to take it to her mother with pride. Oscar couldn't help but smile at his niece. If it weren't for the color of Iolanthe's hair, Oscar might think that Haelyx had created a copy of herself. She was the most beautiful and adorable girl in the world.

Oscar sometimes thought about how Edmyn would have adored her, especially when he was playing with her niece. The girl was a sweetheart, all smiles and curls, always laughing.

She looked like Edmyn

His older brother would have made a great father.

She once asked Haelyx why he didn't use her power over death to bring Edmyn back like he had the house elves. Haelyx just shook her head and her eyes filled with tears.

-I could give life to his body, but it wouldn't be the same. Edmyn's soul has already known death and does not belong to this world. He would be here, he would be happy for a while… For a while everything would be perfect. But he would long for the world of the dead, he would long for the fields of tranquility and the domain of death. He would wither in the world of the living and I with him, for only my death would return him to the realms of death. – Haelyx at that moment had tears running down his cheeks. – So the best thing is that I let him remain in death and accept that he is gone… Although my heart longs to live just one more minute with him, just a little more time. Tell him how much I love him and that he has a beautiful daughter, that we will be fine

Oscar understood Haelyx's feelings and supported her, saying what he wanted to say to her brother. But he also had a new problem that he hadn't talked to Haelyx about yet.

The ministers and nobles were trying to make him Haelyx's next consort.

Most of them had known Edmyn and were on good terms with him. After his death, many mourned him as friends. But the fact is that after his death the position of "Consort" had become vacant. A position many wanted her to fill, because they admired and loved Haelyx and didn't want her to be alone.

And, somehow, the majority had decided that Oscar was the most suitable to be with the Queen after the death of the King. There were also other candidates, but the current favorite was Oscar

That was due to his closeness with Haelyx, his obvious feelings for her, his efficiency working as a captain of the royal guard and aide to the queen at the same time, his popularity with the town, and the fact that Oscar was one of the few people who couldn't use Kingdom magic.

Haelyx wasn't aware of that yet, but a divide was beginning to emerge between those who could and those who couldn't do magic. It wasn't jealousy or open discrimination. It was just as if they were separating of their own free will. The ministers had thought that to avoid discrimination and hatred in the future it was best to marry Queen Haelyx to someone who couldn't do magic and give that idea some strength.

The idea that the Queen, the most powerful witch, married a man without magic.

Oscar was aware that this could end the separation. But he didn't want to impose his feelings on the woman he loved.

-“Look, Oscar. It is a beautiful throne”

– “Well, my pretty niece couldn't choose something ugly. Let's hope that when you choose your consort you are guided by something more than beauty. Or I will be very sad and I will have to beat up the boy in question "

Haelyx laughed and Oscar felt lighter. He looked at the design. It was a white and round throne, shaped like a teardrop. Four wings protruded from the sides of which hung crystal sword blades and on the thinnest part of the drop there were several hooked rings with multiple ornaments between them and colored crystals giving a sensation of a halo around the head of the woman. person who sits on the throne. In the center of the hoops was the Peverell family crest.

In the explanation, it said that the wings symbolized the arms of Haelyx and Edmyn, which they opened to welcome everyone regardless of their origin or social status. And the earrings on the head spoke of the purity of heart of the Peverells who fought to create a good Kingdom for all those they welcomed and how he believed that the gods themselves blessed the lineage.

After all it was a good throne

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Haelyx had attended Court sessions many times since she officially entered her uncle's Court. Since she was a child, she had attended each session very attentive and calm, while the cousins…. They did not have such exemplary behavior. Haelyx remembered that the Queen had once flattered her for that.

Haelyx had always liked to see her uncle doing what she thought was right on the throne. So she sat in the chair that served as a provisional throne and received those who came to raise her problems at the Court of Avalon. Most of the discussions had to do with the limits on the land that had been allocated to the farmers. In a few cases the same land had been assigned to two different people by mistake

Those cases were difficult because the best land had to be given to whoever needed it the most. But Haelyx couldn't show weakness either or they would take advantage of her.

-“The next matter. A marital dispute”

Haelyx straightened up and looked at a young woman who was next to another man slightly older than her and the girl's parents on the other side.

-"Very good. Please let the youngsters begin. I would like to hear what the young woman has to say.”

The girl blushed and stepped forward, kneeling down in a gesture that marked her as a former slave. Haelyx shook her head and asked the young woman to get up, she was no longer a slave. She now she was free of her and the Queen of her wanted to look into her eyes

The girl was visibly moved by that. That made Haelyx's heart ache. That girl shouldn't get emotional just because she's treated like a human being.

-“My name is Uru, I was born as a slave in Master Butlik's house. You bought me about four or five years ago. Since then I have been working with my parents as a weaver, but later they found out that I have strong magic and I decided to continue studying. But, to pay for my magic studies, I was working as an aerator in the mines." – An aerator was a wizard or witch with sensitivity to the wind who renewed the air inside the mines. It was a necessary job and quite well paid. – “There I met the foreman of the mines, Lorien. And he asked me to marry him. But my parents don't agree because Lorien..." – The woman was silent.

-"I don't have magic that can be used" – the young man stepped forward and put a hand on the woman's shoulder to support her. – “Uru is a very strong witch. We have been told that with proper training she can become a great witch. But her parents are afraid that her magic will diminish if she marries me or that I won't be able to take care of her properly."

-"I understand" – Haelyx turned to her parents. – “Is what they say true?”

-"Yes my Lady. But we think of the best for our daughter.” – the man was the one who spoke. – “We were born as slaves, mere tools. And you gave us freedom. We want to serve our country, of our own free will for once. And we know that the magic of Uru will be beneficial to the country. We are too old to learn much.”

– “We love our daughter and we want her to have a good life. May she have a roof that protects her from the sun, blankets that cover her when the cold arrives and she can eat meat every month. The life we could only dream of when we were slaves.” – the woman also spoke. – “Lorien is a good man, but we think that Uru would make a better match with a magician. Someone who can understand her magic like her and can produce children with strong magic who serve the country. Also, Lorien is a noble and we…. There are too many differences”

Haelyx fell silent. Considering it. Obviously Uru had feelings for Lorien and he for her. But Haelyx didn't know if they were true feelings or a whim.

– “Uru will finish her studies as she wishes, our country needs great witches. However, she will be free to marry once she finishes her studies. If your feelings are true, you can last a few years. In case a war breaks out you have permission to get married before the time limit.” – Haelyx smiled at the couple who seemed so happy.

Haelyx remembered her own wedding and hoped that this pair was happier than her that day. But she worried that a rift was beginning to emerge between magical and non-magical. Soon, very soon, she would have to make marriage laws.

And do something to stop the gap

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Helaena was knitting in the nursery while two maids and three house-elves watched over the princess and her children. Haelyx sat next to her, watching the start of a spider. Helaena had already defined the design with a pinch of carbon. Haelyx sat next to her and watched Iolanthe play with a stuffed animal.

– “I am going to make a law for marriage that prohibits marriages between relatives who are not separated by three generations”

-“Why only three generations? Why not more? – Helaena began to weave a little slower.

– “Because that is what separates your children from mine. Three generations. The same grandfather in our case, a great-grandfather in their case.” – Haelyx was silent. – “Our family has not only married between relatives by the Valyrian tradition, it was for the power to control dragons. There are greedy people in the world. And I will protect our children from them."

- "At least they will no longer be marriages between brothers. I always hated my mother's hypocrisy. She ardently defended the faith of the seven and condemned incest, while she forced me to marry Aegon." --- – Helaena pursed her lips. – “I am open to a marriage if it helps to stabilize the country”

– “Currently we are very stable. And I want that if you remarry it is not by obligation. I want it to be for love"

-“Love” – The word seemed strange on Helaena's lips. – “Once I dreamed of love, many years ago. I have not thought of love since my wedding night with Aegon. Love was not for me. I was going to be Queen after princess. I had to think about what was best for the kingdom and not about….”

-"There was someone"

-“A Valeryon soldier. I didn't tell anyone, they would have killed him even if I hadn't reciprocated. He is married now, from what I heard, and he has children ”– Helaena smiled sadly.

– “I will find you a good man, a kind man. Only if you want"

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The council discussion was quite heated. Haelyx sighed

– “There has never been a law like this before. A law that prohibits marrying between relatives”- said the leader of the witches and current director of the magic academy, a name yet to be decided.

-"Because, until now, it was only done in ancient Valyria and with the Targaryens. The faith of the seven eradicated that practice. And the fact that Valyrian blood somehow counteracts the ill effects of consanguinity. But we have all seen them ”– Haelyx let her words sink. – “That happened with the worgs of Winterfell, with the lions of Casterly Rock and with many more animals. We have to make sure that the blood mixes to avoid those problems.”

-"You fear that the practices of Ancient Valyria will return"

-“Yes, according to the documents I read, the Valyrians attributed to their magic why they had no problems marrying between brothers and relatives. But even so, I believe that not even magic could repair all the damage that could be done with so many generations together. That is why I suggest that there be at least two generations so that other blood can mix and avoid problems."

– “There are people who believe that it is best to marry the princess to one of her cousins. Keep the Dragon Riders Blood Strong"

-“Helaena and I share the same grandparents. Iolanthe and the boys are three generations apart. But we'll see, I want that decision to rest on Iolanthe's shoulders. She will one day occupy my throne."

-"Will you give such power to the princess?"

-"I never said that I could not select the candidates. Or that the council could not present suggestions” – Haelyx smiled as the council members looked at each other. They liked being in control, no matter how little. – “The next issue I want to address is that I am noticing a gap between magical and non-magical. Our country has a magical majority, but we are an exception to the norm. If this continues like this in a few generations we will be ostracized by a policy of isolation.”

The ministers looked at each other.

– “Actually we had already discussed that, my Queen. And we came up with a solution."

-"Oh really? And what would be the solution? Why have I not been told?"

They all seemed to hesitate, and Haelyx understood. She was not only the leader of the country, she was a symbol to her people and her people. Her actions were examples and imitation. If she accepted... If she married a man without magic then the gap would be closed because her beloved Queen had a husband without magic.

Especially if she got along with her spouse in public.

A part of her broke. She would marry another man, she would break her vows to Edmyn. She wondered if that was what her uncle Viserys had felt at their second wedding, when her uncle was forced to marry Alicent less than a year after the death of the great love of her uncle's life. .

It was like betraying the person she loved. Haelyx had already assumed Edmyn was dead and he wouldn't come back, but it was a different matter when it came to putting someone else in her place. She really thought that she could be a widow for the rest of her life.

– “Has any suitable candidate been chosen to be my husband?”

The ministers agreed. Her Queen was smart and they knew it

– “We believe that Lord Oscar is the best candidate. He is popular, well known and absolutely loyal to you."

haelyx nodded

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Haelyx was looking at the starry night on the balcony. Iolanthe was already asleep and she had a few minutes to breathe. The first week had been hard

-Are you okay?

-Yeah. – Haelyx looked at Oscar when the man approached with a glass of Butterbeer. She took the offered cup and drank a little. -The wedding will take at least two years to plan and celebrate

- Couldn't we make it longer? I do not want to pressure you

Haelyx smiled. This was something she loved about Oscar. He always put her and her feelings before Oscar's own. Though he had loved her for many years

-No it's good like that. Honestly, I can't imagine spending my life with another man other than you, Oscar. Haelyx smiled at him. – I know that my feelings for you and your feelings for me are different, but I hope that one day our feelings coincide
Oscar took the hand that Haelyx had placed on her chest and brought it to her lips where he kissed it softly.
-I hope so too.